Yesterday I had quite the meltdown in regards to health, exercise & grocery shopping.
As you may or may not know, I’ve been battling with getting back “on the wagon” in regards to healthy eating and exercise. I became really disillusioned after my lack of result with ChaLEAN Extreme (which I loved, I just didn’t love working so hard for such little results) and haven’t found a program since. Luckily I haven’t gained any weight since I lost – so I think that’s a good indicator that my diet really isn’t the thing holding me back any longer.
On top of that, I’m getting conflicting information from all angles. One minute I’m eating too many calories, the next minute I’m not eating enough. I need to do cardio. I need to do weight training. I need to not exercise and just diet for awhile. Etc, etc, etc.
Tack that onto the fact that we’re trying desperately to budget our money better and I simply can’t follow some special “only for me” meal plan because that equates to a double grocery bill that’s out of reach and three sets of cooking individuals in one house.
Needless to say, it’s been a struggle.
I need help. I need a game plan. I think I’ve got it though!
First: I’m going to get back onto a cardio plan and forgo the weight training to see if I get better results. I didn’t care for Jillian’s 30 Day Shred (it was boring, and I was developing a lot of pain) so I’m going to try for another suggested trainer: Denise Austin. I bought one of her cardio DVDs at an awesome price and I’m pinning my hopes that it wont be as boring or pain inducing as Jillian. I know that they’ll come a point where I’ll plateau - and when that happens I’m going to pick up ChaLEAN Extreme again.
Second: My husband and I went to B&N and found a cookbook that was full of healthy, simple, supposedly budget friendly recipes. It also has a lot of great tips for eating healthy in general, and my husband is confident he can do the cooking which is one of the most important things (I get home too late, I’m too tired, and I need help). I know that some of you sent me recipes and suggested books, and generally were amazingly supportive and helpful – I can’t thank you enough!
Third: I’m going to mark my calories needs at my weight multiplied by seven, and then I’m going to halve whatever calories I burn and eat that half back in order to fuel my workouts but not sabotage my diet. Also, I’m going to just eat a 30/30/20 ratio – 30% carbs, 30% protein & 20% fat. That’s approximately 85 grams of carbs & protein and 25 grams of fat a day.
I feel really positive about the choices, I just hope I’m not let down again. I’m sick of fighting this fight and feeling like I’ll never see and end. I’m okay with maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I just want to feel like it’s to keep rather than to lose.
Good luck!
A lot of people do *really* well eating Paleo but I support “Clean Eating” a la Tosca Reno. Whatever you choose: doing it yourself is ALWAYS healthier than eating out! I’m so happy Paul is helping. Men are such good cooks. He may turn into a foodie!
I’m worried when Paul cooks though, because he doesn’t seem as committed to serving size as I am. But, I’m going to take what I can for now and fine tune later
Have you ever tried the salad plate thing? When I know that I’m eating something “dangerous” or if I know that I’ve been very bad for too long, I use a salad plate rather than a dinner plate. Men are BIGGER and need that plateful. Women can really get away with a salad plate — always! That said, you can do 3/4 of a dinner plate with veg and still end up eating VERY healthy (not fried, of course ;p). I love that Paul’s doing this!! I need a Paul!
I can appreciate your struggle- so sorry to hear it’s been difficult! (It’s not easy for any of us…) I didn’t have huge results from Chalean Extreme in terms of weight loss but by the end of it I did notice an improvement in my physique & strength. I had A LOT more loss with Turbo Jam (I really enjoy the ‘elite’ package- Cardio Party 2,3 & Fat Blaster specifically.- & Buying them from BB is actually cheaper than trying to buy them individually on Amazon or Ebay.) If you liked Chalene but want more cardio I would recommend those- Burn Intervals & Burn it Off from CLX are intense but not as much fun. I did Turbo Jam 4-6 days a week and lost 30 lbs in about 3 months. I modified my diet some- tracking calories. I didn’t particularly care for Denise Austin & Jillian just makes me angry. lol Wishing you luck!!! This is NOT EASY!
Considering how much I like Chalene, perhaps I should give Turbo Jam another try and be more open to the “fun” aspect of the workout rather than concentrating on what I look like. I just wish I had a private room to workout in!!! Jillian makes me angry too – I thought it was just me!
YES! Don’t focus on how you look! It is very distracting and discouraging… changes take time and you really can’t assess it every single day- sometimes even once a week is too much. Focus on making the healthy changes and enjoying them.
I am doing Turbo Fire right now (Another Chalene…) and have lost weight & can see the difference in my 30 day photos- that is exciting. 
But, on a daily basis, I still have a ways to go and can get discouraged. I think about how much fun the workouts are- the music, how much I like Chalene… those things keep me motivated. I’m also trying out Shakeology but can’t tell you much yet in terms of health benefits.. just that it is yummy and I like having a milkshake everyday without feeling guilty! Did you do Turbo Jam before? And yes- I would get MAD doing Jillian’s DVD’s.. hated it! 
So it’s not just me, either! 
Girl you can do it! I struggle with the same stuff!! I am a picky eater and hate exercise. I know I need to do it but somehow cannot motivate myself to get off my lazy ass. And worse, everyone around me seems to be slimming down. Oy!
Thanks Yvette! Motivation is so hard!!!