People always ask me how I lost my weight so here it is. I’m not an expert by any means and some of you
might not even believe/agree the simple changes I made helped me but they did. After struggling with my increasing
weight for about 5 years I realized sometimes it was more of a mind thing and it’s
not going to work until you’re ready. I was determined to stop the madness, I
knew I was being lazy and not taking care of myself the way I was capable of
doing. Essentially it came down to 3
things for me: mindful eating, exercise, and dedication. I’m much happier with my body now and in my mom was a big motivation. She always
use to tell me I needed to lose weight because “this isn’t you” and she was
right, I was so miserable with my image at 205 lbs (yes I weighed that much and
that’s what finally hit me) but now she tells me I don’t need to lose anymore- mission accomplished mommy!
Mindful Eating: It definitely boiled down to PORTION
CONTROL for me! I decided not to keep eating the same amounts I was use to and it’s made a
difference...now it’s as if my stomach is trained not to eat a lot. I’ll be honest though, I still eat what I want
because I’m a picky eater and don’t like a lot of the “healthy” food,
especially veggies. So in addition to
cutting my portions down, I did make a lot of food substitutions. A few examples: ground turkey vs ground beef,
greek yogurt vs sour cream, low fat dairy, low fat snacks, wheat vs white, grilled
vs fried, drinking more water, and eating more fruits as snacks throughout the day. There were some things I'd already stopped
eating in the past like chips, soda, donuts/honey buns, and anything extremely
high in fat/calories that I can live without. I’m so glad I’m not a "sweets" person or big on chocolate or desserts
because that’s been helpful. But every
now and then I do get the urge to grab a nice cold soda and I will without
feeling any guilt because it’s in moderation. But I honestly won’t eat a doughnut or honey bun, lol...it’s just loaded! I do
track my food as much as I can using the app My FitnessPal and I recommend it
if you’re starting off because you’ll realize how much you’re over eating,
it was a big eye opener to me. This year
I plan to eat less at restaurants and eat more at home, cooking
is always better than eating out..gotta work on that. 
Exercise: Hmmm, through college I was such a slacker
when it came to exercise. Instead of
using my “free” time productively I’d always be laying around being lazy
lol. So now that I do workout (I aim for 3-4 times/week) I recommend you try fitness classes
b/c they generally burn hundreds of calories and are more fun than working out
alone. Some of my favorites are- Zumba,
Boot Camp, Kickboxing, Aerobic/Step, Circuit Training, CrossFit and any high intensity class. Yes they will be pretty tough the first
few times but don’t worry, the more you go the easier it gets, don’t let the
soreness stop you! Fitness classes are the main reason I joined my gym because they're included in my membership. If I don’t go to a
class I’ll use the gym for 2 cardio workouts- running on the treadmill or using
the Stairmaster. I’m not a big fan of the
ellipticals or bicycles...sorry but I feel like you burn way more calories on
the other two. I do cardio for about 30
minutes then I use the next 20-30 minutes on weights to workout my legs, butt,
stomach and arms and then I'm finished :-) I do run outdoors instead of the treadmill
when the weather is warm and I highly recommend it vs a treadmill...but I
don’t run outdoors in the winter lol, so for now treadmill it is. If you don’t have a gym membership you don’t
have to get one...try looking up workouts on Youtube, Pinterest, and even apps on
your phone. This year I’ve set a goal of
running at least 5 different 5Ks, I know that will help me stay motivated and
active this year. So maybe you could help yourself by setting goals that will
help you stay active :-)
Dedication: After I started fitting my old clothes and into smaller sizes I
no longer relied on the scale to confirm my weight loss. I immediately started
feeling better inside and out, I felt more confident with myself, and I felt a
sense of accomplishment. So I decided to
keep my focus on being healthy and not just losing pounds. I knew what I really needed was a LIFESTYLE change, not just for my image and
not just for a temporary fix. By the
time my mom was diagnosed with cancer I had already lost 30 lbs…halfway through
2013 I realized how well her body tolerated her surgery and chemo treatments
which I credit the fact that she was an overall healthy woman. We never know what life will throw our way
and I’ve chosen to live as healthy as I can for my body. Some patients aren’t as
lucky when they’re diagnosed with an illness, they might have to fight several
illnesses at the same time but luckily for my mom she was not a smoker or drinker,
she ate healthy, and for the past 8 years always made time to head to the gym. I’ve been looking forward to my mom getting
better so she can go back to the gym and we can be workout buddies!
There are many many benefits of living a healthier
lifestyle, it’s not just about the way you look, there is much more you
will get in return. Remember you don’t
have to make drastic changes, step by step you will get there at your own pace.
Just don’t give up and do what works for you! Feel free to follow my inspiration posts at my Tumblr page at www.stateofbeauty25.tumblr.com/ or click the tab at the top of this page called "Life & Fitness".
~StateOfBeauty
~Learn to see the beauty in imperfection~
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