So this is a first time posting about my weight loss journey on my blog and I’d like to give you guys a little backstory about myself.
I’ve struggled with weight for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always had an unhealthy relationship with food. Thanks to a sedentary childhood that consisted of more interest in watching cartoons and chowing on cookies instead of getting outside and playing after school, I grew up a pretty hefty child. Throughout the years, I’ve done nearly every yo-yo diet you can think of, most of which I abandoned after a week or two of no progress, or just general lack of motivation.
February of this year, I decided to make a change. I had gained 42 pounds after high school, which left me at 218 pounds at 5’7 with a 35% body fat percentage. I was disgusted with myself. Most of this weight came from lack of activity since I no longer had high school sports to keep my weight in check and I was now working a desk job, terrible eating habits that come from late night studying for midterms and the quick fast food meals you eat when you need a speedy desk lunch, and the sheer amount of stress that I was putting on myself to work a full-time job, attend college full-time, and maintain my social life. I purchased a gym membership at my local Anytime Fitness at a perfect time. They were having a special going that month where members could attend a half hour “boot camp” class for free every Tuesday and Thursday that was instructed by two of the personal trainers employed at the gym. This lead me to realize that I could greatly benefit from the help of a personal trainer seeing that I had no experience of how to strength train in a gym. I’ve always been a cardio person, and when I began working out with my trainer Stephanie, I began learning the basics of strength training.
February 8th, 2016 -> April 20th, 2016
My nutrition didn’t really start changing until about May, when I realized while I may be dropping weight from the added weekly exercise, I wasn’t seeing results as quickly as I’d hoped, and I really wasn’t feeling my best either. I decided to cut out fast food and begin tracking my foods on MyFitnessPal. This was single-handedly the most beneficial thing I could have done. Tracking my food daily has made me realize how easy it is to underestimate the calories you are intaking on a daily basis. I was under the impression that I was eating around 1200 calories a day, when in reality, many days I was hitting nearly 2000 calories even with my salads thanks to things like liquid calories (my Gatorade), high calorie and fat dressings, and over-sized food portions.
June of 2016 I decided to get into weight lifting. This is where my journey really took flight. I was eating clean and was getting my exercise in, but I really wanted to put a focus into changing my body. I began doing split workouts, (Shoulders, Leg Day, Back/Biceps, Chest/Triceps) adding in a 10-20 minute ab circuit every day, and on easier days (Shoulders & Chest/Triceps) adding in 15-30 minutes of cardio post-workout to up my calorie burn. This is where the magic happened. I began dropping body fat percentage like crazy, but my pounds were staying the same on the scale. I upped my calories to 1600 a day, and started focusing on my macros so that I was getting higher protein intakes and lower carbs and fat.
As of October 2016, I have lost 35 pounds, 12.5 inches, and 7.5% of body fat. My body looks completely different, and I have never had more energy and felt better in my life. My weight loss has been steady and consistent and I don’t think I could ever abandon this lifestyle! Each day I get excited to track out my meals and plan out my workout for that evening. I’m greatly looking forward to seeing where my journey has taken me in the next nine months.
February 8th, 2016 -> October 8th, 2016
Interested in following my journey? Feel free to add me on MyFitnessPal and Instagram! I love having new fitness friends!
Til next time,
Marissa ♥
Scale Victory: I’ve officially lost 35 pounds! So this is a first time posting about my weight loss journey on my blog and I'd like to give you guys a little backstory about myself.
