A Typical Day

So someone asked what I eat on a typical. So here it is:

Breakfast:
-Protein shake (I don't do more than 100 calories worth and about 15 grams of protein)

Lunch:
- Leftovers OR Lean Pocket (I try not to exceed 300 calories for lunch)

Snack:
- 1 serving of Cheez-Its

Dinner:
- Spaghetti or Chicken, rice, and vegetables (I try not to exceed 400 calories for dinner)

I drink water or zero calorie soda. Juice is also ok in small doses and fresh squeezed is great. G2 low calorie Gatorade is also acceptable especially while or after working out.

I do drink alcohol from time to time and on days when I drink I don't eat as many calories. Especially since alcohol is empty calories.

Message me for questions or other examples

XOXO

NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST

A lot of people have a tendency to skip breakfast. BAD IDEA! Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day, especially when you're trying to lose weight. Protein is the best way to start your day.

Some great breakfast foods that are high in protein:

• Eggs 
• Cereal 
• Oatmeal 
• Dairy (Milk, Cottage Cheese) 
• Nuts
• Soy Products 
• Grits 

Now most of us, like me, don't have time at 6 in the morning to make and eat cereal and eggs and toast. Each morning I drink a Protein shake. It tastes great AND keeps me pretty full until about 10. Now many protein shakes are gritty and don't taste that great, but I drink EAS Lean 15 and it is really tasty. I drink the chocolate flavor. 

You can find this shake in most stores, like GNC. I purchase mine from Target and it costs about $20 and lasts about a month. There are 30 servings in one container. 

You may also like protein bars, which are also really good and filling. 

XOXO

10 Minutes. That's ALL YOU NEED

Everybody has 10 minutes to spare. I just did this quick workout and my heart-rate is up and I am SWEATING.

10-Minute Victoria's Secret Models Workout

Words of Encouragement

If you have an at-home scale, take a sharpie or permanent marker and write words of encouragement on the scale. When you look down to see the number, you'll also see encouraging words. So whether you like the number or not there will be something nice to see.

Here's what written on my scale:

1. 4 weeks = You; 8 weeks = Friends and Family; 12 weeks = The World --> DON'T QUIT
• Basically it takes 4 weeks for you to see a change in your body, 8 weeks for your friends and family to notice, and 12 weeks for the world to notice. Don't give up if you don't see progress in the first few weeks...Keep going!
2. This Number Does NOT Define You!
3. You're Beautiful

Seems corny, but it really does help. When the number is going in the opposite direction (which it will at times, especially if you're weight-training, muscle weighs more than fat), it is good to be reminded that you are not a failure!

XOXO

Exercise Tip!

Let's face it, most people hate cardio, but cardio is essential to weightloss. Weight training is great for toning, but to lose weight you need to burn calories and to burn calories you have to get your heartrate up and to increase your heartrate you must do cardio. So if you hate cardio here's a tip: 

Bring you favorite book with you to your least favorite cardio machine or turn on your favorite tv show or movie if you have an at-home machine or netflix on your smartphone. Set a timer for 30 minutes or more. You'll get so engulfed in your book or show that you'll forget you're on the machine. 

Our least favorite machines are usually the ones you need the most, plus you must add variation to your workout so that your body doesn't become too accustomed to your workout and you stop making progress. 

My Pinterest

First of all, if you don't have Pinterest you don't know what you're missing. It's an online bulletin board where you can "Pin" websites and webpages. You can follow other people's "pins" or you can create your own "pins." It's great for finding workouts, recipes, DIY projects, and wedding planning (for when that time comes).

Here's the link to my Pinterest --> My Pinterest
Look at my "Skinny" board for some great weightloss tips, tricks, and exercises. All the exercises are very do-able and aren't too time-consuming. There are even some great exercises to do with tv shows and commercials for those of us who can't bear to leave the TV screen.
Look at my "Yummy" board for some great recipes. Now all of these are not the healthiest, but there are some great one's for a healthy diet.

WELCOME...Here's my story

September 2010 - 21 years old - 242 lbs.

October 2012 - 23 years old - 155 lbs. 

So far I've lost 87 pounds! I still have more to lose and toning to do, but I've come a long way. 

Many people have asked for tips and tricks and help so I decided to start a blog.

Here's My Story...
I have always been overweight and I've never been happy with the way I looked. I tried every fad diet out there and dieted pretty much my entire life starting at the age of about 10. My weight pretty much controlled my life. It made me a shy and less confident person. I was beautiful before, but I just didn't think so. I couldn't fit the clothes I liked and shopping was a complete nightmare!

Shortly after my 21st birthday I decided I was going to change my life. My parents and family had always gotten on me about my weight, but that made me feel even worse. For me, food was happiness. I would eat and instantly be happy. Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE food, but I don't use it to control my mood.

I was in my Senior year of college and I had a great group of friends who decided to help me out. One friend in particular wanted to lose weight like me and the other 2 friends were supporting us in our weightloss. We would workout together, which was great to help with motivation and keeping on a schedule. Then we would have dinner together to keep up the momentum of our healthy habits.

PHASE ONE OF MY DIET: In the beginning I had a strict diet:

1. No fried foods
2. Nothing to drink but water 
3. Vegetables (steamed) with every meal 
4. Absolutely no fast food 
5. No butter, even when cooking 
6. No oil 

That worked for a while, with working out about 3 days a week, then I hit a little plateau at about 40 pounds lost. I did meet my goal of losing 40 lbs by college graduation in May 2011 

 

(Me with my parents at my graduation celebration) 

Although I struggled losing more weight, I did maintain a weight of about 202 lbs. until the beginning of 2012,  when I started calorie counting. I asked a couple of friends about some suggestions on revamping my weightloss plan and they told me about this WONDERFUL website. MyFitnessPal 

You can also download the app if you have a smartphone. It helps you set up goals and a plan. You enter your goals and your current measurements and it comes up with a do-able plan. You can also log your progress and your daily calorie intake and exercise. If you don't know how many calories are in an item of food you can search for the food and it will give you nutrition info. If you're in the grocery store and you're using ingredients to make a certain meal and you want to know how many calories all the ingredients are when put together there is a barcode option on the smartphone app. 

Currently I eat about 1,000-1,200 calories a day and work out 4-5 days a week. I still have cheat days and meals when I eat whatever I want and don't care, but I have changed my whole life so I don't eat nearly as much as I used to and I love it! I still have more goals to reach, such as wearing a bikini and feeling comfortable, but I look great and feel great!

Hope this site helps someone out!