Fit Test

I signed up for personal training at my gym when I hit my second plateau and didn't know what else to do. I had a hard time with trainers. The first one was brand new and “wasn't working out” with the gym and the second guy found a new job and quit. So then I had a long conversation with the gym manager and he decided to put me with my current trainer, Marcio.

The first week was just to get a feel for each other and see how far he was able to push me. Our second session, Marcio did his Fit Test to see how “fit” I really was. He seemed impressed by how well I did, or he was just boosting my ego (He still won’t tell me if he’s actually impressed or just saying it). I have been going to Marcio for almost two months.

So Monday was my second fit test. I wanted to die halfway through it. We did leg kicks, power jacks, power knees, power jumps, burpees, and some other stuff. Good news, all of my score improved! Some improved more than others, but they all increased!

Since Marcio is my third trainer, I feel like I’ve been around the block. All my other trainers were more into getting me stronger and less into cardio. What I love about Marcio’s technique is it’s all based on my body weight. And it’s all with basically no equipment. He HATES the treadmill and elliptical. He’s told me multiple times that’s not what I’m paying for and he’s not going to make me do it (I do it on my non-training days, obv). One of his favorite exercises is the TRX-Cables. It’s basically a rope that hangs from the ceiling and you use your own bodyweight to increase your strength. We also do a lot of boxing, squats, lunges, calf raises, and of course abs. There are some days where I don’t feel terrible and there are some days where my legs can’t even hold me up as I shower.

I always wonder what I am going to do when my contract ends on my training. I don't think I'd be able to go back to regular work outs. I get pushed so much harder in training and Marcio is always there to yell at me. My contract is up late April, so I have some research to do on what happens next.

GYM DAY: What I Ate Today

This is probably the stupidest article ever, but I wanted to show you guys a gym day versus a non-gym day. I will do another post Thursday with my non-gym day log.

So I woke up this morning and it was Monday. That means I have training tonight. I get excited and dread it all at the same time.

8:00 AM: 2 eggs, 1 slice reduced fat cheese

10:20 AM: Atkins protein bar

12:30 PM: 2 slice light whole wheat bread, roast beef, mayo

2:30 PM: 28 almonds

5:00 PM: 1 orange and a handful of walnuts.

7:00 PM: Chicken sausage, peppers and onions

Since I ate around 7 PM, I probably won't have a snack after dinner. Mostly because on training days I’m asleep by 9:30.

What’d you eat today? (And if you say something stupid like a cheeseburger and fries I will ban you from the blog... JK, I don’t even know how to do that.)

Healthy Competition

About 4 1/2 years ago, I met a man that would change my life for the better. His name is Orlando and he’s the best boyfriend in the entire world. We met and I instantly fell head over heels for him. He has always loved me no matter what size pants I wore. We both decided on a lifestyle change around the same time, but his was for a different reason.

Orlando was born in the Dominican Republic and came to America when he was 5 with his parents in 1987. He grew up in Queens, NY. All Latin food is absolutely amazing, but also can be very unhealthy. Lots of fried and starchy food-- Tostones, chicharones, empanadas and rice and beans

His family doesn’t believe that it’s a meal unless rice is involved. Growing up with an abundance of the food I previously mentioned, Orlando was always a chunky kid. When he was 26, he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Doctor told him to lose weight and there wouldn’t be a problem.

4 years later, Orlando decided to take action. He wasn’t feeling good and his chest was hurting, but since he didn’t have health insurance at the time, he had to do something drastic. He watched the movie “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” and decided he was going to do a juice diet for a month straight. “I figured since I ate anything I wanted for 30 years of my life, I can not eat food for a month,” Orlando said.

30 days (and two meals) later, he lost 20 lbs. And he looked hotttttttt! Orlando took a little break and did it again for another month and was able to break out of the 200s and down to 198. He officially lost 30 lbs.

When Orlando juices, it kind of kicks my ass into gear. It’s a little competition we have going and honestly, I do not think I would have gotten this far without thinking that. I probably would have given up, but since he’s losing so much weight, in my mind, I’m like “Oh sh-t, I have to catch up!”

So now that the holidays and our vacation have passed, Orlando is back on it and has started a 30 day cleanse, he will probably allow himself one or two meals.

Orlando likes to do the green juices. Here is the process in pictures (2 servings):

 

 

 






I will be blogging about different types of diets out there soon. 

 

 

It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Has anyone ever told you that before? I want to punch people in the face when they say that to me, but it’s the truth. Losing weight isn't easy. There is no miracle “diet” that will get you to lose 40 lbs in 2 weeks, and if there is chances are you’ll gain it back as soon as you start eating normally.

I was always the same way when I used to “diet.” I would sign up for Weight Watchers, lose 5 lbs, eat a cheeseburger and fries, gain it all back and cry. And Weight Watcher ain't cheap! I was always looking for the quickest results and nothing ever worked.

Now that I am almost 25, I have finally come to terms with that fact that this is a marathon. In this Women’s Health article, Lauren Slayton, M.S., R.D., author of The Little Book of Thin, says “If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you want to do it more in the one to two pounds per week range.”

If you do a complete change in “diet”, you will see major result the first week. When I started, I lost 5 pounds and change my first week. I completely changed what I was putting into my body. But after that initial week I would lose a pound here and there, some weeks it was less than a pound. It is the most frustrating and infuriating thing in the world. And it definitely doesn't help to see other people who lose it so easily.

Here’s an example: My best friend is tiny. She was never fat. She gained some weight in college, but who doesn't? All she had to do was go to the gym a few days a week and she started to lose some of the chunk she gained. So when I would see her at the gym she would say, “My pants are getting so loose, are yours?” and they weren't and I would have to put a fake smile on even though I wanted to kick her!

The whole point of this post is that it is the slowest processes everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Currently, I am averaging about 1 pound per week. Some weeks it’s nothing and I want to throw my scale threw my sliding glass door, other weeks I can average close to two pounds. It’s a crap-shoot.

While doing some research, I came across this article from The Mayo Clinic. They have 6 strategies for successful weight loss.

1. Make a commitment: If you’re going to do it, commit to doing it. Don’t eat healthy for all week, then go drinking with your friends and have Taco Bell at 2 am. It's a 24/7 commitment.

2. Find your inner motivation: Like I said in my welcome post, I saw my life going one of two ways when my grandparents passed. I could live a long, happy life with no problems or I could spend the rest of my life fight illness that could have been prevented by a healthy lifestyle. What's yours?  

3. Set realistic goals:  YOU ARE NOT GOING TO LOSE 10 POUNDS THIS WEEK! You’re just not! My first goal was 30 lbs and it took me 9 months to do it.

4. Enjoy healthier foods: I never liked broccoli as a child, I finally gave it a chance like 4 months ago. Roasted broccoli is my GOD-SEND! I could probably eat an entire head!

5. Get active, stay active: You can not depend on your gym buddy. You can only depend on yourself. Just get you ass to the gym or take you dog for a walk. Just get your body moving!

6. Change your perspective: Again, it’s not going to happen overnight. Do not expect immediate results. It’s a gradual thing, but in the end, imagine how happy you will be!

Just don’t give up! I know how hard it is to lose weight. It has been a fight I have been in my whole life.  If I can do it, anyone can. Trust me!

 

 

How I've Gotten This Far

I started my "journey" in March of 2013. I gave myself a month to lose 10 lbs for my work trip to

Vegas. I worked in the video industry. As the marketing coordinator, I had to set up interviews for blog sites and podcasts. Since there were only 5 of us on the trip, we were all on camera at one point or another.

I completely changed my diet. I was eat a whole lot less, a lot more fruits and veggies, and basically no starches. And I started going to the gym 4 days a week. I did a few Zumba classes, a Sculpting class, as well as the elliptical and weights. I was able to lose 8 lbs before I went to Vegas.

After Vegas, I continued to do what I was doing, but I hadn't lost anymore weight. for a whole month. I had hit my first plateau.

My mom and boyfriend suggested I see a nutritionist. As I said in my welcome blog, I've tried everything and I actual went to see a nutritionist when I was younger. I was probably around 8 or 9 when my mom and I started seeing Danielle. She was actually dating my cousin at the time and that’s how we got to know her.

So while looking for a nutritionist, I came across her name and gave her a call. She had an office near my house so it was perfect! What I love about Danielle is that she doesn't tell you what to eat and that’s the end. She teaches you. It’s not all about calories or how much fat is in something. It’s about what ingredients are being used and how many carbs are in it. And what’s even better, she gives you options. I have a whole list of foods I am allowed to eat and we add new things all the time. I don’t have to eat the same thing every day and I can still go out to restaurants and eat.

I eat 6-7 times a day, ever 2-3 hours. What this does is keeps your blood sugar level. If you keep your blood sugar level, it less likely to crash which leads to binging. Like for instance, you have plans to go out to dinner, but you don’t want to eat too much during the day because you’re going to have a big meal, so you skip lunch to save on calories. By skipping lunch you are letting your blood sugar drop very low. And you’re going to be hunnnnngryyyyyyyyy by dinner time. So you pig out on dinner, since you haven’t eaten all day, your blood sugar soooooooooars up! 

By eating every 2-3 hours, you are keeping your blood sugar level. Danielle informed me that this is a good diet for diabetics since they either have high or low blood sugar. When I started on this plan I was allowed 2 starches, 1 fruit, 3-4 snacks, unlimited veggies, and unlimited proteins. I can eat healthy fats all I want (like avocado, but on this plan avocado is considered a fruit as well, so I was sad to find out it was not unlimited). Condiments are limited because of the high sugar content, but I can eat all the hot sauce I want!!!

I wound up hitting a plateau and we decided to removed one of my starches. So a typical day for me is:

Breakfast: 2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg whites, 1 slice reduced-fat cheese

Snack: 1 reduced fat cheese stick

Lunch: 2 slices light whole wheat bread, 4 oz cold cuts, mayo

Snack: 28 almonds

Snack (if it’s a gym day): 1 small apple, 2 tbs natural peanut butter

Dinner:  lots of protein and lots of veggies

Snack (if it’s not a gym day): baked apple with walnuts or apple with 2 tbs natural peanut butter

During this blog, I will talk about other diets and lifestyles I have either been on or come across. It’s not all low carb, all the time!

NOTE: This is NOT just about changing your diet. I still go to the gym at LEAST 3 times a week and I see a personal trainer. I will be talking about that soon!

 

 

Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to my little slice of the internet. I decided to start this blog as an outlet to talk about weight loss, healthy lifestyles, working out, food and anything else that comes across my mind that I think would be interesting.

So a little about myself: I am 24 years old, I graduated SUNY New Paltz in 2011 with a degree in Public Relations. I live for social media and gossip blogs. I started my weight loss “journey” in March 2013. I put “journey” in quotes because I feel like it’s kind of stupid to call it a journey but that’s what it is; a journey.

I have been an overweight kid since I can remember, but I've always had very high confidence in myself and my size. It has never stopped me from doing anything I've wanted. It’s never stopped me from having friends, doing musicals, dancing, or wearing cute clothes. I used to believe that I was the friend people kept around to feel better about themselves; all my friends were/are skinny and beautiful. I've never had a hard time in the love department and I believe it has to do with my confidence, which led to me finding the love of my life at the young age of 20.

Back to my “journey”. I've been to fat camps and nutritionists, I've been on Weight Watchers, but nothing seemed to stick. I would lose 5 pounds, decided to reward myself and completely lose my motivation. It wasn't till December 2013 that everything began to change. In the span of 5 days I lost my great-grandmother and my grandfather. My great-grandma was 98 years old. She was never sick a day in her life until 5 days before she passed. My grandfather was 80 and had his first heart attack 16 years earlier. He battled cancer twice, had a stroke, congestive heart failure, and countless other illnesses along the way.

I was extremely close with both of them. My great-grandma lived in Florida and visited NY twice a year until she was in her early 90's and it got to be too much. Then we started visiting her once or twice a year and called her every weekend. My grandfather was the best. He used to babysit us after school, he would take me to the doctor when I was sick, he would drive me to dance class. When I graduated college, I started to spend more and more time with him, driving him to doctors appointments, the grocery store and just hanging at his apartment.

When they both passed, I realized my life could go one of two ways. I could either live forever with no worries or I could spend a lifetime fighting illnesses that could have been prevented. I decided to take control of my future and do something. And that's when my journey started. It also didn't hurt that I had a work trip to Vegas and I was going to be interviewed on camera (you know, the kind that adds 10 lbs). Since March 1, 2013, I have lost 31 pounds. Some people believe that if you diet, you can’t have fun. I have lost these 31 pounds without giving up my social life and actually having the most fun I have had in my entire life!

Well, that’s my back story! There will be more about my “journey,”healthy food tips, my workouts, and anything else that comes across my mind. I hope you guys come back and share this journey with me.

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