Just Some Thoughts on The Beginning of my Weight Loss Journey :)

This is difficult. I think most people trying to lose a large amount of weight would agree with me. It hasn't been without failures, but all in all things are getting easier.

First, I have started using my FitBit again. It's exciting to watch the steps add up as I go on my walks, and really brings out my competitive nature. My dogs are enjoying the walks just as much as I am, and taking them with me makes the time go by quickly.

Getting up early to swim has its own challenges. Working full time and studying for my MCAT, as well as applying to medical school takes up a lot of time. I'm trying to squeeze in at least 3 swims a week, and 5 walks a week (as well as reaching that 10,000 step limit my FitBit sets each day). I feel that getting up and active is going to be my best bet in regards to the scar tissue in my lung (from a past episode of multiple pulmonary emboli and a lung infarction). After a swim, it feels weird because I can tell my lung expands more when I breathe. My personal (non-professional) opinion is that as I swim, I take deeper breaths to compensate for the amount of time I spend under the water. Those breaths, taken in a repetitive fashion, work my lungs and heart, and help increase the elasticity of my lungs. I might be wrong, it's only speculation.

Food has been my largest struggle, but it's actually getting easier. At first, my craving for sweets and fatty foods would get to me. My mood would get dark, and I'd cave. Trying to completely restrict myself seemed to be the problem. I'd restrict myself to no more than 50 carbohydrates a day. Personally, I think I went too strong too fast. The ketosis diet is not for me, I cannot stick to it. Now what I have been experimenting with is staying at 100 net carbs a day or less on the weekdays, and 150 net carbs a day or less on the weekends. I also stopped completely restricting myself, and instead I'm trying to substitute my cravings with more nutrient-rich options. For example, when a hard chocolate craving hits, I try to eat strawberries dipped in a thin layer of chocolate. The strawberries contain carbs, but considering the sugar fructose is a simple sugar, they are easier to digest for quick energy versus eating straight chocolate. It also helps get rid of that awful chocolate craving. This way is also beneficial because I feel fuller and give my body more tools it requires to work efficiently. Whether this gets the desired results or not is still to be determined.

I am 2lbs down. I think considering my struggles at the beginning, this is pretty good. As I've gotten into it, I'm struggling less with craving nutrient poor-calorie rich options, and getting better at finding nutrient-rich options.

As told in the classic Aesop's fable The Tortoise and The Hare:

"It doesn't matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop"

Thank you so much for reading! And please have a wonderful day!

-Ashley