the average human leg = 40 lbs
Since September of 2013 I have lost and kept off a little over 40 lbs. I know that many people's first question will be "How did you do it?" but I really think its more important to ask "How did you (I) get to where you (I) needed to lose 40 lbs?"
This was me as a junior/senior in high school....and I thought I was fat!
So now that we've established the fact that I was in fact not fat in high school, back to the question at hand.....How did I get to where I needed to lose over 40 lbs? The problem is I'm not sure how I let myself get to that point. You see, I was a high school athlete, I was playing some sport at least 6 days a week. I went on to become a college athlete, my freshman 15 was solid muscle. The problem was after 2 years I didn't want to be a college athlete anymore and I quit playing basketball. With more free time than I'd ever had in my life, I had time to be a "normal college kid". My freshman 15 turned into the "normal" cafeteria food and beer and lack of exercise......fat. I was ecstatic about not having to work out...there was no one who made me go to the gym, made me run, made me lift weights. I simply ate too much, drank too much beer and exercised too little and ignored all the signs. I mean really what is going up one measly jeans size? Except 1 turned into 3. damn. I slowly got fatter and fatter, I can't even tell you when I realized I was extremely overweight, but by then I was so disappointed in myself and unable to do the things that I liked to do that I kinda gave up and accepted the fact that I was never going to be in shape again and this is just what happens...you get older and you get fatter. I had low self-esteem and I didn't really think I was worth it. After moving several times to several different states becoming less and less adventurous, I went to a wedding and even my friends wouldn't dance with me. I was, of course convinced that this was because I was the fat one at the wedding. And I woke up and decided it was time. Time for a change. Time for me. Time to get my life back. Time to be happy. Time to be confident in my abilities. Time for a change!
And so my weight loss journey began. After many failed and half-hearted attempts up until this time, I had in fact learned something. I was not the athlete I once was. I couldn't do the physical activity the way I could when I was 17 and I was going to have to eat some veggies alot of veggies to be honest. I started out slow with very light weights on the Chalean Extreme program and I logged every single bite of food that went into my mouth, faithfully with My Fitness Pal. I think my record was 118 days in a row. Those first 4 weeks were killer. I was sore, I was hungry and the damn scale wasn't moving. BUT, I kept going. Determined that I wasn't going to fail again.
After losing about 10 lbs, I realized that I could do this....10 lbs was more than I had ever lost in my entire life! and then I lost 15 lbs and Tylie bought me a ring with the inscription i am enough on the inside. Because I am enough, as long as I am the best me I can be that is enough.
About halfway through the Chalean Extreme program I was invited to the evening spin class. I knew that I needed to add some high intensity cardio into my workouts to really kickstart my calorie burns. I started going to spin twice a week. When I first started going I would burn between 1150 and 1300 calories in an hour! Again it hit me just how far I had to go....that is ridiculous! These days, I work my ass off to get 600 - 700 calories in an hour.
Once I had lost about 35 lbs, My Fitness Pal had adjusted my calories down to 1260 per day. I knew I had to try something different because I couldn't survive on that few of calories....I would be hangry....and have no friends. I got hooked up with a nutrition coach and started the 'If it fits your macros' diet, or flexible dieting. The best thing is NOTHING is off limits...but you can still make some pretty poor choices. Trust me, I've done it! It allows me to eat normal, but at the same time I have to make good choices or I'll never hit my macro goals for the day...but occasional beer is in, the occasional cheeseburger is in, but there is always a cost on another meal. As I'm getting settled into it, I now realize that while calorie counting worked well for me when I was very overweight....I need to look more at the types of foods and the combination of foods that I am fueling my body with. I no longer count calories, but instead I count grams of carbs, fats and proteins. My nutrition coach has helped me adjust my diet to something that has turned up my metabolism, plus I get to eat upwards of 1800 calories per day!
I have finished my second Beachbody program, Les Mills Pump and started my third full program, Body Beast. I have fallen in love with lifting weights again and I still love mountain biking
and like Spin class. I am still trying to get into the routine of abs and yoga. The biggest change for me is I don't dread working out anymore and those vacations and bucket list items are no longer out of reach because I'm not in good enough shape to do them.
My stats so far on this journey:
Weight Lost: 42 lbs
Inches Lost: 19 inches
Body Fat % Lost: 14.21% (I use a scale so its not the most accurate, but I've used it the whole way so I feel like at least its on the same playing field even if the actual number isn't accurate.)
Even with all these stats I still come back to one thought.....Losing 40 lbs has given me so much more than a smaller number on the scale, I'm happier, more confident and more adventurous than I ever really thought possible! I feel like me again!
This was me as a junior/senior in high school....and I thought I was fat!
So now that we've established the fact that I was in fact not fat in high school, back to the question at hand.....How did I get to where I needed to lose over 40 lbs? The problem is I'm not sure how I let myself get to that point. You see, I was a high school athlete, I was playing some sport at least 6 days a week. I went on to become a college athlete, my freshman 15 was solid muscle. The problem was after 2 years I didn't want to be a college athlete anymore and I quit playing basketball. With more free time than I'd ever had in my life, I had time to be a "normal college kid". My freshman 15 turned into the "normal" cafeteria food and beer and lack of exercise......fat. I was ecstatic about not having to work out...there was no one who made me go to the gym, made me run, made me lift weights. I simply ate too much, drank too much beer and exercised too little and ignored all the signs. I mean really what is going up one measly jeans size? Except 1 turned into 3. damn. I slowly got fatter and fatter, I can't even tell you when I realized I was extremely overweight, but by then I was so disappointed in myself and unable to do the things that I liked to do that I kinda gave up and accepted the fact that I was never going to be in shape again and this is just what happens...you get older and you get fatter. I had low self-esteem and I didn't really think I was worth it. After moving several times to several different states becoming less and less adventurous, I went to a wedding and even my friends wouldn't dance with me. I was, of course convinced that this was because I was the fat one at the wedding. And I woke up and decided it was time. Time for a change. Time for me. Time to get my life back. Time to be happy. Time to be confident in my abilities. Time for a change!
And so my weight loss journey began. After many failed and half-hearted attempts up until this time, I had in fact learned something. I was not the athlete I once was. I couldn't do the physical activity the way I could when I was 17 and I was going to have to eat some veggies alot of veggies to be honest. I started out slow with very light weights on the Chalean Extreme program and I logged every single bite of food that went into my mouth, faithfully with My Fitness Pal. I think my record was 118 days in a row. Those first 4 weeks were killer. I was sore, I was hungry and the damn scale wasn't moving. BUT, I kept going. Determined that I wasn't going to fail again.
After losing about 10 lbs, I realized that I could do this....10 lbs was more than I had ever lost in my entire life! and then I lost 15 lbs and Tylie bought me a ring with the inscription i am enough on the inside. Because I am enough, as long as I am the best me I can be that is enough.
About halfway through the Chalean Extreme program I was invited to the evening spin class. I knew that I needed to add some high intensity cardio into my workouts to really kickstart my calorie burns. I started going to spin twice a week. When I first started going I would burn between 1150 and 1300 calories in an hour! Again it hit me just how far I had to go....that is ridiculous! These days, I work my ass off to get 600 - 700 calories in an hour.
Once I had lost about 35 lbs, My Fitness Pal had adjusted my calories down to 1260 per day. I knew I had to try something different because I couldn't survive on that few of calories....I would be hangry....and have no friends. I got hooked up with a nutrition coach and started the 'If it fits your macros' diet, or flexible dieting. The best thing is NOTHING is off limits...but you can still make some pretty poor choices. Trust me, I've done it! It allows me to eat normal, but at the same time I have to make good choices or I'll never hit my macro goals for the day...but occasional beer is in, the occasional cheeseburger is in, but there is always a cost on another meal. As I'm getting settled into it, I now realize that while calorie counting worked well for me when I was very overweight....I need to look more at the types of foods and the combination of foods that I am fueling my body with. I no longer count calories, but instead I count grams of carbs, fats and proteins. My nutrition coach has helped me adjust my diet to something that has turned up my metabolism, plus I get to eat upwards of 1800 calories per day!
I have finished my second Beachbody program, Les Mills Pump and started my third full program, Body Beast. I have fallen in love with lifting weights again and I still love mountain biking
and like Spin class. I am still trying to get into the routine of abs and yoga. The biggest change for me is I don't dread working out anymore and those vacations and bucket list items are no longer out of reach because I'm not in good enough shape to do them.
 |
| Skiing at Flaming Gorge Reservoir - July 4th |
 |
| Bucket List Checkmark: Hike a 14'er |
 |
| Rock N' Roll Half Marathon 13.1 |
 |
| All day golf bonanza - Fossil Island Golf Course |
 |
| Paddleboarding in Maui |
 |
| Hiking Jardine Juniper - Logan Canyon |
My stats so far on this journey:
Weight Lost: 42 lbs
Inches Lost: 19 inches
Body Fat % Lost: 14.21% (I use a scale so its not the most accurate, but I've used it the whole way so I feel like at least its on the same playing field even if the actual number isn't accurate.)
Even with all these stats I still come back to one thought.....Losing 40 lbs has given me so much more than a smaller number on the scale, I'm happier, more confident and more adventurous than I ever really thought possible! I feel like me again!
 |
| Girls Weekend Palisade Fruit & Wine Byway |
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