My fitness routine: How and why I started this journey!

When I was in high school, I was a mere 115 pounds. I was a size 00-0 and I was working out twice a day - between soccer, tennis, and dancing 5 days a week, I kept myself in really good shape and exercising a LOT. Throughout high school, I always tried to keep myself between 110-115 pounds,

Here I am, at 115 pounds.

But then, I went away to college

And we all know the old adage: “the freshman 15"

Well, my “freshman 15” wasn't a “freshman 15”… It was a “freshman 50”.

Because I went away to college and I realized that there was food! I mean, not just any food, but real junk food! So, I gorged and gorged and gorged. Midnight runs to In-n-Out, afternoon stops at the ice cream shop, early morning breakfasts at Denny's, they all became part of my eating regimen. I started packing on weight within the first few months of college; the weight, coupled with depression, drove me to eat more and more which in turn created quite a problem.

Soon, I was 165 pounds. 

By the end of my Junior year in college, I had gone from a 0 to an 8-10 and I was horrified with myself. I had literally put on 50 pounds (1/2 of my previous weight). I was disgusted, grossed out and upset with myself, but I still didn't do anything about it.

Here I am at 155 pounds.

Of course, here and there I would lose weight; I would slim down 5-10 pounds, then put on another 2, slim down 5 more pounds then put it all back on. By summer 2010, I was down to 150 pounds. Then I went to Cambodia… Over the course of 2 months, I lost between 15- 20 pounds. How did I do it? I ate raw vegetables, fresh meat and poultry, drank only water, and walked everywhere (of course, it helped that the humidity there was always +40% and the heat was almost unbearable, so we sweat out a lot of the weight). But, by the end of last summer, I was down to 130 pounds. A huge milestone for me!

But then, I came home and put on about 5-10 more pounds… I was back at 140.

This time, I refused to let my weight get the best of me. As soon as Derek deployed, I promised myself that I would spend the next 9 months working off all the weight I had put on - that way I could get back to my original weight and give him something (or someone) hot to come home to! So, I signed up with a trainer and we agreed that I'd come and work out every day and work on a diet that would suit my lifestyle.

(From top left to bottom right: (first picture) me, in September, 2 weeks after starting my exercise/diet routine. (Second/third picture) me, in October, one month after starting my exercise/diet routine. (Fourth picture) me, yesterday, 2 months after starting my exercise/diet routine.

So, there you go. thats my story. since I signed up with him, I've lost 15 pounds and gained almost 5 pounds in muscle weight. My aim is to get down to 120 and maintain that weight - my goal is to look healthy NOT skinny.

My fitness routine includes:

-Cardio - running, jumping jacks, swimming, walking, eliptical, etc.

-Lots of weights: squats, deadlifts, wall sits, leg press, bench press, etc.

-Random stuff: push ups, medicine ball exercises, inverted rows, kettle bell swings, band resistance exercises, etc.

(If any of you have further questions about how I work out, please feel free to check out Mikey's blog/website!)

As for my diet, I tried counting calories but it ended up being more trouble than it was worth…

So, I asked my trainer what he suggested and he said this, “Your diet is going to reflect the work you're willing to put into your body. If you work out but you eat poorly, you're not going to get the results you want. Losing weight doesn't need to be about eliminating every bad food there is - it's about being aware of what you're putting in your mouth and having the strength to work it off.”

So, you don't need to count calories to lose weight. you don't even need to go on a diet to lose weight, you just need to watch your portions and your food intake! If you want a piece of chocolate cake, then have the damn cake! (But instead of eating it all, maybe eat half a slice.) As long as you go out and bust your butt and work it off, you can have the cake.

So, I do this: I'll try to eat at least 3 servings of vegetables in a day, as well as some sort of protein (eggs, chicken, etc). Throughout the day I simply do a mental count of the things I've eaten and then I'll either do extra or less for my workout, depending on what I've eaten. Does that make sense?

My goal is to be healthy, feel good, and maintain my weight. It's more important to FEEL good about yourself than LOOK good… Right?