Thanks, Weight, How JillIian Michaels Stays Fit

Three things on the agenda today:

1) Thanking Kelly for your concern, and it wasn't taken as criticism at all! I am fully honest here on my blog because I have to be or else it's not therapeutic for me. Your concern is warranted, too - as I've said, this is one of the most stressful times in my life, which means I am in the highest danger of falling back into disordered eating and body image behaviors. I talk about them here to try and get a grip on myself in real life, to make sure I am still making good and healthy choices!

2) I must have lost a bunch of weight this past weekend with all my running around (at least 7-10 miles a day), dancing and light eating. But I must have been bloated beyond belief because what I *did* eat was salty and I had drinks. My week of moderation and focus on activity/water drinking has caused me to lose 6 pounds (which obviously must have been water weight since I only had a calorie deficit of way LESS than 3500 calories). I weighed in at 118.6 this morning.

I am - stunned. And so excited to see, for the first time in my life, a number like that. I am at goal. I don't want to lose any more weight. That's a weird thought. That's a thought I've never had before. I just want to stay here! I am going to be careful with my food choices for a while to try and stay here, let my body settle here, because obviously this has been a very strange week for me weight-wise!

3) So, how Jillian Michaels stays fit? I listened to her podcast from this week and someone called in and asked how a mom of two with a super busy career life stays fit like Jillian does? Jillian said, very simply, that her diet is TIGHT. It's clean, it's moderate, it's healthy. She eats right. She says she gets in FOUR workouts a week, not usually more than 30-45 minutes at a time. Those workouts are intense, but we're talking around 2 hours a week.

SO MANAGEABLE. Get your diet in control and it's not a struggle to maintain. It's not necessary to kill yourself every day in workouts if you are not actively trying to lose weight.

(side note - Jillian weighs 117! I never thought I'd weigh about what my idol weighs!)

But my fiance, Chris, brought up the fact that he's been talking to a friend of ours who recently became an avid hiker. But she's struggling with her weight. But she's also going out to big burger and fries and beer type dinners after every hike. People seem to think that somehow exercise makes up for bad diet choices. If you hike ten miles (burning around 1000 calories) and eat a dinner that is well OVER 1000 calories? You won't lose weight.

Chris and I made that mistake for YEARS. We would hike and hike and hike, but somehow gain weight? We were eating a ton on the hike (lots of bars and nuts and sandwiches and chocolate) and then we would go out to dinner afterwards.

We realize now that we can eat very normally on a hike and feel great (feel better, actually, because we don't feel all heavy and weighed down from eating too much) and carry that strong, fit, light feeling into our life by going home and eating a normal dinner.

Chris also talked to this friend about running - someone suggested to her that she not focus on hiking but start running a lot (because then you can "eat whatever you want!!!!"). I almost choked at this terrible advice! I applaud people who run because they love it - but people who run so they can eat more? Insane. Running does a number on your joints and feet - it's a HIGH impact sport in that sense.

If you stop shoving your body full of more calories than it needs, you don't need to force yourself out for an hour long run to offset it.

My advice to her: run if you like it, but don't run so you can eat more. Do the exercise you love (in this case it is hiking) and stop thinking that a successful long hike is an excuse to go crazy with the eating!

As Jillian Michaels told her caller: if you get your diet tightened up (and you just want to maintain, not lose), you don't have to go crazy trying to fit in exercise. Get a few intense 30 minute workouts in per week - the kind where you are really sweating and tired afterwards - and use the rest of your time to LIVE LIFE!

I'm on board with her advice here, I like it.

So those are my thoughts for the day :D Thanks for sticking around and reading!

Namaste <3