The Half Size Me Podcast

I am sure by now you have seen me post the link to my Half Size Me podcast interview somewhere. I am beyond excited about this and even though I wasn't sure I wanted to I did go ahead and listen to it and I loved how it turned out. I am very thankful to Heather and the HSM crew for  such an amazing opportunity. The entire interview was just so easy and fun- the Q&A was more like a conversation- I am just so happy to have had the experience. So...in case you haven't seen the link and you wanted to give it a listen here it is...


Half Size Me Podcast



Love and hugs,
Dacia
xoxoxox

Sleeping puppy picture...just because.

Maintenance is....hard???

Recently I have gotten into many a discussion about what life is like in weight loss maintenance mode. Most people I know in this phase will say it is hard, maybe even harder than the losing part. And I agree with that.

Kind of.

I don’t know.

Don’t throw things at me.

Maintenance is hard….ish.

I mean once you enter maintenance you lose all your cheerleaders. Long gone are the days where I would post my weekly weight loss only to receive tons of positive feedback. Or the days where I would post about a weight gain and still receive tons of positive feedback. People love the weight loss story- the triumphs and setbacks, the struggles and the victories. It’s great to watch for so many reasons. It’s why people love the Biggest Loser and reading weight loss stories in magazines. It’s fascinating and motivating.

But then you hit your ‘goal weight’, the finish line is crossed, and then….nothing new to report. I mean then it just becomes ‘normal life’ and that is quite boring, in comparison. I mean really, I am not sure how anyone not of blood relation to me can stand reading this blog. Trust me, I try to write about topics that are important to me and I try to make my posts meaningful but that is easier said than done. And instead I end up writing fluff, short updates on training or my day to day life and I know that is not everyone’s cup of tea. Some days it isn’t even mine…

My point is this that after goal, you lose your niche, your story and in my case you lose direction. I started out as a weight loss blogger and then I lost the weight, what else is there left to talk about. I can talk about my life but that seems boring.

That is how I would describe maintenance. Not hard but boring.

You see, for me, maintenance involves a few different things

-being active (which I love)

-eating really great meals (most days) based around a whole foods plant based diet (which I also love)

-creating balance (which in turn keeps me happy and I love that)

Yes, doing these things does take a little extra time and effort. I have to meal plan and schedule out my workouts/training sessions/running plan. I have to make sure I wash all my gym clothes and pack up my lunch. But that stuff, that’s kind of just normal life. Boring and normal.

I find that in this phase I often forget what hard really was. And to me, my present life, isn’t it. Yeah, I would definitely say that maintenance is less glamorous than weight loss mode but hard?

Hard was weighing almost 300 pounds. And nothing will ever come close to that. Not weight loss, not maintenance. Hard was not being able to do anything, or at least anything easily. Hard was being in pain all of the time. Hard was humiliation from feeling judged, criticized. Hard was feeling that people were literally disgusted by you. Hard was not having control and watching your life spiral into nothingness all because of your weight. That was hard. Unbelievably hard.

In comparison, everything since that first day of my weight loss story back in February 2011 has been easy/easier. And I need to remember that. I chose that life back then and that life sucked. I choose this life now and it is freaking awesome. So my question is then…what the heck is so hard about awesome???

Remember that, Dacia!

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxox

Accountability in Maintenance

Life as a ‘maintainer’ (someone in maintenance mode after weight loss) can sometimes be lonely.  It can also, at times, feel less rewarding. And I mean that in the way of when I was actively losing there was never a shortage of praise or congratulations every time I lost weight nor was there a shortage of support and kind words any time I gained or remained the same. The weight loss part of my journey seemed easier because I had so many people supporting me through it.

On this side of the coin (I have been in maintenance mode-ish for over two years) there is no real praise for keeping the weight off and limited (by comparison, I am not saying there is none) support when I struggle. This phase, or whatever you want to call it, has been far more introspective for me. And that is a good thing, when I allowed it to be. I have moved past weight loss for loss (meaning a life dictated by a number on the scale) and onto bigger, different, even more challenging personal goals- some of which don’t come with a shiny star or a medal at the finish line. And those goals, some days, are harder to find that same motivation for.

Since my first surgery back in December all I wanted to focus on (once I was medically cleared) was to build back the strength and endurance I once had. And because of that I have been off and on running and training, even though the spring was really rough for me to stick to a plan. BUT, this summer, especially in the month since Fitbloggin (my last trip) I have been meeting with my personal trainer regularly, running regularly, and now even tracking/logging my meals regularly. It’s good to be back into a routine. It’s good to feel like I am getting stronger. It’s good that I am recovering faster from lifting. It’s good that I am feeling more confident running. And most importantly it’s good to have goals again.

Because I think what I started to lose sight of recently was that accountability that helped me lose the weight in the first place.

Brooke’s personal challenge struck a chord in me and got me thinking about how I needed to hold myself more accountable for my actions and lifestyle. And so last week I set up 10 goals for myself and I am happy to report that I am one week in and I am kicking ass. I have hit all four of my daily goals every day for the past week and I met all four of my weekly goals. I was hoping to cross off one of my two monthly planned bike rides on Sunday but the rainy weather in the morning didn’t allow it. However, I am hopeful I will be able to get one in this weekend.

It’s good to finally be back on the path I most enjoy- being active and still balancing being social. But more importantly, it feels good to finally hold myself accountable. Because it’s in those moments when I really get to feel like I am making myself, my health, my fitness, my happiness, my life, my priority. And for me, that has always been the key to my success.

 

 

What has helped you find success on your journey? How do you use that to continue to ‘stay the path’?

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxoxo