My journey to a healthy life. This is my progress:

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Replies

  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    KHMcG wrote: »
    Incredible! So proud of you!

    Thank you! I hope you are well.
  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    thelastnightingale wrote: »
    Great work - not just on the weight loss, but that flexibility. I'm in awe of your yoga skills!

    Thank you! With practice and consistent workouts I feel like I can achieve pretty much anything. :-) It's certainly a new feeling in my life.
  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    jacqQ2017 wrote: »
    You look amazing. I can't believe how quickly you hit your goal. Makes me wonder what the hell I've been doing all year! Also: love the tat.

    Thank you so much! Analyze and see what you should adjust. Considering how slowly I've lost weight, it actually took a long while but if I take into consideration the end result which exceeded my expectations (added muscle mass), it was worth it.
  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    xojenbrassardxo wrote: »
    You have no idea how much I needed this today! We have pretty much the exact same "before" body shape and I've just re-started my journey. This is motivating me so much right now, you're story is amazing!

    Thank you so much! It's hard at the beginning but when you start seeing results and crushing goals, it becomes addictive. Hang in there! <3
  • 1MADGIRL
    1MADGIRL Posts: 838 Member
    Wow you look amazing. I really needed this. I have a slightly higher BMI rate but want to look like your after photo. I had no idea it was achievable in just 3-4 months!!!
    What would your best advice be for someone trying to start out?
  • 1MADGIRL
    1MADGIRL Posts: 838 Member
    Also can you share the workouts you did in the first 3 months to get to that stage? If its okay for me to ask!
  • ElTriste1973
    ElTriste1973 Posts: 234 Member
    Amazing, thanks for sharing this story. Very inspirational as I started my own “enough is enough” trial yesterday. Congratulations!
  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    ElTriste1973 wrote: »
    Amazing, thanks for sharing this story. Very inspirational as I started my own “enough is enough” trial yesterday. Congratulations!

    Thank you! You've got this!
  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    edited July 2020
    1MADGIRL wrote: »
    Wow you look amazing. I really needed this. I have a slightly higher BMI rate but want to look like your after photo. I had no idea it was achievable in just 3-4 months!!!
    What would your best advice be for someone trying to start out?

    Hi!
    As you said "3-4 months" you probably saw a progress photo from 2018. I look much better now. :-)
    You could read the complete thread as I usually mention what I do (nutrition/workouts).



    - clean eating
    - weight and introduce everything in MFP
    - 25% calorie deficit (this applies to your TDEE)
    - workout 4-5 times a week, 75% strength/resistance and 25% cardio. In the rest days do yoga/stretching, preferably for flexibility
    - eat you daily calorie goal
    - hit your macros goals too (I advise 40% carbs, 30% proteins and fats)... after I increased my protein intake in March I saw big changes
    - take monthly photos for progress comparison
    - plan and prepare your workouts, your meals, everything (I plan and register my meals 4-5 days in advance and I prepare the workout schedule for the entire month
    - be organized and don't compromise
    - don't let your body go into routine... change the type of workouts and/or intensity monthly
    - allow yourself an indulging day per month
    - don't impose to yourself absurd restrictions.. eat just about anything but the healthy version and in small portions (I eat daily something sweet but it's usually protein pancake, protein bar, protein shake, fruits)
    - learn to be disciplines because you won't feel like working out every time
    - cook delicious and diverse meals, this way you won't crave for what others are eating
    - drink plenty of water (2-3 liters)
    - try to stay in contact with people that have the same fitness goals (the support and motivation matter a lot)
    - read and learn about everything (I've learned so much about sport and nutrition in this journey... people are simply to lazy to search, learn and apply)
    - set a few major long-time goals and many little ones (they will give you a confidence and motivation boos when you'll achieve them)

    I have a couple of YouTube workouts and I create my workouts schedule with them.
    For Beginners:
    https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLDdBvG_9ls2Y-y1qamXXotLrJwCYriikC

    Also the Female fitness - Women Workout app (28 days full body challenge) was great in the first 2 months.

    For intermediate:



    For those interested, here are a few rules that I follow for a healthy nutrition:
    ⚠️ I eat 3 main meals and 1-2 snacks (2 if I'm waking up at 5AM).
    ⚠️ Breakfast and lunch will be richer and something lighter for dinner.
    ⚠️ Fruits and homemade healthy sweets will be eaten in the first half of the day. 200-300g of fruits (carbs & fructose = sugar)
    ⚠️ Eat the meals rich in carbs in the first half of the day. Chose complex carbs like rolled oats, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, potatoes, musli, wholewheat bread etc.
    ⚠️ I often hear about 'not eating after 6PM'. I call *kitten* on that. If you have 3-4h before going to bed, you can eat at 11PM with no problem. That's dependent on your lifestyle and the time you go to bed. Imagine having dinner at 6PM and going to bed at 2AM. I'd be starving and unable to fall asleep.
    ⚠️ Have a balanced diet. Nothing must be eliminated 100%, not even sugar (I'm the proof... everything is perfect but I found out that I have low blood sugar. You can eat a little maybe with your morning coffee. I don't believe in reducing a macro nutrient very low (like 10% carbs for the keto diet). I do believe that if you want to gain some lean mass and define your body you'll need 2g of protein/kg body weight.
    ⚠️ Hydrate well! At least 2L/day. That does not include teas, soups, infused water etc. They are all digested but the water goes straight into your blood (immediate hydration).
    ⚠️ Plan and prepare your food. Don't eat bland food. Try new recipes! Cook, chose tasty and healthy options, meal prep a few days in advance. If you have a sweet tooth, make sure that you have desert 2 times a day.
    ⚠️Eat daily vegetables (raw, steamed, baked, boiled and occasionally sauteed).
    ⚠️When you feel hungry, your body wants nutrients, not empty calories... so eat white bread, white rice, white pasta etc only occasionally. There's no need to mention that you must not eat chips, biscuits and such, right?
    ⚠️Don't impose absurd restrictions to yourself. That's not sustainable. If there are things that you love and want to keep eating, find their healthy replacements. I still eat ice cream (made of frozen fruits, yogurt and sweeter), sponge cake and many pancakes. You want to enjoy your new lifestyle.
    ⚠️Have an Indulging day per month and be all in. Eat anything, as much as you want. But eat very clean the rest of the month.
    ⚠️Workout! Otherwise you'll get skinny fat. And I don't want to hear that you don't have time. Most of us don't have time but we make time. 1h, 3-5 times a week is fine. Don't overdo it.
    ⛔NO to soda and juice... even fresh juice must be consumed with a limit of 250 ml (lots of sugars) YES: water, unsweetened teas, fruit infused water, black coffee. You can have a smoothie or diet soda from time to time.
    ⛔NO to potato chips and oil fried peanuts. YES to all raw nuts - they have healthy fats! Almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecan nuts etc.
    ⛔NO to fried foods. YES to baked/boiled/steamed foods.
    ⛔NO to store bought fruit yogurt, YES to make your own with fresh fruits. You can also throw some chia seeds or oats in the mix and make a snack out of it.
    ⛔NO to cold cuts like sausages salami etc YES to traditionally raw-dry low fat meat (like they have on the country side)
    ⛔NO to sugar (well.. 95% of it), YES to natural sweeter
    My most efficient tool in this journey was the Myfitnesspal application. Counting calories made me realize how huge my portions were...

    This is it for the start. :-) Good luck!
  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    1MADGIRL wrote: »
    Also can you share the workouts you did in the first 3 months to get to that stage? If its okay for me to ask!

    Also.. it's not about doing it in '3 months' as it only depends on the effort you put in. If you apply all the above consistently, you can achieve A LOT in a short time.
  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    I have a new personal best: a 6 min 25s wall sit. Look at my face expression when the legs gave in! Hahaha my thighs were ON FIRE! 😂
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  • 1MADGIRL
    1MADGIRL Posts: 838 Member
    Thank you so much for replying. I'm trying. I'm hoping this will become a habit
  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    1MADGIRL wrote: »
    Thank you so much for replying. I'm trying. I'm hoping this will become a habit

    You're welcome. If you'll do it long enough, it will become a habit (that's the way our brain works). Be patient and don't give up. :-)
  • MidlifeCrisisFitness
    MidlifeCrisisFitness Posts: 1,106 Member
    TinaZ2018 wrote: »
    Feedback after the first month of maintenance and body re-composition:
    I suppose that what I'm doing it's working because the scale is pretty stable, I've only gained a little weight (muscless mass probably) but got smaller in size and I'm considerably stronger: from 27 to 45 push-ups/set, managed to do the first chin-ups in my life and I've increased the dumbells to 6.5kg/14.33lbs.
    I'll wait a little longer to see how my weight fluctuates and I'll adjust accordingly.
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    Amazing! So fantastic... 💪
  • farmermariepier
    farmermariepier Posts: 10 Member
    Thank you I needed this kind of motivation today.
  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    Thank you!
  • RockingWithLJ
    RockingWithLJ Posts: 243 Member
    TinaZ2018 wrote: »
    Hello, everyone! This is my progress after 3 months of healthy eating and over 80h of home workouts. 3.7 kg of them were lost in the last 6 weeks since I've discovered MFP and controlled my daily eating in order to have a calorie deficit. The most significant changes are: weight - 6.3kg (@August 6th - I took the pix a few days before), waist and belly -7cm, hips and butt -5 cm, tighs -6 cm and I'm toned - I've never been. 2 more kg to go and half of my goal will be done! Beside loosing 8 kg, the other half is getting my self as toned as possible until June 2019 (this was the due date for both goals). My goal is not to follow a diet but to have a healthy and active life style.

    I’ll tell you my story (sorry for the long post)… I'm still at the beginning (it's been only 3 months).
    I could never really understand how I should feel good after exercising, let alone energized (at the beginning, I could go straight to the morgue after a 20 minutes session of home exercising). I read about the chemical reactions but that’s not very helpful. Anyways. Now, after 2 months, I get it. I lost weight, I'm more toned, I've gained strength, I look better, feel better and confident but the first month was pure hell.

    All my life I made an art of being sedentary - brought it to perfection. And I hate sports. Above this, I LOVE good food, all my family cooks great (including me, so moving out didn't help) and let's say that my food portions were over sized in comparison with how I should have eat. Thankfully, I realized a bit late that my cooking skills could be used to cook very healthy and tasty dishes. I’m not lazy at all but when it comes to sports, I can’t say the same… I’ was 32 yo, 1.68 cm and weighted 67.8 kg. And I always disliked sports. My problem was that I was so sedentary that my ankles started to hurt for months and I also had some terrible back pains (sitting 10h a day at work..). The worst thing? I got saggy... saggy butt, saggy arms and big, ugly, belly. I felt so bad about how I looked, that I started to avoid seeing myself in the mirror. I just decided that this is not okay, is not normal and is not who I want to be. I can be better. I WILL be better.

    It was very hard at the beginning. I do the exercises at 6:15PM (after work) so I was already pretty tired. But even when I felt like crying, I did my session. I had my workout schedule and stuck to it.

    I know myself and how I find excuses… so that’s why I decided to do my exercises at home. This way, I can’t say that I don’t have time to go to the gym, or that I won’t go to a run because it’s raining, or that it’s too snowy to get to the gym. The season won’t matter.

    To get an idea of the state I was in, I’ll tell you that for me, one push-up meant laying on my belly and only pushing myself up with the arms (cobra push-up). It was impossible to do at least a knee push-up - now I can do 15 correct ones. After 50 squats I felt exhausted - now I can do 250 and breathe almost normally. And so on. My muscles were so atrophied that I had cramps even when I was doing the moves without weights. I was a mess with no strength at all. I gradually increased the time of the sessions, the difficulty of the exercises and the weights. The sessions got from 20 minutes to 90. Meanwhile I started to think about these sessions like something that I must do, routine (like eating or a taking a shower) and didn’t perceive them as awful anymore. It might not seem much to other people, but in the last 3 months I exercised more than in the last 20 years so for me… that’s amazing.
    My point is… it doesn’t matter how bad is the state you are in NOW. It matters to do something about it and make a habit of it. A good habit. No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everybody in the couch. Also, don’t focus on losing weight. If you clean up your diet and exercise regularly, your weight will take care of itself.

    My blood tests are almost perfect (according to my doctor I still have to get that cholesterol a bit lower but for me 212 is not high...), my self-confidence is back, I feel lighter, more sexy, I'm more confident, I have a general good state of mind and I can wear size Small clothes again. I love my life now. This change was long due.

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    Love it! Hard work definitely shows <3
  • ggeise14
    ggeise14 Posts: 387 Member
    Great progress! Inspiring :)
  • Danisha43
    Danisha43 Posts: 26 Member
    Thank you for sharing your story. There has been so many times that I wanted to quick but reading your story just gave me the push to keep going and for that I thank you again! Congrats on your success.
  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    Thank you all very much!
  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    RockingWithLJ wrote: »
    Love it! Hard work definitely shows <3

    Thank you very much! Those photos are from 2018. Meanwhile I've gained more muscle mass and have a lower weight. :-)

  • TinaZ2018
    TinaZ2018 Posts: 314 Member
    Thank you, Kevin!

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