"Ok quite a bold title there," you might say? Ok maybe, but it is not the point. I heard "bold girls make history," so here I am!
The benefit is that I can empathize with your struggles to make gains because I've been through it myself.
What's the draw for you to be fired up about exercising? For me, it's a serotonin rush, a feeling of being in control, health benefits, determination, keeping my body in pristine condition so when I get older I'm less likely to sag and still have abs, maintain my sexy physique, be mentally sharp, and accomplishment no matter how much I may feel like doing it initially. Overcoming the latter is a boost of confidence in my abilities for me.
In college, I maintained my weight and even lost 15 lbs, not gaining the freshman 15. Due to certain medications that cause weight gain, I set a goal and lost 30 lbs last year to be ready for my wedding day. In 6 months, I lost 30 lbs.
Not to nerd out here's what I did in college and recently:
I ate lean and clean and close to natural as possible
- drank solely water, rarely any caffeinated beverages or energy drinks, not even tea
- Honey, no sugar, and it would be less than 8 grams of sugar on the ingredient list of a drink
- I ate mainly proteins and veggies I loved, rarely any cheese or cream, small portion of carbs like brown rice or whole grains or oatmeal
- For continued motivation and to prevent indulging worse than if I tried to stave off cravings, I treated myself to 1 pint of icecream 1x/week when I worked out 3 to 4 times/week
- Pre-workout: I ate a banana or yogurt; something light to offset a sudden drop in blood sugar which could cause fainting or a weak, ineffective workout (a trick from a trainer I had in college).
- Post-workout: replaced lost electrolytes with vitamin water (I didn't like Gatorade). Or muscle milk in flavors I liked.
- I followed serving sizes strictly as on a package for all foods I ate to avoid overeating.
- For example; During the week if I couldn't wait til the end of the week to have ice cream, I prorated what I ate for example 1/4 cup of ice cream as it is said that is the serving size on the package. Having little motivated me to wait until the end of the week to indulge in a full pint And proved to myself I could withstand instant gratification, a mark of a self-disciplined and physically strong person.
- I made a lot of healthy choices in the lean clean realm; they were flavorful things I enjoyed or looked home-cooked like eggplant rollatini vs pizza, or burgers, pancakes, and tater tots widely available on campus.
- I ate what I was given, not more, and didn't ask for more to avoid looking like a pig.
- 3 meals, 2-3 snacks in between to keep my metabolism running...like a log on a fire...keep feeding the fire (metabolism).
- At work, eating depends on business at ties. In the healthcare field, I can sneak it in as soon as I can and make high-protein foods that are finger foods and meal prep one day of the week.
- I did a lot of positive self-talk like I'm proud of the choices I'm making and that I'm unique, a standout, different than most college students I saw who eat junk and don't care for their bodies or livers (haha). I tell myself "my body is a temple," it reminds me to take good care of it.
Recommendations:
- what does lean and clean and natural look like to me?" is the question you can ask yourself. Above is what it looks like for me. Maybe some of the ideas presented spark your interest and ideas that may work for you. Above is what I learned from personal experience, biology/medicine classes, trainers, and peer-reviewed research papers.
- In addition to eating right, I worked out every other day: that looks like 3 or 4 business days a week, or the weekends, Saturday and Sunday each week. I did my favorite exercise, jogging on a treadmill.
- Genetics plays a big role in what works for you. For example; if Sarah observes cardio worked for her in the past and for her family that elliptical and stair stepper help her immediate family to lose weight, then it's logical Sarah would likely lose weight using either of these methods too. Sarah can take that into account when planning to do exercises she loves by picking one of the aforementioned exercises that appeal to her the most. Since I noticed this for myself, I did the elliptical for 30 minutes a week and increased the time on the elliptical by 5 minutes each week until my deadline day was met.
- When it comes to maintaining weight after it's lost, I can keep it for the same time each week, which is one hour per day per week. The time for you might be based on what you observed worked for you and immediate family members to lose weight in the past.
- Check your university for trainers that are available to train students. When I attended, my university had trainers available for no additional cost. Now they are a small fee. Here's an example. Check the wellness and recreation center of your university in person or online.
- Bonus: In addition to maintaining the physique, any movement-related activity is great for trauma healing. This is based on research in Dr. Van Der Kolk's book "The Body Keeps Score."
- Bonus: When your mind is sharp, everything works well. You're better at studies or whatever you put your focus on.
