Disclaimer: I am not a personal trainer nor am I a dietition. These are my personal experiences of what worked for me and my body. Everyone is different so what may have worked for me might not work for you. My advice to you is just to start. Start somewhere!
On
September 21st of 2012 was when I decided to stop feeling bad for myself and actually decided to make a change in this body that I had been so unhappy with forever.
the dreaded before shots. notice my nervous awkward "i don't know what to do" face! haha
It was a random day a friday. I didn't want to keep putting things off like I had always done in the past, so i decided to start right there and then. 5 minutes before i made this decision I was in the restroom, had just showered and was brushing my hair. I stared at myself in the mirror and couldn't believe what I had done to my body. I just started crying. I couldn't help it. I was so unhappy with myself and my unhealthy body that the emotions were out of control. I felt sad so i just bawled in front of the mirror.
I usually would do this though, feel bad for myself.... but then maybe the next day I'd be back on my normal unhealthy routine. And in the past when i did decide to do something about it I always fell through and never accomplished my goals.
NOT THIS TIME. I was determined to
accomplish SOMETHING!
My goal was to lose 30 LBS in 3 months. So lose it all by December 25th, Christmas. Oh boy that was a big goal and it scared me. But you know what they say....
If your goals don't scare you then they aren't big enough!!
My first mini goal was to lose 10 LBS by October 26th, so in one month. It was the date we had set to take some professional family pictures of my husband and I.
I was determined to accomplish it.
So what did I do to get started:
My husband and I got a gym membership to a 24hr gym. It had great machines, weights, free weights and over all awesomeness. So we were set right?
Wrong, I needed more resources to help me achieve this goal I had just set for myself.
Second, I had read in the past that the minimum amount of calories your body needs is 1,200. So i went with that. (Note, now I learned that wasn't the best thing I could have done, the best thing to do now is to use a
calorie calculator to calculate how many calories your body needs.)
Then I downloaded the
MyFitnessPal app on my iphone and decided I would track
EVERYTHING that went into my body along with every exercise I did and water intake as well.
Then came the actual DOING part.
I have always known the solution to losing weight and that is move your body more and eat healthier. Easy right? ....
not really.
The hard part has always been sticking with that.
This time I set goals. My goal was to go to the gym 5-6 times a week for 1.5-2 hrs a day. I didn't know much at the time but I did know that I needed to get my heart rate up and my body moving (CARDIO) to burn some calories.
I could not run so I decided to do the beloved elliptical machine. The one I have always hated. But this one was different. It was a CYBEX machine.
It looked different and it felt different. I started out on the lowest level with no incline increase. I would do this machine for ONE WHOLE HOUR 5-6 days a week. I noticed I burned a lot of calories on it. It made me excited and wanting to come back to burn more calories. As I went back and started getting used to it I started increasing the intensity/level and incline. I would do an incline really high for a minute then take a down a notch and then increase the level then take it down a notch. Basically I would try to get my heart rate to reach it's max number and then take it down. I did this back and forth and kept a pretty fast pace on it. The machine would tell me I burned anywhere from 800-1,000 in one hour. I don't know how accurate it was at the time i did not have a heart rate monitor.
I would also do the weights machines for 30 minutes. I didn't know what I was doing the whole time. But I would alternate legs and abs one day to arms and abs the other.
AND THEN I LOST THE 10 LBS I was hoping to lose BEFORE my deadline date.
I was ecstatic! I couldn't believe I actually accomplished something. I wanted to keep going.
So I did.
My next mini goal was to lose another 10 lbs by Thanksgiving.
I kept pushing at the gym eating my 1,200 calories a day and then Thanksgiving came and I had NOT met my mini goal.
I was disappointed but I wasn't ready to give up so I kept going and before I knew it right in the beginning of December I had lost 10 more lbs. A total of 20lbs lost.
It felt like it wasn't true. I HAD NEVER DONE something like this in the past. The accomplished feeling was overwhelming. I was so proud of myself.
December was the hardest month since I had started, because it was full of treats, going out and holiday parties. I did good the first 3 weeks then I gave my self a little vacation time. I didn't work out as much and didn't eat as healthy as I should have. My body hated me. My stomach constantly hurt then for Christmas I got the stomach flu from HELL. I slowly recuperated from that and set in my mind that i would start back up January 1st.
January 1st came around fast and back i went to my lifestyle change.
I had by now completely changed my diet. I was eating CLEAN wholesome foods. None of those 100 calories snack and all that crap. I started drinking lots of water. Around 12 cups of water daily.
I also had learned more from researching things online. I learned some free weights exercises from pinterest and learned that I needed to eat more calories because my body was too used to the 1,200 that i was intaking. I read that it was good to alternate your cal intake daily. So i would then do 1,500 one day, 1,300 another and then 1,200. I just tried to mix up my calories.
Things were going great!
I think by February I had lost another 5 lbs.
Remember I said I was
not a runner well by february I was ready to change that. I downloaded the app
C25K on my iphone and went to town with it. It was a 8 week program that trained you 3 times a day on getting used to running. I did the challenges 5 times a week. The 8 week mark wasn't even up yet and I could now run a 5k without passing out. I couldn't believe it. I was always the one that said
"I wasn't a runner" or the kid that could barely finish the mile run in high school after walking most of it.
Now i could actually run a 5k.
I also focused A LOT of weights now. I still did the weights machines but I also started using free weights. I would just search for workout on pinterest or google and do them. If I felt it was a good work out I did it. I still alternated from legs and abs to arms and abs.
I read more into this and learned that weight lifting is the greatest way to change your body. I slowly started to feel the change. I slowly started being able to use more and more weights.
Like for a example when I started I would leg press like 100 lbs by now I could leg press 300 lbs and still do my reps and sets.
By now I was really focusing on abs daily. I made it my goal to do abs 5-6 times a week. I found a good work out on pinterest and stuck with it. Every time I did it I felt the BURN.
In february I also started going to the gym with my cute
mom. She has always loved
body combat so I joined in the fun. We also do
body pump and cycling.
Shortly after losing those 5 lbs. So 25 total, I lost another 5 lbs.
TOTALING IT ALL TO
30 LBS WEIGHT LOSS.
Today I still work out 5 days a week.
I eat a CLEAN WHOLESOME diet 5 days a week.
Saturday and Sundays are my cheat days.
I run on average 7 miles at the time.
I have lost a total of 30 lbs.
My arms and butt that I used to hate SO much are not so hated now.
I feel healthy.
I have went down 5 pant sizes. 5!!! I still can't believe that.
I have now invested in a POLAR heart rate monitor to know the exact numbers of my heart rate and number of calories burned.
I still use myfitnesspal app daily.
and am so happy that on September 21st of 2012 i decided to embark on this lifestyle change.
It was a hard journey but a very rewarding one.
My advice to you is JUST START NOW. Stop putting it off. There will NEVER BE A PERFECT TIME. When I started my weight loss journey I worked at the most fattening fast food place ever and guess what? I got free food everyday. But I didn't let that affect my lifestyle change. I also started all of this during the worst months in Utah. WINTER MONTHS. It was always cold miserable and every month was full of holidays. LIKE I said THERE WILL NEVER BE A PERFECT TIME. So stop putting it off.
START NOW. COMMIT NOW. SET GOALS NOW!
Second,
use the resources that you have. I did NOT have a personal trainer. I couldn't afford one but i didn't let that stop me or hold me back.
I researched and researched and researched. Google and
pinterest was my best friend. Along the way I found many weight loss journey blogs. They also helped me a lot.
Third, set reasonable goals AND if you don't meet those goals. DON'T GIVE UP. Keep going!
Fourth, you HAVE to get your body moving. If you can't run or do the elliptical or other cardio work or classes then walk 5-6 days a week. You know your body best. Always push your body to the max. You will be amazed on how our bodies will slowly start changing and slowly gaining endurance. Don't give up!
Fifth, LIFT them weights. I wish I knew the importance of this right from the beginning. If you want to see your body toned and shaped and not flabby and "skinny fat" then LIFT THOSE WEIGHTS. NO you will not look like a man. You will look like a sexy beast.
Sixth, EAT the right nutrients. Your body needs a good balanced diet. Don't starve your body. Treat it nicely. Feed it wholesome CLEAN LEAN FOODS. This might be hard at first. It sure was for me. I loved those dang skinny cow ice creams. But you have to cut the processed SHIZ out. EAT YOUR BREAKFAST it will jumpstart your metabolism. Eat it within 1 hour of waking up. This will make a huge difference in your day. This was also something hard for me to do. I used to not eat breakfast at all. NOW I know the importance of it and won't go a day without it. Focus on lean proteins, good carbs (yes you need carbs), good fats and on overall rich clean foods. You will eventually get used to in and NOT want to go back. THIS IS A LIFESTYLE CHANGE, this is how you will keep the weight off.
Seventh, DRINK WATER. Water also speed up your metabolism it is a crucial part of our diets. You should have 80 oz or more daily. I got used to the number 10. So 10 cups of water daily which equals 80oz. STEP AWAY FROM THE CRYSTAL LIGHT. That CANNOT be substituted for your water intake. That stuff is horrible for you. Once you get used to drinking water you will love it and actually start craving it. You can do it!
Eighth, Don't drive yourself crazy. Have a cheat day if you need one to keep your sanity. Heck I have 2 cheat days a week. But guess what that just means I work harder and meaner at the gym on monday and burn those calories right off. We are humans we need that chocolate sometimes.
Ninth, Don't GIVE UP! I didn't originally meet my 3 month 30 lbs loss goal but i didn't give up. I kept going and I kept pushing. You can do it! Don't get discouraged. Change up things, start fresh again. Look for new motivation, seek guidance from other but DON'T you DARE GIVE UP!
Tenth, Take in account that you are making a LIFESTYLE CHANGE and to make any changes in our lives it takes time. Take this one day at a time. Each day you will learn something new. Keep going. Don't expect to get it all right at once. There are things that I learned later on that I wish i knew in the beginning but that is life. Use the resources you have. Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle or end. In fact don't compare at all. We are all different.
and most importantly be proud of yourself and stay humble!
It's amazing to me what our bodies can do. I tell this to everyone I talk to now, If you set your mind to a goal and you put all your effort into it, IT IS AMAZING what our bodies will do. The changes you will start to see will blow your mind away. Our bodies are wonderful and if we treat them right they will achieve those goals we have for it.
Decide to make a change NOW, TODAY! You can do it!
If I the girl that has always been unhappy with her body all the way from jr high, to high school, to her wedding day DID IT you can too.
I have faith in you.
If there's any questions shoot me a email at getcraftin at live dot com
Hugs!
