I haven’t checked in yet, but I’ve got some pretty exciting news. I’m down 7.5 pounds since I started eating cleaner, more often and lifting heavier. A definite NSV, I bought a dress two months ago on sale with weightloss in mind and now it fits, and other things are fitting looser. I’d say this is an accomplishment, especially since I was skeptical about weightlifting two years ago when I started getting my butt in gear and losing weight.
I’m down a half inch in my waist and while that’s not a lot, my shoulders, arms and legs are looking leaner. I can see the tiny muscle I have peeking through since I’m cutting fat.
Surprisingly, keeping my eating schedule hasn’t been hard and I’m only consuming between 1,400 and 1,600 calories a day with 50% being protein, 30% carbohydrates and 20% fat. Thank you MyFitnessPal for tracking my macros! I have never eaten so many leafy greens or consumed so much water in my life, but I’m really enjoying the foods I’m eating. Don’t get me wrong, there was temptation when there were cookies in the office, but why kill my hard work for a junk food? Aside from variety, this has pushed me to eat things I never ate before like seafood. My love of sushi doesn’t count, but now I’m making baked haddock and steaming up shrimp.
I’m still running on cardio days and the hills through the city are getting so much easier. My running compared to last summer has drastically improved and that’s made it so much more enjoyable. Headphones in and I get complete tunnel vision. I also added tabata to my cardio routine today. It’s 20 minutes of ass kicking that keeps your heart rate up and has you moving in quick bursts, not something I’m a huge fan of, but 300 calories burns is appreciated!
I have one rest day (after leg day) during the week, and I’m working out the other 6 days. Days like today where I have the time, I’ve built in two workout sessions at the gym: one during my lunch hour and one at night. Depending on meetings, sometimes I’m up early to knock it out before work at 8 am.
Progress is slow, but it’s progress nonetheless. It’s encouraging to see the weight falling off and even more encouraging talking to friends who are excited for me, who are going through the same process, who are competing in the same show.
I can’t wait to see what happens over the next 18 weeks!
<3 Cristina
Congrats!! I use myfitnesspal, too and love it. You should check out the cruise control app – you tell it how fast you want to run a mile and it’ll speed up your music so that you’ll match it’s tempo.
That’s pretty cool! I’m running more for distance now than speed, ad I’m going to start increasing distance too. I’m really happy my mile is under 10 minutes, that was my goal when I started running. I still love running, but for now I’m not focusing on improving. I will definitely check out that app though, I’m sure I could use it to help maintain too.