Friday, June 12, 2009

my secrets

...to weight loss (ok let's be honest! they are not secrets...basically in a nut shell just eat right & work out :))
I am overwhelmed at how many people have requested to "know my secrets" over the year, and well you see i have been a bit busy in all preparing for a baby & working working working! BUT i have finally found some free time to sit down & share so bare with me if it is long...

to begin:
I would say one of the most important things for me (and that I tell everyone first thing) is that you NEED if at all possible to get someone to either workout with you, or to be there for encouragement (or to just tell you not to eat that chocolate brownie that you really really want!!). This person for me was my dear husband (i guess at the time when i started 4 years ago he way my boyfriend :)). Daniel never missed a workout or run and was very good at helping me stick to the diet! What a great guy. Not only that, he basically was my "personal trainer". In case you haven't noticed (which i'm sure you have) he is in GREAT shape and has been working out for years, so he knows all about it! Yes there were times that well...i wasn't so kind to him because really i didn't want to lift one more pound or i just had to have an oreo cookie. Looking back now i am so thankful for his constant love & faithfulness to me :)

**oh i do need to say that over the years my exercises & diet have changed slightly as i have gotten stronger & exercise more, but this below is what initially i started with & made me drop the weight pretty quick. My total weight loss (pre-pregnancy :)) was 64 lbs.

the workout:
-don't start off by killing yourself

  • 30 mins of intense aerobic exercise (started off at 3 days a week & worked up to 5 or 6 days). This can be anything like running, fast walking, aerobic classes, swimming, biking, elliptical & so on. I would usually try to run three days a week & then do some other activity the days in between.
  • weight training **Ok ladies! I know what your thinking right now! "I don't want to lift weights because it will make me big & bulky". Let me be the first to tell you that is a lie...remove it from your thoughts right away!! Weight training has done wonders for me!

Here are some tips/guidelines to plan for your lifting...

  • don't always do the same exercises. change it up to keep it interesting & keep your body guessing!
  • don't work the same muscle groups two days in a row.

  • i usually pick two exercises per muscle group & do each of them three sets of 15 (ex. 3 sets of 15 side raises & 3 sets of 15 dumbbell press all to work my shoulders. Google those if you don't know what i am talking about).
  • i would usually do something like back, biceps & legs on Monday, & then chest, shoulders & triceps on Tuesday...Wednesday would be back to what was on Monday and so on...circuit training is also a good way to change it up.

the diet:

  • cut out all sweets!!
  • basically eat the same amount of protein as carbs.
  • make sure your carbs are whole grains NOT mulitgrain (that can be deceptive...they are not the same thing). ex for whole grains: whole wheat bread, whole wheat bagels, whole wheat tortilla's, oatmeal...etc. basically anything that is 100% whole wheat!!
  • for protein you want anything that is lean & grilled/blackened, etc. Get rid of the fried fast food stuff! Ex: egg whites, grilled chicken, tuna, grilled shrimp, turkey...etc. protein is important & you need it to build lean muscle.
  • do vegetables more than fruit since fruit does have sugar in it.
  • use splenda instead of sugar
  • cut out soft drinks!!!! I lost somewhere between 5 to 10 lbs by just cutting them out alone!
  • be aware of calories...and how many you take in!
  • drink water...don't waste calories with sugary drinks that leave you empty! I have found that propel water is a great way to get flavor but also to go healthy!!
  • when you are out to eat order a salad with grilled chicken! be smart with your choices. eat steamed or grilled veggies instead of those french fries.

my menu: in case some of you need more direction because i know i did! I wanted Daniel to tell me EXACTLY what to eat & the portion size..

Breakfast:

2 egg white (with pepper NO SALT!)

1 piece of whole wheat toast

water :)

Lunch:

1 can of tuna (drained) with a table spoon of fat free mayo & some pickle relish. All of this on two pieces of whole wheat bread to make a tasty sandwich.

water :)

Dinner:

grilled chicken on a beautiful bed of lettuce with some fat free dressing. also, i try & include some walnuts, raisins, carrots, tomatoes on my salad for extra nutrients!!

great snacks: hand full of walnuts, almonds, raisins, carrots spread out during your day when you just feel like you can't make it!

**Oh i can't believe i almost forgot this...PROTEIN SHAKES! My first year of loosing weight I lived off of these! Every morning i drank one with a half of a whole wheat bagel. BUT i have to say that after years of drinking them I can barely even type this without throwing up! Maybe i will get back to them when I'm not pregnant!!

so there it is...

don't expect to be instantly thinner. it took me about 8 to 9 months to loose 50lbs & and then another 3 to 4 months to get the rest off! I have kept it off and feel great! It is all about a lifestyle change!

i have continued with this lifestyle even being pregnant. As of today I have gained 11lbs at 28.5 weeks pregnant (well i say 17 lbs but the doctors say 11lbs). Eat healthy and exercise like i said before. Oh & do splurge some time! I can still remember when I lost my first 30 lbs Daniel took me to chili's & let me get my OWN molten chocolate cake! I devoured that thing! He wanted to reward me for all my hard work. So sorry this is jumbled and I feel like I am rambling, but maybe someone will benefit from it. Please let me know if you have any questions :)

Mae

11 comments:

Dana said...

While I really enjoyed this post, I still want to know what you were talking about the other day!

Rebecca M. said...

Did you have a preference on protein shakes? Some can be really gross.

Ashley Davis said...

I still drink a Myoplex shake for breakfast everyday. Except when I was pregnant b/c I threw them up, haha!

Rhett & Valerie said...

What kind of protein shake, Mae?

Mae said...

Myoplex Lite. It comes in chocolate, vanilla & strawberry (the strawberry makes me want to gag!). I would usually get them in individual servings at GNC, but they have them at Wal-mart now in the nutritional section. You can also order them online which we did for a while since both daniel & i were drinking them (but he drank the regular Myoplex not the Lite).

Shelbie and Aaron Rose said...

Thanks Magen! I really enjoyed this too! I have lost 8 pounds in the last few weeks, and hope to keep going with a steady pace. I am really enjoying it. Love ya!

Dana said...

Has it gotten easier for you to refrain from sugar? What do you do when you are traveling for a long period of time?

Rhett & Valerie said...

Hey Girl,

In your sets & reps, did you increase the weight with each set, or keep it steady?

Love this post!
**Val

Andrea said...

Molten Lava is the best...Love reading your blog :) Hope yall are doing well!

Mae said...

Dana,
it has gotten easier for me to refrain from sugar most of the time. Daniel & I have the "motto" we live by...if we don't buy it then it's not in the house so we make sure we don't buy anything when we go to the grocery store. Being pregnant i feel like i do eat more sweet though :)

Valerie,
Yes I would increase the amount of weight each time. I wouldn't do to much in the beginning but build up to it! Being pregnant I just maintain the amount of weight i lift.

Jessie said...

this was so encouraging! i've just started my own "lifestyle" change. i lost about 30 pounds two years ago, but need a refresher :) again, this was very encouraging...thank you!