When I first started working out, I had no idea what I was
doing. I figured out on my own after a few months that cardio helped me really
start dropping the pounds. I was given a treadmill and I had started walking on
that daily. I learned that I should work out with weights a few days a week. I
thought Monday, Wednesday, Friday sounded like a good idea. After a few months
I started running for a few seconds at a time. Then I would increase my running
time. Before long, I was running for the whole time instead of walking. Then, I
worked on going farther each time I ran. When I would reach a new goal, I would
try to surpass it. While that is good, it started some warped thinking in my
mind. I couldn’t do less than the day before. If I ran 7 miles yesterday, I
can’t run less today. Yes, I ran long distances EVERY day.
When I first started working out, I didn’t change my diet at
all. Over time, I started thinking “could I make a healthier choice?” If the answer
was yes, then I did. I looked for lower calorie options. The same thought
process applied to my diet though too. If I ate XXX amount of calories
yesterday, I couldn’t eat more today. Everything I read in “women’s magazines”
stated that I should be eating 1200 calories a day. I was petrified to go over.
I was convinced that I would wake up one day and have gained all my weight back
over night.
After about 2 years of doing this completely on my own, my
days consisted of working out and planning what I was going to eat today,
tomorrow. I continued on, but my body was starting to just give out on me. I
couldn’t do what I did before. I saw
the informercial for Body Beast. I ordered it, and was excited when it came.
Then I realized, I wanted to follow this program to a T. I read through the
nutrition guide. I had always heard that “you can’t lose weight and gain muscle
at the same time.” That never made sense to me. I had done it. Doesn’t everyone
who is trying to lose weight, combine cardio and weights? I had gotten a little
“fluffy”, and I couldn’t understand why. I couldn’t understand. I was working
out so hard and focusing on what I was eating- why was I GAINING weight?
When I read Sagi Kalev’s nutrition guide, I finally
understood what that meant. According to that guide, I was supposed to eat 1000
calories more per day than I had been. Yes, you read that right. 1000. I took a
deep breath and decided to JUST DO IT. Also, no cardio. Unless it was on my
Body Beast calendar-no cardio. My body loved it. I looked forward to my
workouts again.
Within two weeks, I was slimmer and I felt better. My body
was finally getting what it needed. Your muscles NEED those calories to grow.
They need REST in order to get stronger. I had been working out 3-4 hours a day
(divided up, morning and evening). I am finishing up Beast phase (which is the
3rd and last month) and while I have added in some turbofire- I
don’t workout for more than 1 hour- 1 hour 15 minutes. I feel strong, and
slimmer without so much “fluff.”
We have to remember that working out and eating healthy is a
great thing. However, more isn’t always better. We also need to remember that
we might not be able to do it on our own. Sometimes we need help and guidance.
I wish that I had had some earlier on in my fitness journey. It would have
saved me from a lot of mistakes, and would have been nice to know that I wasn’t
alone.
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