After working with a personal trainer for 2 years and competing in her first competition, Stephanie realized that under-eating and doing excessive cardio may not have been the best advice. Now she has put competing on hold to focus on building healthy habits. Five years ago I was going through many things in my life that most of my closest friends and family weren’t even aware of. I was depressed and had blown up to 220 pounds. I hated exercise and loved food (still love food). I was embarrassed to even leave my house in fear I would run into someone I knew. A friend asked me to start walking with her. “Ugh!! Really??”..was likely my response. She continued to nag me until I finally gave in. We started walking the track a few times a week. Just a mile. Felt pretty good though. I decided that I hated the way I looked and felt and I was the only person that could fix it. So I started watching my portions and started exercising at home for 20 minutes 6 times a week. Then my friend asked me to do a bootcamp with her. “Ugh!!!!” Yep, again. After assuring me it was suitable for all fitness levels (it wasn’t….at all) I again gave in and went. Longest, hardest and most miserable 60 minutes of my life. But I did it and continued to do it for several weeks a few nights a week until the camp was over. After losing 30 pounds on my own, I was introduced to a personal trainer. I asked his price and hired him on the spot. This was a huge turning point. I trained 3 times a week and took spin 3 times a week. My trainer mentioned the possibility of me competing in fitness competitions. It sounded very intriguing and what a goal!!!! I trained with my trainer 3 times a week for 2 years. In that time I did compete in my first fitness competition. It was probably the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done…and the most physically, mentally and emotionally wrecking.
Stephanie’s Transformation
After two years I felt I was outgrowing my trainer and wanted to go in a different direction. I felt the next natural step for me was to become certified to train (I was already a certified spin instructor by this time). I became certified and continued to compete…learning from my mistakes and really bad advice all along the way. Under-eating and over-doing cardio. This year I really changed my approach and decided to skip competing this season. I was developing healthier habits and was afraid my habits were so new that if I competed I would resort back to old ways. Will I compete again? Yes. Hopefully with a much more wise approach. Until then I will continue to search for my happy place while motivating and training others while helping them avoid the pitfalls I suffered. Exercise is the easy part…food…that’s tough. I have to remember to give myself credit (and a break) for how far I have come…even though I still have so far to go to become balanced.
Has eating more changed your life? Have an EM2WL transformation to share? We’d love to see it! Be featured on our Transformation/Journey page by submitting your story to Success@EM2WL.com
Once upon a time, working out at home was reserved for the Richard Simmons, Jane Fonda, leotard, thong, leg warmers, aerobics, aerobics, and more aerobics era. But with the explosion of Beachbody and other late night infomercials (are there other infomercials?) most of us have grown to accept a visual of more muscular looking individuals using dumbbells on our home workout screens. This new era of workout videos provides instant access to some of the top trainers of the industry today: Jillian Michaels, Kelly Coffey-Meyer, Jackie Warner, Cathe Friedrich, Chalene Johnson and so many more. The convenience of working out at home can be an amazing thing for the motivated individual, or the person who enjoys the “feel” of being in a class setting (minus worrying that one might be judged by classmates – gasp!! “can you believe she’s wearing those pink pajama pants?!”).
With the (over)abundance of workout vids, we might easily assume that ripped, superfit types (as seen on the videos) are also in great supply. If you are one of the growing number of at-home exercisers (like me), you may be – in fact – wondering when your ripped-ness will arrive. Or, perhaps you’re glumly thinking that you’re the only person on the planet who works your butt off with these annoyingly-ripped-freaks-of-nature, yet still look like you gave birth last week. Grrrr…How is it possible to work your buns off, yet still not be able to fit said buns into those skinny jeans? To collect bucket-loads of sweat from doing 30-Day Shred (for 120 days!), yet have no semblance of becoming “shredded” any time soon?
Whenever you can safely do so, increase weight.
This is typically because, as consumers, we tend to equate sweating with results. Moving nonstop during your workout, doing endless reps, or cardio moves between every lift will surely provide the sweat. Unfortunately, the amount of sweat that you leave behind has little to do with the reshaping of your body. As great as it feels, your body will eventually adapt to ANY workout that you do repeatedly, and you’ll stop seeing results. So should you toss your hopes of getting fit at home and run to the nearest gym? Not necessarily. It’s always great to work with what you’ve got (and I, for one, am not willing to shew my pink PJs just yet).
Here are five ways to make any DVD worth while:
Lift heavier
Make any DVD work harder by simply picking up a heavier weight. Even if you only have one or two DVDs to work with, increasing the amount of weight that you’re lifting is a quick plateau prevention/fix. Just because the people on the screen are using five – eight pounds doesn’t mean that you need to. Pick a weight that challenges you (ie. you can’t do MORE than two reps beyond the amount you’re supposed to be doing) and will bring you the results you’re after. Even if you come up a few reps shorter than “the crew,” you’re all good. Most home workout DVDs have far too many reps for the desired results. For strength gains, lift as heavy as you can for up to seven reps, for muscle building and definition lift for eight to 12 reps, and for endurance (cardio) perform 12+ reps (or as directed by the DVD). For best results, alternate all three rep ranges using weight appropriate for each range.
Train like a pro. Jot down exercises, weights, sets, & reps.
Take Notes
In order to have greatest success with the previous tip, be certain to take a moment to bring a pen and pad with you to the workout area. Jot down the exercises done in the vid, and how much weight you used. Whenever you discover that you could’ve kept going, put an asterisk or other symbol (like an up arrow) to let you know to go up in weight next time. ALWAYS lift heavier if you can safely do so. You’re not doing yourself any favors by using the same weight amounts for months at a time, no matter how much sweating is going down. Also keep track of how many reps you did, so that you can adjust the next time around. If you were able to do 12 pounds for 15 reps, then you know that you’ll need to go heavier if aiming for eight to ten reps next time around. Keeping a journal of your workouts (exercises, reps, sets, and rests) is key to a successful workout, whether at home or the gym.
Press Pause
It’s perfectly acceptable to press pause if the DVD is moving too fast (this will become incredibly relevant when increasing poundage for lifts). When doing circuit type workout vids (a weight move followed by a cardio move – or weighted moves with no rest between sets), it becomes ridiculously hard to lift heavy enough weights. This may tempt us to believe that we can’t go heavier, but this is far from the truth. While I would typically recommend doing a workout via a professional as written the first few times around, this becomes much less relevant the 88th time the video is done. It’s OK to stray from the pro at this point, and pause the dang thing, so that you can get some serious muscle involvement happening. Base your “rest” periods on the amount of weight and reps that you’re doing — just as you would in the gym — using the rep ranges discussed above. The goal of endurance needs very little rest (30 seconds or less) between exercises, muscle building requires slightly longer (30-60 seconds), and strength requires the longest (60-90 seconds). If the crew is doing 15 reps and you’ve chosen to do only six, then consider the “extra” time that they are pumping out reps as part of your rest period.
Moving too fast for you to lift heavy? Pause the dang thing!
Re-purpose “strength” DVDs
As mentioned earlier, most DVDs suggest dumbbells that are far too light, have too many reps, and not enough rest to be considered a true “strength” workout. No problem. Why not change the way that you view your vids and accept the faster paced workouts for what they truly are…cardio! Most so-called strength videos on the market are really just a glorified HIIT workout. So why not treat them as such. Metabolic cardio and HIIT are all the rage these days anyway, so using your old circuit workouts for cardio helps you to cash in on this trend. This also works well as an alternative for the person who can only make it to the gym a couple times per week. Plan your lifting days for when you have access to heavier equipment at the gym, and your cardio (via video) on the days that you can’t make it.
Swap out moves (or equipment)
Could you use a ball for pushups? Sub jackknives for crunches? Allow your mind to wander..
Let’s face it. Doing the same moves day in and day out for three years isn’t gonna “shape and tone” anything no matter how many times your DVD coach has told you so. Just as we get comfortable when we know what move is coming next on the DVD (or what words for that matter!) so do our bodies. And let’s just say that changes don’t happen when you’re comfortable…well, not good changes anyway. Now that you’ve been taking notes on your workouts (ahem?) you can use that same notebook to plot out ways to shake things up. Again, I don’t typically recommend taking a program written by someone who creates them for a living, and adding your own perceived “improvements.” However, if you know at exactly which pitch of the background song that a particular exercise will start…you stopped seeing results from that move many moons ago. There are safe swaps that can be done to most moves so that you are keeping with the general theme of the program’s intent. For example, you can sub the move for a variation of that same move: plie’ squat for regular, step ups or rear/side lunges in lieu of front lunges, hammer curls instead of traditional, etc..
You could also swap out equipment used in the vid, for equipment that you own but rarely use. I can’t count the amount of messages I’ve received from women asking if it’s “OK” to use hubby’s Bowflex, Nautilus, Smith machine, etc down in the basement…umm, YES! Don’t be scared to put someone else’s dust-collecting equipment to use – I did and it changed my life! The Gold’s Gym setup that I currently use in “Kiki’s Cave” is also formerly-known-as “Father’s Day Gift/clothes dryer” lol. Work with what you have. Teen son have an iron gym? Hubby have an old bench and rack? Score! Have some crazy as-seen-on-TV gadget that you just couldn’t pass up? Use. it. Variety is the spice of life, and just may help you get excited about working out to your old DVDs again. Sub out the old-is-new-again equipment for similar body-part movements. Bench press during pushups. Use a rowing apparatus (lat pull-down, rowing machine?) for bent over rows…or better yet, do pull-ups! Grab a Frisbee or gliding disc and do sliding lunges in place of regular. Use your Kettlebell in place of dumbbells, or sub Kettlebell swings (or sandbag cleans – see vid below) for another cardio move for circuit vids.
Take inventory of items you’d love to use, but never do, and allow your mind to wander. The possibilities are endless.
Not everyone can afford the time or finances that a full time gym commitment requires. Workout videos provide a convenient alternative for busy moms, housewives, or students that simply can’t make it to the gym regularly (or at all). With new formats popping up daily — whether via DVDs, downloads, or free sources like YouTube and Fitness Blender — you can make this growing trend work in your favor (and keep getting results!) with a few simple tweaks.
Do you workout with videos? What are your tricks for keeping the results flowing?
With all the goal setting exercises, planning and strategizing you’ve done since the start of the year, there’s one tool in your arsenal that shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s the tool to beat all tools. Seriously, it’s the mac daddy of tools and we all have it! It is your mindset. Your mindset, or your way of thinking, will have a significant impact on how successful you are. To be successful with your goal, you first have to believe you can achieve it.
If you say you can or you can’t, you are right either way. ~Henry Ford
To reach your goals you must first believe that they are attainable. You would think that’s kind of a no-brainer,right. However, if you are wavering back-and-forth on whether it’s possible you’ve already opened up the door to self-doubt. During the goal setting process, you evaluated your goals and determined them to be realistic. Don’t waiver on your conviction. Stay committed and follow through.
Ever notice how one small negative thought leads to another and before you know it, it’s grown into some big hairy thing? Negative thoughts can suck the energy out of you and can even result in physical ailments. That’s right, your mind can make you sick!
When we’re rushing about, day to day, we may not stop to think of all the different thoughts that are running through our heads. How we think as we move about our day has an impact on everything from our bodies, to our relationships, to our goals, to our lives. These thoughts, whether positive or negative, have a tremendous influence on our behavior. Your mind will either work for you or against you in your effort to reach your goals.
In order to turn negative thoughts around you need to first become more aware of them. Try this exercise. Make a list of thoughts that run through your mind over a few days. Don’t censor them, just let them flow. Now, review your notes to see if you find any negative thought patterns. If you do, focus on these and begin to challenge them. Are they legit or are they based in fear? Are you being overly critical of yourself or the situation? Is your thought reasonable? Our thoughts are shaped by our perception of situations. Does your perception reflect reality?
Thoughts become things…choose the good ones! ~Mike Dooley
Now, let’s flip the script on negative self talk, the way you communicate with yourself, with positive self talk. For example, replace a negative thought such as “It will take forever for me to reach my goal.” with “I’m making progress.” Or “I just don’t have enough time to work out.” with “I am in control. Working out is good for my body.” And, one that seems to slip in far too easily, “I am fat.” Try out “I’m beautiful, inside and out.” and see how that makes you feel.
As much as possible, maintain a positive attitude. You committed to your goals, don’t let self-doubt creep in. Believe in yourself and your abilities. If you struggle with being positive, make an extra effort to identify negative thoughts and turn them around with positive self talk.
Your hard work can be undone simply for failing to believe fully in yourself and your abilities or with negative thinking. Stay positive and keep moving forward. Be grateful, each day, for where you are, acknowledge how far you’ve come and look forward to where you’re going.
My name is Leigh, I’m 29 years old and my journey is not over. I don’t want it to EVER be over.
I was raised in the country by a single mom and two incredible grandparents. They often showed love through food. Biscuits, gravy, mashed potatoes, dumplings, cake. Country foods that men who worked on the farm all day would have no problem consuming and not gaining weight.
Unfortunately, to a sedentary child who preferred watching cartoons all day Saturday instead of going outside, this lifestyle was all wrong.
I’ve been overweight for longer than I can remember.
I remember being on diets. Always. My mom was healthy and active; she would encourage me to be the same way. I remember her trying to get me to go running with her.
I hated running.
We’d go for weeks eating nothing but a salad for dinner.
I hated lettuce. Especially iceberg (still do!).
Then, we tried the cabbage soup diet. Don’t EVER try the cabbage soup diet.
I joined a gym on my own when I started college. Whenever I was actively trying to lose weight on my own and my family members discovered it, it was a constant focus of conversation. “She’s on a diet again.” Eye roll.
When I joined the gym, I remember only telling my grandpa. He was good at keeping secrets and encouraging me in a way that didn’t make me feel like I was a fatty fat fatterson that just needed to eat bird food and run.
I went through cycles of gym time combined with a low-calorie diet – for years. When I turned 21 and discovered alcohol, I drank most of my calories and the weight piled on. Being the fat chick at a party was okay as long as I was drunk. My weight would go up, then down, then up and up some more.
I graduated college in 2006 and made a career choice in 2008 when I began working for a local county government in Public Information. I had to park my car on a hill and I worked on the first floor of the building. That meant four flights of stairs each evening to get to my car. Four flights of stairs to my obese body was … torture. It hurt. I couldn’t breathe. I was embarrassed.
I knew I had to do something. I’d been through the gym/diet continuum and didn’t want to enter a vicious cycle of ups and downs again.
The government office had a small gym equipped with a few free weights, a cable weight machine, an exercise bike, an elliptical and a couple treadmills.
I spent time researching weight loss. One site that popped up was MyFitnessPal.com – a weight loss support community where I could track my intake and my exercise and it was FREE!
MyFitnessPal calculated the calories I’d need to lose two pounds per week. It was the “magical” 1200! I reduced my calories to meet that low. Instead of eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast, I had cereal. Instead of chili and a baked potato for lunch, I had a scant sandwich. Instead of a big meal from a nice restaurant for dinner, I had a 6-inch sub from Subway.
I was still eating “junk” – just not nearly as much of it.
I started to lose weight. I began walking on the treadmill for a few minutes each day, finally working my way up to half an hour. Then, I tested the elliptical. Two minutes and … DONE! I dabbled with some weights (I’ve always favored lifting heavier), but never really picked up a routine.
The first time I stepped on the scale, it stared at me with a hard 280 pounds. I’m unsure of what I weighed before starting to lose; I was too afraid to step on the scale in the beginning.
My weight went down quite a bit. But … I began to binge. A night alone at home would wreak havoc on my entire week. I craved … pancakes. Crackers. Cookies. Cheese. Chips. Research told me I had an “underlying emotional void that I was trying to fill with food.” Bull; I was just HANGRY.
After a few years, my weight stabilized. I tried eating less, working out more, new workouts, gym classes, fasting and other extreme measures. Nothing.happened. Then – I tried eating more. I eventually took my 1200-calories per day up to 1800 and … I lost weight! A few pounds, but still weight! The next week, nothing. That scared me enough to take my calories back down to around 1200.
Finally, after searching and reading, I discovered a group on MyFitnessPal called Eat More 2 Weigh Less (EM2WL). What is this? Eat more and weigh less?! Pfft. Yeah – right!
I checked out some threads in the group. These people were living it; they were lifting heavy weights, eating 2000+ calories per day and … losing fat. A new mindset for me; your scale may not move, but your pants WILL get looser!
After some reading, I decided that since I’d been on a low-calorie diet for SO.FREAKIN’.LONG, I needed to do what the EM2WL group called a “reset.” Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and eat there for six weeks to allow your body to adjust and realize – “Hey! You’re not starving me anymore! I don’t have to hold on to every single calorie as fat for later use because I will be fed well regularly!”
The reset brought about an over 25 pound gain. Yes; my body GAINED weight eating what it should’ve required to MAINTAIN.
From there, I went into what is called a “cut.” I began to consume my TDEE minus 15 percent, creating a calorie deficit.
Because of my low-calorie life, it took me quite a while to begin losing weight again. It has not been an easy journey, but with EM2WL, it has become a more enjoyable one. I have delved into education; I read everything I can get my hands on and I have become more in tune with my body. Over the past few years I have discovered I have hypothyroidism (working on dosing with Armour) and am being tested for low cortisol and hormone imbalance with the help of an amazing physician.
Currently, I am the smallest I’ve been (size 14 pants (down from a size 24!!) and size L/XL shirts (down from a 3X!!)). I’m eating around 2000 calories per day of whole, good-for-me foods … with the occasional cupcake for sanity’s sake! ;) I recently began a Facebook page called Living with LA (https://www.facebook.com/living.with.la) to share what I’ve learned over the past five years with anyone who is willing to listen (message me if you have any questions!). I am a heavy lifter, I enjoy being active and no longer binge! I got married on Dec. 14, 2013 and am looking forward to continuing my healthy journey and starting a family.
If you’re battling the 1200-calories-per-day monster and wondering what it would feel like to EAT and continue your journey to health, do your research on EM2WL. The support here is like nothing else.
God bless!
Have you defeated the 1200 calorie diet monster? Have an EM2WL transformation to share? Willing to let us tag along on your journey? Let us know! Be featured on our Transformation/Journey page by submitting your story to Success@EM2WL.com
Are you still committing to making this your best year yet?
In January, the EM2WL team enjoyed hearing about your 2014 goals. We are celebrating with you when we hear victories of overcoming obstacles. Many of our readers are experiencing the joy of living life while accomplishing their fitness goals.
In the month of February, we will continue working towards our goals in five main areas:
Goal setting
It is worthwhile to reflect upon your short term goals frequently. Remember to continue to frame those goals in a way that is positive and behaviorally-based, rather than results based. Are you making the choices and lifestyle changes that are necessary to see the results you desire?
Reflection
As you work towards your goals, it is important to enjoy the journey. Many valuable life lessons are missed if we are solely focused upon a long-term goal. Reflection challenges will help you to appreciate the mini-victories along the way.
Intuitive Eating
While EM2WL does encourage the use of tracking food and workouts as a way to gauge whether or not you are meeting your unique nutritional goals, this is meant to be an educational tool, not a crutch that you will need to depend upon for the rest of your life. Your ultimate goal should be to learn to eat an appropriate amount of food while listening to your body! Intuitive eating challenges will help you to focus away from the numbers and learn to trust your instincts.
Eat to Fuel
Food is fuel! At EM2WL, we are passionate about using food to fuel our workouts and daily activities to keep those metabolic fires burning! However, we believe you should enjoy this part of your lifestyle. Trying new foods and recipes that fit into your goals can help you to ward off boredom and remain consistent. Who wants to eat chicken, brown rice and broccoli every day? Learning a few new recipes will help you stick to your plan without feeling like you are missing a thing!
Fitness
Fitness challenges are meant to take you out of your comfort zone and teach you some new strategies to have fun, be more efficient, recover better, and maximize your workouts. We believe fitness should be fun!
Are you ready for your best year yet? Join us in the month of February in coming one step closer to our goals!
Becca is a busy wife and homeschooling mother to five children ages 5 to 13. About three years ago, she embarked on a journey to health and fitness that resulted in the loss of approximately 100 pounds. Today, she is a competitive powerlifter and strongwoman who loves ice cream and deadlifts. As an ISSA certified personal trainer, she is passionate about helping women to get started on a lifestyle of strength and fitness.
Five years ago I was going through many things in my life that most of my closest friends and family weren’t even aware of. I was depressed and had blown up to 220 pounds. I hated exercise and loved food (still love food). I was embarrassed to even leave my house in fear I would run into someone I knew. A friend asked me to start walking with her. “Ugh!! Really??”..was likely my response. She continued to nag me until I finally gave in. We started walking the track a few times a week. Just a mile. Felt pretty good though. I decided that I hated the way I looked and felt and I was the only person that could fix it. So I started watching my portions and started exercising at home for 20 minutes 6 times a week. Then my friend asked me to do a bootcamp with her. “Ugh!!!!” Yep, again. After assuring me it was suitable for all fitness levels (it wasn’t….at all) I again gave in and went. Longest, hardest and most miserable 60 minutes of my life. But I did it and continued to do it for several weeks a few nights a week until the camp was over. After losing 30 pounds on my own, I was introduced to a personal trainer. I asked his price and hired him on the spot. This was a huge turning point. I trained 3 times a week and took spin 3 times a week. My trainer mentioned the possibility of me competing in fitness competitions. It sounded very intriguing and what a goal!!!! I trained with my trainer 3 times a week for 2 years. In that time I did compete in my first fitness competition. It was probably the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done…and the most physically, mentally and emotionally wrecking.
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