Over my weight loss journey I have focused so hard on achieving my set goal weight that I have forgotten that not all progress is numbers. I wish I could say I was losing weight to be healthy or look skinnier but that is only part of it. In order for me to contract in the Army I have to either be 136 lbs or be a 30% BMI according to Army BMI standards. This has left me constantly looking to achieve numbers as progress.
This week was full of many disappointments, not only did I gain .3 lbs I did't meet my monthly goal for DietBet and a few other disappointments as well but I'm not here for a pity party I am here to talk about the POSITIVES!!!!! I love a good before and after picture! So much so that almost every night as I am laying in bed I am flipping through before and after pictures. It's a bit of an obsession I know, but ya'll let's be real they are SO inspiring when you see a before and after and it doesn't even look like the same person. That is where I am trying to be! Enjoy the journey my friends
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What a journey my friends! I have to be honest I have been beyond discouraged with my progress lately! I have been working so hard to lower the number on the scale and it won't even budge. But today when I compared my before picture to a picture I took at the gym this week I was reminded that the scale is not the only way to measure progress.
Alrighty guys week one of tracking my weight loss on YouTube has FINALLY been posted! Check it out down below and stay tuned for another video next week. Enjoy the Journey!
DietBet is a word thrown around very casually in the weight loss community. I heard of it for the first time a few years ago and didn't think anything of it. Fast forward a few months I heard the term used again and this time did a little research. Now fast forward to the present I am in a dietbet. Ok but what is it? DietBet is an online weight loss community where people such as you or I can start a "game." They call them games but they really aren't games you know? Ok that's beside the point. So in these games you can either commit to losing 4% of your body weight (Kickstarter) or 10% of your body weight (Transformer.) In order to participate in the game you put forward upfront either $35 (Kickstarter) or $125 (Transformer.) The money collected from everyone in the game is called the "Pot." You must submit 2 pictures 1 of your feet on the scale with the numbers showing 1 full body of you standing on the scale Diet Bet then takes these pictures and approves them for you to participate. At the end of the time period the pot is "split" between anyone in the game who has lost the weight by percentage. I am currently in a transformer. I have almost reached my 3% loss for January and have set out to lose 10% of my body weight by June. My YouTube Video About DietBetI put together a YouTube video about my dietbet experience, and will continue to update my channel and dietbet playlist on the status of my dietbet. Hey guys! This post is coming right from the heart of a very competitive athlete. I have been a full time athlete since the seventh grade, but I have never had the physique of a full time athlete. From the time I began playing sports year round I became obsessed with becoming faster and stronger and over the years my abilities in both those areas has fluctuated... drastically. But what has not changed is my drive to push myself. As you know I have been trying to lose weight for YEARS! Anytime I decided to turn to a diet or a fitness routine I went hard. When it came to fitness I would go super hard whether it was when I was following the Insanity program, Boxing, training for the half-marathon, or even in the workouts I created for myself. As I am entering "phase 2" of my current weight loss journey I have not only set out to change the number on the scale, but also my overall mentality. As part of this I am determined to stop torturing myself. That is in the kitchen and the gym. I am no newbie to the weight loss industry so I know what the basics are for losing weight. I have found that some weight loss advice applies to people who have been active, and people who are working to become active. And the number one advice for the latter category is to get up and walk. For the longest time I considered myself to be in the first category because I was an athlete. But as my phase 2 is slowly writing itself I am finding that the two categories are not that different, for both the goals are to lose weight. This is why I have begun to incorporate walking as a workout. Here's What I've Found...1. I really enjoy not trying to kill myself with a workout. 2. I feel so refreshed after the workout 3. I burned 569 calories in one hour!!! 4. I lose more calories overall walking than my HIIT workouts because I can walk for longer. 5. I can study while walking! I Didn't Expect Results From WalkingI assumed, since I was already an athlete walking would not impact my fitness at all. But I have experienced quite the opposite. Walking has allowed me to still workout even when I'm exhausted and don't feel like doing anything at all. But ultimately walking has helped me to clear my mind and focus on my goals.
I spent my morning hiking and decided to also get a little work done on my hike. My YouTube channel is developing into something already!! I Just posted a new video for my vlog series so go check that out and subscribe to my YouTube channel for my weigh ins, recipes, workouts, and how I'm staying healthy! Enjoy the Journey! I love checking Instagram and Pinterest for fun healthy things. But let me tell you it seems the "healthier" something is the larger the dollar sign is. There is no denying as a college student living on Ramen Noodles would be far cheaper than following a healthy diet plan. The reality is that the Ramen is packed full of a hundred different things I shouldn't put in my body. So over the past few months I have found small ways to maintain a healthy diet and lose weight all on a budget. Here are the top 10 things I have done to save money. 10. Buy in BulkBuying in bulk is a two-fold tip so here's your bonus. For starters comparing the unit prices on items at your local grocery store can save you a chunk of change in the long run. I prefer to shop less often and buy more product per trip. By that I mean I am a single college student I don't need to buy the family pack, but the family pack price per serving is almost always cheaper than the regular size price per serving. Here's an idea last week I went grocery shopping and spent $40 on bulk items. The amount of food I purchased will last me 2 weeks so ultimately I spend $20 a week on groceries. Secondly buying in bulk applies to the bulk food section. Here you have your oats, nuts and different grains. At my local store purchasing food out of the bulk food section is exceptionally cheaper than buying prepackaged food. 9. Avoid Buying BeveragesSo you may say this is a cliche but let's be honest buying beverages is EXPENSIVE and the cost adds up fast. We all know that one huge key to weight loss is drinking water (it's no secret) so buying beverages is not even necessary for weight loss cut the cost out of your grocery bill. 8. Meal PlanThere are two pros to planning meals in advance the first is your meal plan translates very nicely into a shopping list to make it clear what you need to purchase for the week or weeks ahead. The second is meal planning can help you stay on track knowing you have the food you need right there in your home ready to be eaten. 7. Eat Similar MealsEating meals that require similar ingredients helps you to decrease the quantity of items that you need to purchase. Right now my favorite cross over meal is a parfait and a protein shake. For the parfait I use yogurt, fruit and granola, and in the protein shake I use yogurt, fruit and protein powder. So the yogurt and fruit crossover in the two meals and since I know I use those for two different meals I buy those products in bulk. 6. Drink A Glass Of Water Before Each MealThis will help you feel fuller faster and therefore help to ultimately lower the amount of food you intake in a meal. This will also help decrease caloric intake as well so plus plus! 5. Frozen ProduceUsing frozen foods has helped me drastically decrease my grocery bill while still maintaining my fruit and vegetable intake. I check each product before I add it to my cart to be sure that there are no added preservatives or syrups. Frozen produce is especially helpful out of season right now in January in Upstate New York 1/2 a pound of "fresh" strawberries are $6.99/lb while the frozen strawberries I use are $6.99 for 3 pounds! 4. Grow Your Own FoodI like to brag that I spent $3.99 on my strawberry bush and I get about 1 1/2 pounds of strawberries a year. Growing your produce in season is not only quite possibly one of the healthiest options for produce but can also save you money along the way! 3. Meal PrepHere is one of the harder parts of losing weight. Meal planning has been proven to help aid weight loss, but it also takes an extreme level of discipline. You can save money through meal prep by creating a serving size instead of eating infinitely until satisfied. This is especially good to help limit snacking. 2. Set Serving SizesThis one goes along with meal prep, but set out how much food you are going to eat prior to eating it. I like to do this with my snacks like carrots. If I don't set out a serving in advance I will eat as many carrots as it takes until I am full. But that is A LOT of carrots! So instead I put a handful of carrots in a bowl so I can see just how much I am eating. This way I am not eating more food than I need to saving the rest of the carrots for another snack. 1. Consume More ProteinNot all foods fill you up in the same way, some foods make you feel really full right after the meal and not long later you are hungry again. Protein is a nutrient known for keeping you fuller longer. I like to add a bit of protein to each meal that I eat to make the meal last as long as possible. Hello my lovely readers, I promise I have not been sleeping on you. I have been very busy preparing some exciting new things for you! One of which is a video series to document my weight loss. I am very excited to announce that today I launched my YouTube platform. I plan to include recipes, workouts, and weight loss updates on YouTube. All of which you can find right here on the blog as well. I am always trying to improve my content for you and here is another way I can better communicate here on my blog! Enjoy the journey Meg I have been faithful to ab workouts in particular for weight loss and conditioning. This is one workout I use to prep and condition for fights. I've found that skill is great but out working your opponent is better ;) This conditioning and toning ab workout is perfect to get your rectus abdomonis, internal and external obliques involved. The Workout...
Enjoy the journey, Meg More Great WorkoutsHealthy Recipes You Will LoveNew Years resolutions have become a bit of a cliche as of late. But why? Shouldn't we be encouraging everyone to better themselves overall? Why not mark a day on the calendar to change yourself? I know what you are thinking New Years resolution are a cliche because no one keeps them. Well, then I ask you, what is stopping people from keeping them? I personally love New Years Resolutions, it's a time I rethink who I am and how I see myself. I think about my own life path and whether I am proud of myself or not. This year my resolutions are simple, I want to continue what I have started in 2017 (I know God forbid the years cross over.) My best new years resolution was my 2015 resolution, very simply, lose weight. And I did! Yes, you read that correctly I accomplished a New Years resolution. Granted if you have read any of my other posts you may have learned the sad ending to that story, but that's not the point. I know now where my mistakes were and can fix those mistakes. So my friends here are 10 ways that I have used to stay on my fitness and diet plan this year and plan to continue into the new year. 10 Tips...1. Write it out
- Write down your plan. I have a "fitness binder" it includes boundaries for my diet kind of like a rule book. It has different workouts for when I'm feeling lazy and it has shopping lists that fit my diet. 2. Create a standard shopping list - I keep mine in my fitness binder. This is a sheet that I typed of the foods I can eat and the food I eat on a daily basis. I then transferred this to the format of a shopping list including other necessities. That way I have a list in advance of what I need and helps me to not stray while at the grocery store. 3. |
MegI am an 18 year old premed student. I am on my journey of losing 80 lbs! You can follow my progress on my blog and my YouTube channel Journey With Meg. Archives
February 2018
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