I think it takes a bit longer than that, at least for me... But it's now the end of Phase 2 of 80 Day Obsession, and I'm no longer stressing about how to meal prep, will I get my workout in, or getting enough sleep.
It just happens, because now it's routine.
Don't get me wrong, it still takes effort!! There are some nights that I don't want to meal prep or pack my lunch bag for the next day, and there are some mornings that I'd rather sleep longer. But I just do it. I've made it my priority, and I also know that if I miss one of these key steps, I'll be out of my routine for that day, and off track for the rest of the 80 days.
So I JUST KEEP GOING.
A few things I'm discovering:
1. You have to keep the focus. You can't let skipping a meal, or missing a container happen, because nutrition is so important, and yet 8 weeks in to something and you start to think "what does one missed container hurt?" But once you think that, then it gets easier to miss a second and a third container... or allow 2 Blue containers (CHEESE) a day, instead of sticking with the plan. So, no - it's not OK. Eat that container. Drink that water. Be consistent.
2. I'm not as tired... but I definitely feel a difference if I get just 30 minutes less sleep a night. For example, sometimes I get lost in a book, and before I know it, it's 10pm (usually lights out is 9:15). While I'm able to get up the next morning with no problem, I definitely have less energy. SO GET YOUR SLEEP, people.
3. I was feeling pretty strong after completing Phase 1 workouts. Then we started Phase 2, which is a all new moves... and I felt uncoordinated, like I wasn't pushing hard enough, and so sore (and tired!). Even though it's all 80 Day Obsession, Phase 1 is distinct from Phase 2 (and Phase 3). So be kind to yourself, push as hard as you can... but know that week 1 is tough, no matter what Phase, and that you will get better and stronger. As Autumn frequently says, if you are not challenging yourself, you are not changing yourself. Embrace it.
4. I start seeing food as colors. As in, I need a Red, Yellow, Green, and Orange for this meal. Which means I've started to get more comfortable with the nutrition, and so I ventured out of the house and out to a restaurant... and I found that it was pretty easy to find something on the menu that would fit my meal plan. Sometimes I had to order an extra side salad. Sometimes I had to ask for the cook to not use oil or salt. And sometimes I ate the meal, and then went straight home to add the blue or orange or purple container that remained for that meal. But it got easier as I kept practicing.
5. Others in my challenge group had drastic results - double digit inches lost, double digit pounds lost. I lost 3 pounds and 5 inches in the first two phases, and that can be frustrating if you compare yourself to others who have bigger losses... but my journey is not their journey. And I still lost 3 pounds and 5 inches! If I hadn't started this program, I would have been at 0 or positive. Progress is progress, regardless of how small or big it is.
The only frustration that I found was I initially felt that I had to perfect or I wasn't doing the program. Sometimes, all a restaurant has is white bread and white pasta, or fried sweet potatoes. And you can easily think "Man, this program is not letting me live life!", or... you can change your mindset and say "I choose to eat the way my body needs me to eat." While one white bread won't hurt you, don't allow it to happen when you have better choices. Only allow it to happen when you don't have a choice, which means you are staying on the program better and minor variances won't knock you off track.
Don't get me wrong... sometimes I just wanted to eat that plate of fettucine alfredo and all the bread. But I also remember how I felt the last time I did that... icky, buttery, greasy, bloated, and down right awful. Turns out, my body likes it when I eat healthy, so over time, it gets easier to make the choices that make me feel better.
I know why I'm doing this, and if I want different results, then I need to do something different. As Autumn said at the beginning, it's not easy, it's going to be hard, but it will be worth it. I am starting to see results, and I am so much stronger than I was when I started this. So that keeps me going, and pushing, and doing hard things.
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