So last month (on the 11th of March), I set myself a challenge. The challenge was to control my dinner portions (I have a habit of overeating at dinner time) and to exercise properly at least every second day. The point of the challenge was to take a month or so to reset myself and get into a routine with better habits. Habits I can take forward with me for as long as possible (no ‘quick fix’ fads here).
While right now is probably not the best time to check in with you guys (I’ve just got back from living large in Sydney and now it’s my ‘birthday week’ where I’ve been indulging), I am going to do it anyway! Keeping it real!
To keep track of my progress, I used my Fitbit app and a really cool app called HabitBull (thank you to my lovely reader Nicole who put me onto it).
So…here are some of my stats (from 11 March to 15 April)…
- I started off at 65kg (a physically uncomfortable weight for me – I’m only 5 ft tall and have a naturally small frame) and I lost 2.2kg during my initial month long challenge period. Sure, I’ve put about another 0.5-1kg on since then (told you – living large at the moment), but it gives me confidence that fairly simple lifestyle changes/habits can really help get the weight off. This living large period will end very soon with the start of the Little Mister’s second school term of the year so I feel confident.
- My fitbit (and HabitBull) registered 11 work outs during that time. Not as many as I would have hoped, but more than I’d been doing before that.
- I managed to control my dinner portions (with a good clear conscience about the whole day’s eating) 16 times, according to HabitBull. My longest successful streak was 4 days, but I tended to average 3 day streaks, with a couple of days off. Again, I could do better!
I did face some challenges during that time. I’ve been struggling with endometriosis (it can put me out of action for days at a time) and I also learned that running or doing vigorous/twisty/whatever exercise gives me ovary pain. A rupture or other damage to my cyst/ovary is not worth the risk while I wait for surgery (next month) so I have had to limit myself to walking more gently, for longer, or having silly kitchen dance parties after dinner with the Little Mister (during which it is really hard to not overdo it when my favourite songs are playing haha).
Also, changes to Mr Unprepared’s work schedule (and soon mine too), have thrown things out a little. He works longer hours and my time to work out during the week has been limited. I am hoping that the start of a new school term will allow me to find a better routine.
Yep. That’s real life. Shit happens and you just have to work around it! It’s frustrating, but I’ve just gotta make it work. My mental and physical health depend on it!
I’ve got a lot of room for improvement, but I’m being kind to myself and I’ll just keep on trying to better my habits. I really do feel better for it. The past month and a bit have shown me that it’s actually easy to create better habits if you have the right tools to keep you motivated, and accountable, and you keep your goals realistic.
I was nervous about the dinner portion control thing, because I have eyes bigger than my belly, but I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. I just forced my hands to pick the smaller dinner plate and I never regretted it. If I was actually hungry for real (and not emotionally) after finishing the smaller portion, I’d grab a little more food, but this rarely happened!
I feel like these two habits (portion control at dinner time and regular exercise) have become my ‘normal’ rather than the exception, and even though I’ve kind of slacked off over the school holiday period, I feel myself getting really excited to get back to it!
I’ll try to check in with you in another month or so! Hope you’re feeling fighting fit! x
