Salutations and welcome! After many months of spamming my friends facebook feed with my meal prep pictures, general fitness routines, and general body positivity they have encouraged me to start a blog! My goal is to share all of my secrets and help others feel their very best in the body that they have.
lets back up a few months….
I was living the dream, my fiance and I had just finished a whirlwind move, my job was really taking off, and we were getting married soon! However, I noticed that my health wasn’t doing so well….I was getting out of breath walking up the stairs, my joints were always hurting, my psoriasis was constantly flaring up (its an auto-immune disease), my migraines were worse then ever, and my blood pressure was constantly through the roof! I finally looked at myself in the mirror and said “I can’t live like this anymore” so I took a long hard look at my lifestyle. I was eating fast food 4-5 times a week, I drank soda by the gallon while I was at work, and I assumed “working out” was working my 10 hour shift at the restaurant (#cheflife)
I knew changing would be hard, but I had to do it for myself and my health. I started slow and cut soda and my beloved sugar laden coffee drinks out of my diet and switched to water (zero calorie flavor packets literally saved my life during this time) Then I changed my diet, I began meal prepping every Sunday for the week ahead and with that I made myself some ground rules for success….
1) Do not drink your calories (that means no more soda, juice, or sugary coffee drinks)
2. No fast food. No exceptions. (If it came out of a window, I did not eat it)
3. No mindless eating (I learned the difference between hunger and boredom)
4. Drink water (proper hydration is key)
5. Watch your portions (American portion sizes are almost 2x bigger then we should be eating)
6. Eat slowly. Savor your food. (Don’t just inhale a meal, take your time, follow your hunger cues)
7. Get up and get moving (gym routine 3-5 times a week during the winter, outdoor activity in the summer)
8. Don’t eat your feelings (I was using food as therapy, I had to change my whole attitude about food at this stage)
9. Don’t starve (this is so important, I will talk about BMI, BMR, and calories in a different post)
10. Be kind to yourself always (we are not perfect, setbacks happen, never beat yourself up, just re-focus and try again. Fitness is a marathon, not a sprint)
After I had my meal prep system down, I started a gym routine 3-5x a week with cardio every day as a warm up. I alternate leg days, arms and chest, abs, and rest days (which are important too!)
I started November of 2016 weighing 156lbs…my heaviest ever…I was technically in the overweight category…
Now its getting into March of 2017 and I am 130lbs which is 26lbs lighter! I went from barely making it through 10 minutes of elliptical cardio to 30 minutes without breaking a sweat. I went from craving sugar, chocolate, soda, cake, candy, and french fries every single day…to not even wanting them (I actually get sick when I eat fast food now but we will talk about that later)
It was hard, this has been one of the all time hardest things I have ever done. In the beginning I would want to cry because I wanted a Coke so badly….but I persevered, I kept going, I refused to give up, and now here I am in the best health and shape of my life.
I never called it a “diet” I always referred to things as “lifestyle changes” and now I want to help people live the healthiest life they can live. I want to give people the motivation to achieve their goals and be successful with their journeys. I did it, and I know you can too! I believe in you! Ask yourself “am I ready to change” if the answer is “yes!” then let this blog aid you in your journey to the best version of you.
-Love-
The Meal Prep Princess
The Meal Prep Princess 