Week 3: My Diet and Fitness Progress

Another fitness report from my client, Regina Tuzzolino. Enjoy!

Greetings fellow health and fitness lovers!

It's been a couple of weeks since I reported on my diet and fitness progress with Life and Health coach, Aphroditi Dinatis. And I've got good news...

I got on the scale and I have lost 2 more pounds!

Last week when I weighed myself I was 142; I hadn't lost anything. (sad trombone)

Yet, Edita (short for Aphroditi) reminded me that not gaining weight is an achievement, too!

In the early stages of a fitness and health plan, we should be extra knd to ourselves. This isn't the Biggest Loser competition. This is a life plan that we can retain and enjoy!

Since I'm determined to get fit in a healthy, manageable way, 1 lb a week average is perfect. This means I'm not starving myself. Plus it allows for some muscle gain.

Just 1 month ago I was close to 150 lbs. My goal is to get down to 120 again. Considering that, the progress should be slow and steady. Lose weight too fast and it returns quickly, too.

A juice cleanse or crash diet has never kept weight off of me for longer than 3 months. Because I simply cannot maintain that sort of diet.

It all piles back on once I return to normal meals. Can you relate?

What works for me is exercise and lean meals. Veggies, protein, and low sugar/low carbs. 

And I actually prefer this type of eating! It's the Mediterranean diet of my people. :) Plus if I don't truly eat this way, I fall into bad habits. I turn to quick meals of crackers, cheese and frozen burritos.

And end up like this...

TRIGGER WARNING: Muffin tops! :)

Yep, after gaining weight, the few clothes I manage to squeeze into are not flattering. And going out in public in them just makes me depressed.

Yet, that new wardrobe costs a lot of dough -- pun intended.  

So yeah, goodbye extra weight. My hard earned cash and health are too important to me!

Here's the catch. My mindset had changed from eating poorly. I just wasn't motivated enough to stick to any exercise routine for long. I needed someone to help me get on track.

I needed a life and health coach. So I contacted Aphroditi Dinatis.

The first thing we discussed was my sedentary lifestyle. Hey, I love hiking, dancing, cycling -- you name it. But since starting my own business, I found myself planted in my office chair, 7 days a week. That's because I love writing in the morning with my cup of coffee.

But that morning turns into all day. And quite often, I would become so engrossed in a project that I would not leave the house until it was done. This is not healthy!

Living beings need to move, stretch and get fresh air. I knew that. And I knew I had to do something about it.

Aphroditi had a solution: She would text me every morning to make sure I was out and about before I got sidelined with a project. Just 15 minutes outside to start.

And it worked! Soon that 15 minutes became 30 minutes. My energy levels increased. And now I'm working out harder at the gym, too.

Here are some of the exercises Aphroditi showed me to get my glutes and lower back strong again. Because let's face it: sitting in a chair all day creates the dreaded pancake butt. ;p

This one is great for all over. Deceptively simple, yet effective.

On top of that, and some squats with weights, I've jumped back on the treadmill. 

This week I jogged/walked (alternating 1 minute each) on an incline of 9. I did this for 22 minutes. 

You can, too! My trick: Just watch something that fires you up (hello, politics!) and you will want to sprint. Or perhaps run for the hills, depending on your affiliation. :)

No matter what gets you moving, it feels great afterward. Your skin glows and you are more relaxed. Plus the endorphins released from exercising have reduced my sugar cravings! There's science behind that!

Today is Friday and I am fired up to meet with Aphroditi Dinatis again next Tuesday! Wish me luck this weekend. It's always tough when wine and great food is all around you, isn't it? But I will do my best and report again here. Until then...

Stay strong and healthy, my friend!

Regina

Client Journal: My Health and Fitness Journey with Aphroditi Dinatis

Life, Health and Fitness Coach, Aphroditi Dinatis and I. 

This client journal was written by my dear friend, Regina. I'm very happy to coach her Health and Fitness Journey. 

August 01, 2017

Hi, I'm Regina and I'm a workaholic. While this may sound like a humble brag, it's far from it.

Being a workaholic is deadly. In fact, my father died of heart failure when he was only 50. He was a slender man who ate healthily. But the stress of being a Type A Personality got to him.

I was just shy of 15 when he died. He was my best friend. His death tore my world apart.

As I am around that age now myself, I fear that if I don't change my lifestyle habits, I'll end up the same way. And I don't want to do that to my family.

My father (middle) flanked by his grandad and dad.

It's easy to fall into unhealthy habits. Those of you who work 2 jobs or freelance, know what it's like to have "zero free time." This is in quotes because, well, you have to "spend time" to be healthy. It doesn't come for free. :)

However, it doesn't take a lot to see healthy changes in your body, energy and spirit.

The funny truth of it is this: Spending time exercising actually gives you more time. More time alive on this earth, for sure. But also more energy = more time to do the things you love. And I don't mean more work...!

Why I'm Sharing this Health and Fitness Journey with You

This journey won't be easy. That's why I'm sharing this journal with you. I hope reading about the obstacles and the solutions I face will help inspire you. Here's how I got started...

Week 1: Getting On and Off Track (and on again).

Some back story: Like my dad, my body build is naturally slender. Meaning, when I'm in shape, I get compact, rather than bulky.

To illustrate that, here's my 50th birthday photo. This was roughly 3 years ago, before I tore my achilles and gained 20 lbs. I was running and cycling and eating pretty much what I wanted.

The author, second from left.

However, when I was young, my relatives insisted that my slender build was unhealthy. Looking back, I see how sexist that is. Because hey, I was built just like my dad. And no one made him eat sweets!

So, my poor mom was guilted into plying me with cakes, cookies, ice cream and a whole bunch of stuff that I discovered I'm allergic to. (Dairy and Wheat).

The result: an unhealthy kid who hated sports (because I was bullied). A kid who developed an addiction to afternoon sweets. And today, I'm a middle-aged woman who battles sugar addiction, injuries and muscle loss. But this can and must change.

Every one of us has some sort of "bad habit" or obstacles when it comes to being healthy. It's based on recurring incidences in our past.

How do we break free?

Recognizing our habits is the crucial first step. That's why I started a food journal. It really helped me notice the patterns in my self-destructive behaviour.

My food journal.

From these pages, I see that it's the afternoon that gives me cravings. That makes sense because that's when I'd return from school, feeling blue. It was the time my relatives fed me sweets.

Now, many years later, I still get an urge to eat sweets at 3pm. And I feel tired and overwhelmed around then, too.

The good news? My life coach, Aphroditi is there when I get a craving. She encourages me to make new patterns. It's not easy, but I'm trying to go outside more, stretch or call someone before I lapse. Anything to break the habit of reaching for sugar.

A fistful of regret (600 calories later).

Today was my second day of meeting my Health and Fitness Life Coach, Aphroditi. Sure I had some pitfalls. I binged on these sweet piroulines and instantly regretted it. But guess what? By increasing my exercise, and abstaining 80% of the time from sweets,  I lost 1 pound in 1 week.

Sure, the heavens didn't part. But having gained over 20 lbs in 2 years, I'm not expecting any that. 1 lb a week is a healthy pace for me.

What am I expecting? To change my unhealthy habits so I can live longer than my dad. :) He's want that for me. So I won't let him, my family, or myself down!

Stay tuned to next week's journal entry, where I'll include the exercises my coach Aphroditi has given me. So far, it's been a lot of fun...!