On December 19 I posted, on my Instagram, about how I began my weight loss journey back in the summer of 2012. I stated how over the last four years I have gone from wearing a size 20/ xxl to a 10/ medium. I was overwhelmed with the amount of encouragement and praise that I received but also heartbroken with how many friends were struggling on their own weight loss journey. Comments like; “you have motivated me”, “tell me your secrets” and “what has worked for you” empowered me to come up with the idea to share what has and has not worked for me. I will now be dedicating the first Monday or Tuesday of every month to my new blog series entitled, “Lose the LBs with Bri”. I will talk about what foods I have eaten, what workouts I have tried and I will also be getting tips from other friends who have lost weight as well. Moreover this will be the place for you guys to ask me questions and maybe turn them into a post.
MY “DAILY” ROUTINE:
Let me start by saying that on the weekend I am way less structured.
Monday- Friday I am typically up and out of the house by 5:45 so that I can be in the gym by 6 and workout for an hour and then shower, change, and go to work. I LOVE morning workouts because after work I just want to go home or hang out with friends, so this is what works for me. Do not get me wrong there are some days where I need to sleep in and so I may workout at night or do a workout in my room instead.
I tend to eat every three to four hours with my first meal being before the gym and I try not to eat after 8 PM.
FOOD
I have researched every diet imaginable, counted points and calories, denied myself of foods and none of that worked for me. Life is too short not to enjoy good food. What I have found that works best for me is meal prepping and I have finally gotten in down. I usually do my prep on Saturdays or Monday nights and prep for the work week which for me is Monday – Friday. This has been my meal prep as of lately:
Breakfast: Clif Bar and my green tea with a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar
Snack: One hardboiled egg, yolk removed¸ and ½ cup of vegetable this week is spinach, overnight oats with frozen fruit, cup of black coffee
Lunch: This week I have two meals taco bowls, one shredded chicken/ roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and mashed sweet potato, and one homemade turkey burger with a mashed sweet potato and roasted carrots and squash.
Snack: handful of almonds and a small orange
Dinner: I live in Austin where the food is amazing and I have friends who like to go to dinner so it’s never planned; I can’t be that regimented, I need wiggle room.
Water: ONE GALLON A DAY !
My biggest “secret” when meal prepping is that I do NOT add salt to anything. I use Ms. Dash to season my meats and if I need a sweetener it’s usually honey or banana
** I will gladly share recipes, just ask.
WORKOUT
I have been, trying to, workout 6 days a week and resting on Sunday. I am usually in the gym Monday – Friday and then I like to hike or walk the trail on Saturdays. I have been doing 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training.
THIS MONTHS FOCUS
This month I want to try these two workout ideas and I will try to post one of these each month.
I hope you find some of this helpful and next month I hope to cover a suggested topic.
Happy New Year and may it be the best one yet.