meek and wild beauty

 I am bursting at the seams to share so many things.  I can already tell 2021 will be a big blogging year (maybe...possibly...don't hold me to it).   Let me start off on a super positive note – I have officially lost 10 pounds since January 1, 2021.  WOOHOO!  So, this will be what I learned about my body, and what is working for me.  

Knowing my body - I should say – getting to know my body.  I was slowly but surely losing a pound a week, but the next week after my last weight loss/fitness post I had a day or two where I gained and was gaining weight rapidly every day, and not losing and I struggled with the fact that this may be muscle because my measurements were not changing.  Realizing I needed to understand more about the food I was eating I started evaluating myself more after I ate.  I started keeping a 'food journal' in MyFitnessPal and weighing about 2 or 3 times a day.  Granted, in a lot of circles, this is a HUGE no-no.  Keep in mind that I was not using this as a reference to my weight loss but trying to understand when my body would retain water.  My body thinks it is fun to retain water, so I wanted to see what worked best with my body.  I was not happy with what I found out.  

D.A.I.R.Y.  – I would not be lying to say it is my number one favorite food.  I am huge on cheese, yogurt, milk…all the dairies.  One thing my body did not like and reacted to the most…. delicious dairy.  I took it out of my diet (tearfully) and was shocked by the scale that coming week.  I had lost 3 pounds in one week.  I was still eating plenty, keeping my calories at the right place, etc.  I knew that I had to keep dairy out of my diet until I reached my goal, then I would slowly add it back.  Let me also tell you a crazy thing.  This past week I tried Almond Milk because I really enjoy a sugar-free decaf latte for dessert some evenings.  I had about a cup of Almond Milk (Unsweetened, Plain, read the ingredients) and within 24 HOURS I had gained 5 pounds in water weight.  I am not kidding.  I do not know exactly what happened, but I changed nothing in my diet or exercise other than adding that.  Taking it back out, I was back on track about a day later.  So frustrating.

Water – I finally listened to my husband, as well as 1000 other people tell me this is key to healthy weight loss.  Drinking the recommended amount to start with, then as my body understood I was being nice to it (finally), I started craving more and now it is my go-to after coffee.  I believe this also helps keep my water retention at bay as well as any bloating. 

Anti-Inflammatory Foods - The majority of what I was eating fit on this list, but some did not.  I focused more on foods that really help to reduce inflammation, which will also help in my water retention - among a gazillion other things.  Foods like almonds, fish/seafood, olive oil, berries, leafy greens, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, garlic, onion, eggs, brussel sprouts, zucchini, green tea, and a lot of others.  Not only did I pay attention to foods on these lists, but also what other foods would do the opposite and cause inflammation... sugar (white, honey, agave, splenda, aspartame), peanuts, sodas, alcohol, iodized salt, gluten, refined carbs, trans fats, and others.  These foods that cause inflammation are easier to avoid if you eat cleaner, and there are lists that contradict themselves - so take the bulk of knowledge and work with it.  For example, there are some dairies that are good anti-inflammatory foods, but after my snafu with dairy, I just listened to my body and not the lists. 

10 pounds feels amazing, but my goal is not fulfilled yet.  I was talking to a friend of mine, and I let her know that this next stage might be the most difficult.  I don’t know where my 36-year-old body will want to be, and if I can even reach my goal.  We shall see.  You know I’ll keep you updated. 😉  I’d be happy just looking killer in a bikini..which will be shipped very soon. Yay!  

I'd like to add a life moment reality- this past weekend was special.  I took a vacation day and had an amazing day-date with my husband (post/s coming soon 😉 it was seriously such a fantastic day).  I ate whatever I wanted.  This included Dairy Queen Chicken Basket (gravy of course), lattes with oat milk, specialty tacos, diet soda, chips & salsa, mall pretzel bites with cheddar cheese sauce & pretzel covered hotdogs, and ending with a cheeseburger meal. ❤ Balance. ❤

Wowzas – did January last forever or was that just me.  Haa!  So many amazing things have happened since my last post that it seems hard not to combine all the sharing into one huge post.  Don’t worry, I’ll spare you and get closer to that ‘blog every 2 weeks’ resolution I made. 😉

News flash – this post is about my recent weeks with weight loss – BONUS - I am not sharing anything you should buy!  Please remain calm…I know…crazy right?!  Haa!  Goodness, it is everywhere these days.  Okay, moving on.

I have successfully lost a pound a week.  YAY!  You know what finally worked?  Knowing my flippin’ body type and looking at my macros (percentage of Fat, Protein, and Carb intake).  It was not super fun learning what foods I should eat and what I should not eat, and then figuring out how much of in each category…January was rough.  BUT – it got easier because now I have more of an understanding of what is a healthy fat, what is protein, and what is a healthy carb.  Meal planning is now a bestie of mine.

Body Type

Turns out I am an Endomorph.  This surprises a lot of people because this body type retains/stores fat, is usually plumper/round – and I am a petite thing.  The reality is - it is harder for me to lose weight because if I am not eating a certain way, then my body reacts like a caveman and stores up for winter.  I have struggled MY WHOLE LIFE with my legs.  They confuse so many people who I consider very knowledgeable about fitness.  You could even argue that I am only an endomorph from the hips down – but you need to treat your whole body this way. 

Activity

I have also exercised at least 4 out of 7 days, and I have been loving these Pilates / Barre workouts (30 mins).  They are hilariously difficult for me, but strangely in a good way that I am really enjoying them.  I also have random HIIT workouts (10-15 mins) that are mostly leg driven – but my husband thinks it's funny to throw arms in and 60 pushups later I can’t hold a phone to my face and want to put everyone on a speaker (true story).

Food

My macros are 50%-40% healthy fats, 30%-40% proteins, and 20% healthy carbs.  This was really hard for me.  Having healthy fats as your main food group looks REAL funny for this southern raised lady.  My healthy fats are nuts, seeds, avocados, Greek yogurt, certain cheeses, eggs, olive oil, etc.  Can you imagine how my plates look?  I’d like a scoop of seeds, a side of fish, and half a cup of broccoli, please.  The good news is that there are a lot of proteins that I eat that are also good fats so that evens it out a bit.  I eat a lot of seafood. Cod has been my favorite.  I wasn’t getting enough fiber, so that took a while to get right.  You have got to eat things that are high in fiber and still in the correct category.  So chia seeds were like a light bulb, and BOOM– bloating was way down and the flow was smooth – sorry if TMI, but you have to get this right.  My carbs are my vegetables, which I use to fill my plate with but now I am just normal portioning it and am seeing the difference.  Broccoli, brussels sprouts, spinach, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, green peppers – mainly dark green veggies.  I do have Ezekiel bread once a week or so.  I usually save this for the afternoon after my Wednesday Weigh-in & Measure. 

What do my meals actually look like – I’ll let you know – your welcome.

Breakfast – ½ cup Plain Greek Yogurt w/ 2 tablespoons of chia seeds mixed in and some cinnamon with about 10 blueberries on top, and ¼ cup unsalted raw almonds.

Lunch – this varies on leftovers.  1/3 cup veggies, chicken or fish (sometimes both), and cheese/avocado slices usually. If it’s cooked it’s in olive oil and seasoned well.

Dinner – same as lunch, big surprise haa! Usually a glass of red wine.

 My ‘treats’ are 85% dark chocolate.  I get this kind from Aldi’s and oooooooo it is my jam.  I drink my coffee without milk/cream now and some stevia.  I have also upped my tea game, and herbal tea now has a special place in my heart. 

Weight Loss

I will also admit that losing a pound a week is the healthiest but hardest part.  I want to see results NOW, but they come in stages.  I have consistently lost a pound a week since January 1, and I have to mentally realize that this is the way to go.  It is gonna take time, I cannot rush it.  I must continue to make good decisions daily.   I’m proud of myself, but at the same time it’s only been 5 weeks, so only 5 pounds, and I feel like I’ve been doing this FORRREEEVVVVEEEERRRR.  But – in 5 more weeks it will be 10 pounds…so, the toughest part is just rackin’ up those weeks. 

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Another hard thing is making sure I eat the right number of calories.  My body acting like a caveman tends to store up in case of starvation setting in.  So, I can’t cut calories to a crazy extent.  This is hard for a recovering anorexic.  When I was younger, I did just that – lower my calories to a stupid low.  No wonder I have had a problem with my legs – they are storing ALL the fat from years & years of winter!  Not to mention I never actually worked them…at all…my whole life.

The last thing – meal planning really has made my life a lot easier.  You see – my amazingly handsome husband is the EXACT opposite of me.  He is 50% healthy carbs, 30% protein, and 20% healthy fats!  So we usually make dishes for ourselves that I know I will only get a tiny portion of and he will get a huge portion of.  Like beans, couscous, whole grain stuff, veggies, fruits…etc.  Then you throw in a semi-picky toddler in and it’s chaos without planning.

YAY for seeing success!  Hope this was fun and helpful!