How did you lose the weight without dieting? #LIFESTYLECHANGE

If you follow me on Instagram you probably seen me post things like #lifestylechange #nodiet or #dietsdontwork. Today one of my followers asked me a question I felt was a good topic to blog about.

@determined2satisfied...how did you lose the weight without dieting?What exercises did you do?

I use the word "diet" meaning putting restrictions on myself on what I could or could not eat. In the past would eat salads for a week lose some weight and quit three days later. I did the cayenne pepper diet but that didn't last more than two days lol. I've tried Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, LA Weight loss, over the counter diet pills, prescription diet pills, slim fast but nothing lasted more than a month or two. I know now I wasn't mentally prepared at that time, you have to get your mind right to be successful. You have to BELIEVE you can do it and push yourself even when you don't want to.

In December of 2013 I committed to making a "Lifestyle change" my priority. I started out making small changes, like only drinking water and paying attention to my portions. I logged my meals and tried to stay within my calorie limit. If I really wanted something I would eat it but I would still log it. I researched and found healthier ways to make the unhealthy foods I enjoyed. I found different recipes online and tried new things. I came into this journey with a positive outlook excited to document my journey. 

I had to find what worked for me, not everything I tried was successful but that's part of the journey. The way I look at food during my journey was if I plan to to eat something after I lose the weight,I would eat it while I was losing the weight. I knew I couldn't eat fast food 5xs a week and reach my goals but if one day I wanted some I would eat it. I realized when I told myself I couldn't have something that's when I wanted it the most.  

Three weeks into my journey I participated in a 6 week bootcamp challenge on Instagram. I learned different smoothie recipes and the difference between juicing and smoothies. I even won a free juicer during the challenge which motivated me even more. For me I learned early on that breakfast smoothies worked best for me. One reason being in the past I never ate fruits/vegetables, drinking one smoothie made it easy for me to get my fruit/vegetables servings in one meal. Second smoothies are convenient, I'm always in a rush and on the go so I need something quick and easy.

As time passed, I started seeing results which motivated me to eat cleaner.  I remember my first meal prep was a fail. I made all this food, just Iike I saw on Instagram and didn't eat half of it lol. After that I would say, I don't like to meal prep, I don't like eating the same thing, it's too much work. Then I realized, everyone is different and I had to find a way to make meal prep work for me. Now meal prep is a must for me; I usually meal prep enough for me to take to work for the week for lunch. 

As for working out, in the beginning I just focused on being consistent. I had a history of joining gyms, kickboxing classes or bootcamps and then never going. This time I just I signed up for free guess passes and tried different classes/gyms. Some days I would just go and walk a mile, others I would do more. I kept motivated by trying new things and trying to beat myself. I took pictures of the treadmill so I could remember how long it took me to complete a mile or 2 then try to do better next time. After a month on my journey I knew I was committed and final joined Synergy.  My favorite class was Pound Fitness! Six months into my journey I started signing up for different races; something I so against a year ago.

I don't feel like I'm on a diet, I eat healthy more often than not but I still eat unhealthy meals. 80/20 rule. I don't have certain cheat days or cheat meals. I CAN eat whatever I want but I choose to eat according to my goals. I don't drink how I use to but I've had my share of drinks this year. It's all about having balance, staying active and changing the way you think. You have to take it one day at a time, don't be extreme and change everything overnight. I wasn't eating Quinoa & chicken meal prep week 1 of my journey.

 "I changed my whole life not just what I ate"

NON Scale Victory! Changing my Blog Description! New Direction!

Old Blog Description: 

Follow me on my journey of becoming FIT!         

It started off about wanting to lose 100 pounds before I graduated with my MBA but its so much more than that.  I've learned the only way to be successful losing weight is to make it a LIFESTYLE change, no crazy DIETS just eating better, working out and staying motivated. It took me a long time and many failed attempts but I'm more determined than ever and enjoying this journey.

 12.11.14 WOW a year already!!

Felt like I wrote that a long time ago, fast forward to December 19th, 2014. It's Friday night and I'm up watching Bad Grandpa with Gregory (Omg this movie lmao); Izaiah is spending the night at Gregory's parents house. I finished my last class on Tuesday, so that means I'm officially finished with Graduate school, so HAPPY I don't have to wake up tomorrow morning for an 8am class :)! 

This year has been one of the hardest but most rewarding years of my life; documenting my journey and making my lifestyle change a priority made 2014 an unforgettable year. I am committed to living a healthy lifestyle and will never go back #speakitintoexistence!

I participated in different challenges on Instagram, found recipes, friends, motivational quotes, different things to help keep me motivated. I participated in about 8 different races, as I type that it still feels crazy to say. November 2013 my response to being asked to participate in a Turkey Trot was "You want me to pay someone, to wakeup early, on Thanksgiving to run 3.1 miles? Are you crazy? November 2014 I particpate in a 5k Turkey Trot on the Saturday before Thanksgving and a 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. Its so crazy how much can change when you change the way you think.

I thought losing weight was IMPOSSIBLE, I thought I was meant to be big. On December 11th, 2013 I told my myself I wasn't meant to be big and it was POSSIBLE. It's of looking at losing weight as a negative, I went into happy to start my journey. I started off making small changes and just focusing on being consistent. I've learned you don't have to be extreme to lose the weight, you can still live your life and reach your goals.

You have to get your mind right before anything. I was inspired by others on Instagram and YouTube and never imagined a year later, people would be saying how I inspired them. I am so committed to this lifestyle and I want others to know if I can do it, SO CAN YOU. Losing weight isn't impossible, you have to stop making excuses and tell yourself you can do it. You don't have to be perfect, 80/20! Lifestyle change, diets don't work!

Hello December! Day 355 journey to becoming FIT!

Its late and I should be sleeping but heres a quick update. Yesterday was a great day because I finally jumped. I tried doing box jumps a couple of months ago and couldn't do it. Every time I went to jump, I stopped myself.

Even at home that same day I couldn't jump to my second stair. Yesterday something clicked and I told myself, listen you can do this, you will do this, your not going to fall and I did it. That moment right there confirmed to me that I CAN, DO ANYTHING I put my mind too. It reminded me when I change the way I think about things, I am capable of anything; I just have to stop limiting myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziOOM5mOqm0&list=UUI1Xa8LosIJplOcTLCPRtJQ

December is my month :), I graduate with my MBA on the 17th and I hit my year mark on my journey.  A year ago I made one of the best decisions of my life; I stop making excuses and made this lifestyle change my priority. I still have a long way to go but I am proud of how far I've come. I proved that you don't have to be extreme to lose the weight, if your consistent and determined you can reach your goals. 80/20 rule!

Goals this month:

#gallonENDsatisfied challenge (drink a gallon of water a day Dec 1st-31st)
#upgettingmylife challenge (AM Workouts at least 4x's a week)
Santa Toy Trot 5k
NYE 5k
Graduate!!!!!! #MBA #BUSINESSCHOOL

Stress will not be my excuse! No emotional eating!!! 13 pounds till 100 pound lost :)

This journey is more mental then anything else; at times I have to talk to myself to stay on track. If your like me and have been overweight most of your life, not working out and eating unhealthy foods on the regular, making a lifestyle change can feel like one of the hardest things you've ever done. 

I basically had to change everything in my life because I never really drank water or ate vegetables or fruits. The thought of healthy foods just didn't interest me, I would say I didn't like certain things but never even tried them. I've joined a couple of gyms and purchased workout stuff throughout the years but never went consistenly. Eventually I thought losing weight was an impossible task and I was meant to be overweight. 

I've always loved myself, had great friends and family and been pretty confident but I still wasn't 100% happy with my body. I always wanted to be smaller but it was just to hard for me. I see now that I just was ready mentally. I never actually committed to a lifestyle change, I would just "diet". There were times I would lose weight but then quit and gain it back eventually. This time I committed to a lifestyle change, made small changes and was excited to document my journey on Instagram. 

October 25th 2014,  my Father's kidneys failed and he was diagnose with lung & liver cancer and that brought on a lot of stress cravings. Late night Checkers, pizza or Popeyes; I 'm on a lifestyle change not a diet, so yes its okay for me to eat those things, time to time but when you eat something when you know your not even that hungry that's just binge eating. 

I continued to workout but eating wise and drinking wise I wasn't doing what I needed to do. If this was the past I would have quit my "DIET" but this time around, it wasn't a diet it was my new lifestyle. I told myself only you have the power to control how your story goes. You can either let this break you or motivate you to work even harder. 

My Father loves me, I am is little girl but he's been talking about my weight since I was a kid. I've heard for years how I need to lose some weight. So instead of using food as a comfort tool, instead of using his sickness as an excuse not to workout or eat whatever I wanted, I told myself you fight to reach your goal. You make sure you lose that 100 pounds for him to see!!!! I was over there the other day and he kept calling me skinny lol, I'm far from skinny but so happy thats what he sees now.

I said before my one regret was that I took so long to start my journey, now I'm just happy that I did decide to start my journey last year. My dad is home now (kidneys working again :) no one knows what the future will bring. You just have to cherish the time we all have together and stay positive. 

Working out and reaching my goal will be my stress reliever! Food does not control me, this is my new lifestyle not a diet and I'm NEVER going back. I will lose 100 pounds by December 11 2014!
I will have thanksgiving dinner with my Dad :), I will spend Christmas with my Dad! I will live the life I have imagined. #SPEAKITTOEXISTENCE 

Before and Now Picture 84 Pounds Lost (Link to my IG)

This year I did the one thing I spent my whole life thinking was IMPOSSIBLE and that makes me feel I can DO ANYTHING I PUT MY MIND TO! I don't know what the future will bring but I really do believe good things will come :) 

Not where I want to be but I will get there! BEFORE & NOW PICS!!!

Day 280! My Story, how I lost 74 pounds in 9 months!!! #sheenafitzai

Sitting on a bus in Cancun on my way to the Xplor excursion.  It's an hour long trip and I don't want to kill my phone battery listening to music so I figured it would be a great time to blog my story. I feel as if I've been on this journey forever but truthfully it only been 280 days.

It's crazy how much can change in such a short period of time.  One decision to lose weight has the power to change your entire life. People ask me how I started and how did I lose the weight?

My story sounds like so many others, I've been over weight my who life. I don't really remember a time which I wasn't the chubby/big/fat whatever you want to label it girl.

As a child I got made fun of a little but not really to my face. It was more of me feeling others got chosen over me because of my weight. I've always had a lot of friends and even though I would have preferred to be smaller I still loved myself. My weight issues probably bothered me more inside then I let it show to the world. 

I tried so many DIETS and QUIT that eventually I embraced the cute big girl look. I went to college,  worked, partied and traveled I usually didn't let my weight stop me.  I tried some more DIETS during and after college but quit those too. I had my son in 2011 and I believe I was back to weighing the same 225 soon after so I can't use the gained weight after baby excuse lol.

When 2013 came around I weighed in at 248 pounds and I knew if I didn't do something soon I might hit 300 pounds. I followed an account on Instagram for months with such inspirational post. I found a whole world of people on Instagram documenting their weight loss journeys.  I watched real people, shrink in a matter of months. I watched them post recipes, workouts, tips and motivational quotes. 

It was December 2013 and my Fall semester of Graduate school was coming to an end. I remember how much trouble I was having earlier that semester and thinking wow you really turned it around at the end.

Then I asked myself why is it that no matter how hard school gets, I complete it . I might cry, be mad or whatever but the work gets done now matter how crazy work or life gets. I told myself that I needed to look at going to the gym as school and eating right as my homework.  If all those regular girls on Instagram can do it then why couldn't I?

Finally after almost a year of watching other people transform their bodies I opened up my own Instagram journey account @sheenafitzai. On December 11th 2013 I weighed in at 255.6 pounds.

When I first started I made small changes. A normal day drinking wise for me before my journey started would be maybe some OJ in the morning, a bottle of grape soda for lunch and maybe some coffee with lots of sugar and milk.

I didn't really drink a lot during the day but whatever I did drink something it wasn't water. So when I started my journey I decided to drink WATER only. I stopped eating out as much and changed what I ordered when I did eat out.  I started to workout but focused more on just being consistent. 

I worked out at home and used guest passes at different gyms before I actually joined Synergy. I would go to the gym walk a mile and go home. Doesn't sound like much now but it was a lot for me at the time. So many times in the past I joined a gym or workout program then never went back. I wanted to commit to working out before joining anything this time.

The more I went, the harder I pushed myself.  I tried different classes and completed different challenges I found on online and on Instagram. I posted pictures and documented my journey on IG for motivation and support. 

My advice: This journey is 100% mental; you should embrace the journey.  Commit to a Lifestyle Change not a DIET. Take it slow and do your research. Just because someone does it one way doesn't mean that's how you have to. Take the things you see and make them work for you. Meal prep things that work for you; meals you will eat. Keep an open mind and try new things. Start cooking your own meals and find ways to make the unhealthy meals healthier.

Be reasonable when setting goals. Don't compare your day 1 with someones day 300.  You are amazing & if you put your mind to it you can do it :). I used to make a lot of excuses, I used to say the one thing I couldn't do was lose weight . Now I'm proving myself wrong. If I can do this, I'm telling you so can you. Make this Lifestyle change a priority and the results will come .

RECAP :)

Embrace the journey #thinkpositive

Try to change the way you think!!

Do your own research!!

Find out what works for you!!!

Use all your resources (IG, YouTube, Pinterest, MyFitnessPal, countless apps)

Change things slowly!

Don't be too hard on yourself!! 

Take lots of pictures/videos

Make goals other than pounds loss

Believe you can do this!!

When in doubt, Drink more WATER!

Wake up with Determination & go to bed with SATISFACTION!

So did I make my Birthday weigh in goal?????

Its been a while since I last blogged but if you follow me on Instagram or watch my video on YouTube you probably already know the answer to that question. 

So my big goal was to hit 80 pounds lost by my 9 month journey mark/29th Birthday which was September 12th 2014.

I started at 255.6 in December so the goal was 175 pounds or lower. I weighed in at 181.4 pounds on September 12th 2014.

It would have been great to hit my goal but I'm still proud of all the hard work I've done. I think it's important to set goals but don't be too hard on yourself if you don't make it. Use it as motivation to work even harder.  Be proud of all the things you did do. It was HARD work losing 74 pounds and I'm proud of every pound I lost.

I refuse to let not hitting 80 pounds lost take away from the joy of losing 74 pounds. This journey has no end date, I started because I wanted to lose weight but I have gained so much more; pushing myself to do things I always said I couldn't.

I'm proud of myself for changing the way I think, for trying new things, for saying NO when I wanted to say YES, for saying YES when I wanted to say NO, for taking the first step and for believing in myself & my future.

I will reach 100 pounds lost and will enjoy the journey getting there. I'm committed to living a healthy lifestyle and I will not go back.

80/20 clean eating, working out, drinking lots of water, no magic pill, shakes, wraps just natural weight loss.  I found what works for me and I will keep pushing NO matter what!!!!

Me & my friend on vacation working out 9/14/2014

Pushing myself to meet my Birthday Goal!! I will lose 15-20 pounds in the next 30 days!!!!

I've been saying for awhile that I wanted to be 175 pounds by my Birthday. Well time to start pushing myself to make sure I reach my goal. I thought about doing a 30 day no cheat challenge but since this is a lifestyle change and not a diet I decided it wasn't the best thing for me. In the past when I restricted myself too extreme and eventually end up over eating.

Instead I'm just challenging myself to be the best ME I can be for the next 30 days. I created another vision board (Pic on IG) where I included an area for STARS. I give myself a STAR for each goal I complete.

Today went okay I gave myself 7/15 STARS.

My goal is to wake up every day and say 3 positive affirmations out loud to myself. This journey is all mental; I will do anything possible to stay motivated. Even if some might think its obsessive, corny or crazy; I'm doing what works for me.

It's getting late so this is going to be a short post; for a video on how my day 1 went, head over to my YouTube channel.

STARS  

1 Finish a gallon of water

2 Eat clean

3 Morning Workout

4 At least 600 calorie burn

5 Log meal on MFP

6 Publish on blog

7 YouTube Video

8 Lunch Time Mile

9 Before bed Workout 100 cal

10 Weign-in

11-15  4 stars NO CHEAT EVERYTHING CLEAN

I will post a video weigh in on YouTube every Friday mooring until September 12th!!!!!!!!

How I lost 7.2 pounds last week! (Miles, Food and Weight-loss)

I was MIA last week on the blog, but the GOOD news is I still got my miles in!

Monday went okay I went to the Freeport HS and completed my 3.1 miles a little over 41 minutes. I was so tired before and I really didn't feel like doing it but I told myself “look just go and get it over with”. I told myself “even if you walk just complete your miles MWF no excuses!” (LOL YES I talk to myself #thestruggleisreal)

I started out walking but after 2 minutes I got some energy and started going faster, the idea of beating my last 5k, motivated me to push harder. After my run I went home and complete Week 2 Day 1 of T25. Which turned out to be my last day of T25; it’s not that T25 is too hard to complete but I’m not consistent with making it my double workout.  I told myself the days I don’t wake up early enough to go to the gym I would do T25 before work and the days I do wake up and go to the gym I would do T25 after work but that didn’t last for long.

Monday was also DAY 1 NO CHEAT – Went great, I ate all my prepared meals and for dinner I made some baked fish and salad. I'm not really a salad person but for some reason I enjoyed my dinner. I think its because of the new dressing I found (Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette).

Tuesday I did wake up before work and hit the gym, I got on the elliptical but just didn't have it in me. I got off after 5 minutes and did some reps on the back, abs,leg and arm machines. In between I did some jump ropes and some exercises I found on YouTube with the TRX suspensions.

Wednesday was a GREAT run; I completed my 3.1 miles under 41 minutes J my fastest 5k to date. It’s crazy because I recorded myself January 2014 after my first 5k (dedicated to my sister J she was away traveling so I ran 3.1 miles for her birthday) it’s a short video but I’m out of breath and talking about how I wanted to give up and didn't and how I was pushing for under 45 minutes but finished a little under 51. Now 7 months later I can complete it under 41 minutes and feel so much better than before. 

Thursday was a little ruff on me and end up becoming my rest day. I found myself getting bored with the food I was eating and wanting to eat something for the sake of eating. During lunch I decided to add some laughing cow cheese to my spinach and mix it with some of my guacamole. Turned my veggies for lunch into a little healthy spinach dip that I ate with cucumbers. That made me happy because it didn't feel like I was eating the same exact thing again.That evening I wanted some type of snack, takeout or ice cream I don't even know why. I settled for some Fruit Loops with some fat free milk so not terrible but I still know I could have made a better decision. I probably should have just went to sleep, I think I was more bored than hungry.

Friday was a lazy night for me I didn't wake up or go to the track after work but I did walk 3.1 miles around my neighborhood with my boyfriend before going to bed.

Today I’m happy to say that I ate my meal prep for Breakfast/lunch/snack EVERY DAY last week. My department order Wendy’s Friday and I still said NO thank you and ate the food I brought. 

It isn't easy saying no but I felt so much better than if I would have ate it. Once I saw the Wendy’s arrive, I went straight to the kitchen and warmed up my meal. I’m trying to change the way I think about food. I hope one day a healthy meal will be as appealing to me as the smell of that Wendy’s, shoot I would be lying if I said I wasn't tempted. 

List of what I meal prepared: (Videos can be found on my YouTube Channel Sheenafit Zai)

Breakfast:

Egg casserole: eggs, liquid egg whites, spinach, peppers & onions

Turkey Bacon cook in oven

Lunch:

Turkey Muffins: Ground turkey, carrots, celery, peppers, onions, (2) eggs, bread crumbs

Sweet potato baked chips

Frozen spinach sauteed with a can a mixed Veggies

Snack:

35 calorie Rice cake, peanut butter and half a banana on top

Fresh Cut up pineapple pieces

Fresh cut mango pieces

On Saturday I picked up a shift at IHOP so the temptation was high but I stuck to my NO CHEAT (well I did have a bit of a chicken finger LOL but just a bite) I brought a mango, almonds and rice cake with me so I ate my snacks throughout the day. For breakfast I had the cooks make me Whole Wheat French Toast using egg whites only topped bananas and two pieces of turkey bacon. Then for lunch I order a Bacon Cheese Burger (NO BREAD), onions, spinach and an egg on top (plus 3 fries).

I'm happy with the decisions I made at IHOP, I knew Sunday was weigh in day and didn't give in to all the temptation. Yes a Cheese Burger wasn't the healthiest choice but I made it healthier by eliminating the bread for spinach and asking for only 3 fries instead of the handful that usual comes with it. I didn't need to eat a whole order just a taste satisfied my craving.

 

I’m happy to say that all my hard work and dedication did pay off this week. I got on the scale on Sunday and weighed in at 186.4 which is 7.2 pounds less than last Sunday.

No cheat week was a success. It feels good to know that if I put 100% into it I will see results; the harder I work and the more disciplined I am, the better the results. I know this week won’t be as much of a loss since I don’t plan on being as strict but seeing those results will make me think twice before I eat something unhealthy.

My goal this week lose 3.4 pounds!!!!  

FRIDAY MILES!!! Satisfaction Indeed

I got my miles in today but it wasn't easy.  The plan was to wake up before work and complete a 5K at the local HS track but I woke up too late so that didn't happen. One of the hardest parts of my journey is trying to get enough sleep. I know getting enough rest is important but its easier said then done. I like to leave my house by 7:45AM drop my son off at daycare then be at my job by 8:30AM. 

The goal is to wake up at 5:30AM and go workout. Monday/Wednesday/Friday - Track 5k and Tuesday/Thursdays hour at the gym. This way I don't have to worry about going to the gym after work, I can come home, cook, eat dinner and compelte T25. I finished my two summer courses July 3rd, Fall semester (MY LAST SEMESTER #whoopwhoop) doesn't start until September 3rd so I want to push myself more while I'm out of school. 

Not only did waking up too late mean no run but I was unprepared for the day. I showered got dress and ran out the house no smoothie, no eggs, no lunch or snacks just a bad situation. My goal for this week is to meal prep this Sunday and have a FULL week of NO CHEATS. I'm going camping next weekend but I'm still going to try,  I shouldn't let that be an excuse but will see I'm human. 

Good news is I did get my 5K in right when I got home from work. It was a good run, I was just annoyed I didn't get to track it. It's my fault I have a charger right on my desk at work so I don't know why I didn't charge it while I was at work. I looked at my phone and I was at 2.74 miles:34 minutes; so the first thing that came to mine was push yourself let see if you can finish under 40. As of right now my fastest 5k has been 41 mins 10 secs. Five seconds later I feel a short vibrate, which was basically the signal of the phone shutting off. I'm over it now, figure no reason to be upset just more motivation to be great Monday morning. 

I proud of myself this week, I set a goal to run 3.1 miles M/W/F and complete T25 daily and I did it. I  could have made some better decisions eating wise but I did journal everything I ate including the feelings I had after eating them. This is a LIFESTYLE change some weeks are better than others; theres no ending to this journey. Learning that its okay to mess up and it doesn't mean you just give up is what made the difference this time for me. 

In the past I would go hard for a couple of days/weeks then once I had one bad meal, it was like oh okay DIETS over, I'm going to eating anything I want again. Turning this into a LIFESTYLE change and not just a DIET is what opened up my eyes to much more than just what the scale says. Don't get me wrong I love to see the scale go down, but now its more than that. 

In High School I would make every excuse of why I couldn't run the mile at gym class. Running it was the worse thing ever. Today I can say that I ran a 5k, 3x times this week. Last year if you asked me to walk to the Pathmark (ONLY HALF A MILE AWAY) I would have look at you like you were crazy lol. This journey is one of the HARDEST things I've ever done, its only been 7 months but its so worth it. 

Looking forward to Week 2 MWF Challenge Yourself 5k 

Wednesday Miles: Keep on pushing!

I’m feeling great today; I actually woke up before work and got my miles in. My plan was to wake up at 5:20 am and meet the Black Girls Run group at 5:45am. However I woke up at 5:05 am and I told myself 5 more minutes of sleep but of course 5 more minutes turned into an hour.

Instead of making an excuse of I woke up too late (that’s my normal excuse lol), I jumped up used the bathroom, brushed my teeth and got to the track by 6:30am. Completed 3.1 miles in 41 minutes and 10 seconds, which is my fastest 5k to date.

At mile 1.5 I started thinking about how I should just do 2 miles instead of the 3.1. Then I started thinking about the quote “Don’t stop when you’re tired, stop when you’re done” and pushed myself to finish the 3.1. Since I told myself I was going to complete 3.1 miles before I started jogging, I wouldn’t let myself stop before I got there. I’ve noticed when I give myself a goal during my workouts, I push myself harder. Another goal I like to give myself when working out is to burn a certain amount of calories before leaving; sometimes I will have a daily calorie burn goal and sometimes it’s a weekly goal, I like to switch things up.

Going from being kind of lazy, okay let’s be honest I was LAZY, to working out almost every day isn’t easy. Every day is a battle within yourself to do what you know you need to do. Setting daily, weekly, monthly goals is what works for me. I also love participating in different challenges to help keep me motivated. Right now I’m participating in a challenge on Instagram called Fckbeingfat. I get 5 points when I work out for 45 minutes or 7 points for working out for an hour; it’s funny how just getting points motivates me to complete an hour work out a day.

This journey is all mental; you have to find whatever motivates you to keep on going. The more you put into making a LIFESTYLE change the more you will get out of it. Plus being active makes you feel so much better; I just wish I would have started years ago. Don’t waste another day saying I’ll start tomorrow, just start today and change something small. 

After my Jog : New to this blogging thing not sure how to rotate this lol sorry. 

Monday Miles with Sheenafitzai!

I am a RUNNER! (SPEAK IT TO EXISTENCE)

Losing weight has always been a challenge for me, the one thing I always thought I just couldn't do. 

When I started this Journey seven months ago, I knew I had to do whatever it takes to stay MOTIVATED. Documenting my journey on IG has helped me a lot, keeps me accountable, keeps me focused, shows me so many new recipes and workouts and suck great motivational quotes.  Signing up for the 5k Foam Face was another tool I used to motivate myself; I had something to look forward to and push myself for.  I had a lot of fun completing the Color Run in May and the 5k Foam Fest in June. 

Today July 21st 2014  I started my Monday Miles videos on YouTube, I committing to running 3.1 miles at least 3 times a week and plan to tape a video weekly about my progress. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to do the couch to 5k program. 

It felt good today going to the track afterwork; I was tired but I figured doing something different would be more fun than the gym. It was a nice day, I had my iPod in listening to music that was motivating me to keep on pushing. I need to make a running play list ASAP, I know I was wasting time messing with my iPod changing music etc. 

One day maybe I'll run a Marathon, who knows for now I'm just taking it one day at a time and focusing on my breathing and just enjoying the act of running. Trying to let my mind free and just jog and hoping to grow to love it.

It's so crazy that I'm sitting here writing about wanting to be a RUNNER, last year at this time if you told me I would have completed two 5ks and signed up for another in October I would have told you, you were CRAZY and I wasn't running no where. I'm so happy I decided to finally make this LIFESTYLE change. If I can do it so can you, lets motivate each other to get to our goals. One day, one better decision.

I'm back to blogging :)

It's been a while since I've been on here, truthfully I forgot I even had this setup. I started looking up advice on starting your new blog and realized I already opened a Blogger account a couple of months ago. I'm now into my 7 month on this journey to becoming fit. I feeling good and proud of how determined I've been; I'm not perfect I've had a lot of days that I know I could have down better but whats important is I didn't quit. 

This time I'm not quitting doesn't matter how hard it gets (SPEAK IT TO EXISTENCE), I'm committed to reaching my goal :)

ABOUT SHEENAFITZAI :)

My name is Sheena I am 28 and have a 2 year old son. I work for a wine company and attend graduate school part time. I have been overweight my whole life and tried several diets in the past 10 years. After following people for about a year on Instagram and all the motivational quotes I finally decided that it was time to start my journey.

12.11.13 I made the commitment to focus on my health and become the person I want to be. I know it’s going to be hard but I’m not giving up this time.

Why I want to get in shape

To be able to run around with my son without being out of breath so quickly. To be able to shop anywhere.

My Inspirations

• Not having to limit myself to plus size stores or sections
• The before and afters of normal people on Instagram
• Being happy in my own skin

Contact Me/Social Network
Email : sheenafit@gmail.com
Instagram: Sheenafitzai
YouTube: Sheenafitzai

One of the hardest things I ever did!

Wake up with DETERMINATION, go to bed with SATISFACTION!!!!!!!!!!!!