Getting Fit

Somehow over the past 6 years I put on some extra weight.  It wasn't bad at all but I could just tell that I was getting soft.  I hadn't really changed that much in my eating habits but my exercise habits took a complete downward spiral once I graduated college and got married.

I was extremely active in college.  I was in the best shape of my life, I was strong, fit, and had some serious muscle tone going on.  I was always taking a PE class (swimming was my favorite) and if I wasn't at Cheerleading practice, the barn riding my horses or in my room watching America's Next Top Model or Gossip Girl then you could find me sweating it out hardcore in the gym.  I used all the machines, lots of free weights, and logged many hours there.  I sure did get my money's worth ;)  

I have always been somewhat active and figured with that fact I could just keep on eating how I always did. But then something happened, I would get on the scale and see a number that I was not happy with, I tried my best to get out and burn some more calories to offset what I was eating but that wasn't making a difference.  Then last May I decided I needed to do something and had seen some positive results from other friends doing the Bikini Challenge with the Tone it Up girls.  I signed up and started my workouts...but with a 3 year old and a newborn finding the time to get my workouts in was hard.  I stuck with it for a several weeks and loved how sore I was getting from the workouts but wasn't seeing as much of a difference as I was hoping for.

Then my dear husband showed me an App for my phone, the My Fitness Pal by Under Armour.  They have a huge catalog of foods and their calories/nutritional values as well as tracking how many steps you take.  Once you fill out your profile you can set goals and they will give you the recommended calorie intake for each day to help you achieve your goal. Y'all, I taught Health and Fitness for 5 years and I honestly didn't believe what a big role your eating habits and calorie intake played on maintaining/losing weight.  In one year I have lost 14 pounds and managed to keep it off.  I have lost these 14 pounds solely from changing my eating habits and being more aware of how many calories are in what I eat.  I stopped working out with the Tone it Up gals last June and really haven't done much more that walking an average of 6,000 steps a day.  I do all my other regular activities: like weeding, vacuuming and carrying my babies around.  I just can't believe what a difference those 14 pounds have made on my body image and how my clothes fit.  I actually weigh less than I did in College (and probably high school too) and I feel great!  I have met and surpassed my goal weight and I am enjoying ice cream, pumpkin pie, cakes, pasta and pizza.

Here are some comparison shots for you:

September 2015

June 2016

May 2017

I truly believe that your weightloss journey seriously is 80% of what you eat (or don't) and only 20% of the activity you do.

If you have any other questions I would love to answer them for you.  This post is completely unsponsored, I am just loving my results so I wanted to share them with you!!

♥ Ashley