Losing Weight With Social Media

In the past seven months, I have lost 90lbs with social media.

Yup, you read it right. YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Goolge, Twitter, and blogging. And I lost it all the healthy way; no lies, gimmicks, or catches. 

Just to get you all caught up, I began my journey by doing Whole30. I absolutely love this program because you learn what effect food has on your body and how to develop a healthy relationship with food. My body went through a full detox and I was able to break my addiction to bread and sweets. I immediately started seeing results. Everything from losing pounds and inches to eliminating my insomnia and anxiety.

Then in September 2014 I decided to drop everything and move to Guatemala for a few months. In addition to spending time with my mother's side of the family, I was determined to make drastic life changes; lose weight - among other things.

I didn't have an income, a car, access to a gym or work out equipment, nor a trainer. I thought it would be nearly impossible to lose a significant amount of weight; but I figured I will do everything I could and see what results I could get. By the beginning of October I officially buckled down and began my journey with only a laptop, a cellphone, a yoga mat, and two 5lb weights. I had limited resources but that did not stop me. 

January 2015

I started by tracking my measurements, what I ate and how much I weighed. I also had not one but several trainers everyday and I was able to switch them out. You name them, I trained with them: Jillian Michaels, Bob Harper, Dolvett Quince, Cassey Ho, Kayla Itsines, Keaira Lashae, and countless others. All on Youtube, for free, at any time and any where.

Another benefit was that if I got bored or felt like my body wasn't being challenged, I simply stopped the video and looked for someone else. Even better, I had control of my work out music.

Then I began documenting, sharing, and getting a support system. That's where this blog, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook came in. I have always been embarrassed to talk about my weight or fitness goals with friends and family for fear of being teased or misunderstood. I figured I would either get made fun of for being unhealthy and overweight or for trying to change.

Documenting my feelings, thoughts, recipes, progress, motivations, triumphs, and failures helped me find people all over the world that could relate to me or contribute to my journey in some way. Some had already reached their goals, some were just getting started, others were professionals - nutritionist, doctors, trainers, owners of health oriented businesses, chefs, foodies, dancers, writers, and artists.

Most importantly I was building a support system. I began to realize my biggest cheerleaders and fans were my family and friends. Surprisingly even strangers began to root for me and inevitably became my friends. I began to receive emails, comments, likes, texts, with so many encouraging messages and love. When I would go trough homesickness, plateaus, or simply wanted to give up I would see something on Instagram that would give me a boost, or I would get a comment/message that would remind me of why I started and what my goals were.

Left August 2014 || Right March 2015

Though I have lost quite a bit of weight, I am only halfway to my ultimate goal. I have two months left on my adventure abroad and I'm excited to see my family and friends mid June. If I was able to get this far on my own with only social media, I can only imagine what I can accomplish with many more resources!

I am looking forward to the day I can look back and say I had a long journey, but it was worth it.

You are your biggest obstacle. You know yourself better than any one. You have the power to succeed or fail, the choice is yours.

Plateaus

It's easy to sugar coat or post just the good stuff on social media. So let's be real here. The past two months have been rough-to say the least. Can we say MAJOR PLATEAU!?

 It was awful. There has been weeks where I've only lost 1/4 of a pound- or nothing at all. For the first time in 5 months I gained weight-3 pounds in 1 week. I considered it a nightmare because 1- I've been working so hard and 2- I can be a bit of a perfectionist. Last week I finally had a break through- I lost 10 pounds in one week!!! woop woop 

However, this post isn't about my results on the scale. I realized that I had so many other goals associated with my journey to a healthy happy life. I was creating even bigger plateaus by obsessing on the number on the scale that I failed to see that I had accomplished so much more.

 Aside from losing a total of 83lbs...

I've  lost 31 inches over all 

I no longer have insomnia and can sleep 8 solid hours 

I'm completely off of medication for anxiety and depression 

I've learned how to make healthier choices everywhere I go 

My hair skin and nails are on point 

I have tons more energy 

Flexibility, balance, and endurance have drastically improved. 

My clothes don't fit- meaning I need to do some shopping 

and most importantly I am happy! 

I have come such a long way in every aspect of my life. I have a clearer view of where I am and where I am headed. My goals make so much more sense and they're not just lost words- I am putting in the work. 

We need to remember that sometimes our mind can be our biggest obstacle. It could be fear, discouragement, pride, or emotions that begin to take control. We must learn to identify these road blocks and persevere. Remind your self what the bigger picture is. Are the things you are doing on a daily basis bringing you closer to your ultimate goal(s)?  If so, do not worry about a small set back. You've got this! 

For health and fitness motivation/ inspiration check out @squatsinguats on Instagram- link on side bar

Be Your Own Valentine

Oh February...
The month of valentines, flowers, candy, single awareness, man/ woman hating , and LOVE.

Every year, as soon as February 1st comes along, there is a madness to find a Valentine. It's a frantic game of musical chairs, not wanting to be left with out a Valentine, I mean a chair. But when or how did this holiday become about someone else loving you or you loving someone else? What about self love?
Didn't quite think about it that way ey? I sure didn't!

In the Past two years I realized I didn't love the most important person...ME! I thought I did, but in reality I just faked it really well. It's amazing how much you can learn about your self when you pull your self out of the hustle and bustle of life. I have been away from everyone and everything for 5 months now and boy has it been eye opening. If you ask me what is the one thing I have learned from this experience I will tell you- Love my self in every way possible- hands down!

So in honor of this month of Love I challenge you to post one thing everyday until Valentines Day that you love about your self or something that you did to show that you love your self ( pampered your self, worked out, ate healthy, bought your self something you needed, wrote your self a note, did something you loved) It could be anything! Use #selflovefeb I would love to see what you all come up with.

Hello February, I'm looking forward to all the love <3

PS: drop by on Instagram : @Squatsinguats

New year, Best me

Happy new year everyone! Better late than never right?

With the beginning of a new year, everyone is in the zone of reflecting and setting new goals. All we hear is " new year, new me" and in a sense - yes.

Better yet, New Year, Best Me.

A little family tradition that I love, is getting together to write family and individual goals. Over the years I have learned to be more realistic with my goals, push myself, and most importantly not to beat myself up for the things I didn't accomplish. Because although we might have not accomplished some things on our list, we might have accomplished others much greater.

Over the course of the past two years I have made a lot of changes to better my mind, body, and soul; especially this past year. I decided to come to Guatemala to spend time with my grandparents and take advantage of the free time to take care of myself. Like I mentioned in my previous posts I had gotten into the bad habit of putting everyone and everything before me. It's not a bad thing to serve others, but it is when you let go of your needs. I had a serious reality check and had to refocus. So in June I added new goals to my list.

I have to say that even though I had a late start with some of my goals, I did pretty well. I started the new year 66 lbs lighter, I've eliminated toxic relationships, spent more time with family, I feel better about myself, have a healthier life style, and most importantly I am happy where I am and where I am headed.

I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist with some things and extremely hard on myself when things don't turn out the way I want them. I have been working on changing that mindset to work to my advantage. Instead of getting down on myself for a setback or a smaller success than the one planned, I'm using it as motivation for a comeback. We don't realize how powerful our mind can be and many times our our biggest obstacle is us.

I challenge you to write down ALL your goals (big or small) and don't be afraid to add or change some of those goals throughout the year. Also, write down EVERYTHING you accomplished this past year ( Did you travel? Where? Finish school? Passed your classes? Got healthier? Purchased a car or a house? Spent more time with family? Kept your house/room clean? Read? Focused on you? Saved money? Got a promotion? Found yourself? Let go of toxic relationships, thoughts, or ideas?) Write it ALL down. You will soon realize you have done so much!

You are all amazing people, capable of so much. It's time to become the best version of yourself and be happy.

May this new year be full of blessings, adventures, health, and love. Looking forward to a year full of changes and showing the world the best version of myself.

Healthy Happy Life

I have struggled with my weight my whole life. Although I have always been overweight, I’ve remained "healthy". Based on how much I weigh, doctors are always shocked by how active I am and that I don't have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high triglycerides. But my weight and my family’s medical history still put me at risk.

Unfortunately, being Latina means everything I do within my culture is associated with food. Every emotion, every triumph and failure is rewarded or comforted with food. #brownpeopleproblems. Who are we kidding–food is delicious and it's always fun to try new things when traveling. But in the Latin culture, weight is always in the top three topics of conversation. No matter what you are chatting about the conversation always finds it's way back to weight. "Guess what!? Yesterday I received a promotion at work..." "That's great! You've gained some weight....stay for dinner ...have some pan dulce to celebrate." Food is a love-hate relationship and a constant battle you can never win. Or so I thought.

Over the summer I was having a deep conversation with one of my good friends. Even though she is very skinny, tall, and beautiful, she expressed her lack of confidence, low energy, and feeling unhealthy. We were on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to weight, but we both had confidence issues, concerns with our health, and a desire to be our best selves. I began to open up to her and a few other friends about my goals to get fit, be the athlete I used to be, feel and look great, and not limit my possibilities in life because of my weight. She discovered the book "It Starts with Food" and immediately asked me to join her on her first Whole30 challenge.

Like I mentioned earlier, I have always been overweight–even in my glory days as a young athlete. I have tried every diet in the book. Some attempts were successful for a period of time, but I would always gain the weight back, plus some. Although I was a bit skeptical at first, I decided to give the Whole30 challenge a shot. I simultaneously started reading the book and started my first Whole30. Food finally started making more sense. My thought process and relationship with food started to change. By the end of my first Whole30 I had lost 15lbs and two pant sizes. My allergies were gone, insomnia–gone, skin was glowing, energy shot up, and I genuinely felt happy. My thoughts were so much clearer and I was taking the reins on my cravings–I finally had control!

What we don't realize is that food can be an addiction. What makes it so difficult and different from a drug addiction is that you can go to rehab for a drug addiction; you can avoid your vice and potentially recover. A food addiction, however, is something you have to face every day. You have to essentially reprogram the way you think about food. I thought it would be impossible, but after testing this out for myself, I have found it is very possible.

I'm sure by now you've asked yourself several times "What the hell is Whole30?! " I could summarize it for you, but if you don't get all the info, or a clear explanation of why it has to be done this way or why it works, you will give up before you even try. Follow one of the links–I promise it's worth it.

I am now halfway through my fourth Whole30. I've lost 11% of my body weight and 12 inches overall. I feel amazing inside and out, and I now have a healthier relationship with food.

I am so grateful for good friends that genuinely care about my well being and are there for me through thick and thin. I have a long road ahead of me, but I know I will reach my goal of living a healthy happy life and loving my self unconditionally. The Whole30 is just a part of this amazing journey.

Follow my Journey on my fitness Instagram

Personal Instagram in Bio

| LOVE YOUR SELF |

Deep Rooted Emotions

And I do mean deep. SO deep you don't even know you are still carrying them with you or know they ever existed. 

I'm the midst of this whole anxiety/depression business I had two good friends pass away in a car accident. That's when I really hit rock bottom. But there is always light at the end of the tunnel. I strongly believe that the right people cross your path when you need it most. Along with my amazing therapist there's my wonderful friend Heilala aka Lala.

Around that time I was feeling very sick and I also had plantar fasciitis and tendinitis on my Achilles tendon- On the same damn foot! I had to wear a hideous boot and I could not dance- which is one of my favorite things to do. One night after a meeting Lala (check out her blog)-gave me a ride home. We got to talking about how things were going and about emotions and illnesses (physical and mental). She shared with me something that was changing her life-and I was and still am ALL ABOUT THAT. It was the The Emotion Code. 

"The Emotion Code, simply put, is a system created by Dr. Bradley Nelsom to find Trapped Emotions causing problems in the body and releasing them.

What are Trapped Emotions?

Trapped Emotions are exactly what the sound like. Emotions trapped energetically within the body. They were not fully processed and so they are still in the body, even if we are not feeling that emotion at the present moment."

I decided to give it a shot. Turns out I was dealing with not only current emotions but emotions that were trapped from my past. After just one session, the pain I had from my foot injuries along with a few other things went away. I was told I would have to do physical therapy for several months along with wearing that stupid boot. After that one session I tossed the boot and said good bye to physical therapy. 

In the past year I have done a few sessions with her and I am absolutely amazed of how helpful it has been. Sometimes we don't realize how much certain events in our lives impact us because we have consciously or subconsciously suppressed those emotions. It's astonishing how you can let go of the baggage by simply identifying what emotion is trapped and around what time in your life it is coming from. 

This post isn't just about the emotion code, but also the power of sharing your experiences, trials, and blessings with others. If it wasn't for me talking to my Bishop about my anxiety-I would have never met my therapist. If I had not opened up to Lala- she wouldn't have helped me with my trapped emotions. I would still be curled up in my bed, watching Netflix, driving aimlessly through my thoughts. 

All I am saying is...