Author Archives: antuanruss

How do I continue to stay motivated?” “How do I keep going day after day when I change seems small?” I was asked those two questions recently. My answer was I don’t stay motivated really. After a while it gets pretty routine. What keeps me going though is I’ve told just enough people my goals. I’ve given my word to them that I will accomplish this. Without knowing it, I entered into an accountability agreement with them.

It’s not many people. I don’t go around proclaiming to the world my plans. However, my accountability partners are people that I respect and love. To the point that not following through on something I’ve told them would hurt just as much as something being done to me. The key with accountability partners (for me at least) is that in some way I want to earn their respect. That goes a long way. They’re also close enough to me that they can call me out when they see behavior detrimental to my goals and offer words of encourgament that catapult me towards my goals.

Accountability is very necessary in this process. It helps you workout when you don’t want to. It helps make a healthy food choice when you could just as easily make a not so healthy food choice and NOBODY would know any different. I’ve found that being accountable has helped me tremendously. Try it might just help you too.

So to answer the questions… “How do I continue to stay motivated?” “How do I keep going day after day when I change seems small?” Easily.. I hold myself accountable. More importantly I allow others to hold me accountable to my goals.

At some point on this weight loss journey, you’ll hit a wall. (I know I did) Get stuck in a rut. Spin your wheels and remain stuck. It’s normal. Your body is getting acclimated to your new routine. Perhaps it’s time to switch it up. I didn’t quite get it at first. I didn’t know what to do. Then it hit me. Review your food AND exercise journals. There right before my eyes was the information needed to break through the wall. Get ouf of my rut. Accelerate down the road heading to healthy-ville.

Although it takes time, writing down your daily food choices,the quanity, the time you ate, how you feel when you ate, etc.. definitely helps in the long run. You create a blueprint for your success. More importantly, you identify areas for improvement. If I was expecting to lose 6 lbs the previous week and only lost 1, I found it easier to deal with knowing I could review the previous week.

If you can measure it, you can fix it. There were times when I knew I’d see a big result only to get a minimal loss. Instead of letting it get to me, I simply reviewed my food/exericse logs. There I saw that maybe I did the same workout for the past month. Same weights, same reps, same set…. (Isn’t that the definiton of insantiy? Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results) So I tweaked my workouts and food. I increased weights by 10 – 20 lbs on my exercises. Or increased the resistance on the elliptical machine. Perhaps I decreased the time between meals or modified the amount of proteins I ate. It’s all about try, fail, adjust.

If you’re on this journey and not documenting the measurables, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Take the time to write down that information. It can make all the difference in the world!!

Okay, today’s the day I get to see the results from my efforts last week.

Week 3 was okay. From a decisions stand point, it could’ve been better. I could’ve made better preparations for the weekend. (Shout out to Ty for placing 9th at the state gymnastics meet!) Yet still overall I made more decisions that got me closer to my goal than decisions that took me further away. Below are week 3 results.

Week 3 weight loss is 4.7 lbs.

You can follow my progress here

This is my first post in a while. The last few days were filled with the winds of change. Well, potential change. Well,change with an unknown timeframe. That’s no excuse by any means. It did lead to another topic.

As with any success, it’s contingent on your ability to remain focused. To be honest, it’s easy to focus when everything is going smoothly. The real test occurs when “life throws you a curve ball.” That’s when you find out if you’re going to be successful. There will be moments where your decision is tested by adverse circumstances. Just to see if you’re really serious about accomplishing your goal. It could be deciding to lose weight and your coworker brings in a dozen hot Krispy Kreme Donuts.

I was at that unevenly paved crossroad again a few days ago. The very real possibility of finding another job or even moving altogether found its way into my life. I would love to say I maintained focus. Blasting right through that mental obstacle. Looking at that mountain in my rearview mirror as it got smaller and smaller. You get the picture. Not so. It got the best of me momentarily. The result – the momentum I gained wasn’t lost but slowed down greatly. The only reason the momentum slowed was because I lost focus on my healthy lifestyle.

What does focusing mean? There are various definitions. For me, it just means to keep my goal in the forefront of my mind. Always asking myself is this getting me closer to or further away from my goal. Deciding beforehand how I’ll respond in various situations. Being prepared. Being mindful of what I’m trying to accomplish. Looking at my goals every chance I get. I’ve found if I do that, amazing results are inevitable.

Remember that “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” — Bruce Lee

Okay, today’s the day I get to see the results from my efforts last week.

Week 2 has been a challenge. The challenge wasn’t in working out or eating right but dealing with life and still maintaining the priority of a healthy lifestyle. The past week brought news of untimely deaths and pending job loss. I won’t say it was stressful but definitely lots of things to think about. I was proud that I was able to remain focused even with all I have going on. Will definitely have more on that topic soon.

Week 2 weight loss is 3.3 lbs.

You can follow my progress here

Okay, today’s the day I get to see the results from my efforts last week. I can honestly say I didn’t think about the scale…….too much as I was working out, eating healthy, and making other good decisions… Week 1 has given me a better understanding, and might I add appreciation, for the word “Accountability”. Charting weight loss in a blog for others to see, can be quite stressful and intimidating, yet therapeutic.

Well, I guess I’ve prolonged this enough. Week 1 weight loss is 11.8 lbs. Although I’m proud of that number, I’m prouder of the fact that I went to the gym 6 out 7 days last week, made food choices, and led a healthier life.

You can follow my progress here

Okay so this past weekend I celebrated six years of marraige. You’re probably thinking what does a wedding anniversary have to do with weight loss. Well, I’m glad you asked. The entire week before my anniversary I was eating and exercising with the weekend in mind. I knew I wasn’t going to eat salad, baked chicken, etc. I enjoy those foods but I also enjoy non-healthier foods. In reflecting on this, I realized or reaffirmed that I’m not dieting but living a heathier lifestyle. There’s a difference between the two.

What’s the difference? For one, a diet is temporary. In my case not only was it temporary, it didn’t deal with the mentality neccessary to sustain weight loss. Thus, I gained weight back after I stopped the diet. Had I been on a diet, this past weekend would have wrecked not only the diet, but also my mindset. There would have been feelings of guilt, shame and quite possibly inadequacy. Just negative thoughts. Negative thoughts are a disease. That’s an entirely different subject.

However, since I’m on a lifestyle change, those meals didn’t bother me at all. Why not? I realized that this weekend was just two meals out of the entire week where I made a lot of healthy decisions. That’s it. I hadn’t “fallen off the wagon.” I hadn’t failed at another diet or weight loss attempt. I simply enjoyed two meals with my wife as we celebrated our marraige. I didn’t feel bad about my choices over those meals because the bigger picture was I’m living a healthier lifestyle.

What you see above is food I enjoy. (Even now)  However, I knew from the start I’d have to make better food choices.    I didn’t like the word diet because in my mind it was temporary.  So I started focusing on the type of food I ate and portion sizes. I kept a food journal of  what I ate,how much I ate, & how many calories it was.  I discovered that I was eating way more than a portion/serving of my food choices.  Even at restaurants, I found that most entrees were way more than 1 serving.

Prior to my lifestyle change, I’d enjoy a #1 from Chic-Fil-A  with a lemonade for lunch or Zaxbys or Firehouse Subs during the week. CALORIES!! CALORIES!! CALORIES!!! I didn’t completely rid myself of those foods.  However, I began incorporating better food choices at every meal.

So I started integrating portion control into my new healthier lifestyle. Initially, I was obsessive with portion control. I began weighing food, measuring side portions.  Instead of completely getting rid of the not so healthy foods, I started seeing how many healthy decisions I could string together. It took a little while for me to get used to actual measured servings but eventually I did.

I’m not a nutritionist nor do I play one on tv but I did figure out one thing.  The more I was able to string together good decisions food wise, the better the results experienced.

Now my weekly lunch choices consist of foods like 5 – 8 oz of grilled chicken breast, a cup of steamed broccoli, 4 oz baked potato.  And yes every now & then, Chic-Fil-A.  What I’ve found is moderation is key.  A little cheat meal is okay every once and a while.

 Tips I Used to Control Portion Sizes

• Use smaller plates (salad or luncheon plates)
• Don’t go back for seconds
• Eating out – ask for a to go box so you can box up your half of your entree prior to eating
• Order a healthier appetizer and salad (with dressing on the side) instead of an entree
• Drink a glass of water or eat an apple before my meal

Those are just a few of the things I’ve used to help me control my portions and ensure I don’t eat unnecessary calories. You don’t have to use those tips but find what works for you.  That’s the most important thing.