Thursday, June 13, 2019

Lifestyle Journey

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

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