8 Month Star Power!

Honestly fitness has been an interest of mine all my life. Although my weight became an issue around my pre-teens, I always enjoyed being active! As a kid I played basketball, spent a couple summers in cheer camp, roller skated, twirled batons & ribbons and danced on a pom-pom squad. Then in college I took about 2 fitness or nutrition classes a year...because I just loved the information. After college I fell in love with jogging and would hit the treadmill with vigor. But I don't think I really saw serious changes in my body until I moved to Vegas and fell in love with Turbo Jam. I followed the direction of Chalene Johnson and IT WORKED! Basically if CJ said it-I did it. And one day I looked up and I was 40 lbs lighter! BUT when the trails of life kicked in I could no longer afford Shakeology. My DVD player was broken. And groceries were a luxury. Although I continued to workout with a gym membership that I'd paid for in advance, I gained just about all of the 40 lbs back. SMH. I couldn't figure out HOW to keep losing without all the tools that I'd once had. So when the opportunity to participate in my job's Get Fit Challenge presented itself, I took full advantage! And I've been slowly figuring out how to shed pounds with out the home workouts, without the healthiest shake...basically I am learning how to do this at ground 1. And low and behold-I HAVE ACTUALLY PASSED MY ORIGINAL WEIGHT LOSS. #Shocked So what have I done?? Hmmm...How to break this down... -I started logging into My Fitness Pal on my cell. And initially I would stay right in my number and if I went over (ate too many calories) I'd make sure I burned them the next day. But lately my goal has been to stay green! I am trying to end the day with at least 100 calories to spare. -I eat a protein of some sort within an hour of waking up. Sometimes it's a protein shake. Sometimes it's a TBS of Peanut Butter. Sometimes it's a greek yogurt. Although I love Shakeology & I love my Sun Warrior Blend (a vegan protein) I can't afford them so I have been buying the best proteins that I can afford and just rolling with em. -I have increased my fiber. In addition to eating a salad every day (sometimes 2) I do a "fiber shot" at night before bed. 1 TBS of Pysllium Husks in 2oz Lemon Juice & 2oz Cranberry Juice. OR the husks in 4oz of water. -I try to eat a protein every 3 hours. A lot of times it's a boiled egg. But I also do protein bars, homemade trail mix, or another shake. -I drink alot more tea. IDK why but tea helps. I also still drink between 70-90 ounces of water daily. -I kicked it up several notches in the gym. Kickboxing is still my base workout. It's the one thing that will not change in my week. Every Monday & Wednesday I am gonna Kick. And I know that Ebony is gonna come with some level of insane movement for me to step up to. Eb's class never gets easier, she never allows me to slack and I can count on burning 1000 calories Everytime! My cardio game is simply divine! -My Trainer Crazy I do body pump class on Tues. I meet with my (free from my job) trainer on Thurs. Tue & Thurs are my lift days. I focus on weights. I love Body Pump because the routine is set to the music and that makes it feel a little more dancey. Then on Thurs the trainers do the best they can to destroy my muscle in an hour. No workout is ever the same. I work with 2 different guys to keep it varied and each trainer is as crazy as the other. We do "negatives", 21s, kettle bells, BoSu training, free weights, machines, body resistance..you name it! Never a dull moment. -I try to eat protein after the workouts. I think that's it! OHHHH I also sleep alot more. The weight lifting helps me sleep better.