Affordable workout leggings sets!!

@vanessa.fitness Keeping ALL these workout sets!! #workoutsets #founditonamazon #leggingsset #fitnessfashion #workoutwear @amazonfashion ♬ Me Too - Meghan Trainor

Best Amazon Swimsuit Haul for Summer 2022!!

 These are the cutest affordable suits I found on Amazon for this summer!!

Which one do you like best? 

 

@vanessa.fitness Who’s going someplace warm for Spring Break? #swimsuithaul #bathingsuithaul #bathingsuitshopping #founditonamazon @amazonfashion ♬ Love You So - The King Khan & BBQ Show

When I "quit" dieting

The A-HA moment

In 2019, I traveled to France and Italy, and ate ALL the bread, cheese, pasta, pastries, and drank lots of wine. I deliciously enjoyed myself.  

After two and a half weeks, I returned home and finally stepped on the scale, fearful of the number I would see. The number remained the exact same as when I had left for Europe. I hadn't gained an ounce. 

This led me to the realization that whenever I go on vacation, I never gain weight, in fact sometimes I lose weight, and I enjoy eating and drinking without restriction. In fact, on vacation, I don't even think about weight, or how much I weight, or even weight myself. I realized on vacation I ate and drank in moderation. On vacation, I'm not on the restrict-binge cycle. 

I've done ALL the diets!

I have done EVERY DIET! When I was 13 years old, I started restricting food and giving it morality. Bread was bad. Pasta was bad. Sugar was bad, butter was bad, and the list continued. The restriction had begun. I would eat mainly fruits and vegetables until I was so hungry, I would binge on all the foods on the "bad" list.

At 16, I planned to go to Florida for spring break and my friends and I decided to do Slim Fast 3 weeks before we left. Remember that? A shake for breakfast and lunch, and then a sensible dinner. I lost 10 pounds.  As soon as I stopped, I binged on my "bad" list foods. 

This went on for 30 more years. Cabbage Soup Diet, Grapefruit Diet, Cottage Cheese Diet, Weight Watchers, LA Weightloss, High-Carb/Low Fat, Atkins, 21 Day Fix, Keto, Intermittent Fasting, and probably some I can't remember. 

The strict rules around food just kept growing. I weighed and measured all my food, I even had special containers. I became a pro at "healthifying" recipes, which never tasted as good as I wanted them to. I was either "being good" with my eating or "being bad" with my eating. 

In addition, I weighed myself every day. If I liked the number on the scale, I was happy, but also felt the pressure to keep that number going down, and restrict food more. I weighed myself daily because I had to keep myself accountable, right? But accountable to who? And why? Would my family or friends love me any less because of a number on the scale?

I got tired of it all

The whole process was exhausting, and in my late 40s I was tired of it all. So tired, and confused about what to eat. I started to look at my future and turning 50, and asked myself, "Did I want to be dieting for the rest of my life? Did I want my days and thoughts to revolve around food?"  

What I started doing

Threw out the diets

No more! No more spending money on diet foods, programs, supplements, or follow stupid food rules. No more adding morality around food. No more guilt around food. This takes time, but I started eating whenI was hungry, and what I felt like eating. 

I would shoot for consistency. I threw out diets and restriction and decided I would consistently eat when I was hungry, and eat foods that made me physically feel good. However, if I wanted a muffin, cookies, chips, bread, or any of the other foods originally on my "bad food" list, I ate them - without guilt. I did the same for my workouts. Consistent strength training and walking, and let go of the punishing, hour long, twice a day workout. 

Mindset and Identity Shift

Changing the weightloss narrative and my identity in my thoughts also helped. Instead of thinking of myself as someone who needed to lose weight, I started living as someone who had already lost the weight. When I opened the refrigerator, or I would say to myself "I'm a fit and healthy person. As a fit and healthy person, what do I want to put in my body?" Anytime I thought of myself as "too heavy", "fat", or any other unkind word, I would change that too: "If a friend of mine said that about herself, what would I say to her?" 

It's been a three-year journey, and the weight has come off slowly, more slowly than 16, 20, or 30 year old me would have liked. What's even better is my mental health! Changing mindset is HARD!! But I've learned, food isn't good or bad, it's just food. I'm not good or bad for eating it, I'm me! 

Threw out the scale

I don't weigh myself, and I don't worry about what I can and can't eat. I still struggle some days with negative body image, but I'm so much happier just eating foods I enjoy, and avoiding diets and the scale. I got on the scale once because I was curious how this was going, and I completely spiraled. I thought I should have lost more, and it ruined my day. I LET THE SCALE DETERMINE MY EMOTIONS!! Do you see how crazy that sounds? I have two fabulous kids, a husband that loves me, wonderful extended family and friends, and some stupid digital object was doing this to me. 

How I eat

How I eat has also changed. I used to never be able to stop in the middle of eating. I was wired to finish my plate and eat everything I could, because my body had this fear that I would go o another diet or restrict myself, so I didn't know when I'd be able to eat again. 

Now that I've developed trust with myself and food, I know that I can listen to my body and put the food away, because I will allow myself to eat it when and if I get hungry. 

The Result

This entire process has led me to start taking courses for a degree in Dietetics, because I want other women to believe that their body is good. I don't sell anything, push any supplements, or require anything that will help weightloss. 

Our bodies are good. We may still want to improve our bodies, but not by restricting them of food or punishing them with workouts, but by treating them well. 

What helps with my workout motivation

 

@vanessa.fitness Reply to @wickline75 Have you tried pre-workout? #workoutmotivation #preworkworkout #motivation #homeworkout #fittok @rspnutrition ♬ Work Bitch - Britney Spears

I love to take a pre-workout to improve my energy levels and my exercise performance, especially at 51 years old, I am not a morning person, and I workout at 6am! I wanted a pre-workout that both tasted great and didn't leave me jittery, and overstimulated.

Some preworkouts taste good but don't produce results, and some don't taste very good but don't do the job. Some of them have too much caffeine and your face goes numb! But AminoLean is the BOMB! Gives energy without the jitters. The fruit punch is my favorite flavor. 

In addition to energy, AminoLean also provides amino acids to help my muscles recover and even helps with weight management. It's like a friend with benefits....but instead a preworkout with benefits!! HA!

The BEST affordable leggings

@vanessa.fitness Seriously BEST LEGGINGS EVER! #leggings #leggingsoutfit #lululemondupes #founditonamazon @amazonfashion ♬ Sweet Dreams - Trinix

I love expensive leggings like Lululemon, Alo, and YogaFit brands, but my wallet does not! When I found the HeyNuts leggings on Amazon, I fell in love. Buttery soft, supportive spandex, high waisted, these leggings are a dupe for my favorite Lululemon WunderUnders, but at a third of the price. 

You may not have heard about the Lululemon WonderUnder leggings. If you've tried or heard about Lululemon's most popular Align leggings, they are designed to be a second skin, to have a "naked" feeling. Well I don't know about you, but at 51 years old, I don't want a "naked" feeling, I want some compression in my leggings to support me and suck me in! That's what the WunderUnders do, and THAT is exactly what the HeyNuts leggings replicate!

The HeyNuts are the affordable legging I've been waiting for! They are made from a buttery soft material, they suck you in and have a bit of compression, but are still comfy and easy to move in. I feel very supported in them but they’re not restrictive. I wear a size XS and like the 25" length - they hit just below my ankles (I’m 5’3” for height ref). The fabric has a soft feel, they’re cool to the touch, and I don't have to tug at them or pull them up. They stay put all day. I can wear these for literally any workout and feel great in them and I can also wear them in a casual setting. Overall, these are my favorite because of the soft feel of the fabric and the supportive, sucked in feel!

I've tried so many "dupes" leggings brands, and most of them don't have as much support to "suck in" the parts I want supported, don't wear well and feel thin and cheap. The HeyNuts deliver all of these qualities, and come in so many colors, patterns, different lengths (23", 25" and 28") with or without pockets, and have I mentioned how soft they are?!

How to Calculate "Calorie Deficit"

You've probably heard by now that if you want to lose weight, you have to eat in a calorie deficit. But what does that mean? Does it mean eating 1200 or less a day? That's what calorie trackers like MyFitnessPal told me. Does it mean restricting certain foods or entire categories of foods? That's what a low fat diet, or Keto diet, and many other types of diets do. 

I don't follow any specific diet, and only use a calorie tracker app every once in a while to calculate the calories in any new foods or recipes I'm eating. Following a moderation approach, eating nutritious foods I enjoy and treats, in a slight calorie deficit, has worked for me and my clients to lose weight. 

To calculate a true calorie deficit, most dietitians will use the Harris-Benedict Equation calculate BMR (basal metabolic rate), and then TEE (total energy expenditure), adjusting for PAL (physical activity level), and then subtract anywhere from 200 to 500 calories. It's a complicated equation, which is why I use this online Harris-Benedict Equation Calculator to determine my clients and my own Basal Metabolic Rate, Total Energy Expenditure, and adjust for Physical Activity Level. 

If you really want the exact equation, I'll write it out at the end of this post. 

In the meantime, this is how I use the online Harris Benedict Calculator

First, I plug in my numbers: 

You'll notice that my TEE (total energy expenditure) is 1,783 calories per day. 

This is how many calories I need to maintain my weight if I sat around and did nothing all day, but breathe and think. 

That is far more than 1,200 calories, and this isn't even adjusted, yet, for my PAL (physical activity level). 

PAL is how much I move during the day, AND any workouts I do. My job requires me to stand much of the day and do lots of walking on campus. I also take clients through fitness routines, in addition to my own workouts. So, let's adjust for PAL. 

Second, click the "Advanced Mode" to add in PAL: 

I strength train three to four days per week, and do cardio on the others days. This is in addition to all the activity in my job. 

Now my total calories per day necessary to maintain 135 pounds is 2,237! If you've dieted frequently, this may seem like a lot of calories. It's not. Our body needs energy and is hard-wired to fight calorie restriction. 

From this final number of 2,237, if I want to lose weight, I would subtract anywhere from 200-500 calories per day. Most of my clients want to start right away subtracting 500, the maximum amount, but remember, the body is hard-wired to resist calorie restriction, intentional or not, which is why diets don't work. 

I usually suggest starting by subtracting 250 calories per day. So, for me, that would mean I would eat 1,987 calories per day. The goal is to aim for consistent, steady weight loss, without binging because we've restricted too much. 

Will you calculate your TEE? Let me know how you do! 

Equation as promised: 

Stop tying weight loss with happiness.

Are you waiting to lose 10, 20, 30 or more pounds? Waiting to fit into that special dress, bathing suit, or pair of jeans? Waiting to be "happy" with your weight, that ever elusive specific number you've set in your mind? 

If your health and fitness goal is weight loss, and you are unhappy now with yourself/your body, my question to you is this: 

Why aren't you allowed to be happy right now, instead of when you've lost weight?
Acceptance of ourselves, and allowing ourselves to be happy NOW is necessary to make any progress. 

I struggled for years on diets, calorie counting, and excessive exercise. I tried every diet out there, reduced my food intake to 1200 calories or less a day, and lived my life by a long list of food rules. Then, I would binge on all my restricted foods, feel sick, guilty, and berate myself for being "weak." Obviously, nothing worked, which just made me feel completely hopeless as I gained more and more weight. 

I had to learn to respect my body and be content in my skin. This process began when I read

the book Within: A spiritual awakening to love and weight loss, and then therapy. I am happy with the way I am now. I know that sometimes I have to make healthier lifestyle choices, but also allow myself to enjoy delicious foods, without guilt or berating myself. 

If this sounds familiar to you, get professional help. You are not lazy; you are not alone. You have a mental health issue that needs treatment. It was like a weight lighten from my shoulders that I felt had been there my whole life. 

We put so much pressure on ourselves to lose weight - like everything is riding on it.
Be happy NOW, content in your skin. 

Think of your very best friend. Do you love her for her abs? Do you love her for the amount she weighs? We don't love people for their abs, because they have long legs, or for the amount shown on a scale. We love them because of who they are, their kindness, their love, the way they treat others; the fun and laughter we have when they are around us! 

Might we need to make healthier lifestyle choices? Maybe. Let's let go of tying weight loss with happiness. 

Who's with me?