When I first started working out two years ago, I weighed 320 pounds and smoked a pack a day. Yeah, wasn’t in the best healthy all. A visit to the dr who told me my weight and my lungs are at the tipping point of something nasty happening. I asked what exactly could happen and the dr told me straight up that I was headed for a stroke or heart attack and worse I had the first stage of COPD. After going homeland crying into my pillow for hours, I took a chant, and i took my ass to Planet Fitness on the next block of my apartment and signed up.
I admit getting on the treadmill much less working on the weights and machines intimidated the hell out of me. I took a deep breath stepped on a treadmill and lost 75 pounds. And now am smoke-free.
Ha, I wish it was that easy. The truth was that first day, hell the first months were pure torture. I was so fat that my back felt like I was ripping apart and my lungs were so bad that I could feel them burning even though I was going a 1.0 on the treadmill. I felt like the underside biggest dumbass, but I kept on going. And I two years later I am 75 pounds lighter I can breath, and I do not have that horrible smokers cough 88anymore. I know many of you feel intimidated by the gym, so I want to share with you some tips for surviving those first few months.
And not only to survive but to thrive, My life has changed for the better after I started taking care of me. In two years time, I have lost 75 pounds. Iy wasn’t quick or easy, but I stuck with it and saw significant results. Here is a photo at how far I have come
I still have a long way to go, but I know if stick to my diet and my chosen program of BBG then I will reach my goal
Know that you do so have as much right to be there as the person running a 9.0 on the treadmill and can bench press 500 pounds.
When I first started, I felt as if I had no right to be there. I mean I was 320 pounds fat woman who was trying to quit smoking. I was a mess both physically and mentally. You know what? If you paid for your gym membership, you have as much right to be in the gym and on the equipment as anyone else. And you know what else? I learned that most people are focused on himself running or trying to run that they really and truly don’t notice anyone else. They are in the zone. I know this cause one lady tired up the treadmill to fast and flew off of the treadmill. I mean the woman was bitterly airborne for a few secs before crashing to the ground. The Planet Fitness people were on her in an instant, but I swear everyone else just keep on running. I was the ONLY one who had noticed that out of maybe 50 people in the gym! That was a game changer for me. I realized that I too was the one holding myself back and no one would notice or care if my belly fat jiggled when I ran so I started pushing myself and now I can run a very slow jog.
Consistency is key
I wish you could just follow a diet plan for a certain amount of time, but you cant. This has to be a lifestyle change. TAhisws, one of the hardest things to accept, is that I had to make this a lifestyle change to reap the benefits of healthy living. The benefits far outweigh the negatives so I will keep on doing it, but yeah, it is hard at times.
Pick out a program that you can/will follow
I know that paying for a program and gym will make me more likely to follow up on it. I like what Jamie at Perpetual Page Turner wrote. She said if she pays for something and invests in herself she will be more likely to do it and have to admit both to myself and to you that I am the same way. I have been doing various workouts cobbled together on from stuff like pop sugar fitness or blogaites. However, once I took the plunge and about a year worth of BBG I found myself wanting to follow it more. And I have. And I see a huge difference. It also has the added benefit of making my arms and shoulder super strong so that I can carry my library books without problems!
Keep track of everything you eat
I do this with myfitnesspal. I know that many fitness people discourage this, but I have also found that people like me severely underestimate how many calories an something. And precisely what healthy food is. I bought the premium version of myfitnesspal and kept track of EVERYTHING that I swallow. It has been a game changer. Iy also tells me when I am at a restaurant which food would best fit my calorie budget. I love following the BBG meal plan, but there are times when just have to have me some halo ice creams, and myfittnesspal keeps track of that.
Drink Your water
I have heard countless people tell me to drink at least a gallon of water a day. I started doing it and OMG it is a total game changer. The BBG app even has a water tracker so you can collect “badges” that u can share on social media when you have drunk all your water for the day, I love stuff like that, so I drink my water ad I feel thrilled when I hit a streak of days where I have drunk all my water.
Ay, the end of the that it comes down to hard work and persistence. Losing weight is not easy at all. Also, it can stir up some feelings so make sure you have someone you can talk to about whatever may materialize.
I still have a lot more weight to lose, but I am super proud of the 75 that I have already lost.
