My Diet & Gym Routine

      I have changed a lot of things in my life and the biggest change has been my exercise routine and my diet. Before my boyfriend left for deployment I would limit myself to certain foods and really watch how much of something I ate. He loves Chili's, Chic Fil a, and Chinese food so we ate out to those places a lot. It was good I'm not going to lie about that. It is our thing. We eat fried food, watch Netflix, and snuggle in bed. So when he left, I knew that would be my opportunity to focus on my weight loss and diet plan again. This is my standard diet and things I eat and do even when he is here, and my gym routine. I've never been a breakfast fan early in the morning so I usually brew my own coffee and take it to school with me along with a granola bar, yogurt, or banana. For lunch, I usually eat a salad with lite dressing loaded with cucumber, tomatoes, and green peppers. I will also pack a fruit cup with some rice cakes or some kind of chips like jalapeno or regular kettle cooked chips. I buy Lean Cuisine meals when they are sale for my lunches and I will also buy lunch meats to switch it up a bit. For dinner I eat VERY light. Sometimes it is just a piece of toast with jelly and one scrambled egg or another salad. If I'm feeling very hungry, I will cook a pizza and take left overs to school the next for lunch. I never limit myself to fruits or vegetables because those are healthy. I don't buy a lot of food because my boyfriend isn't here. I only have one person to cook for and I am happily satisfied with fruits and vegetables. I have never been a huge meat eater. And remember to drink plenty of water. I put lemon slices in mine. When he comes home I will eat different things like potatoes, pork chops, chicken wings, and such because I will have someone to cook for. Until then I will just eat what I've mentioned and try to stay slim for bikini season. As far as my gym routine goes, I pay $10 at planet fitness per month. I usually go 2-3 times a week depending how busy my school schedule is and how much homework and projects I have. My main problem area are my thighs. They are VERY thick. As a warm up I walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes at a speed of 3.0 and an incline of 3-5 depending how feisty I feel. After that I will use the thigh abductor and adductor machines and do 50 reps on each. Then I do 15-20 minutes on the stair climber at level 5-6. Sometimes I will use the ab machines and do 30-50 reps depending how crowded it is and how I feel after the stair climber kicks my ass. I am down to 137 pounds and I'm happy with that. I feel great and I think I look good. I just want to focus on toning.
     The main thing I realized about weight loss is that it isn't hard once you stay focused and really realize you want to lose a certain amount or look a certain way. You do have to be mentally ready to make the commitment because diet is 90% of it. You have to be conscious of the choices you make. Choose baked instead of fried, water instead of soda, hit the gym instead of laying around, etc. I do not count my calories or keep myself away from my favorite junk foods like donuts and nachos. I just limit myself. Having a good support system also helps. I go to the gym most of the time with my aunt and it helps knowing someone is there for you fighting the weight loss struggle with you. Building each other up and keeping one another motivated feels great. So if you're reading this and you have tried to lose weight multiple times and keep giving up, don't! I have been dieting since high school and I finally put my mind to it and lost 20+ pounds. I feel better, healthier, and more fit. Just remember that losing weight and choosing to eat healthier is a life style change. It can't be temporary because if you have that mind set, you will end up quitting and gaining it all back and then some. Been there, done that and I'm not going back. I like motivating others to choose healthier options for themselves and their bodies. Trust me, your body will thank you.