It has been quite a while since my last post - I have been on vacation. By Jove does it feel great to be in Poland once again! Some of my friends were perplexed by my vacation preference but I just did not fee like Asia or hot deserts - I felt like relaxing. Although, it has been at times quite active and hectic - a blast, shall we call it! Nevertheless, this is to be saved for another article.
My friend and I had done it - more than a month of no junk food or little diabetes. I felt metamorphosis happen and my even my diet dedication shocked me. I did eat some local sweets while on vacation - I have to admit this (I needed to sober up, you see) but I did not feel the craving for the sweets like I normally would and, furthermore, it felt so easy to abstain from them. I just did not feel like it. Did not want it. Full stop. As if a key opened a giant lock that helped me untangle and throw the chains away - I finally did and, still don’t, feel pressured to avoid the common, modern-man addictions of the digestive drugs full of fat and processed sugars. That, right there, is the definition of freedom over oneself - a triumph, as I call it.
The biggest enemy remains to be the alcohol and I have had plenty of it while away. It is near-to-impossible to avoid it while in Poland - you have a great company of friends, wide choice of alcohol and inviting atmosphere. I could not refuse it. However, this was only temporary and I am looking forward to sober times very soon. I know for sure that the discipline I have acquired will help me stay focused.
While I am not planning on going back to “sweet life” (even once in a while), I may eat junk food from time to time but I would rather avoid it for the sake of being able to discover different tastes in the other foods. Since the pact, the food that I normally eat started tasting to me like never before. I started noticing that the black tea would taste a tiny bit sweet (I drink straight tea), the rice cakes would taste better than any chips I have tried, the vegetables and fruits were richer in taste...It felt like I used to eat “ghost food” and it had become real - the way that it should taste. I do not want to give this up by going back to eating sweets and having junk food every week.
The discipline that I have nurtured will also help me maintain my weight and progress while being on a break. As I am in Poland, I do not have time to workout as much and so sticking to the same healthy diet should keep my body in check for a good while. I had been told that as long as one eats healthy, consumes enough protein and tries to be as active as possible, they should be able to maintain the gains. This, although should not be for longer than one month or so - otherwise, one will start losing the muscle strength. Thanks, youtube!
Maintaining the results from your long workouts is the hardest part of all. Losing and gaining weight is the easiest. In fact, my friend, who participated with me in the pact told me about fitness trainers who gained weight on purpose in order to show to the rest of the people (to those who always have an excuse for everything) that it was not impossible to lose weight. A couple of months and the trainers would lose the gained fat to prove the sceptics wrong! Seriously though, go and check out those videos - you will be amazed. So, it can be done and one just needs to put a bit more effort into maintaining their achievements.
If you are up for a challenge, then here is the contract that you can print out and sign with your fellow challenger in order to test the waters of your body.
In addition to that, I would definitely recommend trying out vegetarian/vegan recipes, cutting out the red meat from your diet, eating less meat in general (once per day at most) as it will also help ease your stomach before the workouts, drink plenty of water (“Hydro” app is my app to go), eating at certain times during the day (e.g. always have your breakfast at 10 a.m., lunch at 3 p.m., etc.) and trying intermittent fasting. Of course, I am not a qualified dietician or fitness trainer - those are my personal tips, so try all of this at your own risk. Not saying all of the aforementioned tips are malign - I just know they work for me but may not work for you.
This has been the journey and I am so happy that I gave it a go. Best decision of my life, if I dare say so. I have learned a lot from it and will keep up the spirit of the pact with a few minor exceptions, should the occasion arise.
