i got so many questions about what workouts i have been doing, food i have been eating and more. Here is my weight loss journey!
My Work Out routine:
As some of you may know, over the last 4-6 months i have lost over 40 lbs!! SO CRAZY! it has been a long road, and has been really challenging at times! The best advice i have to give is consistency!!! There were days where i let myself have chic-fil-a, and i definitely ate that buffalo chicken dip on super bowl Sunday, but over all the last 6-8 months i have been very consistent with what i am eating, and making sure i am being active. So if you take anything from this, regardless of what goal you have, stay consistent, push through and you will reach your goal!!!
The first thing i want to make super clear is, everyone is DIFFERENT!!! everyones body is different, different metabolism, different strength, different everything, so what i did might not be the best for you!
Through out my life i was always into athletics, participating in sports and cheerleading my whole life. Exercise has been something i am very passionate about and led me to pursue my bachelors in sports and exercise science. Through this time learning about exercising, prescribing workouts, nutrition and more i have really learned how to achieve goals, but in a HEALHY and REALISTIC way! If your goal is to lose weight, like mine do not fall for those fad diets, and plans that tell you that you will lose a ton of weight in a week. Yes, SOME people can lose a lot of weight in a week, but that would most likely be initially,and also would not last if you weren't consistent. A big thing about losing weight is your metabolism, it can take 2-3 months for our bodies metabolism to catch up to your new body weight. SO if you lost, say 20 lbs in a month, and you immediately go back to eating bad or stop working out, your body will go back to your original weight FAST, and most tend to have that after, after effects where they actually end up going over what their weight initially was. This is something to keep in mind, if you want to lose the weight and keep it off stay CONSISTENT!!! Okay enough of my rambling, now onto what i did and what plan i am currently following.
What i Did:
When i first started out my journey i had been out of the gym for months, was completely out of shape and my body was not ready for a big impact workout, i started to prep my body and have low impact workouts. I did these workouts about 3/4 days a week for the first month-second month of my weight loss.
- i always warm up with abs,
i do 3 sets of 30 Russian twists, and 3 sets of 20 crunches.
highest incline walk, at 3-3.6mph for 40-60 minutes
(i started off with shorter time and worked my way up, do what you feel comfortable with, then progress)
IF i wasn't exhausted, and if i had time i would do either :
-3 sets of 20 hip abduction and adduction (good girl, bad girl machine)
-2-3 sets of squats/leg press with 10-20 reps (start off small reps and worked my way up)
* if you are wanting to tone up, do lower weight and higher repetitions.
OR
- 2-3 sets of curls 10-15 reps
- 2-3 sets of tricep push downs 10-15 reps
- 2-3 sets cable curls 10-15 reps
For months 3-4 i upped my level of intensity a bit: 3-5 days a week
i started to do more resistance training, and having set days (ex. leg day, arm day, etc.) ill break it down.
* still warming up with same ab set every day before workouts!!
leg day: usually did 2 times a week
consisted of
- warm up on stair climber (10 minutes)
-leg press machine (3 sets or 10-20 reps)
-leg extension machine (quads) (3 sets or 10-20 reps)
-seated leg curl machine (3 sets or 10-20 reps)
-inner and outer thigh machines (hip adduction and abduction) (3 sets or 20-30 reps)
-smith machine for squats (3 sets or 6-10 reps)
Arm/upper body: pick 5-6 (i did this 1-2 times a week switching up exercises)
- curls (2-3 sets 10-15 reps)
- tricep push downs (2-3 sets 10-15 reps )
-cable curls (2-3 sets 10-15 reps)
-lat pull down ( 3 sets of 10)
-bent over rows (2-3 sets 10-15 reps)
-skull crushers (2-3 sets 10-15 reps)
-push ups (3 sets, to fatigue )
-tricep dip (3 sets, to fatigue)
-tricep extensions (2-3 sets, 10-15 reps)
*again low weight higher reps, will help to tone up! if you want to build more muscle then do higher weight with low reps!
Cardio: this is really up to you however this is what i did
-10-30 minutes on the elliptical/treadmill with 3-4 leg OR arm workouts after
OR
-playing Just dance for 30min-60 min ( i know, i'm lame but this type of cardio for me is fun and i love it)
After these months i had almost hit my goal, i had about 5-10 lbs to go to reach it. These last few pounds are the hardest to get off, and take the MOST patients! During this time (again my goal was to lose weight, and tone up) what i have found is by doing body weight exercises in combination with cardio really helps me best with getting that last 5-10 lbs off. This is where i turned to youtube and found my new obsession Bailey Brown. I stumbled onto her channel when looking for good inner leg workouts, i found she has a variety of workouts ranging in time. i started by doing 3-4 of her 5 minute workouts, and now i am LOVING using her online studio where there is 30-60 min workouts as well!
what i have been doing:
running 1-3 miles 3-5 days a week
*( this is just preference, i wanted to push myself outside my comfort zone and running was something i always hated, i set a goal to run in a 5k so i am now consistency running 3 miles at least 3 days a week)
AFTER i run i would do 3-4 of baileys 5-10 minute workout videos i found on Youtube, focusing on legs and abs (my more problem area)
i NOW will run and do one of her Body Love challenge videos, they range from 30-45 min typically)
side bar: i am currently doing Baileys Body Love challenge for the last couple weeks leading up to my dress fitting. you can find this challenge on her website, the studio is called BBFIT.
This is all i have for my workout plan: if you have any other questions or want more body specific workout ideas just let me know and ill try to help you find one! for me i carry most of my fat/weight in my legs therefore i tend to focus more on that area and toning that up!
ON TO THE FOOD:
i don’t want to rant TOOOO long, but before i get into it but let me just say this
FOOD IS TRULY THE MOST IMPORTANT!!!
When people say abs are made in the kitchen they aren't lying. What you eat plays a HUGE impact on your results. One thing i really recommend is to NOT follow or look up a strict diet plan, most of the time they don’t work, and are cutting out way to much food that is actually really healthy for you. Bottom line we all know what is healthy, processed food sitting the self usually isn't happy. I have found that most of the healthy foods are all on the outskirts of the grocery (don’t go in the isles LOL) if you can stick to fresh food as much as possible. SO i know some of you are thinking well fresh is expensive, and boy i do agree. I am a college student planning a wedding i do not have an excess of money to spend. if you can not get fresh veggies, frozen is a good alternative, but try your best to stay away from canned veggies!!
chicken is a GREAT source for healthy protein and has been what i have ate every day during this time.
If your goal is losing weight like mine was its important to understand caloric deficit, this is what makes you lose weight . It is simple, you have to burn more calories and is being consumed. REMEMBER you are burning calories every day just my living so always take that into consideration, it does not mean you need to go spend 4 hours at the gym so you burn more calories than your lunch. My advice is to pick healthy food options, work out and you will be fine. Make conscious decisions, pick a salad with chicken over the burger at lunch. Start off small and make the healthy choice. For me food was the hardest part, I LOVE food and i LOVE chic-fil-a, this year so far in 2020 i have yet to eat a chic-fil-a sandwich or fries, but i have let myself have some chic-fil-a nuggets. They aren't terrible for you and was the healthier option when i was there with friends, ( i also crave it and you should let your body have what it craves *IN MODERATION) okay okay on to what i have been eating!
When it comes to deflect a healthy amount is (-500/-1000) some days i did push for a higher deficit but do not push yourself tot hard, listen to your body!
Things i ate: - grilled chicken ( i made chicken marsala, garlic butter chicken and just plain chicken)
- salmon
-grilled veggies ( asparagus, broccoli)
-juice( i juiced for 2 weeks straight, i just replaced breakfast or lunch with a juice)
-protein shakes ( iso-pure protein powder, dutch chocolate)
-salads (taco salad no dressing, strawberry kale salad)
-Panera bread salad (half greek salad with chicken)
-chipotle chicken bowl ( no rice, black beans, chicken, mild, corn, lettuce)
-healthy choice (grilled chicken and broccoli Alfredo)
-halo top ice cream ( i made this last 2-3 times per tub)
-whip cream ( 1-3 squirts, cured my sweet tooth)
Recipes below that i followed:
-chicken marsala - https://houseofnasheats.com/chicken-marsala-recipe/
-garlic butter chicken- https://www.eatwell101.com/garlic-butter-chicken-bites-asparagus-recipe
Juicing: one a day when you can
- 1 green apple
- slice of pineapple
- little cut of ginger root
- 1-2 hand fulls of spinach
- 2 full stalks of celery
Protein shakes: put in blender, perfect for after a workout
- 1 scoop isopure dutch chocolate protein powder
- 6-8 oz of almond milk (unsweetened)
- 1/2 cup frozen strawberries OR blueberries
Thanks for sharing your weight loss journey.