A Case for Consistency/Change/Food
Tuesday December 14, 2010
First, happy birthday to my father-in-law!!! Hoping he has a great day & we will see him soon to celebrate! 
Also, was at jury duty yesterday so did my best to visit where I could. I had a reader tell me that she was not able to make comments yesterday. Apparently GoDaddy is blocking long time readers on their own. If you are having probs, please email & let me know so I can see if good ole GoDaddy blocked you. I had this prob with them way back when but I guess they are at it again. Thx April for letting me know!
So..... on to my post!!!!Ah, this quote here.... nope, it does not work if you can't stay consistent.
I have belonged to the same line of gyms since 1982. I have gone to the same gym locations for over 18 years on one & close to 10 years at another location. I use 2 gym locations during the week since my gym has MULTIPLE locations within a 5 mile radius around me.
The one gym that I have gone to for over 18 years, well, let's just say that I know a lot of people there AND some I have known since day one. Others I have seen on & off through those many years. Some people never have changed thru all those years BUT they have come consistently & were not really overweight when I met them. They have managed to maintain the best possible over that time. With some change in their routine, they may have accomplished more BUT they have come consistently & kept the weight off.
Others have changed & had a purpose. To lose weight, to gain muscle, to stay fit. Whatever it was - but consistency & change kept them working towards those goals.
Others have come & gone & come & gone over periods of time & look the same if not heavier. Lack of consistency AND as we all know, most likely the food that goes in the mouth has led to weight gain.
One lady I saw consistently for years. She did the exact same thing in the exact same order every time. She was overweight & nothing changed over time. Every once in a while I would see her out in the community. It was apparent that the food plan was not on target & the efforts in the gym not only needed to change BUT more intensity & effort to what she was doing needed to change. I don't say this to be mean. It is just a fact. She never asked me for advice over the years & one thing I have learned, let people come to you if they want advice.
Another lady I have seen on & off thru time in the other gym. Each time she disappears for a year or more. She is a young lady in her late 20's. I just saw her recently & it might have been 1.5 years since I last saw her. She is short like me & similar body type & it looks like she may have added 20-25 pounds since I last saw her. I so wish she could stay consistent. Not doing so has put that 20+ pounds on her.
No, I don't know what has gone on in her life BUT I do know that this was a pattern with her over the years. I am guessing it was lack of consistency & also the food she was eating & how much food.
I really do not say any of this to be mean. These are all just observations & I do know enough about the people that a lot of it was lack of consistency, the food portion WHICH IS HUGE & honestly changing it up so your body does not stagnate.
Lack of any 3 of these things is going to lead to weight gain in some form. AND the older we get, the harder it is to lose the weight & honestly the more complicated our life can become with marriage, children, work & more.
I am just making the case to be as consistent as possible, change up your routine regularly to keep the body guessing and/or to meet new goals AND make that food portion of the equation a big one as we all know it is at least 75% of it all.
I have seen lots over the years so I know what I see...
START NOW & DON'T WAIT. Head into 2011 with a new lease on life!
Categories: Motivation/Support, Weight Loss, Fitness, Exercise, Workouts, Challenges, Nutrition, Tips
Tags: balance challenges choices Clean Eating Diets eating Exercise fitness goals healthy eating holiday healthy eating tips holiday weight help holiday eating lifestyle resistance training The Biggest Loser Weight Loss change food consistency
You are very observant.
And I am so happy not to be gaining any holiday weight so far - woot!
Reply to this
Good for you Sahar. Just not gaining is a success!
Reply to this
You are absolutely right Jody! I for one cannot do the same exercise over and over again. I actually had been doing just that up until August and found I was gaining weight.
I'm not saying it was because I was doing the same thing over and over, but I wasn't enjoying myself which meant I wasn't putting my all into it.
Now I do what I feel like, cycle, walk/jog, Leslie Sansone, lift weights, go to the gym and soon Zumba.
Allowing all these options makes me more apt to continue being excited about my exercise.
Reply to this
Sheri, such a fantastic point about liking what you are doing which means you will put the intensity into it... plus helps stop the boredom if you mix it up.
Reply to this
Great post, Jody. My first thought when I heard I might need surgery was about what that would do to my exercise routine. Okay, maybe it was my second thought.
Reply to this
Karen.. too funny! You know, when I was attacked by that dog 3 years ago when I was running outside & it was BAD, my first thought was - can I finish my run.. OMG, what was I thinking!
Reply to this
Every single fit person that I have asked what is the number one key to staying fit has told me, "Consistency!"
True!
Reply to this
Dr. J, you are a living example!
Reply to this
Yep...consistency...but consistently showing up..
Reply to this
Jules.. ya got to show up.. physically & mentally!
Reply to this
OKOKOK..I'm off to the gym right now!
Reply to this
Sian, hope you had a good one!
Reply to this
I can't comment.
Oh, wait... yes I can.
Nevermind...
Reply to this
Ha! Ha!..... or should I say Ho Ho Ho!
Reply to this
It's so true- consistency is key, especially for beginners! You can make progress if you just keep at it. And then usually after a while you fall in love with it!
Reply to this
April.. you are living it!
Reply to this
I've been trying to mix-up my workouts, adding back Zumba (once a week), cutting my kickboxing from 4 days to 2 days and C2-5K at least 2 days/week. Now, it's time for me to get consistent with weight training (always a crutch).
My biggest problem is being consistent with food. Learning to not use pancakes as a treat (so difficult during stressful times). I've tried online and paper food diaries - both attempts fail. But I keep trying.
One day it will click. I'm just hoping that one day is soon.
Reply to this
LaShaune, food is such a huge part of the equation! I love all the different things you are doing & the kickboxing works the muscles too!
As for the food, can you try to make a healthier version of the pancake.... make them smaller so you can portion control.. many recipes are freezable as well, so you can take them with you to work or wherever & the healthy version can have great complex carbs & protein as well! The key is that portion control!
Another thing about stress.... try to replace the "bad behaviors" with something else when you are stressed.. I know, easier said than done but practice makes for change!
Reply to this
You are so right Jody! The food part is the biggest factor. Consistency is key. I think it's very cool you have been going to the gym for so ling. I bet you have seen lots of interesting things!
Reply to this
Thx Bobbie! I actually have been going to the gym since 1982 consistently. These gyms I am going to now, the past 18+ years.
Yup, food is a huge part of it all for weight loss & maintenance!
Reply to this