It’s September and summer is over and it’s time to get back into routines. I have struggled a bit with planning my meals and nutrition this week because of the long weekend. I have remained consistent with my workouts, getting daily walks in to hit my 10K step goal, which i’m currently working on a 19 day streak if I’m remembering correctly, and despite the return of heat and humidity here in the nation’s capital, my weight is trending down this week vs where it ended last week.
I’m feeling smaller, clothing is fitting looser, particularly in those stubborn areas that always seem to be the last to go for me, and I’ve got more energy, even after the odd day of poor sleep like yesterday. Overall I’m feeling better on the inside and it’s giving me the motivation to continue on my journey. I used to think I needed supplements to make me feel better, it’s the reason I had signed up with Q Sciences, but I stopped taking Q Core and I’m back to feeling the way the product line was making me feel without it. Simply by exercising regularly and fueling my body with the right food, I’m getting the same results.
I still need to work on my nutrition, I struggle at dinner hitting all my macros and I’m getting tired of the same breakfast day after day again. Now that summer is over, I plan on sitting down and meal planning again. I’ve been having success with salads and protein for lunch, I can change up the contents to make it not boring and repetitive. I do need to add more protein to my breakfast and lunches so I am not so hungry throughout the day and I need healthy snack options to help me stay full.
I’m finally in a groove with my workouts and nutrition and the weight is starting to come down now too. I’m down 2 pounds from last week. Between working out, being consistent with my nutrition and mostly getting 10K steps I’m finally seeing the results on the scale too. I’m heading into phase 4 of my cycle which means weight gain and water retention. I’m happy that I’m down 5 pounds total from when I started my journey with my online trainer so the increase will feel less daunting this month and won’t feel like I’ve erased my entire progress. It’s proof for me that nutrition is the key to my success. I don’t have to be perfect, but I need to be consistent and hit my protein goal and I will see the results.
Sleep is also a huge factor in weight loss. So many people aren’t getting enough sleep, me included for a while. If I lift weights in the evening, I’m less likely to sleep better. Since moving my workouts to first thing in the morning, I’m falling asleep better (5am does come super early!) and mostly sleeping all night, getting a good 7 hours during the week. I believe consistent sleep is also helping my success.
