Weight Loss Update!

Happy Saturday! I thought I would do a little weight loss update since I am now almost half way through my weight loss challenge thru Habitual Fitness. A week or two before my challenge started I did start to work out more frequently and track my eating a little better. I’m now working out about 5 days a week because honestly I’ve been enjoying it! Never thought I would say that! I usually have a day designated to a certain body part or area of the body. So legs/booty one day, arms shoulders, core etc. I also really enjoy low impact cardio and tabata. I love going on YouTube and finding a new video to try out or going back to do my favorites. I won’t share my meal plan because that would not be fair to the great people who made it but I am sticking around 1500-1600 calories a day and I’ve been eating really yummy food! Not low carb or anything but I am tracking my macros and trying to stay within range. I haven’t felt deprived of anything and it feels like something that is sustainable. Obviously life happens and I’m not always going to be perfect but I’m so happy with my progress. Did I mention I’ve lost 5 lbs! 🙌🏻 I don’t try to focus so much on the scale but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tracking my weight and that number. Overall I’m feeling really good and I’m excited to keep going and get even stronger! I will check back in another week or so 😃you can also follow along on Instagram where I share meals and workouts! life_in_crumbs_blog

Losing Weight....Again

  Losing weight. Ugh why is it so hard to be motivated and commit to working out and eating better? WHY?! My weight has fluctuated so much through the years. It has gotten higher as I've gotten older and of course when I got pregnant, which is incidentally the time I felt the most beautiful and the most comfortable in my own skin. Imagine that. Anyway, it is so hard to be confident and not constantly compare ourselves to people we see on social media. I feel it especially as a mother that by 3 years post partum I should look exactly like I did before I got pregnant. My body is supposed to "bounce back" and show no sign of gaining 60lbs and growing an entire human being! What a bunch of crap! There is so much pressure put on women to be a certain size and look a certain way. I think the greatest thing you can do for your mental health is to get off social media or if you're like me and just can't possibly do that, at least go through and purge! Get rid of those accounts that make you feel bad about yourself, don't align with your values or honestly can just be triggering because you are doing too much comparing. I recently did that and it felt so good! Following body positive accounts like, Thebirdspapaya, thegarciadiaries, megsquats, chinaealexander, alexlight_ldn, aliciamccarvell, flawsofcouture, meg.boggs, just to name a few, has really helped shift my thinking and just leaves me in a better headspace. I find myself going on Instagram now and enjoying it and getting something from it rather than just scrolling and comparing and getting depressed. I also am dealing with some health issues which is contributing to my weight. Nothing serious, mostly just hormonal stuff which I will talk about in another post but it's just another road block to deal with and it's something that I know a lot of women are dealing with that isn't talked about enough.

I think one of the best things I've learned which sounds so silly now is to do workouts you enjoy! If you despise running then don't run! I hate HIIT workouts. My body hates them and they are never enjoyable but everyone seems to rave about them and makes it seem so easy and effective. I tried doing them for so long until I'm like "why am I doing something I hate?" I have found that me and my body prefer low impact cardio, standing workouts and yoga. I want to do a whole separate post on yoga because it was something I could never do! Yoga with Adrienne on Youtube is amazing! Highly recommend! The Body Project on Youtube is a wonderful channel for low impact cardio for all levels. I get an amazing workout and the instructors are really great. I love that they have bodies of all sizes doing the workouts. Another recent favorite has been Zumba Class. I am the least coordinated person in the word but even I can follow along and holy moly does it make me sweat! Keoni is another great Youtuber. He does walking and cardio workouts if you're looking for low impact and getting those steps in. 

Monday I start another weight loss challenge. I hate calling it that because not everyone is doing it for weight loss but it's the easiest way to explain it. It's through a fitness/breastfeeding group on Facebook and I did it once before the year that George was born and had great success. I am no longer nursing but they help everyone not just nursing moms. The business is Habitual Fitness if you want to check them out! I lost 12lbs in a month last time I did their program but I was also nursing around the clock so we'll see how it goes this time around. I would honestly love to lose 30-40lbs. It seems like a lot and it is but I'm also trying not to focus on the number too much. I took my measurements and I am ready for a change. I have already started adjusting my eating and have been working out 3-5 times a week. I've lost 3lbs already and I feel really motivated! Let's just hope that motivations sticks around! I will keep the blog updated on my progress and maybe even post my before and after pics. EEEKK! We'll see. Wish me luck and follow me along on Instagram too at life_in_crumbs_blog. 

 Throwback to me living my best pregnant life :)