Here's a little story... growing up I wasn't allowed to have sweets until I was around four years old. Imagine... four long years without KNOWING what chocolate chip cookies are?? The horror. Well, it's no surprise I have a major sweet tooth and well into my early 20s I would have dessert on a nightly basis. I would always eat whatever I wanted because as a competitive soccer player the majority of my life it never mattered. I was constantly fueling and burning baby!!!
Then obviously soccer stopped and my body was like... wahhhh??? I never really saw any weight gain from this until I turned 26. Then I realized that my stomach looked chunky in photos. Or that my legs didn't really look toned anymore. I have never once thought I was fat. Ever. However, I knew that my body was capable of looking leaner.
Then COVID-19 lockdown, phase one, hit the United States and I had A LOT more free time on my hands. I remember putting on a bikini that I used to wear down in Florida (that I used to look really good in) and being horrified. I looked in the mirror and had a small roll of fat where I have never previously gained weight. In that moment, I decided I wasn't going to have any added sugar for two weeks. No added sugar meaning as in no dessert... and it wasn't easy but I did it! I would make smoothie bowls with almond butter, granola, and fruit as a dessert instead. Or a bowl of greek yogurt with granola to satisfy my neglected sweet tooth.
I would weigh myself every morning because when I was briefly living back home during phase one I had access to a scale. I don't have a scale at my apartment and I don't ever plan on buying one. Running has always been one of my least favorite things but I started running at least one mile and briskly walking at least three miles a week for some cardio. I also started doing circuits that included 1 min of weight exercise followed by 1 min of jump roping repeated 10 times. Those circuits really helped with my core as many of the weight exercises I did were core concentrated.
One sad part of my mini weight loss journey is my ass shrunk A LOT. I'm happy my waist shrunk with it but without having access to heavy weights (heaviest I had were 15 lbs) I couldn't maintain my glutes. RIP but they'll be multiple glute days in the gym once it opens back up!
A positive of being (pretty much forced) away from restaurants during phase one was that I started cooking a lot more. Not only was I cooking more but I was incorporating a lot more protein, vegetables, and healthier alternatives. I was drinking more water and completely cut out alcohol for a month. For me I didn't see the point of getting drunk by myself at home with my family. That was easy to cut out. Now that we are opening up more I am drinking with friends again, drinking on dates.
To pretty much just highlight what I did here you go:
Just kidding (or am I?) here you really go:
see above image
worked out 3-4x a week always including cardio into weight circuit (jump rope, running, speed walking)
did IG workouts, YouTube workouts, HIIT zoom classes 1-2x a week
played a lot of golf/tennis
didn't drink alcohol for a month
cut out dessert for 1.5 weeks, now limit myself to 1-2 times a week I can have dessert
ate more vegetables and fruit
cooked more, ate out less
I weighed 165 lbs beginning of April. I weighed 154 lbs by the beginning of June! For reference, I'm 5'8" with an athletic build. My goal is 150 lbs because I really do enjoy having my curves and having defined muscles. It's the weight that makes me feel the most sexy and healthy. If you disagree you can suck it! It really is just about putting your mind to it and making the choice to be healthier. Also, ABS REALLY ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN!
Update: Since writing this post.. I'm actually down to 145 lbs! Consistently working out, jump rope, and making better food decisions have gotten me here!