How I Lost 20lbs with Nike Pt. 1

Ok not solely with Nike but Nike did have a big part in it.

I would say my weight gain started about 5 years ago and what do you know that's about the same time I met my now boyfriend. Hmm...I wonder if there's any coincidence there?

Of course I'm going to blame all of this on him! lol.

But seriously, I am. Ok ok, I might have a little part to blame. Ugh, why does the worst food have to taste the best.

Before I knew it, I stepped on the scale and I calculated that my BMI had skyrocketed to the overweight section of the chart. I was officially overweight for my height and could definitely feel the effects of my no workout filled lifestyle. Anyway, I decided that enough was enough. 

The first thing I started doing was exercise. My friends run the Rosebowl in Pasadena and I started to join them. For many weeks we would run the 3.1 miles around the Rosebowl at least 4 days a week. Then after I decided that I wanted to try and get a 6 pack (I know, high hopes), I searched for another workout routine we could add on after our runs. And what'ya know there's an app for that!

It's called Nike Training Club.

And it's free!

This app basically gives you 30-45 circuit training type of workouts like a personal trainer would. There are 3 forms of workouts that help with cardio, toning and strength. And there are focused workouts if you want to work on a specific part of your body. The great thing is that the app offers so many different combinations of workouts that you wouldn't ever get bored because you are doing something different each time.

These workouts can range from beginner, intermediate and advanced. And I remember the first session kicking our butts and it was just a beginner level. Now we can proudly do the advance ones, which are essentially the same except no break times. 

I really love this app, each move is supplemented with a video of how to do it and you can set your music on your iPhone along with your workout. Unfortunately, I think it is only available on the iPhone. All you need is a yoga mat, some weights and a good amount of space to run back and forth on. The workouts in this app along with the running helped me slim down a lot. 

One really cool thing was that I found out was that Nike has Nike Training Club workouts at the Montalban theater in Hollywood for free! It's an hour workout with a Nike certified trainer on the rooftop of the theater which also houses a basketball court. 

The view up there is pretty amazing. If you live around the area, the workouts are every Thursday at 7pm. 

Has anyone seen that commercial for Kaiser Permanente and the girl is trying to find a workout that fits her? She steps into a pole exercise class and then steps out. lol. Yah that was me. I think throughout those 5 years of packing on the pounds I tried so many different types of workouts. I even joined 24 hour fitness. I bought that 2 year pass from Costco and out of the 700+ days I could have gone to the gym, I managed to only go no more than 10 times. Well 24 hour gyms are gross! Anyway, I think it just takes the right kind of workout for your personality. And thank God I found something I can actually be consistent with. So I wouldn't be disheartened if say you tried like yoga, then pilates, then kickboxing etc and didn't like them (ie. me). Just keep persevering and trying other workouts, one of them is bound to like you. Just like dating, ok bad example. You get the gist.

Well along with all this exercising I of course had to overhaul my eating habits. Aka go on a diet. Here's what I usually ate:

• Breakfast - oatmeal with dried cranberries (no sugar); later on changed it to a glass of hot water with lemon and rolled oats with dried cranberries
• Lunch - Usually a small protein with rice/ or a salad with a protein
• Dinner - same as lunch
• Snacks - I usually snacked on fruits. 

Here's the thing, I became really really strict with my eating habits and I know that wont work for everybody. But the key to any diet is consistency and saying no. These were my rules:

-no soda

-no fast food

-no juice

-no caffeine

-no coffee

-no chips(my weakness)

-no fried foods

-not too much sugar (I tried cutting out sugar for a week and I only lasted a day because I think it is impossible for me to not eat chocolate every day)

-no eating past 9pm

I know that I might sound a little crazy now, but trust me after a while you wont even crave those foods anymore. But that is not to say that I haven't broken any of my rules. I still occasionally eat fast food, fried foods and drank coffee.

Yes, dieting is hard. But I've learned that when you stick to a correctly portioned meal everyday, your stomach adjusts and it becomes natural to eat less portions. Portion control was a huge factor in my weight loss. I remember before when I used to be able to eat a hamburger and a large french fries and still feel hungry. Whereas now if I eat that I only can finish half a burger and fries(on my cheat days of course). 

So then after doing this diet for a while I came upon this book called The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder.

And this part I'm going to continue to a Part 2 section because this is getting pretty long. lol. 

Oh an btw my starting weight at the beginning of my weight loss goal was 140 (give or take a few lbs) and now I am at a happy 120. My weight when I first met my bf was 110 or maybe even less, but I was rail thin at that weight and I had a crazy metabolism. And let me tell you that this was not one of those instances where I lost the weight in like a month. It's been more like 6 months. I think the slow and steady method helps your mind assimilate to a new body.

I hope this story has helped anyone trying to lose weight. If you guys have any questions, please don't be afraid to ask.