Reality Check: Getting Back to Hot Ain’t Gonna Happen Overnight

GOD I am frustrated right now! Have you ever just wanted to smash your fist through a wall when your body ‘refuses’ to respond once you get back on the wagon? Patience be damned, I’m the same as any chick out there and I want results YESTERDAY if not sooner! But before I tell you what’s been going down since I begun mission #kickbacktohot, a quick sorta rant –

And I know I probably should leave it, but hey – it’s gonna come up from SOMEONE, so here goes: I know that being in a certain ‘shape’ or at a certain body fat or weight has nothing to do with whether or not you’re hot.

And what I mean by that is, I could care less about what OTHER people think about their own or anyone’s hotness and how connected it is to their size and shape, but for ME?

I feel hot when I look a certain way.

I feel hotTER when I am in a certain shape.

And yep (I’m just going to go ahead and say it!) – I feel hot when I am a certain SIZE range.

Like it or lump it I CHOOSE to let looks matter for me. Yes – it is a choice, and one I stand by. And I’ll bet that if you’re reading this?

Then so too do you.

Oh and if you don’t?

Well, you will still benefit from this series as it’s not just about looking a certain way; it’s also about how you want to FEEL – inside, and out, as well as in your HEAD. But just a heads up for ya: I may get on your nerves a little with all my focus on getting lean aka hot.

Anyway, enough about all of that! Here’s what I’m really writing about today –

I’ve been officially trying to kick my own ass back to hot for 2 weeks today and I am pissed off at my body’s lack of response!

Of course LOGICALLY, and especially with a decade and a half as a PT under my belt I KNOW that 2 weeks of eating and exercising well does not undo 3 months of eating my way around the U.S.A, never mind all of the ‘not quite on track’ behaviour that came before that!

But I don’t care; I want my hard work to pay off NOOOOOOOOWWW! *Stamps foot!*

My husband, who is being highly unsupportive (not really but I’m choosing to take it that way) is convinced that my problem is things just don’t work as easy now that I’m ‘of a certain age’.

I’m only 35 for God’s sakes!

Can’t I still be the chick who trains her ass off then eats whatever she pleases?

Please?!

The truth is I actually still think I can. This is the part that HE considers deluded. Hmmph! Okay, so right now I am definitely NOT that chick.

Over the past 2 weeks (and, to be fair, I’d been weaning myself back into full on training prior to that anyway and to be even MORE fair I never actually STOPPED working out I just was being quite half-assed about it + eating plenty o’crap in addition to my normal healthy diet); anyhoo over the past 2 weeks since hitting Melbourne shores again I have:

*Weighed in on Day 1 at 65.5kg (goal weight based on level of muscle and body fat I like is 58kg)

*Done 4 HARD weights workouts each week

*Included 3-4 interval or body-weight ‘fat burning workouts’ per week

*Added a couple of long walks

*Been consistent with my healthy eating through the day (high protein, good fats, greens, low carb mostly post workout or at night)

*Reduced fruit intake

*Started taking supplements again, geared towards nutrition as well as fat loss

*Weight in again on Day 14 today at 64.85. Fuckaduck!

And I know, I KNOOOOOOOW I should be measuring body fat; I haven’t had anyone around to do that for me so that’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it! I do FEEL a little leaner, and I’ve taken some photos as well which SEEM to indicate I might be, but being honest here; over the past 2 weeks I’ve also:

*Had wine every night except one … catch-ups a-plenty with family and friends can’t be wine-free; right?

*Eaten chocolate daily for the pure and honest reason that I ALWAYS eat chocolate daily so why the hell should I have to stop?!

*Been a little inconsistent with my supplements, but really not too bad

C’mon people? Surely there’s more good improvement than bad?!

I don’t really mean this to be a rant all about MY impatience, but honestly now!

Of course the truth is I DO know what’s really going on here –

IT’S ONLY BEEN 2 FREAKING WEEKS!

Never mind the somewhat questionable approach to fat loss of daily chocolate and wine! Ps … I’m not talking QUALITY chocolate here; I’m talking the crappy stuff!

Oh and there MIGHT have been a couple of cake celebration occasions and cheese and cracker nights thrown in.

I dunno; I’m not sure, but maybe.

Sooooo …

You know how, for those who’ve ever been a fellow fitness professional / biz coach / life coach / any sort of coach, when a client bemoans their lack of progress but also admits they’re not actually DOING WHAT GETS RESULTS you kinda want to smack them on the head?

Yeah … that.

But also, truthfully?

I don’t foresee myself ever following a ‘diet’ / way of life that does NOT allow me plenty of wine and chocolate, or the odd cheese night or piece of cake.

Of course I SUPPOSE it doesn’t have to be daily ?

And long story short, well – it’s only been 2 weeks. Like I keep telling myself ?

So, how does this relate to YOU, if you also want to kick your own butt back to hot?

The way I see it, we have 2 angles we can take:

1) Be ‘perfect’

2) Don’t be perfect but make some significant changes

I choose to go with the latter approach. For a number of reasons, one of which is I was bulimic for roughly 10 years and part of what triggered me was anytime I tried to be perfect with my nutrition. I’m actually fine with being mega hard-core with my training … if anything I have to hold myself back from over-training on cardio type stuff. But no – I’m not willing to put myself in a position of cracking and binge eating again; I’m quite happy to accept that as a weakness of mine. Additionally:

A life without regular wine and chocolate? Puh-LEASE!

Now if you’re more of a #1 sort of gal, great. Eat clean, follow The Look Great Naked Eating Plan to the letter every DAY (I myself prefer to follow it roughly 80-90% and have my indulgences outside of that!), and train your toushy off.

You MIGHT get faster results that way. I would not say it’s guaranteed, as for many people the stress of trying to be perfect actually works against them hormonally, never-mind the hormonal follow-on effects of ALWAYS dieting. Some people might argue you end up worse off!

But if you’re more of a #2 sort of gal like me, here’s what I would recommend:

*Follow the Look Great Naked Eating Plan (this is the exact way I eat and also the same plan that has helped thousands of Woman Incredible gals get in shape over the years) in an 80-90% sort of way

*Weight / measure in 1-2 x per week

*Take PHOTOS: my photos show results even when the scale results are minimal. Lots of people say don’t use the scales at all … my philosophy is that yes they CAN screw with you; hence using other forms of measurements, but also I know that most girls including myself will NOT avoid the scales, plus being honest I DO have a weight goal. Also, measure, even with a tape. I’m going to do that as of today.

*3-4 full body style weights workouts a week; lift heavy and go hard. I train for 45-50 minutes. I’ll share more about my training style as I go.

*Include some high heart-rate work like intervals, sprints, circuit training. I do this 3-5 x a week, usually for less than 20 minutes.

*Don’t QUIT your indulgences such as wine and chocolate (10-20% rule, remember!)

*Be KIND to yourself – the more you ‘stress’ about being in shape and get fixated on being over the top with details and what you ‘should’ be doing, the harder it becomes.

Lastly, remember – you CAN be in the shape you want to be in. Going all anal about it MIGHT in theory be the fastest way to get there, but I’ve certainly seen enough people (most!) fail at this approach to know it’s not the be all end all and actually the SMART approach is simply to treat your body like you are ALREADY the kind of person in the shit hot shape you want to be (inside and out AND in how you feel), and then act ACCORDINGLY.

So what are you waiting for gorgeous? No matter how far you are right now from your goals you CAN achieve the body you want, and you CAN start now, but if you want it then you ARE going to have to do the work for it. Just remember that ‘the work’ does not have to mean torture, nor does it mean giving up all your indulgences! That’s the little sermon I’ve been giving myself today, anyway and I hope that serving it up to you helps you see clear as much as it helped remind me today to STOP being such a crazy person and just keep on keeping on, in the way that I know I can and also DESIRE to.

Remember –

Life is Now. Press Play.

Kat x

PS Want to know how I eat when I’m actually on track, and how thousands of Woman Incredible readers have got in great shape over the years? Check out my Look Great Naked Eating Plan today! It’s on sale for the next 2 weeks at $10 off the already sweet price. I’d love to kick your butt back to hot!