Have you ever wondered how long it takes to get a perfectly toned body? No belly pooch, no jiggly fat anywhere, including arms, thighs, and butt? Well I often wonder the same thing. I have yet to achieve said body but I am trying to get somewhat toned in an effort to look and feel my best.
In 2011, I participated in a group effort to lose weight at my office. Our very own version of The Biggest Loser, if you will. We all put $25 into the pot and then had a weigh-in once a week from January 1 to May 17. (Yes, it was a long one!) For each pound gained, one extra dollar was deposited into the pot.
I am proud to say that I WON!!! I worked my butt off (literally?) and lost 20 pounds in that span of 4.5 months. I will be the first one to admit that I have gone through ups and downs with my weight since I started college. (Freshman fifteen anyone?) But if I have something to work for, I tend to stay motivated. Examples: my wedding. My sister's wedding. Vacation/swimsuit season. A contest with a cash prize.
Wanna know my secrets for losing weight? Here goes. I am not a doctor nor do I claim that these methods will work for everyone, they are only based off of my personal experience.
1. Drink Water.
I drink a ton of h2o. I start my day off with a big cup of water right out of the kitchen faucet. I then keep a gallon jug of water at work that I gulp throughout the day. I usually go through one gallon per week at work. When I get home, I usually drink water with dinner and a huge glass during/after a workout. It keeps me full and the urge to snack all day is greatly diminished.
2. Count Calories.
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picture source)
Annoying? Yes. But if you really want to know what you are taking in everyday, you need to find some way to calculate your caloric intake. I use My Fitness Pal on my phone and just log my calories throughout the day. It helps me know how many snacks I can have and how many "extras" I can indulge in without bursting over my set limit. When I was losing weight, I set my intake at 1250 calories per day. I based that number on my activity level (sedimentary) and my current age, height, and weight. I did my best to not go over that number, although I found it difficult to not go over by about 100 calories. The bottom line is, weight is mostly based on how many calories you take in and how many you burn.
3. Exercise.
I know it sucks when you first get into an exercising routine. But I can assure you that once you have worked out consistently for about two weeks, you will start to get used to it. I do not have a gym membership, so most of my workouts are done on the elliptical at my house. To lose weight, I tried to burn at least 400 calories per workout, at least 4 times a week. Now once I started gaining more endurance, I was able to burn about 700 calories in 40 minutes on the elliptical. It is an awesome workout that really gets your heart pumping without straining your knees like running might. It really makes me break a sweat! I like to watch a show or listen to loud music when I'm working out to make the time pass by quicker. At the time, I was more interested in fat loss rather than toning muscles, but now I am trying to incorporate strength training as well.
So that's it really. Drink water. Count calories. Exercise.
Now that I've achieved my fat loss goals, I am working on toning up by doing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. If you don't know anything about it, she uses interval training to give you a high impact workout in just 20 minutes. It combines strength training, cardio, and ab work. I just start on level two today and it was definitely a challenge.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will give you my honest answer from my own personal experience. I hope you have been inspired. But if not, let this picture do all the inspiring.
