So I was asked recently what is more important "diet or exercise" I did respond to the friend briefly on my thoughts but decided it was a good topic to blog on. So firstly I dont think the answer is limited to just those two options....so to be successful at weight loss here is what I think is needed...
1. Firstly your headspace. For me i knew the negative talk was what would put me off track again and again. When I got bronchitis back in 2006 and knew i was going to start back at ww my sister sent me her copy of dr phils weight loss solution book over to me. In it is a section on negative talk. For me I felt it was key, especially in the beginning. I kinda trained myself for anytime (especially in the beginning) when i started to think negatively to not allow my brain to actively think about the negative thought. Not as simple as it sounds but it worked for me. So i guess (and we are all different) is working out the headspace, realising you REALLY want to be healthy. Whether it means seeing a counsellor, doing reading on it, writing in a journal, ... determine what it is about the "mental" aspect that has let you down in the past (ie while you may have seen previous weight loss attempts as failures....they really arent....they are a tool to improve) and come up with strategies to overcome this.
2. Build a support system....OMG this is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo important...I cannot even begin to stress how important this is. There are many ways to do this, join some online weight loss communities...try either weight watchers Australia or US weight watchers or 3 Fat Chicks. Try and work out what it is YOU need....for me I figured out pretty quickly and early I needed a more "personal" approach which is why I did Personal Training. One misconceived perception I had previously was that personal training is just about exercise....really the exercise to me WASN'T the important component of it all...it was having that one person for 30 minutes once a week whose whole focus was on me and making my weight loss successful. With Fiona for me there was many talks on emotional things and day to day things i struggled with thru out this journey....there was lots of progress made on things such as learning not to hate the gym, my fears (and trust me i had many and still do!), building my confidence etc etc and of course a lot of these are aided by the exercise. Also exercise actually helps the mental aspect. Just think about it...if at the end of the day you can go "wow i did 30 minutes of boxing today" isnt that going to make you feel good? Isnt that going to make you realise you are achieving something? Arent you going to feel just darn plain good about yourself???? Otherways of building support might be joining a team sport, Maybe your partner or you have a friend on this journey as well? Just dont think you can do this completely alone....cos trust me you cannot....we are humans....we need that interaction and we all need support.
3. Nutrition I believe is a huge factor in the scales actually moving once you have the headspace and support system going. What you put in your body will determine how it works. Its no different to a car....you put crappy fuel and no maintenance into your car it wont work well...but the person putting the good fuel in and maintaining their car most likely will have a car that runs lovely. Nutrition really isnt rocket science. The simple answer is everything in moderation (yes even chocolate!), eat what you like, avoid processed foods (cos seriously why on earth would you want to feed your body a pile of chemicals), eat natural foods and organic where possible, eat from all 5 food groups, eat red meat once a week at least, pretty much follow the rule of if it didnt grow in the ground or come from a animal (milk) or have a mother - dont eat it....or eat it in moderation. The other thing is find foods you like....dont start eating foods you dont like cos you wont maintain it. Look outside the box...and find good foods you enjoy!
4. I dont believe exercise makes you lose weight faster. I dont believe it helps the scales move. What it does do tho is it helps tone your body, helps your "mental health" from those feel good hormones, improved cardiovascular system, increase brain function, improves confidence, you become stronger, you are getting out and living more whether out in the fresh air or at a gym, helps with balance, makes stronger bones....I could go on and on. The benefits is endless. You have two options with a weight loss journey. You can get to goal so that the number on the scales is that magical number but your not overly healthy on the insides and what they call "skinny-fat" or you can exercise as well as eat well....and end up with a toned, strong healthy body inside and out...where you not only have the magical number on the scales but internally and externally you are healthy.
To me my journey isnt about getting to that magical number (altho it is part of it!)...what its about is getting a body i am proud of and that glows with health :)
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