Monday, June 30, 2014

The weight is over...

... and I mean that in a couple of ways.

1) Thanks for waiting for me, and being so patient with me as a I took a moth off from blogging to get my life in order. I have an update! I am now in grad school pursuing a Masters of Education in School Counseling. I've always wanted to work with kids in this kind of setting, and I am so excited to have finally gotten to this point. I am in school full time now, and still working part time, leaving me very little time to sit down on blog. However, now, I have something new to blog about.

2) My weight has been a struggle for me the last couple of years, but recently it's been stuck on the up train. I'm blaming no one but myself for this. Admittedly, I'm a big snacker, and in the last 2.5 year I've been the gym (maybe) 4 times. I am not saying that I am fat, but I am definitely out of shape, and as I like say: soft. It's time for me to get back on track and start living a healthier lifestyle. It's not about losing weight anymore. It's about being more active in my every day life, and making better choices when it comes to food and snacking.

In an effort to jumpstart my lifestyle change, I've enlisted the help of a trainer. Over the new couple of weeks, I'll be working out with the help and guidance of Tim Rider at the MAC in Harbor East (Pssst.... Baltimore peeps-- check him out! He's a fabulous trainer!). During that time, I'll document any progress and share with you tips and tidbits that I pick up along the way. My hope is that, if nothing else, this blog motivates me to keep going and holds me accountable for choices I make. If I can inspire you to make healthy choices, that's great too!

This is not to say that I won't be enjoying my summer. Let's be honest. I love eating out, going to BBQs, and enjoying all the fruity, umbrella drinks the summer has to offer! It does mean, though, that I'll be combating that with keeping an active, healthier lifestyle, and making better food choices overall as best I can. I'm thinking of it as a lifestyle change rather than a diet. I suck at diets.

My first weigh in and measurement with Tim (last Sunday) left me feeling a little anxious. Here's where we're starting:

Weight:
Weight: 155.2 lbs.
Body fat: 34.0% (Yikes. This should be closer to the mid-20's)
Fat mass: 52.81 lbs. (what this means is that 52 lbs of my body is fat mass)
Lean mass: 102.41 lbs.
TBW (total body water): 75.01 lbs. (what this means is that 75 lbs of my body is water weight)

Admission: I weighed myself two days into meeting with Tim and it had risen to 157 lbs. This was after Tim told me to hide my scale and forget that I even own it. He told me that my body composition is going to be changing, and my weight is going to fluctuate as I build muscle. He also said I'm going to feel hungrier now that I am working out and my body will need different kinds/amounts of nourishment. Though I was discouraged that my weight had gone up even more, I took Tim's advice, and have since removed the scale from my apartment.

Measurements:
Chest: 34.5"
Waist: 31.75"
Hips: 41.74"
Thighs: 25.5"
Arms (Bicep): 11.25"

It's not easy to throw this information out there. I feel exposed a little bit. But I am hoping that feeling of exposure motivates me. My goal isn't just to lose weight. That would definitely be a bonus, but ultimately, I'd like to build lean muscle and tone/firm my stomach, thighs, and arms. If at the end of the day I weight the same but I'm a hell of a lot stronger and leaner, then I have succeeded.

I've had 4 personal training sessions since I started last Sunday, and although I feel like nothing's happened yet (except for the 2 lb. weight gain UGH), I know that I am making positive changes for the better. I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Any work out tips or recipe ideas? Please share them with me!

P.S. I just went shopping and got some cute workout gear! Next post topic? Probably!

P.P.S. Here's a pre-work out selfie... keep in mind, I am sucking it in with all of the internal force that I can. Walking around in 100% spandex is a new adjustment for me. I found work out pants with wider bands at the waist to hold me in a little better...