My Healthy Living Journey Update and Other Tidbits...

Hi there! Today we are talking about fitness. I have received a few requests to talk about my weight loss progress, my routine, and what we're eating.

So here we go....

To start off, if your new to my blog you can read about why I started my weight loss journey and how I am dealing with PCOS here, here, and here. I do have PCOS, which royally SUCKS, but I am dealing with it and taking back control of my life.

Something amazing happened, once I started talking about my PCOS here on the blog and on my instagram feed...all of a sudden I was apart of this amazing group of women who too are struggling. I found great strength in their encouragement. I also found myself following like minded people (PCOS effected and not) who were working hard to gain back their health. It has been so inspiring. I have been sharing my progress on my feed pretty regularly. For me, posting has become a way to keep myself accountable. It is like my own little fitness journal.

I have been trying to workout 5-6 days a week. Sometimes I miss a day here or there, but I try to stick to that schedule as much as I can. I started out using the Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 (you can watch it on Amazon Prime right now) and her 30 Day Shred. These are amazing videos. When I started out 13 weeks ago, I could barely make it 30 minutes. Now I can go an hour. I had to work my way up. If you are new to working out, pace yourself. Just like Rome wasn't built in a day, you will have to take the same approach with working out. I also really like Fitness Blender. Kelli and her Hubby have hundreds of videos and workout programs that are free! These have become my daily favorites! You can create a calender to plan out your daily workouts. I really like this feature. They also have an app. I don't use the app though. I watch the videos on my laptop and hook it up to our flat screen, so I can see it on the big screen.

I also have a workout buddy who helps me stay accountable. Sam and I text each other, FB message, and tag each other on instagram. This is our way to cheer each other on. I love having someone else I am accountable to. We share our struggles, successes, and tips. It's been great!

Working out has become a way to gain control in my life. I have realized that I am a binge eater. When things start getting emotionally stressful and tough....I grave sugar....like I could devour a whole can icing kind of craving.  Because I realize that sugar becomes a crutch to me, I try to stay away. Sometimes I cave, but I really try to keep it away from me. When I start getting down and feeling emotional, I try to distract myself. If you know that you are someone who turns to food when times get tough, find another way to deal with that stress. Find a fun workout class you enjoy, do a craft, read a book...anything. Know what your trigger food is or that trigger emotion, so you can be aware and not fall into that trap.

Think about the way you eat. I know that because of my schedule, I ted to be a grazer. Because of this, having snacks ready to go in my fridge is a GREAT help to me. I bag carrots, cucumbers, etc and pair them with hummus. I also have hard boiled eggs and cut up fruit ready to go as well. You can see an example of some of the things I prep in my video HERE. Oh and protein bars are great too. My favorite right now are the Nature Valley Protein Chewy Granola Bars. I buy mine from Costco. They are delish!

I try to keep to a plant based diet. You can hear more about what I eat HERE. We eat meat sparingly and I have been trying to give us veggies at every meal. It's really just about making healthy food choices. That is what I focus on.

I also us an app to help keep track of what I'm eating and when I'm exercising. It's called Loseit and is free to download. I don't really count calories or focus too much on it, but I do like being able to keep a food journal and know that I am getting a good rainbow of fruits and veggies into each day. It also helps me keep track of my water intake. I try to drink a gallon of water a day! I even did a video on this HERE :)

Over all I think it is about changing your lifestyle. We have had a complete overhaul in our home. We are still figuring out what healthy living looks like for us. We take it a day at a time. I don't focus too much on the numbers on the scale (although I do love seeing them go down). I have lost 30 pounds so far and I hope to see that number continue to drop. I know that losing weight is hard...especially if you have PCOS or other health issues. I try to remember that it is about living a healthy life, whether that number goes down as fast as I would like it or not. Look for non-scale victories daily. Take your measurements, so you can see the progress as you become trimmer. I love flexing my muscles (yes I know I'm a dork), but I can already see my arms and legs thinning out and becoming stronger. I love that!

This was a LONG post, so if you made it to the end...thank you! I hope that this helps you in your own healthy living journey. Know that you can do this. If you want to follow my journey, follow me on instagram. Let me know about your journey as well, so I can cheer you on!

XO Danielle