Gloria shared her amazing transformation with us last year. She lost 55 pounds. We asked her to share the details of how she created healthy, beautiful curves with healthy food, exercise and the right mindset. You don’t want to miss her awesome advice. She’s dropping gems.
How have you maintained your weight loss?
I actually did not maintain my weight loss. I was happy that I lost the weight, but I wanted to be curvy. I want to have toned legs, hips and thickness to my frame. Like most women, we all want the curvy body, to look good in our dresses and jeans. So, I went back to the drawing board and decided to gain about 20 pounds and sculpt the most fit physique I could.
I wrote out a meal plan and adjusted my nutrient intake daily. I certainly was not about to pile junk on my plate! This was a matter of adjusting carbs, fats and proteins. More specifically, gaining weight in a healthy way.
I also changed how I worked out completely. As a result, I was able to go from 127 pounds to 142 pounds, and I have maintained this weight for over a year now. I love the definition I’ve been able to achieve, not to mention the new curves I’ve acquired!
What has worked in terms of eating habits and what worked in terms of exercise?
I recognized I needed to give my body a break at least once a month from consuming meat. My digestive system needed a rest from the consistent digestion of animal proteins. I was fit ,yet my physique wasn’t as tight as I would have liked. Now, I’m not a committed vegan because I love meat! However, I have experienced great results by adopting a vegan diet for a seven day stretch every month. I feel rejuvenated and energized and I’ve had great results with this new habit.
When I’m not doing a vegan detox, my meals still consist of lean meats and lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. I have a vault of recipes I use that taste amazing. I am a firm believer that if healthy food tastes great, I’m more inclined to stick with it.
For over the past year, I’ve only eaten from small containers and plates. This prevents me from over eating. I am able to satisfy my hunger and not stuff myself.
When it comes to sweets I definitely treat myself once a week. My secret for not falling off the wagon is that I refuse to purchase sweets or tempting foods and store them in my house. Anytime I want something sweet, it’s an involved process: Getting up, getting dressed, getting in the car, driving to the bakery, making the selection, making the purchase, and then eating. Just the idea of doing all this for a sweet treat is a deterrent. I don’t feel like having to do all that for a dessert. I’ll just make some chocolate Greek yogurt and berries to satisfy my cravings at home.
In terms of exercise, lifting heavy has proven effective. Ladies, do not be afraid to life HEAVY! I’ve been able to grow my glutes by increasing my weights and limiting my glute exercises to about 5-6 moves. I also do cardio AFTER I lift. A strength training workout depletes your glycogen stores, so right after is the perfect time to hit that cardio routine! My fat burning has sky rocketed by doing this! I’ve been able to maintain definition being 20 pounds heavier.
What lessons have you learned on this journey? What stands out the most?
This journey has taught me many things. The most important lesson by far: If you commit yourself and just do your best, you can certainly make changes to your lifestyle that will last a lifetime. I have been on this journey for four years now and I look back at times to remember how far I have come. I’ve learned so much about what I am capable of when I’m focused and determined.
Because of this, I’ve been able to help other people make this lifestyle change. I know what it feel like to be at the beginning. You are overweight and unhappy with the way you look outwardly, which certainly has an effect on you inwardly. You don’t know who to listen too, and perhaps don’t even know where to start. I had an overweight parent who almost died because of their eating habits. Fitness journeys can be over whelming! That was me four years ago. Now, I’ve learned to silence a lot of the noise. I’ve also learned to focus on what works for my body and now I help others do the same. I don’t compare my body to other women, because no matter how hard I try, I will never be them. I focus on how I can be better than I was yesterday, and I don’t beat myself up too hard if I miss the mark.
At this point, would you offer any new or different advice to others who want to lose weight?
I know many of us women can get tired of listening to all that stale, tried-and-true weight loss advice, like eating more vegetables, limiting portions, and exercising more. So, I’ll give you some practical advice I’ve learned both from my personal experience and as a public health scientist.
1. Find healthy foods that you actually LIKE! Don’t force yourself to eat something you hate because you WILL NOT stick with it long term. That initial weight loss will be great but as soon as you get tired of eating it, you will revert to bad habits. And cook your own food 95% of the time. You have more control of what goes into it.
2. If you are having issues with portion control, buy smaller plates and Tupperware! I’ve done research studies where I’ve observed people change their portion size of food simply based on the size plate they were given. And this was done subconsciously! Those given larger plates, took larger portions. Those given smaller plates, took smaller portions. So buy small plates because it tricks your mind into feeling satisfied when all your food is gone!
3. Make eating sweets as difficult as possible! If you’re the type who overdoes it on sweets and snacks make yourself work a little for your favorite indulgences. Don’t keep them in the house, but give yourself permission to go out and get them when you really need to. The more hassle tasty treats are, the less likely you are to eat them
4. And lastly, try on that dress or pair of jeans that is too small every Friday morning. I did this because I knew the weekends are difficult when it comes to sticking with a healthy routine. It’s the end of the week, and we want to relax, eat, drink and throw away all that hard work we did during the week. This was great motivation to maintain the progress I made and not mess it up. If my jeans were too tight, I knew I had no business even thinking about falling off the wagon!
Website: naturalglolifestyle.com
Instagram: @naturalglo
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Cosette says
First you look amazing! My weight loss journey is very similar to yours. I have lost the desired weight, but my curves have suffered because of it. My question to you; did you use a personnel trainer and did you change up your workout routine after you achieved the desired results? Thank you