It’s time for my first 30×30 recap! It’s been a little over a month since I first announced this challenge and I’ve been hard at work at losing weight. For the most part, I am really enjoying working out more, eating better, and feeling more in control of my eating. I’m not perfect and have had some harder days in the past couple of weeks than normal, but that’s life, right?
Let’s discuss this past month!
What went well
- Eating healthy Monday-Friday: I’ve found it easy-ish to eat healthy during the week. Now, I’m not talking about eating kale salads and green smoothies every day, but I’m trying to make healthy recipes, track what I’m eating, measure out my food, etc. I’m staying within my calorie limit most days. I know I could do a whole lot better, but baby steps. Right now, I just need to focus on eating less crap and staying within normal portion sizes, and that’s what I’m doing.
- Working out at least four times a week: My gym unexpectedly closed from the beginning of June right up until this Tuesday, and that was a huge hit to my workout schedule. Luckily, I was able to use other gyms in the area, but the closest one was 30 minutes away, so I only managed four workouts a week usually. (Before the gym closed, I was working out daily.) But four workouts is still great and I’m pleased with my exercise schedule.
- Healthy lady dates: Once I told my friend, B., about my goal of losing 30 lbs by my 30th birthday, she suggested we turn our usually unhealthy lady dates into healthy lady dates. We’ve gone for long walks in a local park, cooked a healthy dinner and dessert, and made healthy homemade pizzas. It’s been nice to have someone supporting me so wholeheartedly in this journey!
- Drinking more water and less soda: Soda has always been my biggest temptation. I love it. I’ve given it up before, and I know how bad it is for me, but there’s truly nothing like an ice-cold Dr. Pepper. (And no, La Croix is not the same. I know. I’ve tried.) I’d rather just limit the amount of soda I drink than totally give it up, so that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m down to just one a day and want to continue limiting it until I’m drinking just one or two a week.
What was hard
- Eating healthy on the weekends. I designated Saturday as my “cheat day,” and I know people have strong opinions on cheat days. I know all the disadvantages of them, but they work for me. I like having a day where I don’t have to think so much about what I’m eating and the calories and measuring everything out. I like coming to my cheat day feeling I’ve earned it. I’m a fan, is what I’m saying. I think, though, I may move my cheat day to Sunday so that Monday is the first day of my “week.” I just haven’t been successful at starting back to eating healthy on Sundays. We’ll see!
- My gym being closed! Ugh, this was such an unpleasant surprise. It really made working out much more difficult. I was in a great mode of exercise daily and, to nobody’s surprise, I tend to eat better when I’m working out. (Duh.)
- Feeling overwhelmed towards the end of the month. Sometimes, healthy living feels so overwhelming. I feel like I’m constantly on edge, waiting for the next temptation or craving to hit. I also feel like I have so far to go in terms of healthy eating – I just don’t enjoy it and it feels so hard to try to make the healthy choice. I know it will get easier, and nothing worth having comes easy, but man is it hard to get through when you’re in the thick of it.
Okay, so what was the final weight loss total from my first month? Well, in order to lose 30 lbs in 6 months, I need to lose 5 lbs a month. This month, I lost 4 lbs, so I didn’t quite hit my goal. (Can I blame period bloat? Ha.) This just means that in July, I have to work hard to lose 6 lbs. I have some ideas for how I’m going to do that:
- Move my cheat day to Sunday, so that I don’t spend my entire weekends in “cheat” mode
- Work out daily: three spin classes, one strength class, two cardio workouts, and one long walk
- Cut down on the amount of sweets I’m eating, perhaps by cutting out my after-lunch treat (wah)
What’s the hardest part of healthy living for you?
Your first month of this challenge is off to a great start! 4 pounds is a great result! That sucks that your gym was closed for most of the month. It’s great that you found other gyms to go to, even though they weren’t convenient.
I think the hardest part about healthy living is how much time and thought it takes to plan and prepare meals. I like doing the research and finding new things to make but sometimes I just don’t have the energy and have to really force myself to meal plan! I do pretty much 100% of the cooking so it kind of all falls on me (although Phil does all the grilling so that helps). But it makes sense for it fall on me because I care more about what/how we eat and am way more particular. And we are on our own for dinner several times a week as I don’t make meals every day (seriously don’t know how people do that!!!). It’s worth the time/effort but sometimes I get sick of it!
I would say healthy eating on the weekends is the hardest for me. Exercise is something I love and don’t feel like myself without, so I always fit it in, and eating healthy Mon – Fri is usually pretty easy because I have such a structured routine, but the weekends it’s easy to go crazy with treats!
I would say doing Whole 30 helped me IMMENSELY with my sweet tooth and helped me cut the habit of desserts. I still like something sweet after dinner in the evening – but usually have fruit!
Great job on losing 4 pounds! Thats 4 pounds closer to your goal. I would suggesting taking a look at your diet if you’re struggling with it. And when I say “diet” I don’t mean a temporary meal plan to get you to your goal. I’m talking about eating habits that you can sustain for life. It’s not about reaching your goal, it’s about making a lifestyle change and if you don’t tackle that now, you will have a hard time maintain it. Losing weight isn’t difficult- keeping it off is. So my recommendation would be to revamp it. Obviously sodas and pizza every day are not an option, but the internet is full of healthy recipes that can bring you pleasure. And let’s face it – food brings us pleasure. There’s nothing wrong with that.
I think you’re off to a great start… 4 pounds in a month is a realistic goal! Anything you lose faster will be harder to keep off… and I second what Anya says, think about your nutrition as a lifestyle change, not a diet. Which changes can you make permanently?
I actually feel much better if I eat healthy food, which is a great motivator to keep me on the right track. And meal-planning is a must for me…. it’s so easy to snack or get take-out when you have nothing planned for dinner.