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I originally wrote this post on July 13, 2011…But, it’s worthy of a repost. Eating healthy and mindfully is by far the MOST important thing we can do when it comes to losing weight. So many folks workout at the gym for an hour or so a day only to eat terribly for the other 23 hours. You’ve heard the sayings: “Abs are made in the kitchen” and “You can’t out train a bad diet.” They both are painfully true.
Shh….I’ma let you in on a secret. You probably won’t even believe me. It took me a while to wrap my mind around it too. It’s the God’s honest truth though. Diet/nutrition trumps exercise everyday of the week when it comes to weight loss. I know, I know. A hard pill to swallow. We all like going to the gym and getting our workout on. It makes us feel good. It’s a rush. A high like no other. When we leave the gym we feel so accomplished. I must preface the rest of what I’m going to say, by saying, please DON’T stop your workout regimen, it’s important for your overall health and fitness. But…
…As my good friend and coach reminds me all the time, the one hour or so I spend in the gym is not nearly as important as the 23 hours I spend away from the gym. Steve’s a certified personal trainer so of course he wants folks to come to the gym. Duh, that’s how he makes his living. So for him to give me this insider information is HUGE. He tells me all the time — you don’t even have to come to the gym but you do have to watch what you eat. When I went down with my fractured leg a few months ago. He immediately stepped in and helped me refocus my attention to my diet. He pointed out that I still would be able to lose weight while I was down if I paid attention to what I ate. Guess what? He was right. I did NOT gain any weight during my 14 weeks rehabbing instead I lost 10 lbs.
Steve has been after me about my diet for sometime, however, I’m stubborn and I would not listen. I thought whatever – I can sneak in a cookie here. Have an extra little bit of orzo and spinach there. The less I weigh though it seems I’m unable to get away with those types of behaviors. I’m stubborn, but no fool and so I realize that it’s time for me to set aside my destructive ways in order to meet my goals. I certainly have not and will not give up my exercise routine — I love the way working out makes me feel –but I am taking his lead, following his theory, and really dialing in on my diet, 23/1.
Still don’t quite buy into the 23/1 theory, check out this article:
Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin
Chrisetta Mosley
I am a product – and now a survivor – of childhood obesity. As a child, my family always told me that my extra weight was merely baby fat and I’d eventually grow out of it. I never did. Instead, my childhood is filled with memories of not being able to ride a bike, flattening its training wheels from being over the recommended weight, and avoiding P.E. classes by any means necessary. For years, I wore my fatness like a wounded soldier wears a Purple Heart - with pride. I owned the look. I dressed it up. I worked the room. There wasn't a skinny girl who intimidated me. I made sure my hair was laid just right. Nails polished. Outfits coordinated to the tee. Accessories to compliment every outfit. But everyone has a breaking point, and mine came in the spring of 2004 when I tipped the scale at nearly 400 pounds 388 to be exact. I was MISERABLE trapped inside of that body. I no longer wore my Purple Heart with pride. Rather, I was ashamed and frightened. Ashamed that I had allowed food to become my everything – frightened I would die because of it. Drastic times called for drastic measures... Today, I’m bound and determined to live a better, healthier, active lifestyle. I realize I’m no longer a passenger in my life, I’m the driver. I’m overcoming my inhibitions and I’m slowly but surely saying farewell to my old childhood nemesis, obesity. For once and for all, Farewell Fatso!