Take It Off...

Well, I hope you all had an amazing 4th of July!

Mine was great.

Cookout and fireworks {along with the rest of America}.

It was fun to have the day off from work and hang out with friends.

I love holidays.

LOVE!

Anyways, the title of this post is directed towards losing weight...not stripping, like some of you may have thought.

Tisk Tisk.

I know I mentioned a while back on here that I had been losing some weight thanks to spin class and expressed my desire to lose more; however, I felt like I never really followed up on that.

I had been roughly the same weight for many months and I was getting so frustrated that I would spend a good amount of time at the gym, but not see the results I wanted.

I look back now and see the error of my ways.

It wasn't that I wasn't working out enough, it was that I was putting horrible foods into my body.

I'll start at the beginning...

Back in November, I started spin class and got pretty serious about it.

I went 2 or 3 times a week and lost a few pounds quickly.

This makes every girl excited so I stuck with it.

Even over Christmas I was at the gym everyday with my sister in law.

A few months ago I got frustrated again when my weight plateaued.

I kept thinking I have plenty of weight to lose...so why aren't I?!

Then I seriously looked at what I was putting into my body.

At the time, I was still working at the deli/bakery.

I truly loved working there, but being surrounded by cookies, cupcakes and brownies all day was a problem.

It wasn't that I would eat a ton of junk every day, but I was consistently putting these high sugar foods into my system and usually eating a fattening sandwich along with it.

Around the time I started my new job, the weight came off a little faster.

It would seem opposite because at my old job I was on my feet all day and now I'm sitting at my desk all day.

Here is a picture of me last December:

And here is a picture from last week:

Yes, I know I look way better with a tan...don't we all.

My face is noticeably much slimmer...and I love it!

I can tell all over, but mostly in my arms, legs, and face...still waiting for that stubborn stomach pudge to budge!

Haha!

But, I have lost a grand total of...23 POUNDS!

My original goal was to lose 60 pounds total.

That's 37 more to go.

But 37 sounds a lot less than 60 so that's very encouraging!

It's been a total transformation in what I eat and how I work out.

The most obvious reason to me is that I no longer have junk food readily available.

I actually eat breakfast now instead of eating a muffin when I get to work.

Some of the things I normally eat for breakfast are oatmeal, eggs, and grapefruit.

I love that it looks like a monster!

Coffee is a MUST in the mornings.

Most days I drink it black, but usually on Fridays I treat myself to a Grande Soy Cinnamon Dulce Latte Extra Hot No Whip from Starbucks...and yes, everyone stares at me funny when the barista shouts out my order.

I started packing a lunch everyday also.

Usually I take a turkey, avocado, veggie whole wheat wrap or tuna, sometimes a salad.

Around 10:30am and 3pm my stomach is always growling so I bring some snacks.

Lately I've been munching on walnuts.

I know a lot of people can't imagine not eating their chips, candy or having a soda at work, but honestly my body doesn't even crave those things anymore.

I've never had so much self control in my life.

Do I still love chocolate?

YES!

Do I wish I could eat brownies every day and lose weight?

Duh...

But that's not me and that's not my body.

Normally I'll go to the gym a few times a week for a spin class, yoga class, or boot camp.

The other nights I normally go for a jog or walk with my neighbor/walking buddy.

I think the next step is to try waking up early and getting my workouts in at the start of my day.

There's too many times when I intend to work out, but other things comes up.

If I wake up at 5am {Lord have mercy} my workout would be done and over with.

I'd also probably be in bed by 8 that night.

Well, I just thought I would share with y'all where I was at and hopefully that encouraged some of you!

After years of saying how much I wanted to lose weight, I'm actually doing it.

And, surprise, it's not really that hard to say no when all my friends want to go out to eat.

I've actually started cooking!

Now, that is just crazy talk.

I don't really feel sorry for people who say they want to lose weight, but then do nothing about it.

I was there for years.

It's the small steps that matter.

Don't worry about losing 10 pounds in 1 week.

If that's your goal, you may as well quit now {but please don't}.

Just adjust your goals so they are more practical.

My goal for this next week is to lift weights 3 days.

I hardly ever lift weights, but they are so great for burning fat.

What is your goal going to be?

It can be as simple as drinking 64oz of water or going on a walk every night.

You don't have to radically change everything about your life overnight.

That's a recipe for disaster.

I know this post is long and some of you probably didn't even make it this far...at least I know my momma reads it all!

Right mom...?

I find it encouraging to hear other peoples stories so let me know if you're on a weight loss journey or need some extra motivation!

My door email is always open.

;)

XOXO