This month meet Stacy, a women on a journey to lose weight and better her overall health. Although she's not done, I think its important to show more than just "before" and "afters"...
Below is Stacy's interview with us!
BWWO: Stacy, Congrats on your weight loss. What an accomplishment to lose 4 dress sizes! Can you tell us what you did to get to this point in your current weight loss journey?
Stacy: Thanks!! I just did the basics pretty much which included cutting back on the sugary snacks and fast food...NO SODAS, walking on the treadmill for at least 45 minutes each weekday and the rest of it was simply practicing portion control especially at dinner time.
BWWO: What are some of things you do in the form of exercise? Do you workout at home or the gym?
Stacey: I have a home gym where I workout in the basement. We have a treadmill, elliptical and a strength training system. Aside from the treadmill (which I love) I actually really like to just work out to various exercise DVDs. I have a really old Buns of Steel that I use and I love Tae-BO too. It's fun to switch it up so that you don't get bored and it gives your body a good jolt!
BWWO: Spring is here and Farmers Markets are getting ready to come back which means loads of fresh fruits and veggies. What is your favorite fruit and vegetable and how do you eat them?
Stacy: My favorite fruits are strawberries, pineapples, grapes and bananas. Yummy!! Before I'd just eat them plain but now I'm a juicer!! Especially now that the weather is getting warmer I intend to be the JUICE QUEEN. As far as vegetables...that has been more of a challenge because I've tried a lot of raw veggies and don't like them too much. I have to cook all my veggies so I lose some of that nutritional value unfortunately.
BWWO: What has given you the most success? Counting calories, carbs, grams of fat or just portion control?
Stacy: Counting calories and portion control for me. It's been my experience that if a food is low in calories then it's low in fat too. So I don't count both. I love carbs and haven't cut them out of my diet at all. That would be self sabotage because I would miss carbs too much, so any diet that nixed carbs wouldn't work too well for me. I just make sure to work out to compensate for my indulgence in that area.
BWWO: Hair, yes I gotta ask you about your hair! What style are currently wearing and how do you maintain it with your workout schedule?
Stacy: I currently have my relaxed hair pulled into a tight bun. Before this it was in a weave which was great because I could work out without any problems with sweating. A great tip I learned regarding my hair and exercise is that if you are deep conditioning your hair with a plastic cap, instead of sitting under the dryer, go work out with the plastic cap on. The body heat you generate while working out will act as the heat needed to allow the conditioner to penetrate your hair. That way you can get your exercise time in and not subject your hair to any heat damage.
BWWO: What are your next fitness goals?
Stacy: You know those people that you see outside jogging?? The people who make it look so effortless?? I want to be one of those people.
BWWO: Cheating. Yes, we ALL do it. How do you handle your cravings for unhealthy foods and still get back on track?
Stacy: I don't like the "C" word because it has a negative connotation. I like "indulge" better. I know it makes me feel better to say it (wink). But to answer your question if I want it I have it. Then I either work it off or I deal with the consequences of seeing the numbers on the scale go in the opposite direction. There's nothing wrong with having a slip-up but you can't continuously engage in eating behaviors that will have you veering off your path to a healthier you. I make sure that I have ice cream, puddings, snack chips ect...and they are all low to no fat. There are lots of options out there.
BWWO: Motivation. What motivates you to live a healthier lifestyle?
Stacy: I absolutely hate to exercise. I do. But it must be done in my case and many, many others. There's just no way around it. I know it's hard. Probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life but I AM doing it. If this was easy everyone would be skinny and healthy and our streets would be overflowing with joggers. But that's not the case. My motivation is that I simply have to do it. I refuse to die of a preventable disease because I am didn't set aside 45 minutes per day to get fit. I refuse to live in a fat suit that swallows up the real me and makes me unrecognizable. I refuse to look in the mirror and think "what happened to me"?? That is my motivation
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment