Diet.
Dieting.
Such a harsh word.
I choose to call it a lifestyle.
Food is of course important to life, duh! But if there is anything I’ve learned having Lupus and being a competitor who has to cut weight, sometimes very drastically; eating the right things is key. There are 2 very important things I’ve learned;
- You can’t out exercise medication.
- You can’t out exercise bad eating habits.
Out exercising bad eating habits.
You won’t have the energy to exercise if you’re not eating enough, a restrictive eating plan when paired with hardcore exercise could have you using muscle mass for energy. Being restrictive leaves you unable to produce energy and grow muscle because you have lowered levels of insulin and testosterone.
You won’t want to exercise. This happens to me all the time, and it’s a sure sign that I am eating bad – eating unhealthy weighs us down, makes us feel slow and less driven to exercise.
You won’t be able to tone your target areas. Eating excess calories are not able to be burned solely from your workouts and they head right to trouble zones. Even if you are gain muscle in these areas they will be covered by a layer of fat. Like they say, Abs come from the kitchen.
Exercise sustains weight loss – but a healthy diet is what drives it.
James has my diet set up so that I follow a macro guideline, currently; 40% is protein – 30% is carbs – 30% is fats. I program everything into my Fitness Pal App, this is a great way to track and hold myself accountable for what I eat.
The hardest part of following a diet and workout plan is when medication packs on weight. You can’t out exercise side effects! This part has been a struggle for me, eating right/working out but not cutting is always rough when I get put on meds that retain water and add fluff.
The way I combat this, keep in mind I’m not a doctor; is through holistic care. I use my workouts and diet as a way of medicating my Lupus. Food, stress and being unhealthy is a big trigger for Lupus symptoms – so I watch my food intake and workout to manage my stress and health.
There are times when I have to be medicated, from a bad flare – these are the worst. Typically I am put on steroids to cure the infection/inflammations; this has a great side effect of weight gain… weight gain that sticks around and makes it hard to get back after you are off it. These are the moments when I feel hopeless and fluffeh.
But the fluffehs don’t stay around – eating healthy and staying on the workout plan is the best way to regain yourself.