It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

So, as you all know I started this weight loss journey over a decade ago. If I’m being honest with myself, and you, I have to say that I didn’t really get serious about it until my doctor put me on statins. I was on them for about a month before I realized they weren’t for me. I discovered a huge rash on the back of my neck, and the muscle pain was super uncomfortable. I decided to stop taking them and figure things out in a more natural way. That was back in 2018. That moment has always stuck out as the moment I started on my health journey, so I was a little shocked when I went back to track my weight loss on my Fitbit and noticed that I gained 10 lbs. between 2018 and 2019. That is why it’s so important to document your progress. The memory can be a tricky thing.

In 2019 I found a really cool boot camp class that had me up at 4:50 in the morning ready to take on the day. I was also eating a ketogenic diet and did manage to start losing weight. I was eating right and exercising, but I was drinking every Friday night. I would lose weight during the week and gain it all back over the weekend. I kept that trend up all of 2019, and only lost 7 lbs. that entire year, despite my efforts.

When 2020 hit I decided to stop drinking every Friday night. I told myself I would only drink once or twice a month, which I did for the most part. Then Covid struck the world and things began to shut down. The first thing that really impacted my life was when my trainer informed us that he was packing up and moving back to his hometown. I was devastated. I had no idea how I was gonna lose weight without the boot camp. I’m a person who loves a routine, (big Capricorn energy) and Covid was really screwing up my routine. I decided not to let it get me down and found an online program that I could do from home. I purchased it but didn’t start it until months later.

Once I started it, I was hooked. Instead of gaining the Covid 19, I lost 10 lbs. from 2020-2021. It still wasn’t the weight loss I expected with all the effort that I was putting forth, but it was a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, I was still drinking most Friday nights. I’m a beer person, and if you know anything about weight loss, you know that beer is the absolute worst form of alcohol you can choose. A few years ago, I was at the gym talking to a trainer and he told me that I would never lose weight consistently if I kept drinking beer and to switch to shots. I told him I drank shots after the beer lol. I have to admit though, he was absolutely right. I only lost 5lbs. in 2021. I kept losing and gaining back the same 5 lbs. and it was super frustrating. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just the alcohol that kept me in the struggle. It was the food that I ate the next day after drinking the alcohol, or the pizza I would order once I got a little buzzed even though I had already made a healthy dinner. For me, alcohol was the catalyst for making bad choices. For you, that could be something else, like stress, lack of sleep, or even boredom. I also realized that I couldn’t exercise my way to good health. Whenever I ate healthy foods, I lost weight, but I had been exercising consistently for over a decade with no real progress. Exercise is great for a lot of things, but eating real, whole foods is the only way to get the weight off and keep it off.

Like, most of us I love to make New Year’s resolutions, but this time I didn’t do that. This year I skipped the alcohol on New Year’s Eve and was in bed before the ball dropped. I decided that if I wanted to achieve the whole New Year, new me thing, I’d better get started. I figured out a routine that would ensure that I got the proper amount of sleep, good nutrition, movement, stress relief, and still have time to spend with my favorite people.

For the past 4 years I have given up alcohol for Lent. For some reason it’s super easy to stop drinking for God, but much harder when it’s just for me. I decided to take the opportunity this year to stop drinking for six months beginning with Lent. I haven’t had a drink since February 27th, and I feel incredible! I was 172 on January 3rd and have lost 18 lbs. since then. I’m no rocket scientist, but I have to say that clearly giving up alcohol is the major difference in my weight loss this year. Once I started losing, I never gained. I set a goal each week, and even when I didn’t hit it, I still maintained. I also did an Elimination Diet for 21 days during Lent and noticed that I feel better and lose weight faster when I don’t eat dairy and red meat. Now, I love me some steak, so I’m not gonna totally give that up, but the awareness of what my body thrives on is priceless. I have an amazing routine that begins with gratitude in the morning, and gratitude at night. Everything in between is me making choices that serve my mind, body, and soul. My six month hiatus from alcohol is up next month, but I still have some weight to lose, and I just don’t see a reason to stall my success. I’ll keep you guys posted!