AND SO THE ADVENTURE BEGINS
CHECKING ME OFF MY BUCKET LIST
As some of you know, I broke up with my diet a few weeks ago. It’s not that diets don’t work or that I think they’re bad… But for me, they aren’t long-term, sustainable habits. So, last week, I decided to do something spontaneous and crazy. I hired a personal trainer/nutrition coach to teach me how to eat instead of depriving myself, and teach me how to train my body to change its composition.
I met with Mark two weeks ago. He showed up (at Starbucks) right on time with water in hand. I, on the other hand, was waiting there with an oatmeal bar and a latte… Ya, I know what your thinking, and I am sure he was thinking it too, but graciously, he never said anything.
He began by asking me a ton of questions, and after a long hour of watching him hang (and shake) his head in response to my answers, I decided maybe I was doing it all wrong. Umm duh, of course I was! After 5 years of dieting, and working out 5 days a week, I was still overweight and nothing had changed. I realized I needed help.
Before I knew what I was saying, I had hired him. It just fell out of my mouth! I made the commitment to myself (and to him) that for the next 12 weeks I would follow his personalized fitness and meal plan, and give it all I have. Now, you would think that I would be excited and eager to get things moving, but I was scared, and I was skeptical. NOTHING had worked so far, and I was pretty sure I was destined to be a chunky form of my previous self for the rest of my life, no matter what Mark did (or made me do). Nevertheless, I promised to give this a fair shot, and besides, I am no quitter. So, I gathered all the gear I would need, and put my personalized meal plan on the fridge under an old clip magnet. I then went down stairs and used a red push pin to hang my workout on the wall, and fully charged my iPod. I was all set to begin when he gave the signal.
Day 1 (Saturday Feb 24,2018), I took a look at the meal plan and had to text Mark right away. “You want me to eat all this? I am going to get fat”! I couldn’t believe the amount of food he wanted me to shove down my gullet. He told me to try and eat as much as I could, and he assured me that I would be hungry for it soon. So I did my best to feed myself according to his instruction, and went for a 20 minute walk (my workout plan didn’t start until Monday).
Day 3 (Monday) was my first workout. OMG, I couldn’t sit to pee for the rest of the week! No matter how much I stretched, I couldn’t ease the pain in my thighs and hamstrings. I was waddling like a duck around the house and cursing “the one to blame” under my breath.
Day 5 (Wednesday) was a memorable day for two reasons…One, because it was the first time since I was a child that I have ever done pushups (ya, I know, it’s ridiculous but I could never do one, and still can’t). And two, because it was the day I nicknamed Mark, JOSH.
Josh is the spin bike trainer on my “Spinning Ireland” DVD. I don’t like Josh… Not in a bad way, but in an ouch that hurts way.
Day 7 (Friday) I was starving! I couldn’t believe how hungry I was compared to the week before. Before I hired Mark, I was never hungry, I only ate because I had to. Food was a bother and an annoyance. Now I can’t wait for my next snack or meal. I have also drank more water than ever before, which is making me sweat like a man during my workouts. I have also noticed that I am sleeping really well, and I have so much more energy during the day!
Day 8 (Saturday) WEIGH IN DAY. After eating like a pig all week long and working out hard, I was not looking forward to getting on that scale. I was sure that with the extra food and muscle mass, I had either put weight on, or at least not lost anything. After getting the nerve up to step on the scale, I opened one eye to peek at the number. I was so happy to see that I had lost 2lbs!
I am so pleased with the results of the last week that it has given me the excitement that I was missing at the beginning of all this. I am looking forward to the many changes that lie ahead for my body, my health, and my lifestyle. Initially, I was going to write weekly updates, but I think it’s best if I write quarterly updates over the next 12 weeks, to give you a better picture of my overall progress. Until then, I gotta go eat!!
