My 50’s Fitness Journey during #ECQ

I am finally back to my desired weight level. I have lost 12 lbs since I started changing my diet, incorporating daily workouts. I thought I’d never get back to this weight pre-ECQ, I was getting frustrated that I wasn’t fitting into my pants anymore. I had even started folding these, ready for donation. 

Learnings about my 50’s body. Bulking up, trying to build muscle doesn’t work for me anymore. (I tried to do that in 2019) My PT asked me about my goals back then. I mentioned a lower fat % and bulky, especially around my shoulders. He squarely said that those are competing goals, as one required eating less and the other is about eating more (quality calories, of course). 

I dumped my diet and started to train heavy. I started fine. I was even challenged to do really go heavy (well, considering my capacity). And I quickly fell into a rut. My joints were sore all over. I was dreading working out, knowing that I was going to be in pain, and not be able to carry the weight, and hate myself. Ugh.

By end of 2019, I was going nowhere with my workouts and with my weight. And it coincided with my new job assignment, so I wasn’t in a happy place. I was heavy, fat again. And it just disappointed me more. 

I started to make some changes at the start of 2020. I began waking up really early so I could workout BEFORE going to work. But I still hadn’t gotten around to my disciplined eating (and monitoring).

ECQ made that happen. I was determined not to come out of this heavier. After week 1, I started incorporating working out into the WFH arrangement. Then I went back to daily (yes, daily) monitoring of my weight, my caloric intake). And by Holy Week, I had to commit to a diet of chicken breast, vegetables, mainly.

I think I also finally had the app MyfitnessPal all figured out. I am able to really track my calories. I have also realized that for me to start losing weight, I should average 1,200 calories a day, And to think before ECQ, I was looking at 1,800 to 2,000 calories daily! Sidenote: 1,200 is Basic Metabolic Rate or BMR. I get this from previous weigh-ins. I never thought much about this metric till this time.

I structured my workouts around the limited hodgepodge of home equipment I have. I do resistance training MWF. Then I do cardio TThS. My cardio includes dance now, which I am rediscovering HAHA. Next up is to include serious HIIT about 1x or 2x per week.

It helped that my city imposed a liquor ban. Haha So I’ve been dry since March 21. I end up drinking about 375 - 500 calories of wine or alcohol every time I drink! (Wala pang pulutan yan!)

So I am in a good place now, as far as my fitness/health/weight is concerned. Trick now is to maintain this and include drinking wine in the process. Because when I get back to my beach house, and I am on my view deck looking out to the West Philippine Sea, I have to be drinking wine.