Author: fitgirlinprogressblog

Blogmas 2018

Blogmas Day 7: Ways to relieve stress

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  • Exercise
  • Eat healthy
  • Sleep or take an nap
  • Reduce your caffeine intake
  • Avoid procrastination by managing your time
  • Spending time with animals
  • Writing/Journaling
  • Take a Walk
  • Spend time with Friends and Family
  • Laugh
  • Listen to music, sing, dance
  • Get a massage or take a warm bubble bath
  • Read a book
  • Yoga
  • Draw/Paint
  • Avoid substances like alcohol etc.

Doing things you enjoy doing is a great way to relieve stress whether that is working out or relaxing with a good book, a cup of tea and a good book on the couch. Your mental health is just as important as your physical wellbeing, so take care of yourself.

Blogmas 2018

Blogmas Day 6: What fitness apps do I use?

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  • MyFitnessPal: Especially at the beginning of my journey I would frequently use mfp to track all my meals. It’s also great to track your progress and it creates a chart/graph of your weightloss. I also get a weekly reminder to weigh in.
  • Twinbody: Amazing social network for people to follow each others jouney and post status updates, pictures or videos. People are very supportive and it’s a great motivation.
  • MapMyRun: As the name already says it tracks your run or walk (distance, duration,pace). I only use this app when I decide to do cardio outside which is quite rare.
  • VeryFitPro: Which is the app for my fitness tracker (tracks the usual steps, heartrate etc. and is also my alarm to get up in the morning).
  • VitaDock+: That’s the app that’s connected to my smart scale. It shows approximately how much bone mass you have, bodyfat percentage, BMI, progress since your last weigh in etc.. The app also sends me reminders regularly to weigh in.
  • DietBet: You bet Money mostly around $30/35 that you will lose 4% of your Bodyweight in 4 weeks (there’s also different ones though). At the beginning you get a weigh in Word that you have to write down so it’s visible in your picture (once your weigh in gets approved it will notify you and also let you know what your goal weight for the bet should be) at the end of the dietbet you do the same (weigh in with a new word you will get). If you managed to reach the goal or even lose a little bit more you will split the pot with the rest of the winners. It can be a great motivation no one likes to lose money, right? Also people participating in the same bet are very supportive of eachother share recipes and tips and some hosts have giveaways and so does dietbet itself (if you’re a member). I have participated twice so far, but since I’ve been stuck on a plateau I haven’t done any more dietbets.
  • Instagram: Not really a fitness/weightloss app but I document my journey there (my profile is linked, in case you want to follow me). I’m currently working on posting more often. Also a great source of motivation and inspiration for me, I follow a lot of people that are also on their weightloss journey, motivational pages or athletes.
Blogmas 2018

Blogmas Day 5: A Mistake I made and what I learned form it

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One of the biggest mistakes I made throughout my journey surely was to do entire Cheatdays. At first I was pretty restricitve but a few months into my journey, I figured it would be okay to allow myself to eat whatever I wanted once a week. So I started having a Cheatday every single Sunday.

Not a Cheatmeal, an entire Day. I would eat whatever I wanted. I wouldn’t track any calories that day, but I sure ate well over my limit. Not portion size wise, I have never been one to eat extraordinary big quantities of food. It’s what I ate that was the issue, I’d have stuff like candy, pancakes, cereal but even small portions of those add up quickly because they’re high in calories. After such a day I’d feel absolutely miserable, my digestion had a hard time handling the food I ate. I noticed I was developing an unhealthy mindset. I’d work hard throughout the week to reach Sunday and finally treat myself. It was almost as if that was the only thing that got me going. I soon noticed that as someone who used to struggle with binge eating that was not a good solution for me and it also slowed down my weightloss. After each Sunday my body had to get rid of the excess water it retained from the high carb food I had consumed, so it was a vicious cycle.

I fell off the wagon sometime later and had to almost start over from the beginnig as I had gained some weight back (I will go more into detail in a later post). Anyways one thing I learned, I had to make this mistake and several others to get to where I am now and to find what works best for me and my body. I noticed that after starting over but without constant cheating my body would look a lot better even at the same weight as previous.

I don’t regret making this mistake as I learned a lot from the experience.

Throughout the years I developed a much healthier mindset and relationship with food. I will still allow myself to eat something thats not part of my regular diet but it’s only one meal that I swap now and it’s very rare that I do so. Not because I over restrict or anything like that, I just don’t have the desire as often as I used to (but nowadays I also would’t allow myself to manipulate my own success like that.. I developed a lot of discipline). If I choose to eat something outside my regular diet my choices have become much healthier which I’m really happy about (I still have a sweet tooth though but I have it so much better under control now).

This honestly has been a difficult post for me to write, as it’s the first time for me to be so open about struggles I had with my diet and my relationship with food. My binge eating for example has been my “dirty little secret” from before I started my journey and was something that I just never talked about. This is the first time for me to actually even mentioning or admiting to it at all.

Blogmas 2018

Blogmas Day 4: The benefits of working out alone

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  • No distraction, you can focus 100% on yourself
  • You can workout when it’s most convenient for you and don’t have to work around someone else’s busy schedule
  • No long breaks between sets due to conversation
  • You can tailor your workouts to your bodys needs and fitness goals
  • For me my workouts are my “Me-time” (mental health) it’s a great stress relief to put on my headphones, blast my music and just kick ass.
  • I personally feel more motivated working out on my own and pushing myself to the limits (I feel like my workouts are more intense by myself)

I have built my own little Home Gym so I’m very used to working out on my own. I might show you around in a different post (it’s not super fancy, the garage is not pretty…but it’s functional).

Blogmas 2018

Blogmas Day 3: What I eat in a Day

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I’ve been doing Intermittent Fasting (16:8) for about 2-3 Months now, so I have my first Meal at 2:00 p.m. and continue fasting at 10:00 p.m.

To break my Fast I chose to start by eating a meal that’s high in Protein.

My First meal is Chickenbreast,Spinach and little Potatoes.

About half an hour later, I have my first Protein Shake with 1 scoop of Collagen.

Around 4:30 p.m. I have a Bowl of Oatmeal which I prepare with boiling Water and 1 packet of sweet’n low

I eat my last meal around 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. which is Chickenbreast and mushroms (or other vegtables) and have my second Protein Shake of the Day.

Throughout the Day I mainly drink Water (I try to drink at least a gallon a day), black or peppermint tea (1 packet of sweet’n low), about 1-2 times a week I will allow myself to have a Coca Cola Zero (Sometimes I go weeks without having any at all..).

Sometimes I sneak a teaspoon of Peanut Butter into my Day as it has become my guilty Pleasure..

During fasting periods I only drink Water and unsweetened Green Tea.

*I don’t eat potatoes every single day, probably like 2-3 times a week. Also I used to eat Rice instead of potatoes before, but I had to replace it because I developed an intolerance to Rice a few months ago.

Blogmas 2018

Blogmas Day 2: What are my favorite fitness Websites?

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I enjoy learning new things and educating myself about fitness related things. Like nutrition and how to best perform certain exercises or new exercises to improve certain areas of my body.

My main sources for that are http://www.bodybuilding.com (where I also get my supplements, like protein powder) and http://www.t-nation.com.

I enjoy reading their articles because they are mainly written by athletes and nutritionists, so they’re people who are not only speaking based on text book facts but also speaking from their own experience.


Blogmas 2018

Blogmas Day 1: What are my goals for the next year?

fitgirlinprogressblog
  • Lose the last few pounds towards my goal
  • Build more muscle
  • Maintain my weight once I reached my goal
  • Feel 100% comfortable in my skin
  • Being able to wear shorts or crop tops in public
  • Add Yoga to my Workout program
  • Stepping out of my comfort zone more often
hormones, My pill story

My contraceptive Pill story

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I started taking the contraceptive Pill around the time when I turned 18, which was by the End of 2011. At that time it was primarily to get a regular cycle other than actual contraceptive, it wasn’t really much of an aspect, since I’ve never had a boyfriend before.. which changed soon afterwards but thats’s a whole different story.

When I first started taking the pill I didn’t really pay much attention to the side effects, I read them of course but I didn’t pay that much attention to it. Throughout the years the side effects started to show up, one by one, bareley noticeable I didn’t even realize the pill was causing all that I went trough.

I was moody, imbalanced, cranky, aggressive, depressed, highly emotional, had extreme cravings (which led to weight gain), headaches and even my thyroid got kinda worse. I was dealing with massive hormonal imbalances in general which made me prone to gain weight.

It just got so comfortable to have a regular (and light) cycle and better skin. I didn’t think such a tiny little tablet could have such a huge impact on my life and well being. Doctors prescribe them so easily (at least in Germany), but it’s such a huge change for your Body. It’s not like they take time to do blood work in order to see if a hormonal contraceptive is a good idea for someone.

Doctors don’t take their time to talk to you much either. It’s like no one wants to talk about the negative aspects, for them it’s probably just an easy way to prevent young girls from getting pregnant at an early age I guess. And well they probably get some sort of benefit from the Pharma Industry (this is just an assumption!).

As I was struggling with my thyroid I made an appointment at an endocrinologist, she did an Ultrasound and a very detailed blood exam which showed that besides my thyroid issue (which wasn’t treated for whatever reason) I had high levels of cortisol in my blood which could be cushings disease or caused by the contraceptive pill. We did more tests (dexamethasone suppression) which was a saliva sample and I had to take a tablet and do blood work again. It came back negative which was good but still I had high cortisol levels in my blood but since I was relieved it wasn’t cushings disease and they didn’t recommend any further action I totally forgot about it for quite a long time.

If you don’t already know, cortisol is a stress hormone which can cause weight gain or make it quite difficult to lose weight. Besides that I had symptoms like fatigue, depressions, headaches and was very irritable and emotional which only got worsened by the effect of the contraceptive pill.

Anyways I didn’t really look into all of that at that time I kinda just moved on with my life and weightloss journey. In 2016 I hit a weightloss plateau which was highly frustrating I was eating clean and working out six times a week. I didn’t understand what was wrong and only started losing weight a few months ago after some changes in my diet.

Anyways back to my experience with the contraceptive pill, I took my last one on 28th of September 2016. I didn’t talk this through with a doctor but I educated myself before doing so. I finished my 21 pills and then had my regular period break but instead of taking the next ones after a 7 day break I didn’t take them again. It felt weird at first since I was so used to it and always took them at a certain time of the day. But I started to notice a big change pretty soon after I stopped.

I was so much happier, I wasn’t depressed for no reason as I was before. I have to say my depressions where getting out of hand to a point I was on the edge of being suicidal/having suicidal thoughts (which I actually never told anyone before). I stopped having mood swings and was less aggressive. I was happier all together and had a way more postive mindset.

Getting off the pill was honestly the best decision for me personally it changed my life for the better and I finally feel like myself again. My cycle was extremely messed up in the beggining I had a cycle of 40-66 days sometimes and it’s slowly getting more steady. It can actually take years for the body to fully get rid of the hormones. I didn’t mind my cycle being extremely unsteady at the beggining, I’ve been single for years and don’t have any risk or fear of getting pregnant. One day when I’m in a relationship again I’m planning on getting the copper IUD since I don’t want any kind of hormonal contraceptive again and of course condoms also. I don’t want to have kids at all so knowing that the IUD can last up to 10 years is great, I’d get my tubes tied if I could, but most doctors refuse to do such a procedure on young women especially if they don’t already have kids. But well at least there’s other long term options such as the IUD.

There sure are people who get along well with hormonal contraceptives or need them, such as people with PCOS. But it sure isn’t for everyone.

How did the contraceptive pill affect my weightloss journey? I have to say since I stopped taking it I noticed certain muscles developing which was nearly impossible before. I don’t have such extreme cravings anymore besides being more disciplined throughout the years it’s great not to have extreme cravings anymore.  I feel like my body changed since I stopped taking the pill.

You have to think about it, being on the pill makes your body think that it’s pregnant and therefore you don’t get pregnant and when you’re on the period break it’s basicly like your body thinks you lost the baby and you do that to your body over and over again..that can’t be that healthy in the long run.

There sure are down sides to stop using the contraceptive pill such as of course your cycle changes, your cycle may be longer, your period might be heavier or even longer than on the pill. I used to rarely have cramps, now I have them every now and then and of course my skin changed and I sometimes have breakouts before having my period and I can feel when I’m ovulating sometimes. But honestly I rather deal with those things than putting my body through what I went through while on the pill.

I hope you enjoyed this article, it’s a bit different form what I’ve posted before but it’s a part of my journey that I needed to share. Everything I said is based on my own personal experience and opinion and does not apply for everyone.

Weightloss journey

How my journey began (Part 2)

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When I decieded it was time for a change I asked my Brother who is a fitness trainer and bodybuilder for advice. I told him it was time for a change and that I’m absolutely serious about it, I couldn’t continue living the way I was living before. I told him I was willing to do whatever it takes to achieve my goal of losing weight and living a healthy life.

He took his time and we kinda worked on a plan or let’s say guidelines on how to change my eating habits. He taught me on what I should focus when it comes to my diet. With his help and lots of disciplin I managed to lose 17 kg (37.48 lbs) until July 2015. By that time I had also finished my apprenticeship and soon started a new Job.

Unfortunately my new Job was extremly stressful (it took me about 2 hours getting there, so I traveled 4 hours each day sometimes even longer) I felt devastated at the End of the day. I barely had any time to get to the gym and I felt way to tired to actually do so. I didn’t take the time to meal prep anymore like I used to do before. Since I was always on the run I started to gain weight back again (about 10 kg to be exact), I fell off track. I started to feel burned out soon, I was basiclaly living to work and nothing else. Anyways that job didn’t last to long (for different reasons) which I’m glad about.

Anyways sometimes when one door closes another one opens up. I had the opportunity to move to the US, which I decided to take. It’s always been my dream and I have to say I finally feel “Home” I feel as if this was one missing puzzle piece for my happiness.

Back to the Story, I was struggeling to lose the weight I gained back. I started working out regularly again and maintian my diet but no matter what I did I couldn’t lose weight. I was stuck on a plateau for pretty much the entire year 2016 which was extremely frustraiting and just recently broke through it. Actually I’m now down exactly 20 kg (44.09 lbs) since I first started my fitness journey. To finally see progress again sure is a big motivation. If things continue the way I want them to (if my metabolism plays along) I may be able to reach my goal weight by the End of 2017. But I’ve got so much more I want to reach,I will probably do a separate post about that. 

Honestly looking back, falling of track has shown me how much I really want this and made me stonger and more disciplined since getting back on track was really difficult yet I never gave up. 

P.S. I will try to start posting more regularly so stay tuned to read where my journey will lead me.

I will soon publish my experience with the contraceptive pill and what impact it can have with building muscle and your health in general.

 

Weightloss journey

How my journey began (Part 1)

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My life completely changed by the End of 2014, when I came back from my vacation. After being back home I took a look at all the pictures I’ve taken during my holidays and looking at them I couldn’t recognize myself. I was shocked. That was the time I’ve reached my maximum weight of 94.1 kg (207.45 lbs) at a height of 1.63 m (5’4″). I hated what I saw on these pictures, I was unhappy and uncomfortable with myself.That was the day it klicked, the Day I decided to change my life completely.

But first let’s start with a flashback so you get to know me and my journey better…

I’ve never been very slim or skinny especially since I hit puberty, that time I started gaining weight like crazy my hormons were completely out of balance. No matter what I did I couldn’t lose weight I was putting on more and more so I went to the doctors to find out what was wrong with me. My doctor at that time didn’t really take it serious he took blood samples at least five times but never really told me what was wrong with me, since I was still underaged my Mom went to have a serious talk with him. The doctor told her I had hypothyroidism which meant my thyroid didn’t produce enough hormons which made my metabolism very slow and therefore easier to put on weight. Long story short the doctor said to my mom, this was not such a big deal since I’m very slim which means he didn’t even really look into my case. He then gave me the smallest dose possible, I still didn’t feel any better I would still put on weight, was always tired and lacking in motivation. That time I could probably sleep all day long. Anyways I don’t want to get to deep into my medical history at this point or waste to much time in the past.

I’m sure not that unblameable about putting on weight too, I have an enormous sweet tooth that’s definitely a weak point of mine. Funny in my early Childhood I couldn’t stand sweet food and candy at all.

I tried a lot of disputable diets during these years but none of them really worked, even if I lost a little weight after a cuple of days I had it all back and some more on top. In the end it just made me unhappier. So somehow I kinda gave up on it. Emotional stress always somehow affected me while struggling with my weight.

Back to 2014, the Year I finally realized it was time for a Change. As I mentioned before emotional stress always affected my weight, at that time I was in a very unhappy and unhealthy Relationship. Of course being that unhappy with myself, actually to a point of hating myself didn’t really help. The way I looked at myself at that time and before attracted the wrong people. Anyways by the End of 2014 after ending that unhealthy Relationship, I decided it was time for a Change. Actally ending that Relationship tourned out to be the best thing that could ever happen to me, because i could focus on myself and becoming happier and healthier without anyone trying to manipulate my progress.

Stay tuned for the second part of How my journey began.