[02/02/14] Finally...

Hello everyone!!!

  I've finally started a viral diary to share my insights, thoughts, and little pointers/tips on how I've achieved my healthy lifestyle of living. This will just be a journal/diary of my everyday progress and what I achieved for the day. I am currently working on a blog that will be more interactive with meal plans, workouts and many other things to play around with. 

  First off, I want to talk about the beginning of my journey and the decision to begin a healthier new lifestyle...

  This picture was taken 38weeks ago in May at a baby shower dinner and I specifically remember not being able to find anything to wear simply because I couldn't fit any of my clothes anymore!! I was annoyed, irritated and hated looking at the pictures of myself that night. 

  Shortly after that night, I decided to try the HCG diet (another dumb crash diet) that allowed me to only eat 500 calories per day...so I basically starved myself but I did lose 15lbs...then eventually gained 10 back. After that I figured I'd quit the crash dieting and do it the right way...

  This is me in the beginning of August when I decided to make my lifestyle changes and become a healthier/fit person. I can hardly remember my beginning weight because I hated looking at the scale but I believe my highest was 185lbs. I always took pictures because my brother always taught me to look at a mirror and not the scale. 

  I started with changing my diet completely and decided to start making and cooking my own meals, eating nothing that was packaged and limited how much I ate out (restaurants/carry out). I also decided to start walking/jogging 2mi a day for exercise. After a few weeks I slowly incorporated weight lifting & more cardio type exercises in my routine after my 2mi walk/run. I made it my goal to one day run the full 2mi and decided to train for a 5k which is 3.12mi. 

  The first month of clean eating and exercising I dropped about 12lbs drastically. As soon as I saw the numbers drop, I became motivated. I took pictures of myself a lot so I could track my progress. I also started taking BOYO lessons at my brothers boxing gym which incorporated boxing & yoga. I also bought a heart rate monitor to track how many calories I burned for each workout and made my goal to burn at least 600 calories a day. 

  This is me 2 weeks ago, 35lbs down. It's been 6 months since I've started this journey and it was definitely NOT easy. I've had my slip ups, my lazy days, my binges and wanting to give up but honestly the viral fitness community keeps me motivated. Following fitness people on twitter and tumblr, looking at before & after pictures kept me going. 

  Last week for the first time I FINALLY ran my 5k in 38mins nonstop! I workout everyday, 6 days a week for 1hr,30mins-2hrs. [Sunday is rest day] and I feel so much better as a person. Eating healthier and working out daily gives me so much more energy, makes me feel better and is just an overall mood booster to know that I've changed my lifestyle for the better. 

  I just want to motivate people and show them that anyone can do it if they truly want it. When people ask me if I diet, I say no, I eat what I want because it's became a lifestyle for me. No I don't eat what I want all the time like cookies, candy, pop or pizza but those are my decisions that help me become a more healthier, stronger person. I don't complain because it's what I want to do, I crave and treat myself maybe once a month. I started a food diary which has helped me so much. It gives me personal accountability and shows me how much weight I lost compared to what I ate every week. 

  This is still the beginning and the progress never ends. Hopefully my blog will be up sooner than later. I'm gonna also start an email up for anyone to ask me questions and tips on anything they need. 

  Thanks for reading guys!!! :)