When people envision their fitness plan, they think that they need to spend three hours a day on the elliptical or treadmill and cut back on all junk food. They drastically change their lifestyles, throwing off their body's normal cycle. The sudden shift can cause people to not lose the weight — or even gain by accident — which leads to further, more damaging lifestyle changes. This is not OK.
As someone who has struggled for years with my weight and self-image — starting workout plans then spiraling back to old routines, eliminating junk food then binging on all the snacks in my pantry — I know how difficult it can be to commit to a fitness plan. You have a goal in mind, you visualize your perfect body, and have a sudden “I can do this” moment. So you go to the gym for a week, love the open feeling in your throat after a good workout (wow, that workout hurt like hell, but I really do feel great!) and all is well.
Then it happens. One day, you feel too tired to get out of bed for your morning workout, or you don’t feel like hoofing it to the gym after your class or work, and those cupcakes look so darn enticing. You either skip a scheduled workout, or you become one of the candy-crazed kids from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." Doing both at once just makes matters worse.
And what do you do after your over-the-top cheat day? Well, talking from experience, you probably followed it up with an over-the-top fasting day. Chest heavy with disappointment and guilt from your moment of weakness the day before, you eat unusually small portions, hoping that today’s lack of calories will cancel out yesterday’s splurge. Though this is not an eating disorder, you’re most definitely on the path toward something unhealthy.
Don’t worry — you are not alone. Getting in shape is freaking hard! Your body gains weight way faster than it gives it up, so you shouldn’t think you’re not making any progress after two or three weeks. You know those drastic Before and After pictures all workout ads show? Read the fine print: In really bitty writing beneath the boldly flashing number of pounds those people lost, the commercials usually say the time it took was “six months” or “over a year.” When people watch those commercials, they expect to see that weight drop off within one month. Your body can transform just as those people’s bodies did — you just need to be more patient.
I have spent the past four years of college dipping my toes in every workout plan I could find online. Luckily, I kept the workout app I quit my freshman year on my iPod, and this year I restarted the program. I didn’t pick up where I left off — I began all over again with a clean slate. I’m happy to say that I’ve made it further in the program this time around than I did four years ago, and I’m still determined to finish it out — three weeks left!
My eating habits are still a bit shaky, but I’m getting better at it. I tried — really, really tried — to forsake all junk food. As a child, I was known in my family as the “Chip Girl.” I love me a bag of Lays. This addiction (and my dining hall’s delicious assortment of cakes and cookies) made it super difficult to say no to fatty foods. But let’s be real: Munching on a carrot stick doesn’t give anyone the same or better satisfaction as cutting your fork through chocolate lava cake.
Instead, I compromised. I found that, in order to prevent myself from binging or cheating with my snacks, I could moderate them. I don’t mean you need to weigh all of your food. Who is going to carry a scale in their backpack? At first, I tried one dessert a week — nope, that didn’t work. I typically took advantage of that opportunity and regretfully splurged.
Now, I allow myself one dessert each day. That means one cookie, or one slice of cake, or one scoop of ice cream. Not one of each — one of one. That satisfies my sugar cravings while showing me that I don’t need to go nuts in the dessert section. Have I been tempted to return for “just one more”? Goodness, yes! But then I tell myself that, if I have a second dessert today, I won’t get dessert tomorrow. I know myself pretty well — when it comes to food, I am horrible with delayed gratification — so I turn my cheek and pass the display.
No one has an easy time getting the body they want. If we were horses, we could run for hours without ever knowing we were in pain. Unfortunately, that is not the case. We need to consciously remind ourselves that the pain is good, the munchies isn’t real hunger, and we have the potential to reach our goals. Fitness is a balancing act. You need to satisfy your body’s needs, but you also need to be happy. What’s the point of looking good if you’ll never feel good?
