Boot Camp Blogger is a look into the life of Boot Camp participant Tara. Follow along each week as she experiences the challenges and successes of Boot Camp the Extreme Fit way!

When I decided to participate in this Extreme Fit Training boot camp, I knew, for me, that it had to be all or nothing.

I didn’t want to bust my butt working out that hard (I had no clue how hard I’d actually be working, however) only to blow it by eating and drinking whatever and whenever I wanted to. So I knew from the get-go that dieting was going to have to be a major component of my transformation. Initially, I thought that the workouts would be the hardest part for me since I’ve been so out of shape these past two years. And the first week, they did prove quite a challenge. But this first week has shown me where my weakest link lies—diet.

I’ve never been a terrible eater. I rarely eat fast food or even out at restaurants, and I love to prepare home-cooked meals. There’s nothing like making a delicious meal and sitting down and enjoying it with family, friends—and a good glass of wine. Yes, I do love to drink wine, and that’s one thing I was not looking forward to giving up during this process. But I vowed to myself that I would give it up if I had to. So far, it hasn’t come to that, though I have had to give up quite a few other things and make all-around better decisions about what I put into my mouth. It’s amazing how your body fights you for what it loves!

Some of the things I’ve had to give up in this process include cheese (boy do I love pizza), sodas (I actually don’t drink sodas too much, but I love a Coke Icee and was having one a bit too often), bread (even whole wheat, which also can begin to add up), and pasta (lasagna, yum!). I’m not much of a sweet eater, but I do have the occasional piece of chocolate, which I’ve had to give up, as well. When it comes to giving things up, the way I look at it is this: Once I lose the weight I need to lose, I will be able to enjoy some of the things I used to enjoy again. It’s not like I’m never going to have a piece of pizza or a Coke Icee again in my life! It’s all about moderation. But right now, I don’t have the luxury of moderation. I have weight that has to come off, and no matter how hard I work out, it’s not gonna come off if I don’t change my habits.

A few habits I’ve had to adjust during this process include never skipping meals, eating meals at the proper times, and controlling portion sizes. I’m a busy, working single mom, and sometimes, I just plain don’t have time. FOR. ANYTHING. When I’m rushing around in the morning trying to get everything together for my daughter and myself, fitting in a healthy breakfast is next to impossible. And again, when I get home in the evening and feed and bathe my daughter, and take care of all the other things that I have to take care of before the next day (dogs, cats, laundry, packing lunches, playing with my daughter, etc.), the time slips away and I end up either skipping dinner altogether or eating after 9 p.m.—both terrible habits to get into. And I’ve had to become hypersensitive to portion control. It’s so easy to sit down to a meal and eat double what your body actually needs.

 I tend to eat too fast, and then when I’m finished, I’m miserable because the fullness has snuck up on me while I was enjoying the flavor of the food. So I’m trying to eat more slowly and enjoy each bite (God knows I should enjoy each bite because I get so few bites of anything these days!). I make sure that I have something to eat every morning, even if it’s just a protein shake on the way to work. And I’m preparing more meals at dinnertime that are for both my daughter and myself so that we can eat together at a proper time (which can be tricky since my daughter eats mostly organic food—expensive!).

The changes I have made to my diet are essential for me to succeed with my health and weight-loss goals. I’m sure if I just stuck to the boot camp workouts I’d see a little bit of change in my body. But I know I will not see the results I want in the time frame that I want them if I don’t suffer through what must be suffered through initially, and that includes dieting and extreme training. So far, I’ve made it through the first week. Something tells me things are not going to be much easier this week (probably harder, right Coach?), but I figure, the longer I do it, the more my body will adjust, and the less pain, exhaustion, and sheer misery I will feel. For now, I’ll keep fighting the good fight until I can no longer stand up or until my body becomes the machine I so desperately want it to be. At this point, I’m not sure which is going to happen first.