Getting started - "Some quit because of slow progress, not realizing that slow progress is still progress"

So I'm thinking the best thing to do to get this blog rolling is to share with you all how I got started on my journey to fitness. No matter what I post though, it's important to remember that you have to find a routine that works best for you! That's the only way you'll be successful with this! The next best thing I can tell you is that this is a SLOW process! Becoming fit and losing weight does not happen overnight. I've read things that say it takes FOUR weeks for YOU to notice a difference with your body, EIGHT weeks for friends and family to notice, and TWELVE weeks for strangers to notice and based on my experience, this seemed to be a pretty accurate time frame. So the moral of the story: don't be discouraged about how much time it takes; be encouraged that you're making progress! 

The next thing that's important to consider is that this is a lifestyle change. It's not something you're doing for a few weeks to lose weight, but rather it's a long term commitment to a healthier way of living. I had people asking me "Are you on a diet?" I would always answer them with a no, because being "on a diet" implies that it is temporary and this was not temporary for me. Don't let it be temporary for you either! 

I've heard some people have success having a "cheat day" and this didn't work for my mindset. My mentality about it was kind of similar to weight watchers - I really focused on counting calories and portion control. Figuring out how many calories to take in can be tricky. I was fortunate enough to do a health screen through my employer around the time I was making the change  and they used a fancy machine to calculate that my body burned just under 1600 calories/day with just regular activities. So in order to lose weight, I knew I needed to create a deficit from this amount. I started recording my calories in a food journal to find out how much I was eating. You can either do this by hand in a notebook or there are many apps out there that you can use and if you're like me, that's an easy option since my phone is pretty much always with me! I really liked using the the myfitnesspal app! It has a HUGE food data base, including many restaurant dishes, it allows you to scan barcodes of foods for easy recording, you can add your own recipes, and friends can follow you and vice versa! 

There are definitely many options out there so maybe you'll find one you like even better! Once I was ready to start my food journal, I slowly titrated down my total calorie intake. I found that before I got started, I was taking in ~2000 calories/day (it was very eye opening to see how many calories were in things and how distorted my portion control was). I started by decreasing my calories to 1500/day and then once I had done this for a week, I then decreased to 1200 calories/day and I maintained this consistently. I still to this day eat between 1200 and 1500 calories most days. These are just numbers to give you an idea of how to do it, but you'll have to see what is appropriate for you and you may need to decrease your calories more slowly depending on how the transition goes. 

I also found success with starting by focusing on my diet before I started implementing a workout routine. I concentrated on diet for 2 weeks before I started adding in workouts. 

My final thought for getting you started - STAY AWAY FROM THE SCALE!! First of all, we already talked about how this is a slow process so weighing yourself every other day is just going to drive yourself insane. I had a friend who has fabulously changed her lifestyle to a healthier one who had to have her husband hide her scale so she wouldn't weigh herself too often. If this is what you have to do, DO IT! Nothing is more discouraging than getting on the scale and not seeing a change, and if you're doing this every other day, it's not likely you will see much change. I would only weigh myself every 3 weeks. Shoot for this if you think you can, but if not, I highly recommend a 2 week minimum between weigh-ins!

So I'm thinking my health blog isn't official until I've posted a side-by-side before and after pic so here it is (thanks to my amazing friend, Reanna, for suggesting):

I had to search a little to find a full body "before" pic. I think I deleted a lot of them and I also think I did a pretty good job of subconsciously avoiding the camera! 

I also thought I'd share this little pic that my dear friend, Taylar, posted on my fb page:

She knows me pretty well and my passion for sparkle! She's also been my partner on some of the fun runs I've done! We work together and we've recruited a running team that participates in different runs in the Des Moines area! I'm sure there will be more about that later! 

So to sum up the way to get started:

1. Get in the mindset of this being a lifestyle change that will take time

2. Find a way to record your calorie intake and figure out how many calories you're currently eating

3. Now figure how many calories would be a little less than what you're currently eating and cut back to this for a short time

4. Next decrease your daily calories to a sustainable amount

5. HIDE YOUR SCALE - figure out how often you want to weigh yourself (no less than every two weeks) and mark your weigh-in days on your calendar

5. Finally, make sure your plan works for you and is something you can be committed to :) 

So go ahead and get started and let me know how it goes! 

Kelly Shea

"Keep running the race that is before you with endurance." Hebrews 12:1