Can’t believe it’s been exactly one year since I decided to take control of my health and change my body, my eating habits and my mindset. I feel sooo different now but the journey to get here hasn’t been easy! Last March, I decided to take advantage of all the extra time I had during the quarantine and signed up for the Sculpt Society app and made changes to my diet – a year later and I feel so much healthier, confident and strong. Here’s exactly what I did on this journey:
Finding Balance, Learning To Eat Healthy & Portion Control
One of the reasons why I gained so much weight was because my diet was out of control. I was doing a lot of stress-eating and it seemed as if the only thing that made me feel better was fast food, comfort foods and of course tons of sugary Starbucks. As a result, I felt bloated constantly, my feet were swelling up, I felt drained and I was going through hair loss. I knew that it was a bad idea to change my entire lifestyle overnight so I decided to take small steps and have a plan. The first thing I did was kick my Starbucks habit. Right when the quarantine started, I knew I couldn’t go to Starbucks as often so I bought a Keurig and made the switch to black coffee. It took some getting used to, but I forced myself lol and now enjoy black coffee! Taking control of my coffee habit gave me some confidence so I moved to the next thing – portion control. I cut all my meals in half and started eating slower. Next, I started researching healthy foods and making a grocery list – I avoided buying sugary drinks (I only stuck to water and coffee), plenty of fruits/vegetables and eating less meat, gluten and frozen foods. Making slow changes like this made a huge difference for me! I was able to get used to the new lifestyle. Of course I still had cheat days and messed up a lot! In the beginning, I would have cheat meals twice a week and then switched to once a week once I was used to it. I truly believe you have to find balance in life and can’t avoid your favorite high-calorie foods completely. Life is meant to be enjoyed! But I also noticed I felt better when I ate healthy and actually started CRAVING it more. Let me know if you want a more detailed post on healthy eating!
The Right Workout Routine
No one ever told me that losing weight would be much harder in my mid-20’s lol. I’ve gone to the gym for a few years in college and could easily lose weight back then (just by doing cardio alone!). When I tried these same techniques at 25, I couldn’t lose a pound. I was frustrated and knew I needed something that would challenge my body. I didn’t just want to be skinny either – I wanted to be strong and that’s why I chose the Sculpt Society app. I saw an ad for it on Facebook one night and tried the free 14-day trial. The app gave me a structured weekly workout routine (I went with the beginner calendar) and LOVED that part. I also joined the Sculpt Society Facebook group and had a place to connect with others and ask questions about the workouts. I didn’t feel lost and there was a lot of guidance and TONS of workouts to fit into a busy schedule while also being effective. For the most part, I would stick to the 30 minute workouts (and alternate between sculpting and cardio) and do the 45 minute full body workouts once or twice a week. It was A LOT of working out but the moves are easy to follow, no equipment is needed and Megan’s personality is refreshing. Of course, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t struggle. At first there was some moves that just felt too hard (like planks!) or there was some busy days where I had to resort to doing a 15-minute workout instead (these are great too!). But no matter what, I was consistent. I didn’t give up and just kept going, no matter how much I thought I sucked at it. I actually wrote a post back when I did my first 4-weeks of Sculpt Society in this detailed post.
Even after a whole year, I’m still not sick of this app and there’s so many workouts I haven’t done yet. I really recommend doing research, trying different workouts and not being afraid to challenge yourself. It’s important to find what’s right for your body! One of the reasons why I think most people don’t lose weight or lose motivation is because they get bored. They haven’t fallen in love with the process. It’s SO important to love your workouts, especially if you want it to be a lifestyle change.
Enjoying The Journey
This is the part about weight loss that no one really seems to talk about but falling in love with the process was an important part of my success. It felt amazing to see my body transform, to find healthy foods that made me feel good and actually enjoy eating and to even document the process over the months! If you’re going through a weight loss journey of your own, please remember to enjoy it and learn to appreciate and respect your body instead of punishing it. Most importantly, be kind to yourself and stay patient.
Got a question? Leave a comment below or feel free to DM on Instagram: @ruyakiraccc
