Day 1 of Cycle 2: Took a day off on between cycles. Started Cycle 2 with a nice hike at Runyon Canyon.
Day 30: finished off cycle one with one of my fave hikes at Torrey pines in San Diego w one of my fave people.
DAY 30!!! What I Did to Lose 10+ lbs in 1 month
Final day in Cycle 1 of 30 Days of Fit! Wish I could devote my whole day to working out, getting healthy, and making yummy, healthy recipes.. but the reality is that I can’t. Working over 50 hours a week -running a small business, consulting on the side and volunteering with charities close to my heart… there just isn’t enough time. BUT, I was able to complete 30 days and I am so excited!!
*I haven’t worked out today but do plan on going on an awesome hike w/ my bf later on today so that should burn 700 calories -WOOT*
When I stepped on the scale this morning …. I was 1 lb away from my 1st month goal weight but nevertheless pleased …. lost 14lbs!!
14lbs in 30 days… may seem unhealthy to some but let’s just say - I clearly had more than enough weight on me to lose that much.
30DAY CYCLE BREAKDOWN:
Workout:
- Cardio: Do something where you break a sweat (unless you are swimming) and raise that heart beat. My goal was to burn at least 500 trackable calories a day. Whether that be running on the streets, hiking or hopping on a cardio machine at the gym —- do enough cardio to burn 500 calories a day. *Remember - gym machines don’t always calculate accurate calorie reads, so make sure you add in a few extra calories for good measure*
- Abs: Lots of work to do on this part but did start on the ab routine at the end of each cardio session. Either following your own ab routine - or go on You Tube and look up my fave ab workouts: Tracy Anderson - Ab Workout Webisode, and Tone It Up- Sunkissed Abs.
- Weights and Strength Training: Didn’t really start incorporating this until the last 7 days when I started going to the gym 2x a day. Will be focusing on strength training and toning up the muscles during Cycle 2.
The key part of my cycle 1 workouts were to BURN CALORIES. Remember, my goal was to shed pounds and not necessarily tone up during this month — although with running, stair climbing I am starting to see definition in my legs. (YAY!)
DIET:
The harder part of the 2. While I try to maintain a pretty healthy diet normally - I had allowed myself a few too many pasta dinners and french fries. No surprise - those items have NOT entered my body in 30 days.
- 1200 Calories A Day: Again, a huge fan of MYFITNESSPAL. Used it to log all my calories each day to make sure I was on track.
- Low Carbs: Carbs are necessary but you have to stick to the good carbs and the carbs that come with the other foods you consume. The only deliberate carbs I consumed were from THE ALTERNATIVE PITA and English Muffins. (Oops, I did have rice and a slice of bread on my 1 cheat day).
- High Protein: Have been a psecatarian (eats fish but no other flesh from animals)for MANY years (since 6th grade to be exact) but I had to incorporate some lean protein into this… Turkey and Chicken (skinless, boneless). The majority of my meals consisted of ground turkey, poached eggs, and grilled fish.
- Sweets: My sweet tooth was satisfied sans sweets and candies. When I was craving something sweet I would grab a piece of fruit or allow myself an Altoid or piece of gum.
- Alcohol: I love myself a glass (or two) of wine but I had to limit my intake. Did not drink during the week and logged all of my drinks consumed over the weekend. Opted for lower calorie drinks like Vodka Sodas. Thanks to Skinny Girl drinks (and Scott who stocks up on them for me), there are all kinds of alcoholic beverages under 100 calories.
- Meals: Have never been able to favor 5-6 small meals a day until now. Rather than waiting to be starved, grab a snack and keep yourself satisfied.
- Snacks: What I snacked on during my 30 days:
Apple and Almond Butter (Barney Butter Packet 90 calories)
Raw Almonds
Greek Yogurt and Some Type of Fruit
Light String Cheese Wrapped in a Slice of Turkey Breast (Heat in microwave for a turkey melt wrap)
- NO SODA: This one was tough b/c I am obsessed with Diet Coke. Not sure why I cut this out but my body feels good without the carbonation.
Cheat Days: Tried to stay as committed to the program as possible… BUT I did end up having 2 cheat days and 1 day of no working out. Which is OK, as long as you make up for it the following day - which I did.
Keep In Mind: 3500 calories = 1lb so whether it be through work out or diet, make sure you burn/ don’t take in those extra calories!
I’m thinking a little cheat day /celebration is in order after my hike this afternoon.
100% devoted to Cycle 2 of 30 days of Fit - TOMORROW!
Want to be Summer (Bikini) Ready by the 4th of July?
Want to be bikini ready by the 4th of July? Start your “30 DAYS OF FIT” today!
Dedicate yourself to 30 days of being active, eating healthy, and really being in tune with your body/diet - and you will see results.
In order to see results you are going to need to COMMIT. For just 30 days, commit to the following:
-Log your food to see exactly what you are consuming: Surprising to see how quickly the calories could add up - even with all the lo-cal, low fat options out there. Find a calorie log app on your phone and start logging everything. (Recommendation: My Fitness Pal app has a pretty extensive food log, and can calculate your workouts for you too.)
-Drink Lots of Water: I personally cut out the soda (including diet soda) but that isn’t a must. Just stay hydrated with lots of water. *Make sure you log any and all of your drinks as well.*
-Work Out: Commit to burning at least 500 calories per day through cardio or some type of physical activity. *Reminder: 3500 calories = 1 lb of fat.*
Think you are too busy?
Think again. For the next 30 days, make sure to take time out of your day to plan your ‘workout’. (Fitting in the workouts will get easier as soon as you start seeing those results.)
The key to this plan is that you sick to burning off at least 3500 calories per week. By monitoring your food- eating clean, low carbs, low calories, low fat and high protein, your diet will start to help shape your body as well.
Just burning 500 calories a day x 7 days a week will result in losing 1lb of body fat a week.
So, join me in the 30 days of fit and see your body change in time for the 4th of July!
Use #30daysoffit tags and join the challenge!
