For a while now, I've been gaining weight and absolutely not caring about it. And honestly, I didn't even really feel that bad about my body. Every now and then I'd resolve to work out regularly, eat better... y'know, the usual healthy living resolutions.
A few months ago, me and some friends were out for a weekend and I started joking about my weight, so they did, too. We called it "my baby". It was fine, I didn't really mind until, I don't know, I guess it went a little too far for me. I was hurt when my friend said, "That's the universe's way of telling you that you need to lose weight." He said that after the leg of the couch fell through the floor right when I sat down (we later discovered it fell through the hole in the floor that had been there for a while), and I know he said it totally without the intention of being mean. Right at that moment, my self-confidence was shattered. I came home feeling bad about myself and that comment stuck with me for a while.
I resolved to lose weight. So for almost 3 months now, I've been working my ass off to lose all that weight. Initially, I wanted to get THIN. By the start of the second month, I realized that I didn't just want to get thin, I wanted to get FIT. I wanted to be able to surf well, hike better, run (not even faster, just be able to run would be an accomplishment).
Now, as I said, Sept.9, 2013, day 2 of my 12th week and I've lost 15lbs. I'm happy with that. You know why? Because I've been eating EVERYTHING. I haven't changed my diet... at least not really. I still eat loads of chips, fried food, whatever. But at the same time, I've lessened my soda consumption, increased my water intake, make a more conscious effort to substitute fruits when I get cravings.
My stomach's gotten flatter and I have finally lost "my baby", my butt looks better (if I do say so myself), my legs are all muscle-y, my arms still need a bit of work, but I'm proud of my body. Especially knowing all the hard work I put into it. I stopped working out for other people, and I've started to work out because seeing the changes in my body makes me happy.
I just wanted to share my story and hopefully, inspire people to start working towards the body they want. I know I started working out because someone made me feel bad, but I think the best motivation to get fit is to make yourself happy.
I also wanted to share some things that worked for me and kept me motivated during the first few weeks of struggling to get my ass in gear.
1. Find a celebrity fitspiration that has the SAME BODY TYPE AND SIMILAR PROPORTIONS AS YOU.
Why? Because wanting a VS model body when you've got the body type of a bootylicious diva will just lead to disappointment. You want a realistic and IDEAL body for you. If your body type is similar to Christina Hendricks' and that's the body you want, go for it! (I wish this were possible for me, but I was not blessed with enough curves.)
2. Use that celebrity and make your own motivational posters and MEASUREMENT tracking chart.
This is so that you know what your working towards. I researched Jennifer Lawrence's measurements and used that as my goal. But goal measurements change, and you can adjust accordingly as you progress in your "program". Aside from the chest, waist and hips, include the body parts you want to see changes in on your chart, I included calves because I wanted them to get smaller. I used Blake Lively for others, too. You don't have to stick to one celebrity. And yes, "You fat shit" did motivate me for the first few weeks into my workout regimen.
3. Make a WORKOUT LOG that will last AT LEAST 2MONTHS, log your workouts regularly and put it somewhere you CANNOT ignore at any time of the day.
We're working towards a long term lifestyle change here, so we want our chart to reflect that. Also, by regularly logging your workouts, skip days will make you feel a bit bad every time you see them. Mine is tacked on my cabinet mirror so it definitely cannot be ignored.
4. Do cardio workouts you ENJOY.
Dance, swim, run, jump rope. Do what makes you happy. Forcing yourself to swim when you hate water will turn you off exercising. If you like K-Pop, go watch their music videos and try to memorize their choreography, replaying the video 'til you get it. Run with your dog for 30mins, or skip rope with your kids. Just make sure to get your cardio in.
5. POST YOUR WORKOUT LOG UPDATES ON FACEBOOK.
Or Instagram (Follow me @liao0421), or Twitter (Follow me @stephlleupagus). No, not so you can be a poser about your workouts, it's so that there are people to support you through the process. Also, so you kind of HAVE to work out because you don't want people seeing so many skip days on your charts.
6. REST and don't binge.
I know if you look at my chart above, the first few weeks I had absolutely no rest, but looking back, that's probably why I was so exhausted ALL THE TIME. Give your body a chance to recuperate. At least once a week... twice is better. Wednesday and Sunday, maybe? Also don't use your rest days to binge! Eat what you want everyday, but remember: All in moderation.
7. Research about workouts.
Especially if you're targeting specific areas. There are so many sites that provide target workouts or the best workout for a specific result. Do your homework!
8. Monthly challenges!
These are such a big thing on Pinterest. Workout challenges!
They're a great way to keep you motivated and if you absolutely cannot work in your regular workouts every now and then, these are good.
9. Train for something.
Like a 10k marathon, or a swimsuit competition. These will keep you training hard until those competitions are done, then you just have to train for something else.
10. CONSISTENCY
Me and my sister were talking and she told me, there was a trainer who said that people always came up to her/him and asked what the best way to lose weight was. The trainer answered: "CONSISTENCY". I see the reality of that now. If I didn't dedicate the time I did to workout regularly, I don't think I'd be seeing the results I am today. Keep at it, even if you don't see improvement. It will come, just keep at it. Some people lose the weight right when they start, some gradually, some tighten up all of a sudden right when they're about to give up. SO KEEP AT IT!
11. Do this for YOURSELF.
I was gonna stop at 10 but then realized, this is probably on of the biggest things with this "program". This is going to be a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. This is your life, so do this for yourself. It's so that you'll live a healthier, happier lifestyle.
That's it, I think. Again, this is just what worked FOR ME. I'm not saying it'll work for everyone. Also, I am not licensed in any way, I am not a fitness instructor or anything. I'm simply someone who has found working out to be therapeutic, in a way.
Keep me updated if this helps in any way?
