Fiction

Green & Grown

WordsOfWednesday
A Year into my Fitness Journey
Initiated this blog on February 14th. Updated on March 14th, 2023.

One of the main areas I focused on first was my diet.
Green and Grown – I made sure I overloaded on vegetables and things loaded in fiber (I swear by Shirataki noodles), they are low in calories and high in fiber.
My typical meal with them stays balanced – Shirataki noodles, a scoop of rice, grilled chicken thighs, half a plantain (y’all know I love my plantain) & avocado.

You win in the kitchen first – whether you are trying to shed weight or add, you win first in the kitchen.
As much as you can, tackle that area first.
You want to load up on protein daily, a decent amount of carbs, healthy fats and get tons of sleep.
I am struggling with the sleep part even a year in but I certainly have more of the other parts sorted.

Green and Grown
Potatoes and spinach
Boiled plantain & a eggs with spinach
Salads
Smoothies
Yogurt
Riced cauliflower and stir fry
Cauliflower noodles
Chicken drumsticks with garri
Mixed vegetables
Salmon and boiled plantain
Shirataki noodles, Turkey meatballs
Pot stickers

The gym doesn’t “fix” body dysmorphia.
You have to achieve self love to appreciate your body in whatever state or stage it’s in. As I pushed through dominating my body into submission – it became clear that I needed to also fix my mental.
So I focused on healing my mind as I changed my body.
Fitness and wellness should be a lifelong journey – the number of lbs lost or gained won’t make you love yourself more if your mind ain’t right.
There are times where I know what I have done and how much I have achieved but my eyes cannot see it.
Don’t get caught in that space.
You may want to change your body but you need to have a conversation with your mind and heart first.

People’s opinions matter – NOT.
Some will say you are already good and some will say you’re too fat.
Some will say you don’t need to lose any weight but when you do, they’ll be shocked that there was weight to lose.
Focus on you. Do it for you.
Do it because of what YOU want, not what they want.

Ignore the Scale
I think I said this in one of my previous posts but when I started my journey on March 16th last year, I did not get on the scale till September 2nd, 2023.
It gave me time to just focus on looking and feeling good. My pants and clothes began to not fit anymore.
Then when I stepped on the scale, I now had a platform where I needed to go and how much more I needed to shed.

Looking good starts outward
While that line itself may feel misleading or against all the “woke” body positivity we have been talking about for the last few years, in the gym, it’s true.
You have to look good to feel good and many times, that is sometimes squarely about your outward appearance.
Dress nice, even as you start to prepare for the body you ultimately want.
While I have some expensive and high quality pieces in my closet, I encourage you to start with comfortable affordable and nice looking gym outfits to start off your journey.
When I started my journey, I would get nice Adidas, Nike, Fabletics sets from Ross, Dress for Less.
Then as I got closer to the body I wanted, I switched to a mixture of places, some things I get some Fabletics, Nike, Boohoo MAN, Adidas and also the great Amazon.
And I began going for higher quality and durability. At the forefront though, comfort and style.
How else am I going to continue falling deeply in love with myself if I don’t wear sex coord outfits that gym.

Be ready for the inevitable changes
As you embark on a life changing and life altering journey, things will change.
Your body, your mind, and your relationship to both. People’s relationships/views of your body will also morph. All of it will change. I was not ready for the changes to be honest, so I want to make sure you are.

First of all, I’m now a lightweight. Before I could have two or three drinks before I would feel something and now, one shot and my eye don dirty.
I could hit a joint and be cool, now, no such thing.
It’s almost like with the weight loss, my body cannot soak up the externals that inebriated me.
What a life.

My libido is also much higher. I used to joke that one of the main reasons I wanted to lose weight was to look good while shifting her furniture.
Little did I know that it would lead to me wanting it more everyday. I am not a man super fussed about “working out together all the time”, well I wasn’t but now?
Omo!
🎶🎶 one glance is all it takes, want to remove your paynt 🎶🎶🎶 🤣🤣🤣
So get ready for it.
For some people, it’s because of the supplements they take (maca root, preworkout) and for others, it’s just their body naturally having more energy to expend energy. You have been warned.


I also may or may not have noticed that I actually go longer now. But that’s not why we are here and you won’t be finding out, so face your front. ☺️

Being healthy is expensive
It’s cheaper to eat junk or processed foods. Your $5 at McDonald’s will fill you up.
Walk into Whole Foods with that and all you are walking out with is spring onions and a potential death stare from a Karen wondering how you got in.
Amazing stuff.
Being healthy and eating healthy is expensive and requires a deep commitment to the cause. Find bargains where you can.
For example, I buy organic things from Safeway but I buy other things from Grocery Outlet or FoodMaxx which are more bargain stores. Find the system that works for you and run with that.

Be kind.
The journey to the body and most importantly life you want will be hard.
Bumpy.
Smooth.
Up and down.
Slow.
Then fast.
It will test you and your mind.
There will be days you don’t want to but you need to.
Your life will be better for it.
But most importantly be kind to yourself.

The new body you want is ahead of you and you have never met beyond Youtube clippings and Instagram saved posts. But you see this body you are currently in, cherish it.
Respect it.
Honor it.
And make you keep it whole.

Thank you for being part of my journey so far.
Year 1 down.
Here is to many more in great health and sound mind.

Please comment, retweet and share. Thank you for your continued support.
You are highly appreciated.

WordsOfWednesday

© 2023 #WhatTheHeckMan

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