Research: My Journey To Strong, Healthy & Confident

Posted on by claudiamariefit

Aloha beautiful!

image
That is me before and after having lost 60lbs

A couple weeks ago I have started a series of blog posts about how I lost 60lbs and how I became stronger, healthier and more confident along the way (click here to read the article on how I started and why). Since I have chosen to change my lifestyle and habits to  ensure that I will not only lose body fat but also to maintain my weight in the long run, rather than making quick fixes which may eventually lead to regaining all the pounds, I started a series of blog posts on each factor that I feel is not always talked about but helped me achieving my goals. I want to talk about the ‘obvious’ things that weren’t that obvious to me when I first started and I hope that you can find the one or other tip.

In my previous post I have talked in depth about the importance of commitment (find the article here). So today, I want to talk about a very fundamental, often underrated topic…Research and Knowledge! We all are constantly exposed to countless ads and pop ups on weight loss pills, shakes a new miracle diet or a workout device/belts that are suppose to target all muscle groups by using it for only 2 minutes.

iddoanything

In the past, I used to really dislike working out and to constantly look after what I am eating. I have been guilty of trying out different diet pills, abs belts,…because who doesn’t want quick results with the least amount of effort?

 

 

However, every time I lost weight (and not body fat!) I regained at least the same amount of pounds right back. This drastically changed when I started reading up and educated myself more in depth about nutrition, fitness and the anatomy of our body. I always thought that I already knew a lot about these topics (and I did know the basics) but my thirst for knowledge made me discover a lot of new things as well.

You may think that you already know a lot about nutrition and working out – but do you really? calories do not take into consideration WHAT type of food you are eating. 100 calories of candy vs 100 calories of veggies is 100 calories, however

Nutrition: I see a lot of people (and not only women) who strictly count calories and chose ‘diet’ or ‘low fat’ products and think that they are doing their body good.

  • However, a lot of those products are filled with unhealthy and artificial chemicals. To guarantee the flavor of a product, fat is often replaced with more salt, sugars and additives. Often, they tend to have the same or more calories than the regular product.
  • Also, counting calories does not take into account WHAT type of calories you are eating (100 calories from candy is not equal to 100 calories from veggies).
  • A recent study (here) found that  a ‘low fat’ label leads the consumer to overeat, especially the ones who are overweight.

You may think that fats are bad for you because that is what we have been told for so long.

  • However, healthy fats are important in order to lose fat and crucial for your overall health (skin, heart, blood – pressure).

Also, you may have been told that carbs are those evil little macro nutrients that are responsible for you gaining weight. You may have noticed that by cutting them out, you are actually losing weight –

  • however, on the long run this is not sustainable and will make you gain every pound back, the minute you are having carbs.  By making your research and reading up on what carbs do and why they are important for you,  you will realize that there are different types of carbs, and that it may be better to include the majority of your daily carb intake in your early meals.
  • I would suggest to start off by researching the different macro groups – protein, carbohydrates and fats and the importance of each one of it as well as figuring out the right ratio for your individual goal.
  • Afitandprettylife had mentioned in one of her previous posts a great website where you can enter your personal fitness details (such as your height, weight,…) and goals and it calculates the amount of grams of each macro group you should eat each day (here).

Fitness: Doing your research on fitness can be a little bit overwhelming, especially if you haven’t worked out much or at all. A lot of women tend to have this misconception that lifting weights make them bulky.

  • Ask yourself what type of physical exercise you most likely would enjoy the most and start going online or read up in different fitness/health magazines or books on different routines (see picture to the right).

    Processed with VSCO with c1 preset
    FitnessRx and Train (for her) being a couple of my favorite  fitness magazines
  • Also, find other bloggers who inspire you and read up on their blog.
  • If you have the option of getting a personal trainer, than get one to start off your fitness journey with and ask as many questions as possible.
  • Find a friend with whom you want to start your fitness journey together and benefit from each others’ knowledge.
  • Don’t fall for fads or anything that promises you unrealistic and quick results.

 

 

 

I strongly encourage you (no matter what the topic is) to do your own research and to not take a single opinion as the only truth. After all, we are all different in body size and shape, as well as our metabolism and inner health varies from woman to woman.

Stay tuned for my upcoming posts on nutrition and fitness. In the meantime check out some educational websites, fitness blogger and start using a tracking app such as My Fitness Pal or Lose It.

Where do you do your research if you have any questions in regards to nutrition or fitness? Leave a comment below and let’s chat!

Don’t postpone eating healthy or working out to tomorrow…or next week! 6 Months from now you wish you would have started today! Start of small (do your research) but start today! 

890336394523021280416

xx

45 thoughts on “Research: My Journey To Strong, Healthy & Confident”

  2. What a great post! I think most of us are guilty of wanting a quick fix, but it’s important to realise that nothing good comes that easily! Good nutrition and exercise all the way! I’m looking forward to reading more from you 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, Erica!
      I couldn’t agree more. It is ‘easy’ to find quick fix solutions but I truly have to say I have never felt so satisfied knowing that I put all that hard work into it and seeing the results because of that.
      It took a while to put the pounds on and it will take a little bit to get them off 🙂

      Have a wonderful day!

      xxx

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. This is one of many reasons why I love your blog! You always teach me something new and as I am going through my own journey you’re teaching me great things.
    Thank you for another helpful post xx

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I know…lol. But that is totally ok because I don’t believe in crash diets. I changed my lifestyle and in order for me to keep all the weight off, I need balance. So I try to aim for a 80:20 approach which means trying to eat healthy 80% of the time and enjoying and indulging 20%.
      I eat what I like and if I crave anything I don’t restrict myself but will be a bit more conscious for my next meal or put in an extra 10 min at the gym 🙂

      Thank you for your lovely comment. Ya, it feels so good having achieved what I set my mind to 🙂 lol

      xxx

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Crash diets? Nahhh. That’s awesome that you changed your lifestyle since that’s half the battle. And it’s easier to keep it off when you do it the way that works best for you. Indulging = that’s great! Depriving isn’t healthy. I did that before, umm, not good, hahaha 😀 you know exactly what to do girl, you got it!!! 💗💗💗

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  13. YOU are so right about every body is different. Definitely do your research, and even then, you still need to cater to what your own body will do and need. Congratulations on your weight loss and healthy lifestyle. Best wishes to you in all you do! Be well, peace, Koko:)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your thoughts, Koko!
      I totally appreciate that! Yes, I couldn’t agree more, research and critical thinking (e.g. realizing that your body may be different) is key in every area in life 🙂

      Sending lots of Aloha your way!

      xx

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s