I haven’t written a post for a little while (well, I just published one, but that was started/drafted the beginning of this week), so I thought I would give a little insight as to why. As I’ve previously touched on, I love working out. It’s a great stress release, relaxing, thought-provoking, healthy, and all around fun! However, it tires. me. out. When I get home, I usually have to work on a couple hours of homework, eat, and like to spend time with Garrett before I get to go to the gym. By the time I go it’s anywhere between 8:00 – 10:00 p.m., and I’m usually ready to shower and go to bed after my workout. To sum it all up, I haven’t been as diligent on my blog as usual because I’ve worked out every day this week and am exhausted afterward.
Anyway, I’m proud to say that I have lost eight pounds in the past two months. While eight pounds isn’t that much, I don’t weight that much either so it does make a huge difference (notice picture above). I gained about 10-15 pounds between July and the beginning of September (as I said in my last fitness post, I would rather not explain why, but it was a necessary and uncontrollable weight gain), and it’s time for me to lose it as it’s not necessary anymore. I bought a membership to a gym by my apartment, about 2 city blocks away, and I started working out on a regular basis – about 3-4 times a week for about 20-60 minutes. While it’s incredibly important to have a healthy diet if you’re trying to lose weight, I decided to keep a similar diet since I’m already a pretty healthy person. However, I decided to change the way I ate. For example, instead of waiting until I get home (around 5:30 p.m.) to eat, I started bringing snacks to graze on throughout the day and then eat a small to normal size meal for dinner (see more helpful tricks below!)
A few people have noticed my weight loss and have asked what my secret is. My immediate response is “diet and exercise.” I mean, I haven’t started meth – what else is there?! Really, though, it’s not just about the exercise and change in eating habits. I’ll share some of my “secrets” with you below, but please be sure you note that I am not a dietician or a fitness professional:
Diet
Let me start off by saying that I am already a vegetarian and a pretty healthy one at that. I try to eat my veggies, fruits, and whole grains as often as I can.
- Instead of eating one large meal a day, I started bringing a couple snacks with me to school or work. Even a few carrots, celery pieces, granola bars, oranges, apples, or other healthy snack is a great way to start. This not only kept my my tummy happy, but it also raised my metabolism.
- Drinking more water was my first and foremast plan of action. I know that’s what everybody says, but I don’t think you truly understand how little water I drank. Instead of drinking the recommended eight glass a day, I usually had a maximum of two, even if I was working out. At first, the water made me gain a little bit of weight (“water weight”), but that eventually went away. I’m surprised to say that the extra water is actually encouraging the extra weight to melt away. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t go from two glasses to eight glasses, but I am drinking a minimum of four, which is double what I was before!
- I made a pledge not to eat after 8:00 p.m. This may sound silly, but I believe in the theory that says late night eating turns into fat as you sleep. Plus, when I eat after 8:00 at night, it’s usually snacking on unhealthy foods like ice cream or chips. Of course, I make exceptions, but I try to stick to that time on a regular basis.
- Substituting healthy sweets for unhealthy sweets was probably the hardest change I had to make. There were many times that I would go for the ice cream, chocolate, or other dessert when I wanted something sweet to eat at night. I’ve tried forcing myself not to eat anything for fear that I’d binge, but restricting yourself usually never ends up well. Instead, I tried eating fruit, like strawberries or blueberries to curve that craving. Sometimes, if I couldn’t control myself, I’d have a jolly rancher. Those are great because it gives you the satisfaction and lasts a long time.
- One of the more important decisions that I made was to stop drinking. While I wasn’t drinking during the period that I gained weight, I knew that if I started having more fun, the alcohol would keep me stagnant or make me gain weight. I have gone out a few times, as I am 23 and like to have fun, but, if I do go out, it’s only once a week.
Exercise
I have a plan for my fitness habits. When I first started working out on a regular basis, I decided from the middle of September – Thanksgiving, I would only do cardio. If I did any sort of strength training, it would only be crunches or core exercises. Why? I wanted to start developing strength in my muscles before actually focusing on them. I was extremely out of shape, even though I ran once or twice a week, and I needed to at least start to get used to working my body like that. Also, I do stretch before and after my workouts!
- Monday: Garrett usually goes to the bar for trivia. I used to go with him, but, as I explained above, I’ve stopped drinking except for the rare Friday or Saturday night. Now, I go to the gym for about an hour! Monday’s I try to push myself since it’s the beginning of the week. I usually do the weight loss function on the elliptical for 40 minutes. Usually the lower level I do on incline – 9, resistance -7 and the higher level I do on incline – 11, resistance – 9. It’s not very high, but I try to challenge myself to work as hard as I can. After 40 minutes, I switch over to the treadmill and run an 8-minute mile on a level 3 incline.
- Tuesday: Day off. This week I worked out on Tuesday, but I usually take this day to relax.
- Wednesday: I usually run on the treadmill for about 40 minutes. I used to run marathons when I was younger, but now I can barely run for an hour (how embarrassing!) Wednesdays are usually spent on the fat burn function on the treadmill. I only go at a speed 6 (about 10-11 minute mile) on an incline of about 5.
- Thursday: Believe it or not, I usually work out for 1-2 hours on Thursday’s. I love the show Project Runway, and I watch it on the elliptical every week! I do the same routine levels on the elliptical as I do on Monday, but I usually do it twice as long! Thursdays usually wear me out the most!
- Friday: I usually switch up my treadmill and elliptical training and move on to a stationary bicycle. This I switch up every week, but I don’t usually work too hard. I mean, it’s Friday! It’s time to celebrate.
- Saturday: Day off
- Sunday: This is my wild card. I try to go for about 30 minutes, but I can do whatever I want. This not only gives me the option of having some fun, but it ensures that I don’t get sick of my routine. Sometimes I decide to jump rope, do the stairs, or other cardiovascular work out.
Let me know if you have any questions about this. I do occasionally do some strength training and have a lot of core exercises too! I think my explanation died around the fitness part!
What are your favorite diet and fitness techniques? I’d love to hear your ideas!
xoxo Abby
Wisconsin Child 