fitness/body recomp journey - down 19 lb so far
shared this on another sub and some people said they found it useful so i figured i would share it all with you here too!! i’m not an expert and have a long way to go in my journey still, but i have found it helpful reading other people’s posts here and doing the check ins.
i started my fitness journey in january by going to reformer pilates and the gym, and then started a trackable habit plan in february (details below). i’m almost at 20 lb down and i’m feeling so much stronger. it feels great to actually see the visual progress now. things have improved so much for me already and i finally feel like i’m seeing a difference in my body and health. proud of how far i’ve come in the last few months. if i can do it so can you. for reference i am 29F and 5’3
before you read below i think it’s important to have some context. over the last few years i was neck deep in self neglect. i ate mcdonald’s for breakfast, wendy’s for lunch, then A&W for dinner. i never hit 10k steps in a day unless work was crazy. i hated exercise of all kinds. i drank less than 40oz of water daily. i was binge drinking almost every weekend. i was binge eating every night and snacking constantly. i never packed a lunch for work. i was depressed, irritable, and sleeping poorly. i hated how i felt, and hated how i looked even more. everything felt difficult or exhausting including bending down or going up stairs which sucked.
i take things ONE week at a time and use a spreadsheet in my notes app to track my habits including calories, steps, protein, weight, and exercise. if i hit all of my daily goals i give myself a green check mark, and if i didn’t hit them all i give myself a yellow check mark to make visually tracking easier. i don’t beat myself up if i have yellow days and move on if i have an off day. at the beginning this was very difficult, but i just told myself to keep showing up and being consistent. i haven’t had a “red” day (didn’t meet ANY goals) since i started and that’s been motivating too.
here’s what i’ve been doing for the last 6 weeks:
- daily weight first thing in the morning, take average weekly.
- calorie deficit. i eat 1600-1700 calories every day and weigh my food religiously with a scale. no fast food whatsoever. no trigger foods are allowed in the house (chips, cheez its, cookies, chocolate, etc) because i simply won’t be able to control myself. if something has a health canada warning label on it, i won’t buy it. i cook at home and rotate through the same proteins (salmon, chicken breast, ground beef, ground turkey) carbs (rice, potatoes) and veggies (salad, zucchini, edamame, broccoli, peas) to make choices easier.
- protein 100-130g daily, more if possible. i try to get at least 40-50g early in the day. i always eat breakfast even if i’m not super hungry first thing in the morning. i drink a protein coffee/milk every day and will occasionally have a protein bar but try to prioritize protein from whole foods.
- 10k steps every day. i track steps with apple watch. my job is quite step-heavy but i try to make meeting step goals easier by parking far away from stores and taking the stairs once in a while. i’ll occasionally walk around the block after dinner as well.
- exercise every day. i do reformer pilates 1-2x per week, and lift 4-5x per week at the gym with rest days as needed. on lifting days i try to focus on full body compound movements like smith machine squats, RDLs, and bulgarian split squats. i occasionally will use cable machines to work arms but most of the focus is on my legs and back. if i don’t have time for the gym i’ll do a youtube workout (the fitness marshall, grow with jo, madfit, yoga with adrienne) and if i’m bored sitting around at home i’ll do arm exercises with 5lb dumbbells.
- waking up at the same time each day. i no longer work shift work so this is way easier than it used to be, but i try to be in bed by 9:30-11:30 and wake up every day between 5:30-8:30.
other tips/things i’ve been doing:
- drinking more water (still probably not enough but i’m working on it, lol)
- telling myself there is no barrier to being the type of person i want to be. i want to be the girl that goes to the gym every morning, so i take the actions and then i AM that girl.
- journaling and talking to a therapist about my goals.
- changing my social media feed and following people who align with my goals or who i find inspirational. at work i like to talk with the coworkers who are into fitness and ask about their routines or hobbies.
- be social and active at the same time. i’ve joined multiple group fitness things with my coworkers (including dance class, boxing class, mat pilates) even though i was sooooo anxious at first. doing things outside of your comfort zone is nice once or twice a month and it’s nice to bring a friend once in a while.
- always keeping some kind of fruit in the house in case i feel like snacking on something sweet. i eat a lot of cantaloupe, strawberries, and raspberries.
- taking near daily progress photos and comparing my beginning to now.
- taking a multivitamin and fibre supplement daily. i don’t take any pre workout or other supplements.
- i’m not mean to myself after i make a mistake or don’t have the best day ever, but i hold myself accountable and move on instead of ignoring my feelings or wallowing. i still enjoy things and go out for dinner once in a while but i try to be mindful about it and keep the rest of my meals reasonable.