MWLJ #3 Finding the balance

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

As I begin the journey of weight loss, I must find the balance. I need to balance my activity with my rest; my calories in vs. calories out and my macros; protien vs fats vs carbs.

Breaking it down further, I have to learn to balance good carbs and not so good carbs. I spent a lot of time studying where my goals needed to be set and the differences in carbs and what is good protein. Wow, this isn't easy. But what isn't easy is usually worth it in the end. You can't just say. . . this is what I need. You need to determine what will work for you. Then the hard part. . . sticking to it.

I studied some articles on google, spoke with fitness coaches, read articles by Deron on Grow Young Fitness and set my goals.

A GOAL WITHOUT A PLAN IS JUST A WISH

My doctor set my step goal at 5000 steps a day with 6-7 hours of activity (250 steps an hour). I set my goal for calories at 1000-2000 a day with a deficit of 1000-1500 calories a day (deficit = Calories Out - Calories in). My macros were set at Carbs 45%, Fats 35% and Protein 25% of the daily calories. I set my water intake at 92 oz. and my sleep goal was 6-7 hours a night. My exercise goal was 5-6 times a week. My personal goal was to be able to walk into the doctor's office on my next visit without my scooter and conquering my sugar addiction.

THE LONG ROAD TO SUCCESS SEEMS UNREACHABLE

Month 1 of my journey, I started on two of my goals. I went off the sugar and found the benefits were tremendous. Sugar is an addiction. Sugar is terrible for weight gain, depression, diabeties and is an inflamatory along with so many other issues that I will address in another blog. Going off sugar for me reduced my joint pain and my cravings and i actually enjoyed the taste of food again.

My 2nd goal was to begin my exercise program and start walking more. That was not an easy task. Although I had worked with the Grow Young Fitness program in the past, it had been about 2 years. I had to laugh, (or I would have cried) to find that I could hardly lift my legs off the floor for my core exercises and as for balance; I looked like a tumbling bowling pin. I struggled to get my 5000 steps in and was not reaching it at the beginning. Due the fact that my knees were is such bad shape, I couldn't go out and do daily walks, so I set up a path around my kitchen island, table and the different rooms in the house. Sometimes I would have to use the walker to accomplish it, but as I worked harder each day, it became easier and some days I got between 5500 and 6000 with one day over 7000 steps.

THE REAL STRUGGLE OF BALANCING YOUR CALORIES

Balancing my calories and macros were a real challenge. It's easy to stay within the calories set, but balancing where those calories come from is the struggle. It's easy to say you are eating the 1000 calories, but is it from good choices or bad choices. Finding substitutes for the good things in life isn't easy, but is doable. My first thing I tried was substituting an orange if I wanted something sweet. Also, when you feel like you are hungry, its probably because you need water or from boredom. Try to find something to do instead of sitting in front of the TV and seeing all those wonderful food ads.

JOIN ME IN MY NEXT BLOG TO SEE THE EVALUATIONS OF MY FIRST MONTH.