How I lost 20lbs for my Wedding

So, when I first started this blog I told you how weight loss would be covered in the countdown to the wedding day.

This was partly due to the fact that in my three years of courtship with SM, I had gained 20lbs! (I’m just under 5’4″ so thats quite a bit for me!) We pinpointed last summer (summer where SM came back after law school) as the culprit of the weight gain (apparently SM says he gained weight too, but SM is really one of those annoying boys who can eat whatever he wants and gain no weight (aren’t they all?!) Anyway that summer was the culprit because we ate ice cream all summer long. In fact, we’ve now come to refer to that summer as “summer of Ice cream”…because after it was over I got on the scale and saw that it was +20lbs! :s

Today, I’m happy to report that I’ve lost it all – healthily – and since I know this is something women around the world struggle with, I’ll share what worked for me:

1. Have realistic goals and timelines. My scale shock happened sometime after that summer, in the fall of 2012, and I realized: if I want to be in great shape by my Wedding (that at the time was a year away) I need to start getting serious NOW. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose (more than 10lbs) you can’t think you’re going to lose it all and get fit in 4 weeks. You’re screwing yourself over and setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. So, the first thing you should do is get real and give up the idea that you’re going to be able to do anything in two weeks on a crash diet because they don’t work, and will make you end up gaining more weight in the long run (Trust me, I’ve done them all).

2. Exercise. I started getting serious about exercising, and in particular, weight lifting. I’m lucky enough to have a trainer and I honestly could not have done it without her. I’m a big believer I personal trainers. They will ensure that your technique is correct – which is critical because if its not you’re just wasting time. They will push you to lift weights that are heavier than you would ever pick up – and girls NO you do not get bulky if you lift heavy weights, we don’t have the hormonal levels to create bulk so lifting heavy weights only works to help build muscle, boost your metabolism and tone up. For example, I started chest press with 12lb and now do 25lb! Trainers will also hold you accountable because if you miss an appointment you have to face the wrath of their disappointment, which is dreadful let me tell you! I love my trainer, I even invited her to my wedding because I feel like she’s really truly been there with me for my whole wedding planning process and I want her to see what she helped me work to achieve on the big day!

Obviously cardio is extremely important too. You can lift all the weight in the world but if you have fat no ones going to see your muscle definition under it and the only way to lose that is by cardio, and lots of it. This is my weakness, I hate doing Cardio. I’m great at getting in the gym for weight training but my cardio can be way better.

A little something which I found motivating:

3. Eating healthy. Before I got serious about losing weight, my eating wasn’t the greatest. For me what really helped jump start my weight loss was preparing meals in advance. I was motivated by a friend who had also done this and would post pics of her meal prep with the caption: “Be prepared or prepare to fail.” That really resonated with me and so I started to make salads, whole wheat pastas, pack fruits, all at the beginning of the week so that I had set out meals for the work week. I think this is really what helped me shed the first five pounds. I also began upping my protein intake, having shakes in the morning. As much as I don’t believe in no carbs (some carbs are good and necessary) my body does always seem to respond to higher protein intake.

4. Pakistan. Gotta give credit where credits due, Pakistan helped me shed another 5lbs – and in full disclosure I did zero exercises there and ate street ice cream frequently. It was just the combo of the heat and walking in the bazaars – to be honest I was expecting to lose more!

So there you have it, no crazy secrets just basic exercise and eating healthy. Having been obsessed with my weight since I was a kid, I’m happy to be at a place where I understand that if you want to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you eat. There’s no magic beyond that.

A pic of a sign on my gym door which is so true and motivating:

My August goals:
-lose 5 pounds

Plan to achieve said goal:
-cardio 4-5x week
-weight training 3x week
-hot yoga 3x week

What are your best weight loss, health and fitness tips?