This is me, My Story.

This is ME. Today marks my 3rd year with personal weight loss/fitness story/journey! 

Weighing in at 173.5 -175.5 is a total dream to me; 3 years ago, and now it is a reality, I haven't weighed that weight probably since grade 9. I started my journey weighing in at 230+ pounds. Didn't work out at all, ate whatever I wanted and did not think twice. I was extremely unhealthy, overweight, always feeling very lethargic and thought I wasn't worth anything nor  to be truly happy.  

After going to the doctor that March 2013 and them telling me how much I actually truly weighed and what effects was being caused to my body  was a major reality check for me, brutally letting me know that I was  killing myself slowly by living the unhealthy life that I lived. I was finally able to  see and understand exactly what I was doing to my body and how I was pretty much harming it not only long term but always short term. I wasn't confident in myself. I was embarrassed with myself. I wasted a lot of my life in my house/room because of my weight, didn't experience a lot of things I wanted to experience because of my weight, I may be a hypocrite for saying this but never allow yourself to feel you aren't worthy of doing what any other person can do just because you have a few extra pounds on you.

I have only been going to the gym for just over a year now, before that I did all my workouts at home and outside, I went for a lot of walks - I've never been a runner. The workout videos on YouTube is what got me through a year and a half of my weight loss journey and I will forever be  thankful to  the people who put out workout videos because without them I wouldn't know where I would be right now. January 2015 is when I signed up at the gym where I started to go to with my boyfriend Andrew, he taught me a lot, he showed me almost everything I know in the gym and has shown me throughout my journey that I can do it and I am much strong than I mentally think I am and that I am worth so much more than I think I am, this may be cliché but without him in my life helping and pushing me through the hard times of my journey –it may not be the same results as it is now.

Throughout my whole weight loss/fitness journey, if I didn't see the results I thought I would get, I would be so hard on myself and think of giving up – but I pushed not only because I wanted it and the family and friend I had to support throughout but also  I truly wanted to show everyone who has ever called me fat or ugly over the years that “fuck you, I did it. I'm beautiful and fit.” Never allow ignorant people bring you down, you will always come up on top and be looking down on them.

Yes, I could be a lot skinnier. Yes, I could be a lot fitter. Could I be any happier with the result I have made for myself? No. Could I push harder? Yes. But with pushing harder there are steps, and let me tell you I'm climbing those steps! Could I eat a lot healthier? Yes, of course, everyone could. I have changed my eating habits drastically over the years, and I am proud of that. There are many things I could have done or I could be doing to make my results better or better in someone else's eyes but you know what, I sure am proud of my accomplishments and have no regrets about how I did things during my journey.

This year, I have set new goals and new accomplishments. Wanting to lose my last 10 pounds and gain strength and muscle definition will be my main goals. follow me while I push through another step of my fitness journey. 
Last but not least, my before picture (March 2013) and my after (or during) picture (March 2016)...

Are you an over eater?

Are you an over eater and/or large portion eater?

Eating in large portions may have you feeling full for longer but have you ever taken into consideration what it may be doing to your stomach? Eating large portions stretch out your stomach and that's why in a lot of case after eating like this for a while you don't get full as fast and also you get hungry a lot faster. Overeating is one of the biggest causes of belly fat and weight gain in my perspective.

In my opinion- Yes, I was the biggest over eater and large portion eater. I firmly believe this why I had such a hard time achieving the loss in my stomach region as I planned to during the beginning my journey. (and yes, your stomach region may be in fact the hardest part to lose ) In fact, I still haven't fully cut down all meals I eat as much as I should. Let's just be real its a work in progress, I love my food. 

To be successful in not overeating and stopping with the large portioned meals, you must gradually cut meals back, rather than scooping out that extra bit of rice or pasta stop with the first scoop. Yes, it may be hard because your body is used to eating a certain way but understanding that your body will crave more food but not always in need of food because you have stretched your stomach over time. Once you get this urge of over eating uncontrol, which in some cases it may take some time depending on how mentally strong-willed you are but it will help you achieve a healthier - happier stomach.

Some easy tips I could give is eating healthy and nutrition packed meals but in smaller portions 4 to 6 times a day rather than 1 to 2 large meals  and that includes snacks also, you don't always need to eat a meal with you eat. Something else that may also help a bit was/is drinking cold lemon water before eating, so even if you pack your plate up with food, you wont finish it all. both of these tips may also help promote weight loss.

* I would like to point out I am not a doctor nor a nutritionist nor did i go to school for anything of that sort this is just what I have learned from my experience of losing the weight I have lost over the last 3 years and has now become a passion of mine, in which I want to share with my friends, family and anyone else in the world who wants to read.*

Recipes - Friendly Enchiladas!

Who doesn't love enchiladas? but for someone who is trying to watch their calorie and fat intake, you may not want to indulge into a couple enchiladas! Here is a recipe that makes enchiladas a lot more healthier and a lot of weight-loss friendly that you will hope to have leftovers of!

what you need:
4 to 5 chicken breasts
1 can black beans
1 can corn
2 cups of salsa (store bought or homemade)
3 to 4 tbsp  homemade taco seasoning
*2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/4 tsp cayenne, salt, and pepper*
1/4 cup water (if chicken is not frozen)
1 to 2 avocados (depending how much you love avocado)
Big hand full of cilantro
1 1/2 cup of cheese
12 corn tortillas or whole wheat tortillas ( small works best but if using large you will most likely have to cut some of the sides off - but you can always use those for making home made chips!)
1/4 cup crema
*3 tbsp light sour cream and 2 tbsp cream. whisk together until smooth*

What to do:
1. Put the first 6 ingredients in crock pot and allow 4 to 6 hours depending on if the chicken is frozen or not.
2. When chicken is cooked, shred with two forks and mix everything together.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fill tortillas with a few tablespoons of chicken mixture, roll once, and place seam-side down in large baking dish. be sure to pack them in tightly next to each other so that they don't come apart.
4. Sprinkle cheese evenly and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Remove from oven sprinkle with fresh cilantro, avocado pieces and drizzle with crema.
Serve and ENJOY!

Motivation, What is your motivation?

Motivation; the reason or reasons one has for acting in a particular way, or having the will to do something. Literally the desire to achieve and conquer anything. Motivation comes in many different forms; such as a person, a video, a saying and/or most importantly YOU, self-motivation is the most important. Motivation is a major key to success in my eyes. 

There will always be times where you feel it's too hard, or it's not going as you planned; this is when self-motivation and self- worth is the most important. When you want it so bad, and the only thing getting in your way is YOU, self-evaluate and remember how much you truly want your fitness results/goals. There nothing is more important than self-love and always remember if you are willing to put in the work, you can have and achieve anything.     

Personally; yes i wanted to lose weight for my health and my future but there were times it was hard, I wasn't seeing much results and I was getting pretty discouraged but with the people i have in my life especially my boyfriend supporting me, telling me to keep going and how amazing I look; there would have probably been a time where I would've given up all hope for losing the weight I wanted to lose ( I've lost 50 + pounds so far and counting) but I didn't because of the motivation and support system I have had surrounding me! Always make sure you have positive and supportive people around you during your journey.

Something/someone that motivates and pushes you to achieve your goals will take you from feeling nothing and not wanting to do anything, to feeling something, and pushing to make your goals possible. When having someone in your life who is on a journey to lose weight or just get fit or fitter being negative towards their fitness goals is the worse thing you can do, and that goes for even you yourself being negative towards yourself. Always ensure them/you it is possible because it is and everything they/you are doing to better them self/yourself will be and is worth it. As hard as it may get sometimes they/you must persevere through the obstacles that may come up during their/ your journey.

End thought:
Fitness is something people go to when they are fighting for their life, and usually, it ends with fitness saving their life. Never take life nor take being able to be active for granted! You are beautiful/handsome and are truly worth the world!

Alys Fitness Experience - Recipes - Chickpea Cakes.

Chickpea cakes

What you need!

2 to 3 cans on chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1 small red onion (diced)
2 to 3 green onions (cut up fine)
2 celery stalks ( diced)
2 tsp thyme
3 tsp paprika
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper 
1/2 tbsp hot sauce (I use chipotle tabasco)
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 1/2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
salt and pepper
oil for frying ( your preference)

What to do!

1. Heat oil in a frying pan, saute onion (red onion), green pepper and celery until soft. Remove from heat.
2. Place chickpeas in food processor. pulse until chickpeas are no longer whole, but not too much to where they turn into mush.
3. Place chickpeas in a bowl and add sauteed onion mix, spices, hot sauce, parsley, and green onions.

4. Heat oil in frying pan, shape chickpea mixture into round patties and fry in batches, about 3 to 4 minutes per side or until crispy and browned.
Put cooked patties in the oven on "keep warm" until all are fried.

Serve with green beans and coleslaw or salad of your choice!

ig: alyys_ for pictures!

Alys Fitness Experience - Achievable goals.

How long are you going to put up with that thing in your life you don't like, that you want to change about yourself? 

You have to self-evaluate. No one can change you better than you can change yourself. What pain are you willing to accept? Unhealthy lifestyle pain or that pain you get after an amazing workout? The decision is ultimately yours to choose. Making the commitment to get fit or fitter is the first step to a healthier life and healthier you.

What would be considered a reasonable fitness goal? So many of us seem to set these vague fitness goals to try and meet such as "I want to lose weight" or just generally "I want to get fit", the one I hear the most is "I'm going to sign up to the gym this year". When deep down each time we set these types of goals we often fail at following through because the goals are too vague or we don't plan them out well enough. 

To achieve fitness or health goal, you must be realistic for your own lifestyle, and be specific with your goal put a reasonable time on your goals. Write them down; so you can see exactly what you want to achieve for yourself so you can set some long and short term goals that are achievable depending on your list.

An example of a new fitness goal I made for myself was starting a food and fitness journal; to track what I eat daily to keep myself accountable, also for when I go to the gym or do some form of workout and if I don't see changes in my weight or inches,I can look back and it will tell me exactly why (ex. too much snacking, not working out enough)

If your goal is weight-loss, attempting to lose weight fast paced will only set you up for disappointment, it will lead to an unhealthy weight loss, and the outcome won't be long term. Take it month by month, see what your body reacts and doesn't react to, don't try to speed up the process.

This goes for any fitness goal; working out or even changing your eating habits; know your bodies limits. yes, you can push limits a bit but just know when you need to stop before the point of possibly causing damage to your body and/or getting hurt.

What is one of the long or short term fitness goals you have for yourself? and what are you doing to achieve it?

Alys Fitness Experience - Have you ever?

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought to yourself - "I've been working so hard the last days, weeks, maybe even months without seeing drastic results?" 

A lot of people who are generally just starting out feel like this, because you don't really know what to expect other than what you assume, especially females; we're hard on ourselves, always comparing to others- when you should be comparing and competing with and towards your own body, making those changes you want in the healthiest and safest way for own YOUR body. Feeling you always need to see changes fast or  you start feeling you aren't doing it right, some even think of giving up. Note - that others will see changes in you before you see changes in yourself. Also, someone else's body might see the effects of working out a lot faster than your body; everyone's body is different and everyone's results differ. 

There is absolutely no way to target a specific body part and expect changes there only. You will lose throughout your whole body regardless of the body part you work out. Yes, you are targeting/ encouraging muscle growth with specific workouts but will not lose nor gain in that area only. You can do things to target your stomach more like eating healthy, doing midsection workouts and cardio but that will also not only target just your stomach.
When losing weight, it is easy to become addicted to the numbers on the scale, try to find a non-scale victories like your shirts are fitting loosely or when you need to buy a smaller pair of jeans or just general inches being lost after measuring for the 3rd or 4th time.
Measuring yourself from head to toe is a lot more effective and accurate, also a lot more motivating than tracking your weight each week, bi-week or month. Your weight may go up and/or down depending on how your body reacts to what you are eating and also what you are doing in the gym or at home workouts.

Have you ever taken a picture of yourself in a raw form (either in your birthday suit or bra/panties) pictures literally show you what your eyes truly can not see on yourself. Your body changes in so many ways during the days, weeks, months of your weight loss, fat loss and/or just general fitness journey. I swear by before and after pictures, there is nothing more motivating than seeing a picture of you from when you first started to a picture a couple weeks in. The smallest changes can give you the most drive to keep pushing towards your end result. Remember a temporary diet will only give you temporary results, you must make a lifestyle change and think long term.

If there was one thing you needed or must have during your journey, whatever your journey may be, that motivates you or would motivate you; what would that be and why? It could be as small as a note to self on a sticky note! I would love to hear what motivates you! Also, is there something that is so bad for your body that you eat and you know it but it is the hardest for you to give up or eat less of, What would that be? Comment below! Let me know.