Fitness Challengers Lose More Than 30 lbs in 2 Months

 

Sara has lost an amazing 17 lbs and a total of 12.25 inches in only 2 months.

 

  

Katie is looking good…she’s lost 13.8 lbs and 10 inches!

 So, how did they do it?  Both ladies are completing two one hour circuit training workouts at Fit to You per week and keeping an online nutrition and exercise journal on MyFitnessPal.com.  Finding an exercise partner who has similar goals to split training sessions with is an excellent idea.  Not only does it make personal training more affordable, but you can encourage each other on the days you don’t have much energy or just don’t feel like working out.  You know your partner is going to be there to give you extra accountability.  Sara and Katie have their sessions scheduled immediately after work, so there is no time to get comfy (and lazy).  After a warm-up, each session is comprised of 10-12 alternating exercises to build strength, tone up the entire body, and burn major calories.  The last 5-10 minutes are spent stretching.  Every day is different to keep the muscles guessing and keep the workouts fresh and engaging.

 

While circuit training is toning and tightening their muscles, as well as giving an extra calorie burn, the diet is most important when it comes to weight loss.  You can work out all day and still have a hard time reaching your goals if you’re eating the wrong foods.  Keeping the online journal allows me to see where they are having trouble and make adjustments while making it easier for them to track total calorie intake.  Both Katie and Sara are staying between 1200-1300 calories per day in order to lose about 2 lbs per week.  This is a healthy and maintainable rate of weight loss.

 

Sara is using Clean Eatz premade fresh meals during the week for lunch and dinner.  The meals are usually a lean protein, veggies and sometimes a high fiber starch.  This  is a great way to take the guesswork and shopping/preparation time out of planning meals.  Sara has a protein shake for breakfast.  If you have trouble eating first thing in the morning, a shake can help you squeeze in that very important meal.  Having breakfast jump starts your metabolism in the morning and has been proven to help people make better decisions the rest of the day.

Weekends prove to be the hardest for Sara, especially when meals are eaten out.  She has learned to cut portions of favorites, like pasta and pizza in half.  She loves sweets, so her snacks consist of Vitatop muffins (100 calories each) and Kind Bars (a natural fruit/nut bar).

Katie’s biggest diet problems were sodas and fast food.  In the beginning it was especially hard to cut these out, but she finally won out over the soda.  I think recording the calories each time really helped her see what a waste of calories those are!  (one can of soda is about 150 calories)  Another pit fall was the drive thru.  She has learned to order smarter by choosing smaller portions, and avoiding foods and places where she feels out of control.  Sometimes we always order a certain thing when we go to familiar restaurants.  Try going to new places and starting new habits in the beginning.  If you “have” to get donuts and a mochachino from Dunkin Donuts, don’t go there!!  Try cooking at home or going somewhere else until you’ve gotten stronger in your decision making.  Also, look at online menus and plan ahead when going out to eat.  Fail to plan and plan to fail!  It will be easier to resist temptation if you know what you will have and go ahead and record it in your journal.

The first 30 days of any new routine are the hardest.  Once you’ve past that first month it should start to feel easier and more of a habit that you can continue.  Both Sara and Katie are seeing the results of their hard work in the mirror and on the scale.  Each time they cut back a portion, skip the drive-thru and log another workout, they are that much closer to their goal.  If you are inspired to begin living a healthier lifestyle, call me at 910-200-6641 or visit my website www.fittoyounc.com for more information.