Happy Tuesday y’all! This post has been one that I’ve been putting off and on the back burner because I was trying to hit an internal goal on the scale to be ready to share, but once I realized I’ve been in a weight loss plateau for the last month or so, I figured it was time to just share regardless! So here we are: since coming home for quarantine in March I have officially lost 25 pounds.

I want to start by saying that every body is different and what worked well for me isn’t going to be for everyone. I also want to provide the caveat that I have access to different resources in Houston compared to different cities right now (being home for quarantine), so of course location is a factor too. Lastly, I don’t want anyone to think I’m promoting diet culture or fad diets, but I’ve received a lot of positive remarks and wanted to share my own personal journey with my readers.

Let’s backtrack. I would work out quite a bit in New York (if you’re newer here I was a Barry’s Bootcamp fanatic for awhile due to living near one), but my goal was to never lose weight so to speak. I worked out to relieve stress, stay relatively in shape but mostly balance the party lifestyle that inevitably comes with living in the city that never sleeps. I never thought I was overweight and didn’t mind how I looked in clothes, but I was never truly satisfied with my overall body image. Fast forward to moving home temporarily for quarantine and I quickly realized JUST how out of shape I was. My weight was the highest it had ever been and when I would order jeans I’d have to go up nearly 4 sizes from what I’m used to (and even those weren’t fitting me). It was the rude awakening I needed to get up and get moving with an actual goal in mind.

How did I start?
I started by trying out the Keto diet which I quickly learned was not for me. I actually gained weight and bloating from Keto and after 3 weeks I called it quits. I even spent a few weeks where I would try and go on a 2.3 mile run everyday outside (our treadmill at home was broken) for my cardio, but the uneven concrete sidewalks around our neighborhood would send my Plantars into hell for a few days. It wasn’t until I became obsessed with TikTok that I found online work outs that seemed to burn the calories and get the job done where so many girls were sharing their glow ups from just one month alone.

I started counting calories with the goal of healthy calorie deficit each day (1300 calories total). Calorie deficit is pretty common when it comes to weight loss and is when you consume fewer calories per day combined with increased physical activity. I eat healthy in New York (primarily salmon and ground turkey), but being home my family likes to dine out or order out (during this time) and it’s harder to watch what you’re putting in your body. Counting Calories/Calorie Deficit seemed to be the best way to remain on track so that even if I wanted to splurge on a meal I could figure out how to make up for it later. I use My Fitness Pal.

I do intermittent fasting. I’m now more lenient with this as I’m not restricting my diet as much as I was in April/May, but I try to only eat from 12 – 6 or 1 – 7. Of course some days go over the times or aren’t kept to a T, but this is a great way to plan out meals/snacks and stick to a regulated eating schedule.

I bought an Apple Watch to track calories burned throughout the day. To each their own with this one and I’m not saying you need to spend $$$ to lose weight, but having my watch has helped kick my butt into gear and I don’t know what I used to do without it! I set my goal each week and get a “reward” every time I reach a new goal. Was I happy to drop that kind of money in the middle of a pandemic? Lol no, but it’s been worth every penny.

During the shut down I would do 1-2 indoor/online workouts a day with 1-2 days rest depending on the week. The biggest thing to start was to remain consistent and because we didn’t have a treadmill or elliptical working at home (and I hated running outside) I would try to do a 30 minute HIIT workout followed by some sort of strength training work out (i.e. arms, abs, legs, butt, etc). I’ve ALWAYS been self conscious about my arms, so some days I would do my cardio and arm work out in the morning and a leg/ab workout in the evening. I did Sydney Cummings work outs consistently for 2 months (April – May) combined with calorie deficit and saw 10-13 lb loss.

When things began opening I joined Orange Theory Fitness. This is the first I’m sharing about it for obvious reasons, but Orange Theory has been one of the greatest work outs/things I’ve done for MYSELF in awhile. My best friend Lauren does a great job rounding up FAQs for OTF in her post HERE, but the science behind the workout is unparalleled. In the two months I’ve been going to OTF, I’ve seen more results than my entire two years at Barry’s (more to come on that later). I go M/T/W/TR and occasionally Friday if I have a half day and have attended 38 classes.

I scaled back on drinking alcohol. A heavy sigh for this one because you know this girl loves a good time, but in New York I found it was easy to have a glass of wine with dinner each night. Now, I try to stick to Thursday evening/Friday evening/Saturday day/evening with a limit on how much per sitting and what I’m drinking. I’m very picky, but the only alcohol I even touch anymore is wine, Aperol Spritzes, Vodka/Sodas (the occasional seltzer), and a Carajillo (espresso + Liquor 43). I’ve cut out beer entirely and refrain from drinks high in sugar/calories like margaritas and frozen drinks.

I cut out soda. SHOCK! I used to be fueled on Diet Coke and I think I’ve only have 3 Diet Coke’s since May now. I try to fill the void with Topo Chico instead for the bubbles, but I really don’t miss soda anymore! I do try to keep a sparkling fruit juice in case I ever just need something that isn’t water.

So what now?
I’m now down 25 pounds and hope to continue this going forward with my overall goal being 50 pounds total. I’m not trying to be a model size 00 or anything unrealistic and I’m well aware that my body type will always be a size large/8-10. I just want to be the best version of myself that is HEALTHY and HAPPY.

I don’t think you have to lose weight to be happy, but I have noticed an increase in my confidence and less anxiety towards what will happen when I go back to New York (AKA a place where gyms/fitness studios are unable to open). I don’t want to lie and say I’m happier from working out and #endorphins, but I have noticed I’m more calm when I can go to my class at the end of the day and just let it out in the orange room.

Overall, my tips for weight loss:
Have a cheerleader that is bringing you up! My friend Lauren is my fitness-guru after she lost so much weight from OTF and has been a solid rock for me. My mom and I go to OTF now 2 days a week together, so I have someone to go with, and my friend Amanda has been commenting to let me know she can see a change from my photos and hypes me up a little. A support system is key to reaching a goal.

Just get started! It doesn’t matter exactly what you do, you just have to get up and do it! Mine started with small work outs and has progressed into hard hitting OTF workouts and sometimes just elliptical rounds or pool laps in a day to just keep moving.

Water intake and amount of sleep you get directly correlates with weight loss. Buy a large water bottle to refill every night before bed and keep yourself on track throughout the day.

Take progress photos every week so you can track your progress from a visual standpoint. I would be checking the scale constantly at the beginning and would get so frustrated once I didn’t reach a new number, but the more photos I started to take of myself (for the blog), the more I realized I could see things appearing like muscles or a more defined waist. I’ve found (for me) I go a couple of weeks slightly disappointed in progress and then BOOM – I’ve reached a new goal or can see a new muscle.

I think the truly honest part is that I’ve stopped editing my photos to slim my waist or get rid of bulge from my arms. As an “influencer,” we put ourselves out there and the pressure can really get to you at some points especially when it comes to sharing things like swimsuits, etc. I can honestly say I don’t do that anymore and the second I started realizing I could see muscles or progress in photos, I started to get more excited for what’s to come. The journey has just begun, y’all!

If you have any questions, I’m more than happy to answer! Again, I will always be a 5’10 gal that’s a size 8-10, but now the girl has muscles and can lift some weights! Have a great day and thanks for reading!