Hi everyone,
I've posted on my Instagram stories about
my weight loss journey & received a few DM's
asking how I did it. I decided to put together
a blog post about my journey & how I lost 40 + lbs. Its
a long one so grab a healthy snack & enjoy!
I've always been average sized for my height &
at times would gain 15-20 lbs but lose it within
a few months. After my wedding I finally felt
free to not look a certain way or constantly workout.
After months {okay, over a year, lol} of taking
the easy way out, I gained about 43-45 lbs from
July 2017 to October 2018. I reached a point
where I was unhappy with my body & knew I needed
to get back into shape. I randomly picked a day
{Oct. 10th to be exact} & decided to make a change.
I worked out constantly for several weeks & tried
my best to make healthy food choices. I'm happy to
announce that I've lost ALL the weight I gained AND
I'm lighter than I was on my wedding day :) Don't
get my wrong, I have my days where I stuff my face
with junk food & may skip a day or two where I don't work
out but the most important part is I stay consistent with
this lifestyle change.
Below are some tips that helped me. Everyone is different but
this is what worked best for me & my body.
©
Workouts
o
I
worked out non-stop for several weeks in a row before I began to cut my
workouts down to 6 days a week. Obviously, there are times where I miss a few
days in a row but I try my hardest to workout every day
o
My
workouts consist of…..
§
Running
+ Walking
·
Running
for a few mins & then walking fast. I do this for little over a mile, then
I walk fast as my cool down for little over a mile
§
21 Day
Fix by Beachbody Workouts
·
10 + 5 lb weights
·
My
favorites that show best results
o
Total
Body Cardio
o
Upper
Fix
o
Dirty
30
o
Most
days I try to do both running/walking AND a Beachbody workout
o
Occasionally
I will add in different workouts moves like Russian twists, triceps dips,
crunches, elbow to knee moves, high knees, etc. If I don’t have time after my
run/walk to do a Beachbody workout, ‘I’ll do free weights for a few mins
o
I just purchased
Beachbody On Demand & I’m very excited to try new workouts!
© Eats
o
You can
workout all you want but eating proper foods helps make a huge difference! I’m
not perfect, I eat bad foods here & there, but I always try to make healthy
choices
o
I cut out
a lot of carbs, dairy, & late-night snacking. For example, if we’re having
tacos for dinner, instead of me having 1-3 tortilla tacos, I’ll make a taco
salad with spinach + mixed greens and have just a few tortilla chips + salsa. I’ve
also cut down on dressings + cheeses. Instead of dunking tater tots into a
giant bowl of ranch or drowning my salad in dressing + pile high of shredded cheese,
I’ve cut my dairy into half if not a little less. Overtime your body gets used
to the change and you don’t crave it anymore. I actually enjoy tater tots by
themselves & am fine if I don’t dip them in a dressing
o
My day
to day food intake varies but an average day would look like this….
§
Breakfast
·
Fresh fruit
{Strawberries + Blueberries} & either healthy PB, granola, granola bar, or
berries by themselves w/ one cup of coffee. For coffee, I try to limit my
creamer {I buy whatever creamer I want b/c that’s one thing I don’t want to
give up} & half a packet of Trivia sugar.
§
Lunch
·
Salad
w/ some type of meat w/ very little cheese + dressing
·
I LOVE
Morningstar brand buffalo chickpea patty. I eat it by itself w/ a pickle spear
& almond thin crackers. YUM!
·
Leftovers
from previous dinner
§
Afternoon
Snack
·
Apple
or whole/lightly salted almonds
§
Dinner
·
I make
all kinds of different meals throughout the week, its just a matter of swapping
out carbs if you are including them in your dinner & watching portion control
o
Drinks
§
I have
& always will be a water girl. I normally drink one cup of coffee each day
+ plenty water and that’s it! Once in awhile I’ll have a sweet tea, sprite, & alcohol
beverage
© Tips
o
Drink
plenty of water!
o
Brush
your teeth right after dinner to avoid snacking
o
Try not
to eat after 7pm
o
Consistency
is key
o
It
takes a while to notice a difference
§
4 weeks
for you to notice a change
§
8 weeks
for family & friends
§
12
weeks for the rest of the world
o Be kind
to yourself, you’re doing the best you can
Sincerely,
Ashley Nicole, xo
