How To Start Over If You Regain Weight
It’s October, time to talk about scary things. Know what my biggest fitness fear is? Regaining all the weight that I previously lost. Maybe you can relate.
In a perfect world you would never get heavy to begin with, but the next best thing would be if you lost the weight and then effortlessly kept it off forever. In my experience that also never happens. Your health is kind of like a garden; you have to constantly prune the plants and pull the weeds so it doesn’t get overgrown. That takes time and a whole lot of effort.
The plant is the healthiest, best version of yourself. When you are eating well, exercising consistently, getting enough sleep and have a relatively balanced work-family life you can truly bloom as an individual. You feel like a prize winning rose.
But then the weeds always like to creep in, don’t they? Those little bastards are things like a new work schedule, family strife, medical emergencies and sometimes a giant case of the eff its – give me the cookie! If you don’t weed those things out then even more powerful weeds can enter your garden. Self-defeating thoughts where you beat yourself up, feel shame and want to hide your imperfect garden from the glare of the nosy neighbors.
Full confession – my garden is a bit overgrown at the moment, for many of the above mentioned reasons. But I no longer fear gaining back all the weight because I know if you were fit once you can get fit again. It’s just a choice.
5 Steps to Start Over
- Pick the biggest, baddest, boldest goal you can think of and train for it like you’re going to win. My current fitness goal is to do unassisted chin-ups by Halloween.
- Focus on progress, not perfection. For example, when you use a chin up machine it goes from 100 to 0. Once you get to 0 you are lifting your full body weight without any help. Two weeks ago I was at 54. On Friday I was at 30. That’s progress and progress is motivating. This also ties in with your internal monologue. Instead of saying, “I’m so weak, I still can’t do a stupid chin up” say, “I’m getting so close to doing an unassisted chin up! In a few weeks I’ll be able to do it!”
- Make better choices, ones that will help you meet your goals. I’ve come to the conclusion that doing a chin up will be much easier if I lose those extra 15 “eff-it I want the cookie!” pounds. So I food prepped some salads, baked up chicken and boiled some brown rice today. What good foods can you make up today?
- Find motivating pictures. I printed a picture of Sarah Connor from Terminator 2 doing chin ups and put it on the refrigerator. That visual cue helps me to eat clean when I really don’t want to. Who inspires you? An athlete, movie star, your best friend, some person on Instagram who seems really badass-yet-approachable? Follow her and get motived.
- Be kind to yourself. If work or family life is stressing you out, ask for help. Talk to someone you trust to vent. See a doctor or therapist if it’s too overwhelming. Surround yourself with positive people who support you.
Whatever you are going through that’s led you to gain back some weight, just know that it is temporary. If you don’t like the weeds in your garden, put in a little elbow grease and get rid of them so your healthiest self can bloom. You are stronger than you think. You got this, girl!
Lisa 😉
Want to Train with Me?
Local to Austin/Round Rock/Pflugerville? Email me – Lisa@sheslosingit.com. I offer personal training sessions at a private gym: $70 session. That includes a customized suggested meal plan. Spaces limited!
Lisa Traugott is a personal trainer, Mom’s Choice Award writer, original cast member of FOX/John Cena’s “American Grit” and has a monthly fitness column on Bowflex.com. She won Ms. Costa Rica Sports Model 2017 and her transformation story was featured in Muscle & Fitness Hers, Good Day Austin, Great Day Houston and Austin Woman Magazine. She blogs at ShesLosingIt.com and is passionate about her clients.
ShesLosingIt.com (c) 2012-2019 Lisa Traugott. All rights reserved. No portion of this blog, including any text, photographs, video, and artwork, may be reproduced or copied without written permission.