How in the World?!

Lately, I've been getting a lot of questions on HOW I have been losing weight and what I've done to get to where I am right now. I am happy to share, I have no secrets! The people who have been asking remember me looking like this....

Fall 2010 - nice profile gut shot, right?

Or this....

or this....

Weighing in around my heaviest 235lbs - but freaking awesome birthday party!

In the summer of 2011, I decided that I was going to run The Disneyland 1/2 Marathon in September 2012. At that time, I had already been trying to lose weight and I had been toying with different methods, but nothing was really working for me. I would eat out a lot or snack too much between my healthy meals. And turns out, I am not well suited for pre-portioned meal plans like Nutrisystem, or diet plans from Special-K or Slim Fast.That's just me, we are all unique and what works for you may not work for me, and vice versa.

This was me at the beginning of summer 2011

No, I just needed to learn some good lessons. I studied, researched, and started implementing my findings. I taught myself about proper portions, how to read nutritional labels, what to look for on labels, how many calories I needed to consume in a day to stay healthy while losing weight, and I, literally, taught myself how to run.

I read Runner's World "Run Your Butt Off" and it really changed my outlook on running. I never ever would have considered myself a runner, nor imagined that one day I would be able to run for ANY amount of time!

I followed the plan in RYBO during the summer of 2011, and by the end of the summer, I was able to run 30min straight. For many of you, that probably seems like nothing, but to go from running at 1 min increments to 30 min... that's an accomplishment. At that point I worked on increasing my miles and improving my stamina and endurance.

I was eating between 1,200- 1,400 calories per day*. My typical meals in a day looked like this:

Breakfast:

1/2 Grapefruit w/ Stevia (39 calories)

2 Whole Wheat Waffles (170)

2 Egg Whites (32)

1 slice low fat Provolone Cheese (50)

Lunch:

1 Sweet Potato (130)

6oz Chobani Greek Yogurt (140)

Thomas Multi-Grain English Muffin (100)

Dinner:

4oz Turkey Burger Pattie (180)

1 Sandwich Thin (100)

1 slice LF Cheddar Cheese (70)

Snacks (spaced throughout the day):

Post Workout Protein Shake- Muscle Milk Light (100)

Chocolate Crunch Rice Cake (60)

Luna Bar White Chocolate Macadamia Nut (190)

Calorie Total: 1,361 calories

My days were usually some variation of that, but always between 1,200 - 1,400 calories. Never going higher than 1,400, or lower than 1,000!

I was running, spinning, swimming, or attending a yoga class for 45min-60min 5 days a week.

That's how I went from 235lbs down to 193lbs. When I got into 1-DERLAND (meaning I got below 200lbs and into the 100's) I was elated. I don't think I have weighed less than 200lbs since.... oh gosh, I really can't remember. Sometime in High School I think? Then... I got stuck at 193lbs. Quite obnoxious. I was stuck between 190lbs and 195lbs for too long, and that's when I hired a personal trainer because I realized I was NOT doing enough with strength training/weight lifting. My body was WAY too used to my 1,200 calorie intake, and knew how to maintain my body weight with my caloric output vs. caloric intake. I had to shake things up, and build some muscles. I firmly believe that I will lose the rest of the 30lbs now and I think that strength training will be nothing but an asset in my 1/2 Marathon training!

Here is how things somewhat progressed....

Spring 2011 - 225lbs End of Summer 2011 - 200lbs Fall 2011 - between 195-198lbs

Here I am most recently photographed at my best friend's wedding as a bridesmaid weighing in between 188lbs - 190lbs

Please forgive creepy eyes

And my most surprising photo for me personally...

Right now, I am working on increasing my caloric intake to between 1,800 - 2,000 calories per Personal Trainer Jimmy's request. We'll see how that works with weight lifting for a couple weeks and adjust from there. It's just finding the right balance right now with the new change!

On a side note... guess who ordered her personal training study manuals yesterday!? I'm just knocking out a ton of things on my Bucket List/Goal List this year! I hope to be certified as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor by the end of this summer before my 1/2 marathon so that I can dive into training others right after the 1/2 marathon ends and I start telling my story more!

*Please note that I am not, at this time a professional in this field, and what I am telling you is what worked for ME. If you are interested in changing your diet or increasing physical activity, please seek advice from a medical professional before entering into a weightloss plan.