Entry #2-Find what works for YOU! Part One

MOTIVATION+DETERMINATION+PERSISTENCE= RESULTS!

Lets get something straight right now...most people who are looking to change their physical appearance, their health, their poor eating habits and lack of an active lifestyle do NOT know the fundamentals of creating positive change in their physique's, their lives or overall HEALTH. I can pretty much guarantee that. I know I definitely didn't when I was 50 pounds heavier with a BMI of 27+. It took the 3 ingredients above for me to learn all that I know today. Motivation, to WANT to make a change, Determination, to do whatever necessary to get there, and Persistence to NEVER give up until I was proud of myself. As long as you remain persistent-YOU WILL SEE CHANGE, I promise you. Always remember that as long as you never give up-you will NOT FAIL! Say that again and listen to the words...it should take some weight off your shoulders. If you make the decision to never give up then you will NOT be disappointed, so take a breath and relax. The only thing holding you back, is the fear that something might be holding you back.

Creating change in your body and your health starts with diet. Before you start overwhelming yourself with an exercise routine and cardio etc., you first have to change your eating habits. My motto: Eat to LIVE, not live to EAT. Sounds funny right? But it's true. How many times have you had a rough day and said, "I deserve some ice-cream"? or "I studied my butt off and aced that test-time to celebrate! I'm gonna order pizza and eat the whole pie!" How silly does that sound? Don't reward yourself with food-YOU'RE NOT A DOG! We've all been there, I know I used to do the same thing before I made the decision to get healthy and break myself of bad habits. Many people "eat their emotions" which is a very bad thing to do!  Fitness isn't just about your body. It's MIND, BODY, AND SOUL. Everything has to change in some way to succeed. You must rid your mind of old habits and replace them with healthy ones. Once you do that, everything else is a little bit easier.

 The foods you put in your body are just as, if not MORE important than the calories you burn. So, someone who eats greasy fast food, fried everything and tons of junk food is probably not going to have an awesome shape and even if they are one of those freaks of nature who are blessed with an extremely high metabolism, I can guarantee they're not as healthy as they look.

Now, referring back to my first blog entry I want to say that there are many, many, MANY different "diets" out there on the market. there's The Atkins diet, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, South Beach, The Zone, various juicing diets, The Glycemic Index diet, The Mediterranean Diet, the Apple diet...the list goes on and on. In my opinion, all of these diets are effective, just not for EVERYONE.  I am a firm believer that not everyone is the same. More important, not everyone's GOALS are the same! Some want to lose fat, some want to build muscle and others want to lower their blood pressure, cholesterol etc. Also, not everyone's body is the same, and not everyone's body reacts to food the same. How can ONE diet be the "end all, be all" of the dieting world when we have such a broad spectrum of people, ages, lifestyles and body types? That, to me, is so unrealistic for anyone to think. Yes, the basic premise is the same when it comes to losing weight. Less calories in, more calories out or, burned = pounds lost. The bottom line is that not everyone has the same amount of time to dedicate to food preparation.

In my introductory blog entry I failed to tell you guys how I dropped 50 pounds in less than 5 months but I'm going to do-so right now. Keep in mind that this was 8 years ago when I lost all that weight. I want you to listen to my whole story and not just the beginning because much of what I did, is contradictory to everything I've said above and to what I believe and follow today. Have faith that there's a method to my madness and I promise it will all make sense in the end. :)

Back in 2004 when I had my encounter with the 3-way mirror, I tried counting calories, eating salads, cutting out cheeses, and eating everything that said "fat free" on the carton. I failed many times because lets face it, I didn't have any knowledge about nutrition, dieting or anything closely related. I also LOVE FOOD! Like I said, pizza, pasta, bread...all the good stuff. ALL CARBOHYDRATES. I'm not talking good carbohydrates like whole grains and veggies, I'm talking refined, processed garbage with no nutritional value to it..."filler foods" as I now call them. I tried low cal, low fat and failed over and over because I had no self control at that point in my life, no self discipline and most of all, NO PATIENCE. I wanted to see results overnight and nothing was working fast enough for me so I kept repeating the vicious "yo-yo dieting" cycle. I had basically given up until one night at 7-Eleven, which is a convenience store here in NJ for all my followers who aren't local, and I ran into a friend of mine who was always on the heavier side, her whole family was. She was the last person I thought I'd ever see smaller than I was always used to seeing her. I was in shock. She was less than half her size! Of course, just like anyone would, I asked her what she was doing. It was right in the midst of the Atkins Diet craze. At that time, in 2004 the research around the diet was scarce and very controversial but I didn't care. I bought the book the next day and me and one of my friends buddied up and managed to lose almost 90 pounds between the two of us. Not once did either of us go to a gym during those 4-5 months. The fat just fell off. In the book it actually urges you NOT to work out as it will be counter productive causing a weight loss "plateau". Music to most people's ears right? When do you ever hear someone say "don't work out or you won't lose weight"? After the weight loss, I felt amazing but it was hard at times. The diet is EXTREMELY limited on what you can eat. No sugar, no processed carbs. I couldn't eat fruit because though, natural, fruit still contains sugar. I also couldn't eat certain vegetables like carrots. I was eating nothing but meat, cheese, green vegetables, high fat dressings, eggs, butter and special low carb shakes and protein bars for 4 months. In the beginning it was torture giving up sugar. People don't realize that our body's become ADDICTED to certain foods, SUGAR being the main addiction. I joke about it now but me and my friend who I followed the diet with would say that "carbs are the Devil!". In a way, there's truth to it but its more complicated than that-carbohydrates are complicated to a beginner but once you understand the difference between "good carbs" and "bad carbs" you will understand more how the body works when it comes to food. There truly IS  a science behind nutrition and THAT'S what I LOVE about it! Kicking the "bad carb" addiction is something else! Headaches, dizziness, sleepiness-it's literally torture that lasts about 3 days. After the 3 days, though, you feel completely different. You feel so much better-the headaches are gone, dizziness gone and the energy you feel is like a complete surge. It's one thing for me to describe it to you and another to experience it. Bad carbs-no good! This will probably be the topic for my next blog: "Good Carbs Vs. Bad Carbs".

So, summer of 2004 was awesome. I had lost 50 pounds, was in great shape and had a blast. I had learned a lot from following that diet program. I learned the difference between good carbs and bad ones, the importance of fiber, the effects of sugar on your weight and lots of other vital info that I'll get more into as the blog progresses. That whole experience not only helped me to shed 50 pounds but it sparked my passion for fitness and made me want to know everything I possibly could about how food and the body interact. I started researching and researching and because of that time in my life and that experience I became fascinated with how the body works internally when it comes to energy and how the body uses different foods in different ways. It's really the most fascinating thing to me and I absolutely love it.

Once the summer of 2004 was over, chapter of my journey was over so what was next? Maintenance. Yes, the Atkins diet was effective-FOR ME but my lifestyle, because of my weight loss had changed drastically. When you "kick the carb addiction" you get this surge of energy that is indescribable. It got to a point where I had no choice but to join a gym (which I had never done before). I needed a release for all the energy I had so that was the start of my gym addiction. I guess you could say that's where  QueenOfTheGym was born! ;-D All corny jokes aside, that was definitely the beginning of something great for me. I've been in the gym ever since. It's where I met the love of my life and its where I feel most at home. The gym is MY "happy place". I was working out for 2 hours each day and if I missed a day I wouldn't feel as great-almost guilty. I fell in love with weight lifting. The heavier, the better. I love the rush, I love the attention from everyone, I love the competitive spirit around the sport, the respect you get, I love, love LOVE IT!  The gym had become a major addiction. I went to bed (and still do today) excited to wake up and go to the gym. Four, five in the morning I was up and ready for the gym. Something most of you might not know is that carbohydrates are vital for muscle growth and development. Your body NEEDS certain carbohydrates to function properly. When I was doing the very low carb diet it wasn't that much of an issue because I wasn't in the gym working my body as much as I am today and shortly after I had lost all that weight. I NEED certain carbs to function now that I work out and lift as much weight as I do nowadays. There's no way I'd be able to squat 320 pounds if I didn't eat certain carbohydrates. I can't wait to get into my next blog entry for you guys and tell you all about the differences in carbohydrates and their impact on our bodies! We'll also get into what my diet looks like today!!! A little hint? It's not like it used to be!

Tips and tricks that I use daily:

• It is KEY that you drink HALF of your weight in ounces of H2O per day! (for example: weight-150lbs you should be drinking around 75 ounces H2O daily) Every single day! This aids in digestion, helps to keep you hydrated. Will help to flush out toxins in the muscles that need to be flushed regularly! Toxins are NOT good for the body. When you lift weight you're releasing toxins from the tissues into the body. Flushing your body with H2O will make you feel better all around. workout tip: drink at least 12 ounces pre workout, sip frequently durring workout and then another 12 ounces post workout. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO HYDRATE WHEN EXERCISING!
• I highly reccomend one of my secrets! 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar daily! The cleansing and detoxifying benefits of ACV are amazing. It is VERY strong! so, if you cannot stomach it on its own I suggest the following recipe that I personally use: 2 tablespoons of ACV plus juice of 1 lemon into 24 oz of H2O and add your favorite sweetner to taste-No Sugar! :-) You can also do the same by making homemade iced tea instead of lemonade...hey, why not make it an Arnold Palmer!?

Up Next....

Good Carbs VS. Bad Carbs