WEIGHT LOSS :)

As I mentioned in my “Blogs To Come?” post, I’ve recently lost around 10lbs since April. I’m extremely happy about this since weight loss has been a struggle for me ever since I was a kid. I’ve never been considered fat but I always had a round tummy. As I got older it turned into “spare tires”. My battle zones are right around my rib cage (just under my bra) all the way around & then the typical love handle area above the hips. These are the hardest areas to lose weight apparently, especially across the rib cage. I’ve tried weight watchers but I felt like I was starving myself & the plan wasn’t focusing on my overall health as no foods were restricted. I’ve tried fad diets which obviously didn’t work. So what have I done differently this time? Alot.

                                        June 2011                                                  March 2011

I started off this year with my mind set that “this is my year”. I signed up for a one year gym membership in February (Goodlife Fitness) & I would drop 5lbs but I’d gain them back after 2 weeks if my eating wasn’t well. Personally, I’ve always found eating healthy to be extremely hard during the winter months. Im not sure why that is but everything good for me just never seemed appealing or I ate too much of things. I yoyo-ed for a little but around the end of march I finally got the hang of going to the gym consistently (minus 2 weeks for my college finals & moving into my new apartment at the same time mid April). My eating was a little harder to conquer but buying my own groceries & having my roommate on a weight loss journey with me has made it a little easier. I create meal plans for the next day when I crawl into bed & I look up the gym’s group exercise class schedules for the day & write down which class I will attend. I eat 5 meals a day & hit the gym 4-5 days a week, depending on my work schedule.

My meals are:

Breakfast

• 1cup oatmeal or whole grain cheerio’s with skin milk (oatmeal is known to attach onto fat & help get rid of it, large flakes or steel cut are recommended- no instant or sugary flavours)
• Tea or water (some sort of diuretic to help get rid of water retention from the night before)

Snack 1

• Apple or grapefruit (usually a fruit of some sort)
• Water

Lunch

• Salad or tortilla pizza/tortilla grilled cheese or a scrambled egg sandwich (I use small multigrain tortilla’s & the pizza just consists of one tortilla, tiny amount of pizza sauce & some shredded low-fat cheddar cheese- the grilled cheese is unbuttered, no frying whatsoever & just some low-fat cheddar cheese melted between 2 small tortilla’s- brown eggs are recommended as well as omega 3 eggs, I use whole wheat bread)
• Yogurt  or applesauce (dairy is important, especially once you hit my age, 20, when your bones start to decalcify)
• Flavoured water (I never drink juice & Im really not a fan of water so I drink crystal light at lunch for a tasty drink)

Snack 2

• Applesauce or carrots or yogurt (my 2^nd snack all depends on what I’ve had to eat the rest of the day- carrots if Im lacking veggies, yogurt if I had applesauce with lunch or applesauce if Im in the mood for something sweet- I eat unsweetened applesauce)
• Water

Dinner

• Seasoned chicken or salmon/sole fish or a taco/taco salad (I always eat a chunk of protein at dinner, I season the chicken myself & I only eat a skinless, boneless breast- fish is delicious & I will dip it in lemon juice or marinate in no sugar added maple syrup- I substitute ground turkey for ground beef in my taco meals as well as use my small multigrain tortilla, I only add lettuce & cheese, no sour cream or salsa which I personally don’t like but it also adds unwanted calories)
• Frozen veggies or asparagus or mashed cauliflower (mashed cauliflower is a decent substitute for mashed potatoes, I always include some type of veggie in my dinners)
• Rice or sweet potato fries (a carb for dinner is extremely important after workouts, as is protein, I opt for whole grain rice- sweet potato fries, which are definitely not the best choice but I eat around 8 pieces per dinner & its a much better option than regular fries or pasta or something very starchy- my fries are from McCain & I do not salt them or refry them, I bake them without adding extra oil & rarely dip them in ketchup)
• Milk (milk or chocolate milk is the best thing to eat/drink after a workout, I eat all my dinners after the gym & I prefer skim milk over chocolate- plus my body reacts horribly to sugary drinks)

Before bed I’ll usually sip on some tea while I read to calm my nerves. I love drinking something that makes you pee before bed so that I always have to go when I wake up & can start my day off detoxified

My workouts on an average week (all classes are 1hour):

Monday

• Zumba or pilates/yoga mix class

Tuesday

• Aerobics

Wednesday

• Zumba or yoga fit

Thursday

• Zumba or pilates/yoga mix class

Friday

• Zumba

Saturday

• Yoga (I rarely attend this class)

Sunday

• Rest

I try to get atleast three cardio classes in per week & a strengthening class once or twice.

Following this plan has helped me go from 153lbs to 145lbs in about a month & a half. Now that being said, I have reached my first plateau (I only think I’ll experience one since I only want to lose another 15lbs max) so like all weight loss plans, some adjustments need to be made. The main cause for a plateau is that your body needs to slow down & get used to the weight loss before it starts up again to lose even more or your body is used to the routine you’re doing & has just become lazy. Dr Oz mentioned in one of his shows that after your first month or so, its typical to experience your first plateau. I messaged Sarah Dussault from SarahFit.com & she replied back to me saying I need to up my weight & strength training.. I will post an update in about a month or so, possibly sooner if I start seeing results before then.

Happy healthy eating & staying fit!

xoxo Victoria.