Alei's Incredible Journey To Losing 30+lbs

Hi everyone! For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Alei, and this is a little insight on my health and fitness journey and how I have come to lose 30+ pounds.

When I was young, I was never very active. I was born with chronic asthma and had battled it throughout my child hood. I could never really play typical sports with my condition, so the one sport I was able to fall in love with was golf, which I played through middle school and high school.

Growing up, I always had problems with my weight. I always just told myself “Oh, it’s okay its genetics”, or “As long as I’m happy that’s all that matters!” But the truth is, it was always a problem for me. I was never bullied or made fun of; in fact I enjoyed High School and made a lot of friends in the small town I grew up in. But it was hard for me to accept the reality of just being “bigger” than my friends.

When I went off to college, everything just went downhill. I started partying all the time and drinking heavy and in what seemed like overnight, the “freshman 15” turned into the “freshman 25”. After going to a University for 2 years, I decided to come back home where my parents live to finish my Bachelor’s degree.

At my heaviest, I was 210 pounds. (Yep, I still want to cry when I hear that number!) It wasn’t until I looked back at my college pictures, that I realized how heavy I had gotten, and how out of control my weight really was.

Naturally, to anyone who doesn’t work out, a gym can be a very intimidating place. I had a friend that was a member of a gym in town and she told me she would take me in to sign up for a membership, and I can honestly say that it was that day that changed my life.

I ended up getting a personal trainer who taught me a lot about the machines and a lot of “beginner” exercises for different muscle groups. After a year trying to figure out different fitness routines and dieting tricks, I had only lost about 10 pounds. So I knew I had to find something different. 

I had multiple friends who had been on fitness programs with, who is now my trainer and coach. I knew he was tough and that his plans worked but I didn’t really know the extent of what he did until I met with him. Finding out later that he is a competitive bodybuilding coach and competitor, I was shocked! I had never really thought about this type of industry nor knew anything about it. But I was excited to see what kind of results was going to come out of this type of training.

After being on his program for just a few weeks, I could see the pounds dropping and I was ecstatic! The best part was that I was able to meet and become friends so many different people who were also training with him. We are essentially on a “team” full of competitors and non-competitors. We all just connect through social media and share our stories and lives with each other and honestly, it is the biggest support system I have ever had.

It has now been almost 6 months since I joined the team, and I can’t say enough how much it has changed my life. I am 33 pounds down with the goal of losing 20 more. I have the best coach and best teammates supporting me on a daily basis.

So, to anybody intimidated to begin their weight loss journey, DON’T BE! It will be the most rewarding and humble experience you will ever go through. Surround yourself with people who have similar stories and who you know will support what you’re doing. Whether you want to compete, or just reach a simple weight goal, all I can say is stop thinking about it, and just get out there, get out of your comfort zone and do it! You won’t regret it!!

I hope you enjoyed my story, and thank you Ashley for allowing me to be a part of such an inspiring page! If you’d like to see more of my journey, or even share yours with me, you can follow me on Instagram at aoconnell91.

Xoxo, 

Alei. 

How I Lost 20 lbs & Gained a New Lifestyle

How I Lost 20 Pounds and Gained a New Lifestyle

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Katie and this is how I lost 20 pounds and went on to compete in my first fitness competition.

Up until college I had always been active and able to eat pretty much whatever I wanted. Once I got to college my whole lifestyle changed. I partied at least 3-4 times a week, started smoking cigarettes (ew, I know), only occasionally worked out (but kept eating what I wanted), and had a horrible diet that contained a lot of late night McDonald’s runs. I had a lot of fun in college but after gaining 12 pounds and having such poor health I realized I wasn’t happy anymore. This started my weight loss journey.

 I knew that I wanted to lose weight but I also wanted a new lifestyle that I could maintain and for that reason I didn’t take any weird diet pills, go super low carb, join Jenny Craig, whatever. I quit smoking because you can’t exercise when you can hardly breathe. Then I started to learn as much as I could about nutrition and I incorporated nutritious foods into my diet. I also minimized eating out because it’s easier to make cleaner food options at home and I cut out the binge drinking (obviously).  I started exercising at least 5-6 times a week (weight lifting and cardio mix). Last, I found new things that I enjoyed like clean baking and lifting weights. If you enjoy what you’re doing then the weight loss is all that much easier.

After losing 16 pounds on my own, I made the decision to compete in my first fitness competition as a bikini competitor. Through clean eating, heavy lifting, cardio, and lots of coaching from my Fitshop coach, Jenny, I lost 4 more pounds and stepped on stage. I wanted to compete to win but mostly I wanted to compete to show off what I had worked so hard for. Ask me a year earlier and I would have never been caught dead in a tiny red bikini ESPECIALLY on stage but the new me was happy, healthy, and proud in her own skin. I loved competing and being confident on stage and I found out that this was something I wanted to keep doing!

I’m not going to sugar coat it, losing weight and completely changing your lifestyle isn’t the easiest thing to do. But it can be done and it gets easier. Besides working out on my own I would sometimes see a trainer, Marisa. She would watch me get discouraged because I didn’t see the scale go down in a week and she always told me to keep going, never give up and never lose patience. Keep working and it will pay off! You might not see changes every day but if you give up then you won’t ever see those changes. It was also difficult for me to find balance with food. This was something that I struggled with up until very recently. I realized that you have to find balance and moderation. Eat healthy, work hard, but go enjoy ice cream with your friends once in awhile. Find that balance in your life to where you enjoy every minute of it. One ice cream cone won’t make you fat and it’s good for your mental health so go enjoy every bite. The next morning wake up, eat a healthy breakfast, and go get a good workout in. It really is all about balance and moderation because that leads you to a healthy LIFESTYLE, not just quick weight loss.

What kept me motivated throughout this journey was my drive to be better. If you’ve always wanted to be a bikini competitor then go do it! Only you can make those dreams come true through hard work and persistence. I’m lucky I had a lot of support but I also kept myself motivated by knowing what my goals were and how I wanted to achieve them. Very often I write my goals down so I can see them, I keep my trophy’s up from my first competition to remind me that I want to come back better next time, and I keep going, pushing myself to be my best self. Having visual goals helps to keep you motivated whether it’s to lose weight, step on stage, compete in a marathon, whatever it may be. You can do anything you set your mind to so keep going.

All of this is about finding YOUR happiness and being YOUR best self. Never forget why you started! I hope you enjoyed my featured blog! You can follow me on twitter and Instagram at katielynn_xo. Looking forward to chatting with you again soon!

Xoxo,

Katie

Meal Prepping 101 with Natalie Durham

Meal Prepping 101

 by:

 Natalie Durham

Hi, my name is Natalie Durham and today I am going to be sharing with you the basics, benefits and overall 101 of meal prepping for beginners. But first, I want to share a little more about my fitness and health journey within the past year.

After spending the last 15 years of my life active and athletic, I spent a semester studying and traveling abroad. I found myself enjoying mass quantities of beer, delicious food and not working out the way I use to (AKA… I was packing on the pounds to say the least). After about three months of being home, I looked in the mirror and realized I had gained weight. Shocked and disappointed with myself, I decided enough was enough. I began to workout religiously and cleaned up my diet. I started my journey on May 2013. A year later, I am down 35 pounds and a little over 11% body fat. Today, I can look in the mirror and smile right back at myself. However, most of that progress was made during Nov 2013-May 2014, when I started properly meal prepping all of my meals. 

Before getting started, I want to stress that not only is everyone’s body different but also our LIFESTYLES!  Everything that I will be sharing today is from my own personal experiences. Taking the time to learn what has/has not worked for my own body and lifestyle. I STRONGLY encourage you to do the research, and even more importantly, listen to how your mind and body feel/respond.

What exactly is meal prepping?

Meal prepping is cooking, making and storing a few days or a full week worth of food. Having all your tasty meals and snacks ready to eat or take on the go when needed!

Why should I meal prep?

Let’s be honest here. When we are hungry… WE ARE HUNGRY! We want food right then and there, in front of our faces, in our mouths and are willing to do almost anything to make that happen as quickly as possible. Not ONLY does meal prepping make that happen for us but it stops us from resorting to food that will have negative effects on our progress such as fast foods, the vending machines in the office or not eating anything at all! Just remember…

How do I meal prep?

I like to store my food in reusable microwavable safe Tupperware that can be found at a local grocery store, Wal-Mart and/or Target or Ziploc plastic bags I can just toss after using. On Sundays, I plan out my meals for the week (Sunday to Sunday), write my grocery list, go shopping, cook, and then store all of my meals.  I buy most of my produce from Sprouts (fresh, organic and reasonable prices). My proteins (meats) I buy from my local grocery store, which carries an all natural selection brand.

I prepare every meal and snack for the day except for breakfast. Personally, I like having fresh oatmeal, protein pancakes or egg white omelets in the morning, so I am willing to wake up early enough to have time to cook it before I run out the house.

I eat anywhere from 5-7 (depending on how hungry I might be) “meals” a day every 2-3hrs. I say “meals” because 3-4 of those are actually a small snack. Typically, each container will have 3-4 oz. of protein, 1-3 cups of veggies and one serving of a healthy carb.

Tweaking your meal prep every few weeks is important when getting started. Start your meal prep and within the next two weeks pay close attention to how your body responds. You may need to add more protein, carbs, and veggies or vice versa, take some out.

Sample meal prep layout

Meal 1

4 egg whites with 1 cup of veggies

½ cup of oats (measured dry)

Meal 2

1 cup Greek yogurt w/ 1 scoop protein

Meal 3

4 oz. protein (chicken)

3 cups veggies

1 serving carb (sweet potato)

Meal 4

Same as above or:

8-12almonds, or1 green apple, or a protein shake, or 1 of Ashley’s fresh juice recipes, etc.

Meal 5

4 oz. protein (salmon)

1-3cups veggies

Grocery List

These are a list of foods that I rotate in and out of my meals all the time. In order to keep myself successful with meal prepping, I have to make sure I don’t get bored with my food. Keeping my taste buds guessing by constantly switching up my meals helps me not to “cheat”. 

Proteins:

·      Chicken breasts

·      97% lean ground turkey

·      Egg whites

·      Wild caught salmon

·      Tilapia

·      Tuna

·      Protein powder

·      Almonds

·      Greek Yogurt

(I personally only eat red meats on very rare occasions)

Veggies:

·      Spinach

·      Broccoli

·      Asparagus

·      Brussels sprouts

·      Baby bell peppers

·      Green beans

·      Mushrooms

Carbs:

·      Sweet potatoes

·      Quinoa

·      Brown Rice

·      Oatmeal

Fruits:

·      Grapefruit

·      Berries

·      Green apples

My Secret Weapons

For every meal I prep, I can guarantee that I will be using one or more of the following items that make prepping easier and/or tastier for myself without adding the extra calories. 

·      Cinnamon (I put it on EVERYTHING… well almost)

·      Mrs. Dash seasoning (No salt!)

·      Sweet Drops (Stevia)

·      Vanilla Extract

·      Walden Farms BBQ sauce and pancake syrup (No sugar AND zero calories)

·      Trader Joes Olive and Coconut Oil Spray (Zero calories)

Helpful Hands

Knowing where to start and staying on track can be tricky.  Thank goodness there is so much out there to help us. I suggest taking the time to consult with a professional or going to a website that can help you work out exactly how many calories you should be consuming a day for your body type.  One of my favorite apps and websites that can honestly do it all is: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/. I use it all the time to see how many calories a certain food contains, track my progress, my food diary and keep myself motivated. Check it out! 

Stay Motivated!

In my fitness and health journey, diet is HANDS DOWN the hardest part for me.  When craving starts getting the best of me I chew gum, drink water or find a clean and yummy recipe I can make instead.  At the end of the day, there are no excuses.  

I love the quote, “ You can have results, or you can have excuses. Not both.”  When it gets hard, remember why you started. I think back at how I felt when I looked at myself in the mirror and tell myself I never want to feel like that ever again.  30 minutes of satisfaction from a piece of dessert or junk food is not worth the set back from having the dream body you have desired your whole life.  These are things I say to myself and it works. Do I cave sometimes? YES! But… life is all about balance and happiness. Eat your prepped meals and every once in a while, treat yourself to something you deserve.

Lastly, always be proud of your journey in life. Regardless of what your goals are, do not let anyone steer you away from accomplishing them. Find something you are passionate about and RUN with it! At the end of the day, most people will still be talking about what they are going to do while you are out there making it happen.

We all deserve happiness and well being!

 

You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter @natalieedurhamm. I hope to chat with you all again!

Xo,

Natalie 

How to Store Juice

 Happy Monday and Happy June! It officially feels like summer.. Woo Hoo! 

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is... "How long can I store my juice?"  Making fresh juice can be extremely time consuming and tedious (especially in the beginning... it gets better the more you do it, I promise) ...  If you are anything like me (busy busy busy) going thru the juicing process everyday is pretty much out of the question.  I simply just don't have the time for it, which is why making juice in advance is a must! 

If you do some research online you will almost always read that the beneficial nutrients in juice are dissipated after just a few hours and that juice is best when consumed within the first 24 hours.  While this is true... juice does in fact have the most nutrient value within the first day, you can still drink juice after the first 24 hours and get some of the benefits... you just have to store it the proper way!

Tips for Longer Lasting Juice 

1. NEVER leave juice unopened (i.e in a cup with no lid)  The more air that hits the juice, the more the nutrient value drops. You should never allow your juice to become warm. 
2. Never leave at room temperature.  Juice stays fresh longer when cold.  I just recently bought an Igloo cooler back pack that I take with me EVERYWHERE.  I have re-freezable ice cubes that I throw in my backpack every morning along with jars of juice and I take that baby with me in the car, to work, to the gym... literally everywhere.  It keeps my juice ice cold and it helps me stay on track with eating healthy all day.
   
   
3. Pour juice you don't plan on drinking right away in an airtight sealed container.  I like to use Mason Jars for several different reasons.  They are the best airtight sealed jars I've used, they are portable, easy to clean, and I have yet to break one... which is pretty amazing for me.  I have dropped one on concrete and it didn't break.. pretty impressive if you ask me! 
   
4.  Add extra lemon juice to preserve juice.  
   
5. Place your produce in the fridge.  Using fruit that is already cold will significantly help keep your juice fresh for a longer time period.  
6. Freeze your juice for long term storage.  If you know that you aren't going to be drinking the juice you made for several days, you can freeze it and it will stay good until you are ready to defrost it.  You can also do this so your juice will stay cold throughout the day, usually by lunch time your juice will be ready to drink.

***WARNING***

When your juice starts to change in color, smell, and taste... It's starting to go bad! I have personally stored juice up to 5 days and have not had any problems.  With that being said, a lot of juicing is trial and error.  Watermelon for example goes bad within a day and I have never been able to drink it after the first 12 hours.  So just be cautious when storing juice! 

With this week being the 1st week of June I just wanted to encourage you all to make the most out of your summer!  Make it your healthiest summer yet... You deserve to have the body you've always dreamed of! I know earlier I talked about being busy which most of us are but your first appointment of the day should always be with yourself.  It takes 4 weeks for you to start seeing changes in your body, it takes 8 weeks for friends and family to start seeing changes, and it takes 12 weeks for the rest of the world.  Once you start seeing results it  becomes an addiction! 

I received these pictures last week from two people who have started juicing since I started my blog and was completely inspired!  I am so glad that I can be a small part of other people's journey!

And here's a little transformation picture of my own! 

Have a blessed week everyone! Much love to you all! If you post a picture of your juice, tag me! I love seeing all the photos!

#Sparkingfromtheinsideout

XoXo,

Ashley

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