i'm sharing this wonderful, exciting news about losing 13 lbs because i was a bit envious (read: INSANELY JEALOUS) that my husband called me from the gym and informed me that he had lost another 10 lbs. ANOTHER TEN POUNDS. aside from the fact that he doesn't weigh himself each week like i do, it seems unfair that he gets to lose weight so quickly. he's also larger than i am and therefore has more weight to lose. i also understand that it can be easier for men to lose weight. while i am completely happy and excited about his progress - i can't help but think how unfair it is for the universe to make weight loss more difficult for women.
i've come to realize that some of it is our own fault. men and women have different eating and different weight loss habits. i read an article once on this, and found some really interesting ideas. you can read the article for all of the habits, but these really resonated with me.
- have a one track mind - essentially this describes how women try to do it all when trying to lose weight. men decide to drink less beer or hit the gym hard. women try to do 50 different things...i learned in business that its better to do a few (or one) thing amazingly well than to do a bunch of things mediocre. so pick one thing (no pop/juice) and give it a go...you can always add things later. don't try to do it all at once.
- grunt, groan, and sweat - to me this one and number 4 (see below) are seriously indicative of what i see at the gym AND what i used to do. we don't push ourselves. in my last post, i talked about how i pretend like i have a personal trainer. in my old days of non-weight loss, i would moderately walk and complain about why i wasn't losing weight. clinical studies show that increased intensity (even with less time) exercises were more effective in overall fitness. get that heart rate up and make your own bootcamp!
- ditch the dinner drama - simply put, don't trip when you are tempted. sometimes you'll be tempted by foods that are delicious. that's life. you can't live in a bubble. if you could, we'd all be on slim fast, jenny craig, and nutrisystem forever and weigh 120 lbs. men don't obsess over that pizza they shouldn't have eaten or that amazing steak that will give them thunder thighs. instead, they eat the pizza and realize that they have to work it off later. emotional eating will make you lose every time. think like a man, if the food is good, eat it, but don't let it be defined by your mood...
- pump iron - before my husband hurt his knee, we had gotten into a groove where we worked out together - and it was nice. he got to see how strong i was, and i got to do a man's workout. between russian deadlifts (or whatever its called), squats, and other weights i had never really lifted before, i was working things i hadn't. in my nice women's gym, i used to pick up 8 lb dumbells and do a few leg machines. now, i'm stronger and leaner for it. i lift what's appropriate for me, but realizing how important strength training is really helped me up my fitness game. technically muscle weighs more than fat, but you'll burn off the fat too, if you are doing it right. you don't see fat body builders - do you?
bottom line, i'm happy for his weight loss, and will try to think more like a man, when it comes to my own health and fitness goals.
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