Ella's Weight Loss Journal

Author: admin

  • Weight Update!

    Weight Update!

    As of yesterday, I weigh 200 pounds! That is officially twenty pounds that I have lost. While I am focusing on fat loss, I am also focusing on building muscle. Since muscle is more dense than fat, (if this fact surprised you read more here) the scale takes a while to move for me. That said, since I started out with a higher body fat percentage, I will see a change in weight. I do not think I would really pay attention to the number on the scale if I was not considered obese. 

    So this is your reminder to focus on how you feel and how strong you are instead of how light or heavy you are. One of the reasons I love weight training is because no matter what I look like or weigh, I am happy with how much weight my body can move. Personally, I am just using the scale to keep track of fat loss progress. I cannot wait for the day I can request “obesity” to be taken off of my list of health issues. Only a few more pounds to go!

  • My Favorite Part of a Calorie Deficit

    My Favorite Part of a Calorie Deficit

    Calorie deficits are pretty difficult, especially at the beginning. I upped my protein intake to help myself stay full longer and it’s really helped. Upping protein should also include upping fiber. Sources of fiber don’t tend to be very yummy on their own. I would imagine that very few people crave a bowl of lentils. So how did I add more fiber to my diet? Raspberry chia seed jam! I like to put it on an english muffin with some peanut butter, or mix it into plain greek yogurt. It’s so delicious and such a good way to get some fruit in too! It has 55 cals, 10g carbs, 1g fat, 4g of fiber, and 1g protein per serving. Here’s the recipe:

  • Am I a Gym Girl Now?

    Am I a Gym Girl Now?

    Back in 2021, my stomach would churn at the thought of stepping into a public gym. I finally tried a local commercial gym in 2022, but I was too afraid to go alone or even do workouts by myself. I worried my form was not good enough, or that everyone was judging me because I did not look like I belonged. But eventually I became more comfortable. For about a month, I went consistently.  Unfortunately, I broke the habit when summer arrived. 

    When I decided to start losing weight this year, I headed back to my local gym. I was a much more confident person overall this time around and did not feel the need to workout with someone by my side. I watched countless videos of good exercises to try and tips and advice for the gym.  I even curated some playlists specifically for my workouts. 

    After about three weeks of consistency, I really started to look forward to the gym. Now, I do not think everyone craves the gym, but it is possible. As someone who struggles with migraines, I still go to the gym on migraine days because I have found that a good workout actually helps. I know it sounds crazy, but my hypothesis is that lifting weights heightens adrenaline, which then stops the migraines. 

    How I Train

    My current workout split is simple since I’m really just aiming for fat loss and not muscle growth. I try to train upper body twice a week and legs twice a week. For cardio, I have found the most success just doing whatever gets my heart rate up (not too high), and training for 15-30 minutes after my lifts. The elliptical is my most recent preference. 

    Motivation to Workout

    Finding motivation is very difficult when it comes to working out and staying consistent.  I try my best to not even wait for motivation anymore.  That said, my algorithm on social media is full of workout videos and I definitely think that makes me want to get up and workout.  Some of my favorite people to watch are @shivwilsonn (on instagram) and @fitfoodieliving (also on instagram).  What creators do you find inspiring?

  • Starting Over

    Starting Over

    Healthy Habits

    When I made the decision to work on losing weight, my goal was to also re-establish healthy habits.  First, I made sure I was drinking water.  My goal was to have at least one full water bottle (30 oz) each day.  I made sure I was able to do this for a week and then increased to two water bottles (60 oz).  When I had my water intake fairly consistent (nobody is perfect), I began changing my diet.  Snacks became whole foods–mainly my favorite fruits.  I also started to prioritize pairing protein with carbs in my meals.  I do have a rather large sweet tooth, but I do not try many “healthy alternatives” like the ones you see online because they never seem to satisfy my cravings.  Instead, I traded chocolate candy for dark chocolate chips.  I also really enjoy sugar-free hot chocolate before bed.  It’s lower calorie, satisfies my cravings for chocolate, and can be soothing before bed.  It took me about a month before I felt confident with how I fueled myself in a caloric deficit. 

    Maintaining a Healthy Calorie Deficit

    I was scared to try a calorie deficit because underfueling in the past often led to binging and stopping the deficit, so I never saw results.  This time around, I have found that eating a little more on days that I’m a little hungrier does help to prevent binging.  I also love volume eating–eating something that is large in size but low in calories.  My plate looks fuller so I feel fuller.  Fruit is perfect for this.  Including more protein and fiber in each meal also helps keep me full for longer.  A scrambled egg with some cottage cheese mixed in and an english muffin on the side is my favorite breakfast with almost 30g of protein.  I also love homemade raspberry jam with chia seeds to get in some fiber.  But I think my all-time favorite snack is Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Muffins.  I’ll include the recipe below. What’s your favorite way to get in some protein?

    Ingredients:

    1/2 c peanut butter

    1/2 c melted butter

    1/2 c sweetener (I prefer monk fruit)

    1 tsp vanilla extract

    2 eggs

    1/3 c milk

    1/2 c chocolate protein powder

    3 tbsp cocoa powder

    2 tsp baking powder

    1/4 tsp salt

    1/3 cup chocolate chips

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
    2. Whisk together butter, peanut butter, sweetener, and vanilla in a large bowl
    3. Whisk in eggs and milk until smooth
    4. Mix in dry ingredients until combined
    5. Fold in chocolate chips
    6. Divide mixture into 6-12 prepared muffin cups and bake 18-25 minutes, or until baked through

    Macros: 181 cals, 5.2g carbs, 13.6g fat, 12g protein (depends on protein powder brand)

  • The Turning Point

    The Turning Point

    What convinced me to lose weight?

    For me there is a difference from when I started to want to lose weight and when I actually started to lose weight. I wanted to lose weight when a girl I had JUST MET told me I looked “well-fed.” I wanted to lose weight when I saw “obese” on my medical chart. I wanted to lose weight when I had to move from a size medium to extra large. All these times that I wanted to lose weight led to self-pity and sometimes even binge eating. Obviously, neither of those helped.

    But one day, I was getting ready to go to the gym. I sat down to put my socks on, and when I got up I was almost out of breath. I thought to myself, “how can I be huffing and puffing just from putting on my socks?” THAT was the turning point for me. It really was not that different from the other times I realized how out of shape I was, but for some reason, this stuck out to me. I guess I could not imagine being a good mom, wife, or friend in the future if I had to catch my breath after doing something as simple as putting on some socks.

    The funny thing is that this story may not even stick out to other people and may even seem like a silly reason to lose weight to some. But hey, it helped me get started. Now I have so many more reasons to be healthy and my reasons for eating right and going to the gym have definitely changed.

    Weight Loss is a Journey

    When I started to lift heavier, I became so impressed by how strong I was. My goal became to just get stronger. In the process, I started loving my body as it was because I learned what it was capable of whether that was lasting longer than ten minutes on an elliptical or moving 85 pounds on a lat pulldown.

    Being able to lift heavier also means that I need to fuel my body better. I learned how many calories my body needs just to function (also known as my Basal Metabolic rate). Then I factored in how often I exercise. I was able to understand how many calories I need to maintain my weight, gain weight, and lose weight. For me, in the past, tracking calories usually led to binging. But when I learned about my BMR I realized that it was probably because I was not eating enough. All this to say, I learned to also depend on God as I was making health changes. I prayed for self-control (a fruit of the Spirit), help, and strength.

    Thus, my weight loss journey also became a journey to discipline and denying myself. As Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” In the past three months, losing weight became less about looking good and more about glorifying God.