"Fitness & Healthy Eating"

Ahh, fitness and healthy eating. The name of my favorite board on Pinterest. Where do I begin? I wanted to make a post today talking about losing weight. A lot of days I get discouraged, because my body isn't perfect. I feel a lot bigger than I actually am, but when I look back at old pictures, I have come a hell of a long way. I need to constantly remind myself of that.

I have never been a size 0. The last time I was under 110 pounds was probably when I was in middle school. I'm okay with not being a stick, as I'd rather have curves and an ass anyway. My thighs have always touched (up until last year...yay!), and I absolutely love food. My day literally revolves around what meals I'm going to eat and when. I grew up on a Frito Lay truck (my dad worked there for 16 years), and I could eat all of the Doritos, Fritos, Cheetos (basically all of the 'itos' family) and Slim Jims that I wanted growing up. Over the years, I was active in cheerleading, dance, soccer, tumbling, and basketball. That all came to a stop in high school. In high school, I was really depressed on and off (another story for another time), so I was hardly ever active (except for frisbee golfing! ha!), I drank a lot, and I didn't care about my health. 

A year and a half after high school, I moved out on my own for the first time. I loved to cook, so I would make extremely heavy dinners... with beef, noodles, butter, 'cream of' soups, sour cream, heavy cream, lots of cheese, etc. I was Virginia's own little Paula Deen! Add several games of beer pong and mulitple Taco Bell stops on the weekends, and I was putting on the lb's fast.  

I wasn't comfortable with my body, and I knew I weighed a lot, but I never realized how big I actually was. In the picture below, I felt good about myself and thought I looked really cute. Looking back, it's like whoa. After going through pictures, this one seems to be me at my highest weight....

Although you can obviously tell I have lost weight through my Facebook pictures, I have ever officially posted a "before" and "after" picture. The main reason: I'm still working on myself. Am I 100% perfect all the time? Hell no. Like I said, I love food. Have the changed the way I eat? Drastically. Do I allow myself to eat "cheat meals" on weekends and holidays? Yes. I pigged out on weekends, birthdays, and holidays the last three months of 2013. I honestly would rather be able to eat and drink what I want than have an absolutely perfect body. So what if I've had too much to drink and want some tacos on a Saturday night? Might as well add beans & rice to that too! I'd rather enjoy life, good food, and good drinks than deprive myself to have an 8-pack and be a size double 0. 

When you hear a lot of people's weight loss stories (especially on commercials), you hear "so & so changed my life..." Well, I have to tell you, Jillian Michaels did exactly that for me. Although I was always active as a child, I have never enjoyed working out...until now. I have lost over 35 pounds without a gym membership. My weight loss journey started with walking ...I'd walk at least an hour a day, pushing the stroller of the baby I nannied for at the time in San Diego. Then I stepped it up a notch and purchased "Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred". At first it was ass kicking, and I wanted to die. It was so hard to get through. But I stuck with it. The more I worked out, and the more weight I was losing, the more I actually wanted to exercise. I now own six Jillian dvds. I do them regularly mixed with yoga and running. The only time I used to run was from the cops (sorry Dad!), and now I try to run 3-4x a week. With exercise also comes healthy eating. I started by eating Lean Cuisines ...which now I won't touch with a 10-foot pole. Growing up, I hated lettuce (still do!), and I wasn't big on many vegetables. However, 85% of what I buy at the store now is produce! Some people do Weight Watchers and count their calories, some are doing gluten free, Paleo, or clean eating. I don't think there is one specific diet that is "right" or how you have to eat. I have found what works for me. My diet is always changing, and I have tweaked it many times in the past few years. Right now, my diet mostly consists of lean meats, eggs (one egg + egg whites), lots of veggies, fruit, and quinoa. Occasionally I'll buy yogurts, and I put a splash of milk into my coffee. Besides that, I limit my dairy. I used to drink two gallons of milk on my own each week. Sometimes I'll make a wrap with a low-carb, whole wheat tortilla, but I also try not to eat carbs during the week.

Soo with all that being said, here are my "In Progress" (not "after") pictures! 

Don't judge me. I am my biggest critic anyway ;)