First of all, I just want to say THANK YOU to all the women out there that are blogging their personal stories about their weight loss journeys. I think reading other women's stories about their challenges makes me feel like we're in a big ol' online pow-wow sharing with one another, and it's nice to have a support system floating around on the internet. Reading other women's stories has been really motivational and has helped me to keep this up for much longer than I thought I would. So, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for helping me through this challenge!
For me, weight has always been a very touchy issue my entire life and I continually struggle with the image in the mirror. Before starting this recent weight loss plan, I was definitely at my heaviest. I don't think I felt any more self-conscious about my body, since those stupid little thoughts are always there... I think I have chosen to just ignore them more and more. I won't lie, I definitely jumped on this Lose It bandwagon - since everyone else was doing it, I thought I'd give it a shot too, and am so glad it's been working!
Like many of the other women have talked about, eating out and enjoying alcohol are some things I won't give up. I just enjoy it way too much and don't want to feel like I'm depriving myself of anything. That's where calorie counting really helps. Since BF and have always been really diligent about meal planning, I am able to look ahead and anticipate how many calories I will consume, and how many I have left over to enjoy. Since we love going out with friends, I go over my daily budget pretty often, but I don't let it get to me. No one's going to punish me if I choose to have an extra beer. I just know that I'll have to kick my butt a little harder when I'm at the gym. I'm not stressing myself out too much about this. I'm not depriving myself of anything I would normally enjoy. Because I'm much happier through this process it's just been much easier to see results.
So, in the last 2 months, I have lost 13 pounds. My goal is to lose a total of 25 pounds by June, so I think I am on a healthy path to reaching that goal. I work out in the evenings, roughly 3-4 times a week for about 90 minute at a time. When I get to the gym, the first thing I do is walk for 5 minutes at a brisk 3.5 mph pace on the treadmill, then I bump it up to 5 mph for 5 minutes, which is a comfortable jogging pace for me. After that quick warm up of the muscles, I either jump on a stationary bike or elliptical machine for 30 minutes. I stretch and roll out all the kinks in my legs on a foam roller for a good 25 minutes - this is like a deep tissue massage every single time. If you haven't tried a foam roller yet, GET ONE.
After all of that, I alternate my days with a 15 minute ab routine or the hundred pushups workout. I love that I can feel a different in my pants now that my middle is whittling down, and that my arms are feeling so much more tone. When I started the pushup workout, I could only do 2 full pushups. Now I can do 18. Seriously, I can't believe the improvement I have made.
Having a pretty strict routine with my meals and workout plans has worked great. It means I don't have to think too hard about anything after work. It means I don't give myself the opportunity to slack off. Even though I can do all of my working out at home, I like going to the gym because it's more about being disciplined and rigid with my schedule. This is what works for me.
So, in the last 2 months, I have lost 13 pounds. My goal is to lose a total of 25 pounds by June, so I think I am on a healthy path to reaching that goal. I work out in the evenings, roughly 3-4 times a week for about 90 minute at a time. When I get to the gym, the first thing I do is walk for 5 minutes at a brisk 3.5 mph pace on the treadmill, then I bump it up to 5 mph for 5 minutes, which is a comfortable jogging pace for me. After that quick warm up of the muscles, I either jump on a stationary bike or elliptical machine for 30 minutes. I stretch and roll out all the kinks in my legs on a foam roller for a good 25 minutes - this is like a deep tissue massage every single time. If you haven't tried a foam roller yet, GET ONE.
After all of that, I alternate my days with a 15 minute ab routine or the hundred pushups workout. I love that I can feel a different in my pants now that my middle is whittling down, and that my arms are feeling so much more tone. When I started the pushup workout, I could only do 2 full pushups. Now I can do 18. Seriously, I can't believe the improvement I have made.
Having a pretty strict routine with my meals and workout plans has worked great. It means I don't have to think too hard about anything after work. It means I don't give myself the opportunity to slack off. Even though I can do all of my working out at home, I like going to the gym because it's more about being disciplined and rigid with my schedule. This is what works for me.
I wish I took before and after pictures! I think I'll use whatever pictures there are of me online, but I don't really have too many pictures of me floating around on Facebook or whatnot - so give me some time to dig some up!
Congratulations, what an awesome accomplishment! I'm also looking to lose ~20 lbs, but I haven't been nearly as successful as you.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!! That's so wonderful! :) I'm finding so much inspiration in my friends these days to just stop settling for "normal" and get out there and make a change!
ReplyDeleteAnd I need to visit with my foam roller more than 3x/week... I stick him away in the corner and totally forget to use him daily! Thanks for the super reminder!