I did so well back in the day. I managed to lose 50lbs between January 2010 and June 2011. But, since I returned to work after my mat leave - the scale has been going consistently upwards. Sitting all day instead of chasing after toddler twins tends to have that effect. But, really - look at the last year alone:
Currently - I am much closer to my previous start weight than I am to my low of 2011. That scares the crap out of me. I know I am much smaller than I was back when I started because there is a heck of a lot of muscle under that fat.
Luckily, I gave myself a bit of a kick in the pants this weekend and did some soul searching in the shower to see if I could come up with a plan. Then it hit me.
I forgot about Unbreakable Rules!
I THRIVE with unbreakable rules. Conditions that I can transform my health that are non-negotiable.
When I first started this journey to health, over four years ago, I was a mess. But by setting one unbreakable rule, I was able to stick to the plan. I still follow that unbreakable rule - I can watch seasons of shows I want to watch...as long as I do it on the bike or the treadmill. Yep - still do it. I won't even commit to a new TV series (I'm talking one on DVD or Netflix - not random, weekly series) without a plan to only watch while I work out.
But that one Unbreakable Rule isn't helping my expanding waistline (or - more specifically - widening butt region)
I need more.
With that in mind - I have spend a bit of time figuring out what I think I can handle for the next three months to whip myself back into shape. I think I've come up with a list of Unbreakables that can get me there and that will set me up for success as I work through my marathon training plan as well.
Here we go again...
My Unbreakable Rules - 2014 Edition
- The kitchen closes at 7
The light goes off and I do not enter it unless I am refilling my water bottle. - Only one cup of coffee per day (if any)
I have been overdosing on the coffee lately...and I like mine fully dressed so it's not helping matters. I like my tea black (plus stevia) so if I need an extra boost - I can always switch to tea. - Track every bite and activity in My Fitness Pal
I need to be aware. Plus - the calculator they have when you finish each day helps motivate me when it tells me how much I could weigh in 5 weeks if everyday was like that. - 2-3 BIG bottles of water each day
I have been slacking on the water and need to get back at it. - One special treat per week. Choose wisely.
I'm eating far more crap than I need - including eating out too regularly. This will help me ask myself if I want to spend my treat on this thing right now or if I'd rather have something worth waiting for. - 10,000 Steps a day
I have been wearing my Fitbit for almost a year and a half. I love it. I am usually pretty good about getting my steps in, but I want to up the goal to get in that 10,000 each day instead of trying to average out at 70,000 for the week.
- Move 6 days of the week
Including one core and one resistance workout to supplement my running. On the rest day - try to at least stretch it out. I am not going to commit to a specific workout plan - I will choose my resistence workouts from my collection of DVDs or maybe even from Pinterest.
There we have it. A new list of unbreakables. I feel good about this. I feel like this could work really well and is totally do-able for the next 3 months and (hopefully) beyond. I am not setting a particular pound goal - at this point I think I need to be happy with whatever I can accomplish before the end of May. But I feel like I can stick with this and keep the success going so I can be in really good shape by the time all of the other weddings happen later in the summer.
Wish me luck.
Do you have any unbreakable rules to help you succeed? Tell me about them in the comments.
