I’ve (Kiki) been following Kim (Easybeingfat) on Instagram for a while now and I just love the long haul outlook she has on health and self love while achieving her goal physique.  She knows that seeking out consistency rather than shortcuts, is the fastest way to lose weight.  Thankfully, I was able to snag some time with her and get her to share with the fam her secrets to slow, steady, and sustainable progress.

How long have you been on this journey?

Well, for years I TALKED about losing weight and getting serious about my health. I didn’t get serious until June 2013. My best friend wanted to do p90x and she was adamant about me doing it with her. Of course I was all talk, and lazy, so I said no. I didn’t want to do it. She was persistent though. Being my best friend since 6^th grade she knew exactly what to do and say. THANKFULLY, it worked!

I’m always in awe of your consistency (you surely see me tagging clients on your IG pics all day! LOL)  Did you start out intending this to be a “long haul” thing, or did that mindset evolve over time?

Honestly, I started out lost. Uninformed, uneducated, ignorant in my opinion when it came to fitness/weight loss for MYSELF. No real goals but to simply be a certain weight. The scale was my biggest concern in the beginning. It determined ALL my success/progress back then. I honestly had no “plan” to do anything but make the scale say what I THOUGHT would make me feel better about myself. I simply wanted to be 185 pounds. THAT’S IT! As I stated, I was lost. My mindset has certainly EVOLVED! J

How did others around you act about your decision to discard the usual quick fix methods for weight loss?

People were cool. I mean I don’t recall anyone saying anything about it. I have a pretty strong personality, so people really don’t think twice about questioning my choices. At least not to my face. Lol. What I mean by that is people know I won’t be bothered about how THEY feel or what THEY think about how I’m bettering myself. This is my journey to healthy living and I’m going to do what I want.

You motivate followers daily with your hilarious videos and inspirational messages.  How do you manage to stay positive when progress slows or “appears” to be nonexistent?

SLOW PROGRESS IS STILL PROGRESS!! I say things like that to myself all the time. You’d be surprised how much I talk to myself daily to stay motivated. Not just about working out, but about progressing in life PERIOD! Simply being better. HEALTHY LIVING! They (whoever they are lol) say don’t look back, but sometimes thinking about how I USED to be or USED to look keeps me motivated. Knowing that this growth/progress didn’t happen overnight is motivation to keep going. I know what I want is out there to be mine as long as I continue to work hard and believe in myself. That keeps me motivated!

You struggle (openly) with your love of Krispy Kreme, lol! How do you balance the foods you love with the foods that nourish without getting too restrictive?

Did you say Krispy Kreme? Why must you tease me like that? Hahaha. This is by far the toughest thing about this journey for me. EATING! Lord knows I love all the things that aren’t good for you. No, I love to eat A LOT of all the things that aren’t good for you. Lol. That was my problem (portion control and binge eating). I’ve been through so many fad diets/eating plans it’s sickening. That’s why it’s called a journey because you go through so many things to figure out what works for you. I eat the things I like, just not those HUGE portions like I used to. I’ve learned to eat the “bad” things in moderation and try to have moderation in moderation. (that isn’t always the case) Something that works well for me is preparing healthier options that I absolutely love. I can literally eat the same thing every day.  A lot of people start this journey eating things they don’t even like hoping it’ll help them loss weight. (I did this) For me, that was an easy way to start binge eating and that’s exactly what would happen. There goes the plan to lose weight!  I mean why eat brussel sprouts if you don’t even like brussel sprouts? (I used this example because I used to eat them because they were healthier and I didn’t even like them)

Find a healthier option THAT YOU LIKE! I have fallen in love with baked salmon, sweet potatoes, ground turkey, etc. All those things are so much better than the Popeye’s chicken, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut I used to eat on the regular in the past. I honestly never ate the healthier things until I started eating better. I’ve realized that the good stuff is just as satisfying as the bad stuff. On many occasions I find myself in awe at how good something healthy I cooked is. I become so elated about it and I’m like, “Omg! This is so good! It’s healthy too! I’m winning!” lol. Also, since my concern for weight loss is not like it used to be I find it easier to enjoy food. Now that my focus is more so fat loss and changing the way my body looks, I realize some of the things I thought I couldn’t have help me in some departments. For example, I love those non breaded wings from Publix. When I was focused on weight loss I’d eat them on cheat days. Now I use them as protein sources. Of course I’m not eating 10-15 of them as I would on a cheat day, only like 5-8. I know that gives me 40-60 grams of protein. Might be high in fat, but it fits my macros! Simply put, I work hard at staying on my plan to eat better, but I allow myself to splurge every now and then. It works for me.

Your body composition over the past year has been amazing to watch!  Heavy lifting is clearly working for you.  How do you balance that with your other love of running?

I really love lifting weights and I’m enjoying seeing my cardiovascular endurance improve with running. I think they both are very beneficial to me, my progress, and I enjoy them immensely. Being better and getting in shape is pretty much my life, so I plan everything around that. That is my priority now. The love I have for it makes it a priority, it being a priority makes it easy to balance. No fun until workouts are done!

Your most hilarious Instagram posts are when you joke (or not?!) about all the crazy things you’re gonna do when you reach your dream bod (“fine”) status.  I love that while striving for “fine” you are still unafraid to put yourself out there, enjoy life, and love yourself NOW.   Any advice to other ladies who struggle with reaching a balance of wanting to change, while keeping a healthy body image?

They are definitely jokes! I simply put humor in the things most people think but don’t say. Lol. Anyway, I think self-love is the key. No matter your shape or size, if you don’t love yourself it won’t matter how “fine” you get or how fine you are. You can love your body enough to want better for it! I understand what it’s like to feel unpretty and/or unattractive because you don’t look like what’s on the TV or you don’t get the attention like those that do. I battled that for years. It’s a battle you will ALWAYS lose as long as you don’t love yourself. As long as you use society’s definition of beauty as your source. Propaganda. No I do not look like Halle Berry or Gabrielle Union. Does that mean I’m not beautiful? No, because I am beautiful! I don’t have abs, but I’m still sexy! That’s the attitude to have!  Love yourself enough to find YOUR beauty and exude that! In the mean time stop downing yourself and make a change. Not allowing others opinions to bother you plays a huge role in that as well.

Can you describe your typical workout schedule?

My workouts have truly evolved! When I first started this journey I did things like p90x, Insanity, and t25 (home workouts). If it didn’t require weights or weight lifting in those workouts, I didn’t lift weights. I think those workouts were very beneficial for me. Especially p90x. I liked it most because it was more strength based. I enjoyed the push-ups, pull-ups, etc. That’s when I realized I should lift weights. Seriously, lift weights. Not that playing around in the gym like I’d done before. My love for strength training came from p90x. My workout regimen back then was just that. 5 days a week I’d get up, do my Insanity/p90x/T25 workout, and then go to work. These days I only workout 3 days a week. On those 3 days I run and I go to the gym immediately after to lift weights. Two a days! Every now and then I’ll dance for exercise as well! Lol. I’m using an app called couch to 5k to help me with running. It builds your endurance up with brisk walking, jogging, etc. I’m on week 6 now which is mostly running. You start out with a brisk walk for 5 minutes then you are running for 20-30 minutes straight. The prior weeks prepare you for this. As far as my weight lifting goes, I have 2 full body workouts that I alternate between. The workouts were given to me by Mat Arcon (mat_arcon on IG). I was introduced to him via IG and he has helped me so much. He was like my coach. He provided me with the exercises and the workouts. I added a few exercises myself, but I pretty much do the same thing. What’s great about it is every workout, you’re progressing. You’re either doing more reps or more weight. It works for me! He simply gave me the blueprint and I’m building the masterpiece. Lol. He also introduced me to if it fits your macros. IIFYM. I’d never heard of that until he talked about it.

Any parting words of encouragement to those who are new to the “long haul” philosophy, or struggling with the decision of whether or not to lift/fuel properly?

Of course! As random as they come to my brain, here you go. You have to find what works for you. There are a million ways these days to get in shape, lose weight, etc. You will probably try a few of them. Once you figure out what you like and what helps you MOST to reach your goals, STICK WITH THAT. Don’t talk about it, be about it.  Don’t let fear be the basis of your decisions. GO FOR IT! Forget what everybody says about what you are doing. If it works for you, DO THAT! It’s called a journey for a reason. There will be ups and downs. You have to fight for what you want. I’d be lying if I said it would be easy. Its hard work, dedication, determination, etc. Before you do anything physical, work on getting your MIND right. That’s usually what hinders us. You will either make excuses or make it happen. If you choose excuses, stop complaining. Nothing works unless you do! When you are ready to make a change, you will! Just know that if you don’t plan on working hard you’re wasting your time. Don’t be afraid to fall down or fail. Its apart of success! It’s cool to have others that motivate you but you need to find the motivation within yourself. Others motivate you to get up, self-motivation keeps you going! Lastly, love yourself and grow! ;-)

How can the fam hear/see/read more from you?

YouTube: www.Youtube.com/user/easybeingfat

Instagram: Easybeingfat

MyFitnessPal: Kimd8fifty

Email: Easybeingfat@gmail.com