Today I’m asking myself, “Have I made this thing too complicated?” I’ve researched and modified my plan consistently as I’ve traveled this year’s weight loss path and I have seen success but the success has slowed as the number of pieces I have added to the plan increases. Some of the reason for that are solid. It takes more effort to lose as your body gets smaller and I have been building muscle which helps with composition. However, some of the reason may be my divided focus.
As I tried to figure out how to get Pilates, outdoor running, and all of my other necessary chores done yesterday I felt overwhelmed. “I need to burn 500 calories to meet goal, I need to be improving my running, I need to keep my calorie and carb restrictions, I need to get in the right amount of fiber and dairy but not too much fat. I need to get up early and be at the gym so I need to finish it all in time to get to bed early….” I felt really frustrated as I tried to juggle life, exercise, diet, and secondary goals. I was grumpy, had a headache, and was near tears stressing over how I was going to get everything in when I realized I had fallen into one of the old traps.
I made the plan to big. I am trying to do too many thing at once. All of the information I have learned is valuable and all of the kinds of exercise are beneficial but I have created a maze of sorts. I am spending so much energy walking the maze that I’m exhausted from the process. Maybe it’s time to simplify.
Being publicly accountable has been so beneficial but it has also perhaps made me slow to back up. I know calorie restriction and cardio will get me to my weight loss goals. I have proven it over and over in the course of losing more than 75 pounds. None of the additional things I’ve added seem to have made a big difference. The raspberry ketone, the omegas, the grapefruit, the dairy, they are all healthy and may be giving my body some valuable effects but none of them have proven to be “miracles” of weight loss. Being in the gym is changing my body in ways I love and has to remain part of the plan as does the cardio. The other things like the hooping, the Pilates, etc. can wait until I reach the weight goal.
I am determined to reach a point where I run out of doors well but I have divided my focus. The emphesis on this has made it harder for me to take advantage of every little minuite and mile of time available. Before I would spend 15 min on the treadmill wherever I could grab it. Now if I don’t have time to finish a “goal” distance, I don’t even start. The running will remain but the emphesis on impovement outdoors will take a back seat to cardio minuites/calories burned. I think my stepping stones need to be cut back. I need to hit the gym twice a week, meet set goal each week in cardio, and focus on restricting calories to 1500. I will still focus on good nutrition and better running, but it will be secondary. The official goals to meet need to be simple and doable. Weight loss isn’t complicated, why am I complicating it with so many new expectations on myself? So today I’m reminding myself and you to K.I.S.S. the pounds aways.
Slimdown With Sandee 