Weight Loss Journey 6 Month Check In!

         

    I guess I'll start this by telling you my measurements. I bought a scale earlier this year so I could track my weight, and I remember the first time I stepped on it I cried. Before that day I hadn't weighed myself in a long time and the last weight I remembered was 145lbs. I weighed 174.6 at the beginning of this year. That blows my mind. I've never weighed that much and I felt really disappointed in myself. I also felt like a bit of a phony because I've been pushing the idea of a healthy lifestyle in my friends and family faces for a while now when I haven't been taking my own advice. One of my goals this year is to finally reach my goal weight/body. I've never been really overweight but I've never possessed the toned body that I want either.

   I know that you should always love your body and cherish it for everything it is capable of, but I also don't see why we can't improve our bodies too. It was clear to me when I stepped on the scale that I need to up my game if I want to reach my goal this year. I had a goal weight set for myself which was 125lbs which is attainable for my body type. However, I've discovered that I love weight-lifting waaaay more than I like cardio. So I've set a visual goal instead, I want to see muscle definition. Not to the point that I look like a female bodybuilder because I'm not into that look. I just want enough to show that I worked hard for it. If that makes sense. Muscle weighs more than fat so I'm not sure how that will end up on the scale.

    My measurements to begin with were;

• Arms = 11"
• Bust = 37"
• Waist = 33"
• Belly = 37"
• Hips = 42.5"
• Thighs = 26"

    I haven't made as much progress as I would've liked because the gyms were shut down. I could've done at-home workouts and I've done a few. They're not as effective for me, and I don't have the motivation to do them. I started running and I ran for a few weeks but then I did something to my knee and it hurt like a mother fucker.  It's healed now so I'll probably start up again, I actually really enjoy running. Since the gym opened back up a few weeks ago I have gone almost every day. I give my self breaks though because I don't want to wear myself out. 

    I started following a workout guide released by a gal named Alice or known as pineapplebrat on Instagram. It's a beginner work out and I'm on week 4 right now. I added extra sets and reps to it though because I felt it was too easy. I've also been adding more and more weight which is really cool to me. To see progress in the plates you put on, that's a good feeling. Another good feeling is one I felt yesterday, I was doing an arm workout using cables and I looked in the mirror to check my form and I noticed arm muscles!!! My arms have always been like spaggettii noodles. I've never had much upper body strength so to see muscle definition in them was almost surreal.

   My eating habits haven't changed much because they really aren't bad. I've added a protein shake in for after workouts, it's chocolate flavor and it says to mix it with water, but I mix it with almond milk because it tastes better that way. It's basically chocolate milk.

    I thought about using before and after (or in-between I should say) pictures in this post, but I think I want to save them for the end of the year. I did retake my measurements though and I'll tell you those. I now weigh 165, which is a little short of a 10lb difference which feels amazing. I definitely think a lot of that weight is muscle mass because I'm not a big human, I'm short and I'm not chunky. My other measurements showed improvements as well.

• Arms = 11.5" So they went up by .5" which doesn't surprise me because I've been working them a lot.
• Bust = 36" So that went down by 1"
• Waist = 30" So that went down by 3"!!!
• Belly = 34" Also down 3"!!!
• Hips = 42.5" So that didn't change, but I've been working this area a lot of well so I'm not surprised about this either, plus I was just born with a booty.
• Thighs = 25" Down 1" I don't see my leg measurements changing a whole lot because there's a lot of muscle there, my lower body has always been really strong. I can easily lift 100lbs with my legs, that sounds super braggy but I don't mean it that way at all, I was just trying to give you an idea of the muscle mass. 

     I think that's all I have to say about it, I'm super proud of myself for the progress I have made and I'm stoked about what's yet to come. Stay tuned for the next update. 

    Courtney :)