October 02, 2020

75 Hard: Day 75!


Today was the final day of 75 Hard!

I don't want to mislead anyone, and as I've said before, I haven't followed it 100% perfectly as it's supposed to be done. The "rules" say that if you miss even one item on the list, you have to start over from Day 1.

I did the first 31 days without missing a single item. Then I learned of a podcast that explained the challenge a bit differently than the one I'd listened to, which made me question if I was doing it "right". So, I decided to continue doing it, but I did it the way I interpreted the challenge from the podcast I'd listened to. And I didn't start over when I "messed up". Therefore, take what you will from it.

I have been far from perfect for the duration of the last 75 days! Whether it's eating outside of my intermittent fasting window, or forgetting to journal, or forgetting to read 10 pages, or something else, I have missed several things here and there. BUT, I've continued to work on it every day and doing this challenged has really changed my way of life.

There are only two "rules" that I did not break even once: 1) Taking a progress photo every single day, and 2) Exercising for 45 minutes twice a day, with at least one of those being outside.

Here are all of my progress photos in a very-squeezed-in collage:


There are a few where I was up north, and only pretended to hold up my phone for the sake of consistency. Haha! My sister took the picture while I posed the same as always.

When I started the challenge, I knew that the most difficult rule for me would be the exercise. I wasn't doing any exercise at all at the time, and to go from 0 to 90 minutes a day? Yikes! But I wanted to try it. So, I chose to do "light" exercise--walking, riding my bike. In the end, I ended up walking for all but a handful of the workouts; the others being riding my bike.

I know that I would have better physical results if I'd done better with the diet portion of the challenge. I've done really well with intermittent fasting, and I eat within my four-hour window nearly every day. However, since I've been super stressed out for the past month or so, I've been overeating. *Technically*, I was following my "rule" for intermittent fasting--eating in just my four-hour window--but I was eating for emotional reasons as well as hunger and I ate too much.

HOWEVER, the main reason that I chose to do this challenge was not for weight loss (I was hoping to lose weight, yes, but it wasn't my main purpose). I really wanted to do this challenge for the discipline. I wanted to learn how to practice self-discipline like I had for so long when I was losing and maintaining my weight. 

In the sense of self-discipline, I absolutely think that 75 Hard did its job! While I missed some of the items here and there, I never, ever missed a workout. That is what is most notable about the whole thing. I exercised twice a day for at least 45 minutes each, every single day, for the last 75 days in a row! That is HUGE for me.

(I know this is impossible to read... but it's just a calendar showing the last 75 days worth of workouts. The blue boxes are my bike rides; the yellow are walking.)


Over the last 75 days, I've walked a total of 379.83 miles. That's more than I walked or ran in ALL of 2019, ALL of 2018, and ALL of 2017! (The grand total from 2017-2019 was 655.70--for all three years combined.) These numbers are stunning to me. 

Today, I celebrated the last day of 75 Hard by walking for 8 miles--much longer than usual! (I'm totally lying. I walked 8 miles, but only because I'm super addicted to the audiobook I'm listening to right now).

Will anything change tomorrow?

Not much at all, actually. I'm going to wake up and go for my morning walk with Joey... only I will walk 60+ minutes instead of 45 minutes. And then I'll skip the second workout of the day (unless I really want to go for some reason). 

The other habits have been good for me and not something that I want to stop doing. Oh! One exception... I won't be reading "self-help" type books (I just don't enjoy them). I'll read 10+ pages of whatever book I'd like (which is what I've been doing for a while now anyways).

I'm basically going to be following my "Cookies Fall Hard Challenge", which is based on 75 Hard. I really enjoy the "rules" and want to make them as much of a habit as I can.

So, I wish I had a more exciting post about 75 Hard, but there isn't a whole lot to say that I haven't said already--especially in my post about walking. I'm SO thankful to my friend Adam for introducing me to 75 Hard and for convincing me to try it. If I hadn't, I'm sure I'd have gained even more weight and continued not exercising, along with feeling worse and worse about myself. (In total, I lost 13 pounds, but I haven't lost anything in the last month.)

As it is, I wish I'd seen more physical changes, but I'm happy with where I've gotten. I know that to lose more weight, I have to be more careful about how much I'm eating during my IF window. Honestly, though, I am just grateful for the self-discipline habits that I've learned. 

Okay... I just have to share some extra good news, too. I saw Floyd today while I was out walking! Floyd is the elderly man that I used to see ALL the time when I was out running. We started out with "Good morning!" type greetings, and eventually we chatted a little here and there. I loved seeing him out and about. He walks six days a week, no matter what, and I find that super inspiring.

I had decided that for my final 75 Hard walk, I'd do a full lap of all four neighborhoods--a five-mile walk. If I hadn't decided to do that today, I never would have bumped into Floyd.

Since I started 75 Hard, I expected to see him all the time. However, I NEVER ONCE saw him out walking! As terrible as it sounds, I was feeling pretty confident that he probably passed away or was very sick and unable to walk. I really hoped he was okay.

I can't think of a better way to end 75 Hard, actually--seeing him out for a walk today was so exciting! I stopped walking and we chatted for a little bit. I told him I think about him every time I am out walking, and I am so glad that he's doing well. He said he thinks of me every time he walks past my parents' house (he admires their landscaping).

I didn't know exactly which house was his, but after it came up in discussion today, he told me it's easy to spot because he painted the door, the garage door, and the mailbox orange. Orange! We happen to share our favorite color. 

Anyway, I was so relieved to see him today and see that he was doing okay. He said he tends to walk mid-mornings, which is why I probably haven't seen him. I walk in the early morning and then again in the late morning or early afternoon. And now that I know which house is his, I can at least check in on him if I haven't seen him for a while.

It's kind of funny how a stranger (for the most part) can have such an impact on our lives. 

Tomorrow is Day 12 of my Cookies Fall Challenge. I'm looking forward to starting it with a long walk with Joey :)


2 comments:

  1. I would be really happy with 13 pounds in 75 days! That's about 11 weeks and so more than a pound a week. It's also nearly a stone. I know it's disappointing for you to not lose anything in the last month but not gaining when stressed is good. You don't want yoyo dieting so stop being so hard on yourself! Congratulations on improving your health and mental health.

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  2. I also did the math and was like “woah, that’s over a pound a week!” Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete

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