IN HER OWN WORDS:
Tracey’s story: My Journey to Health, Discovering My Own Power & Finding Shades of Grey
My earliest food memory was back when I was about eight years old. My parents were getting divorced and I remember food being my comfort. I can remember my grandpa bringing over ice-cream sundaes when my mom (a single mother raising three girls) needed a break. It seemed food was always a stress relief or something to look forward to. Since my mother was busy working three jobs, I was left home alone quite often with access to a lot of “junk” food. I used to come home from school and watch TV for several hours until my mother got home.
Entering high school I can remember weighing 176 lbs. It was especially hard for me to deal with because I was pretty athletic despite my weight. I felt trapped by it. I loved to kickboxing and bike ride, so although these things helped keep me fit, I had no clue about nutrition and remained overweight and depressed.
This all changed when I met my then-to-be stepmother Pat. She had taken my sisters and me for summers and taught us how to read food labels, etc. I can remember grocery shopping with Pat and her saying as long as we can read the ingredients we were allowed to put it in the cart. Needless to say my sister and I would try and sneak cookies and ice cream in the grocery cart. But Pat really opened my eyes to what good food tasted like. She was of Italian descent; so many meals were made from scratch, which was not something I was accustomed to growing up. Another influence was Pat’s sister Stephanie who was the first vegetarian I met. Stephanie was slender and very attractive so of course I wanted to become a vegetarian. It was my introduction to reading researching nutrition. Learning about Portion Control
Since then I have been hooked. While I did try going vegetarian for several years, eventually I decided meat wasn’t the cause for me being overweight… too many calories were. So I took up eating meat again and started learning about a concept foreign to me, Portion Control. Many books were instrumental along the way. A few of my favorites, Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss, Volumetrics, Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss and Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength.
One big tool that I still use that has been extremely helpful to me (and any emotional eater) was my food scale. By weighing and measuring my food, it makes me accountable. It also helped me to realize real hunger, which I never really understood. I would say I initially lost the weight cutting portions and incorporating a regular exercise routine into my life. It took me about two years to go from 176 lbs to 132 lbs.
Maintenance and weight training
There was a brief period however where I was eating too little and exercising too much. I didn’t realize that there was such thing as maintenance. I was stuck on the “diet mentality” and that lower calories was the ultimate goal. This was a scary time for me. There are so many books on dieting, but few books on maintaining weight loss or how to eat healthy for life. I knew I didn’t want to lose any more weight, but my body didn’t exactly look like I wanted yet.
I also struggled with severe food cravings because I wasn’t eating enough to fuel my body. I struggled with binge eating and severe anxiety. This is when Crossfit made an appearance in my life. Up until this point I was a “cardio bunny.” Meaning, I did quite a bit of cardiovascular work but not much weight training. I can remember walking into my local gym one day and seeing this very athletic woman lifting weights. I can recall wanting her body and wanting to be strong not skinny anymore. It was sort of a switch that went off in my head.
At that point I delved into reading all about women and weight training. I figured bodybuilders must know something about nutrition most didn’t. Or else they wouldn’t look that way. I started dissecting the meal plans and menus posted in magazines like Muscle Fitness, etc. I started eating a lot more protein and cutting carbs. I also figured I needed to up my calories.
Personalizing my plan
While this was a start, it certainly wasn’t the answer I was looking for which was how to be a balanced healthy and fit woman in the “real world.” While Crossfit started doing wonders for my shape, the “Body Builder diet” was very restrictive and unrealistic and
actually not necessary for my goals. So, I started making up my own diet taking from all the research I’d done on nutrition and applying it.
The main thing I learned is that while calories are king, what you eat (or the makeup of your diet) is very important in determining fat loss or muscle gain. Balancing blood sugar is crucial as well in keeping cravings at bay, maintaining mental clarity and keeping energy levels up. It was no longer about eating less or cutting out food groups. It was about balancing them to achieve the best results.
What works for me – tools and tips
I still continue to weigh and measure food because of my emotional ties to it (Being bored spells trouble). If left to my own devices I would be happy eating all day long. I know some people feel that a food scale is not healthy or strange…but to me, it is just another tool that makes life easier. I also kept a daily food journal. I write down my meals the day prior so I know exactly what I’ll be eating and nothing is left to chance. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” I choose to eat whole foods as much as possible because they make me feel good inside and out.
Routine
I still love reading all things pertaining to health and fitness. I’m constantly reading up on the newest and latest health related products. It’s good to stay on top of the curve. Since it’s easy to get sick eating the same thing day in and day out I’m always on the hunt for new recipes. You’ll find me in Borders or Barnes & Noble on the weekend browsing the heath and nutrition section.
I currently try to get to Crossfit three days a week. I also try to get in two days of walking or bike riding. I own a spin bike, so that has been very convenient on days I don’t want to leave my house to work out. Crossfit has been crucial in achieving the body I was looking for. It has also given me an inner power and reminded me I can do anything if I put my fears aside and just do it!
