New twist

Hello! Studies show that people who track what they eat and their activity lose more weight and are more likely to keep it off. Now that some of the ladies from my weight loss group at Just Fitness 4 U in Marietta have said they were interested, I decided to take "tracking" to a new level and journal my weight loss journey here on this blog. At the very least, I will have something to look at and see my own struggles and accomplishments.

WHERE I STARTED: Two years ago, I was at my heaviest weighing in at a whopping 170 pounds. That was at least 20 pounds overweight for a female my age, then 23. Since then I had been on and off of Weight Watchers, yo-yoing from weight loss to weight gain. Then about 8 months ago, I decided NO MORE! I went back and forth then too. First joining Just Fitness and sticking to a strict eating and fitness plan, only to go off of it every few weeks and undo all my hard work. Then, I was blessed to meet a wonderful lady who would change my outlook on weight loss and physical fitness forever. Her name is Amy Whatley. By day she is an elementary school PE teacher, by night she is a personal trainer.
I figured, 'What the hell!' I need to get in shape, so I will spend the money for a trainer. My first workout with Amy was by far the hardest I had worked out in a long time. I couldn't walk right for a few days.
Fast-forward three months. I was working out with Amy once a week and doing cardio on my own, but I hadn't changed my eating habits much, so not much was changing.
Then Amy persuaded me to participate in the weight loss challenge at the gym and be a member of her team.
WHERE I AM NOW: We started in January. Since my first weigh-in at 163 pounds, I have lost 11 pounds. Now, that may not seem like much. But my body composition has completely changed. Muscle building explains that low actual weight loss number. But I see the difference. I know work out with Amy twice a week, run twice a week and do some other from of cardio on days 5 and 6. I track what I eat (which I have been making much better choices) and must weigh in once a week. Once a month, we get measured and get our BMI taken. I am proud to say that my waist, thighs, neck and shoulders are all down. My arms are getting bigger, but muscle-big, not fat big and my BMI is in the healthy range for the first time in 3 years.
While the numbers don't always show on the scale, measuring yourself every couple of weeks is very telling.
Believe it or not, those 11 pounds off makes me look and feel differently. My clothes are looser, my face is thinner, my skin is clearer and my gut doesn't hang over my jeans. Why? Because I eat sensibly and work out regularly.
But I know, weight loss is so much easier said than done. That's why I am grateful to have a support team. I have Amy, my other "part-time" trainer Gary, the girls from the weight loss group. other acquaintances from the gym and my friends and family.
But believe me, it's not always a a walk in the park (well, that is a good way to get some physical activity in.) So stay tuned for my trials, tribulations and tid bits I have learned along the way.
Don't lose your keys, your phone or your mind. But by all means, LOSE THE FAT!
Happy losing,
Kayla