3 Week Trim - Final Results

Well, the day that I got all of my final results was a very busy one for me because I left for vacation that day! So I spent the whole day trying to finish packing and getting some last minute errands done, as well as trying to get onto an earlier flight, so I could get back home!

I got the YouTube video up, but I still wanted to get back here and post my results.

I know, I know, it's been over 2 weeks, but hey... better late than never.

So let's hop in!

	Starting	Week 1	Week 2	FINAL
Weight	160.7#	157.6#   -3.1	153.8#  -3.8  / -6.9	152.5#  -1.3 / -8.2
Waist narrowest	30”	29”        -1	28.5”    -0.5 / -1.5	28”        -0.5 / -2
Belly button	34”	32.75     -1.25	31.25”  -1.5 / -2.75	30.75”   -0.5 / -3.25
Hips	40.5”	40.5”     Same	40”       -0.5 / -0.5	39.5”     -0.5 / -1
Thigh	22.5”	22.5”     Same	22.25”   -0.25 / -0.5	22”        -0.25 / -0.5

Body fat started at 24% and dropped to 22.4%!! I'm really happy with this! It was hard work, but definitely was a great start to re-defining my new normal for good!

What have I learned?? First, that I can be as bad @$$ as I want to be. I didn't magically get these results, and honestly, I could've had better results, had I made a couple better decisions. But that's the point. My decisions dictated my results, so I feel really excited knowing that anything that I want to achieve, I will be able to achieve! Besides my fitness competition this year (which was super grueling but super awesome), I have felt like I was in a major "body" rut. Not feeling like myself, and not feeling like I could conquer my own mind and body. But this 3 weeks has shown me that I CAN!

Second, excuses are fake. <<I actually already knew that. I've always been a big believer that everything is decision making, and that no matter what reasons you have, you can always make CHOICES; especially as it relates to health and fitness. Don't come at me with, "if there was a gun to your head.." Yes, I understand that.. I'm just saying, in general, reasons do NOT equal excuses. I can list 100 reasons why I should skip a workout. In fact, I do, daily. I'm tired. I had a good workout yesterday, so I deserve the day off. I did good on my diet today, so I deserve the day off. I cheated on my diet today, so I might as well chalk it up as a loss. I have work all day. I'm traveling. It was date night. It was my friend's birthday. There was a Christmas pot luck at work. I have no food at home and can only afford Taco Bell..

See where I'm going? I'm not saying that these reasons are fake. They may very well be true. However, that doesn't make them valid EXCUSES. You know, like when you miss school.. What if your parents send a note that says, "she didn't feel like going." Sorry, not excused, Mary.. You're taking a zero that day. Just because it's a reason, and it's true, doesn't make it valid.

Which brings me to the third thing: Priorities matter. Continuing with the excuses thing, it's all based on where your priorities are. As cliche as this is, we all have the same 24 hour days. So, it's all about prioritizing. You don't have time to work out, but you have time to watch Will & Grace, or time to surf social media. Eating healthy is too expensive, but Express is having a sale, and shipping is free if you spend $100, so..... <<I'll leave it at that. You get my point, right? We have to prioritize our goals, if we want them to come to fruition. Unfortunately, you don't accidentally get IN shape that same way you accidentally got OUT of shape.

So in conclusion, I'm hoping that this progress will ignite some motivation for someone who feels like making progress is impossible! You are in charge of your results, and as long as you are honest with yourself, there is no reason why you can't conquer your goals!

Thanks for staying with me during these 3 (actually 5 now) weeks! Stay tuned for future fitness and health tips!

Cheers

How to Survive Holiday Season on a Diet

So, it's that time of year again. The seasonal drinks and desserts are back (unpopular opinion: Pumpkin spice lattes are disgusting...... but don't tempt me with the peppermint brownie cake pop at Starbucks), and starting with Canadian Thanksgiving, it seems like there is a party every week! Maybe not everyone has Canadian friends, but between the Halloween candy, workplace potlucks, and Friendsgiving, there is temptation everywhere to just give it all up on your fitness goals.

But you're in luck! It doesn't have to be that way. You can enjoy the holidays AND stay on track with your fitness goals! It's true. I'm living proof (well... let's get to my Wednesday check in before I really say that, but I feel confident.)

So. How do you get through the holiday season without completely derailing your progress? I'll tell you.

1. BE CONSISTENT. I'm talking about with your diet and workouts before and after your party. If I have a party coming up on Friday, I'm not skipping my workout on Wednesday and having a cheat meal on Thursday. In the time leading up to your party, you want to be as fine tuned as possible! Earn that treat meal! And after your party, get right back on the horse! No, "well I already had that party yesterday, so might as well eat 10 other cheat meals and start my regimen over from the top next week." No honey. No bueno. Stay on track before, and get back on track after. Consistency is your friend.

2. EAT. It's the day of the party, and you know you're gonna have some dessert, maybe a little wine. That's fine. But don't try to save your calories all day, and only eat once. Your metabolism will not like you for that. Remember what I said about starvation mode? No? Read this blog, 4th paragraph. Spark notes: You don't eat all day, body thinks you're trying to starve it to death. Next time you eat, body gets revenge on you by not burning any calories. It doesn't trust you to feed it again in a timely manner, so it holds those calories hostage, instead of burning them in an efficient manner. So yeah, maybe you want to shave 100 calories from a meal or 2, okay. but don't starve yourself in anticipation for a cheat meal.

2b. EAT AGAIN. Tip #2 was to eat.. That was more in reference of how you treat your day. What I mean by "eat again" is right before you go to your party, get something in your stomach. No need to fill up, unless you're SURE you won't want to eat anything at the party. Just get a little something in your stomach, so you don't go to the party and want to destroy everything in your path.

3. HYDRATE. This goes along the lines of the previous 2 tips. Get lots of water in! The more hydrated you feel, the less hungry you are, and the less likely to gorge yourself on the party buffet.

4. MODERATION. So, you're at the party, and there is a delicious spread taunting you. That's fine. Go ahead and live a little! You don't need to completely avoid anything that isn't grilled chicken and steamed veggies (do they serve that at Friendsgiving?). Just be mindful of your portions! If you've eaten a little beforehand AND have been staying hydrated, chances are, you're not even that hungry. So just grab a little sample of the things you really want to get. You don't need to have 4 plates full of mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. You're likely going to be satisfied with just a couple bites of each. So have some of the delicious treat items, and don't bully yourself over it.

5. SWAPS. When you're choosing your plate, you want to indulge in moderation, but you also should make swaps where you can. For instance.. If there is a raw veggie tray with hummus, greens, and green bean casserole, maybe we swap the casserole out and the raw veggies in. Maybe you're staring at a full bar, and really want a beverage other than water. Maybe we swap the Coca-Cola out and the seltzer water in. The calories still count at parties, so even though we are allowing ourselves treats, not EVERY choice should be a "bad" one. Make smart swaps!

6. HAVE FUN. The point of all of these holiday parties is to have fun! Socialize with your friends and co-workers. Bond, share stories, laugh, dance, etc. The more you get wrapped up in the fellowship and community, the less you will feel the need to huddle around the dessert table for hours!

So that's basically it. That is how I survive the holiday season and stay on the path toward my fitness goals! Remember, fitness is a journey, so there will always be ebbs and flows. Enjoy your time, make smart choices, always in moderation, and don't guilt yourself! Cheers!

Check out my YouTube video recap of these tips!

3 Week Trim - 2nd Week Progress

I made it through week 2! As usual, if you prefer to watch your updates, you can head to YouTube.. But if you like details, stay here :)

This past week was pretty good for me. Diet was pretty clean, although I did deviate from the actual meal plan that I set in place.  I still stuck to my macros, and did a better job of eating on a more regular schedule. I did struggle with getting my first meal in, though. When I wake up, I usually just do a bunch of stuff (check emails, social media, sometimes do morning cardio), and then I realize that I've been awake for 2 hours, and I haven't eaten yet. But other than that, I've been better at spacing my meals properly.

Workout wise, I'm definitely NOT killing it. I mean. I'm getting to the gym, not missing workouts or anything, but these things are seriously kicking my butt. I'm having a really hard time getting past the mental barrier of pushing myself harder. As soon as I feel tired, I stop. I try to talk to myself, yell, scream ("Come on! You have to put on that dress!" <<30th bday dress is fire, BTW), but I am for sure feeling the struggle of not having an environment that pushes me past these barriers.

I've started filming my workouts, in hopes that it will motivate me to keep going, but it has only barely worked. So this coming week, I'm just gonna try harder. When I was in college, my roommate/co-captain would ALWAYS say that to each other and to our team. I know you're trying..... but try harder. Period.

Alright. Moving on. Progress!

	Starting	Week 1	Week 2
Weight	160.7#	157.6#        -3.1	153.8#            -3.8  / -6.9
Waist at narrowest	30”	29”              -1	28.5”               -0.5 / -1.5
Belly button	34”	32.75           -1.25	31.25              -1.5 / -2.75
Hips	40.5”	40.5”            Same	40”                   -0.5 / -0.5
Thigh	22.5”	22.5”            Same	22.25”            -0.25 / -0.5

I feel like a super star!! I mean, I know I could still be making more progress, if I would just get it together at the gym, but I feel really happy with this progress for one major reason: I'm not starved and tired all the time. This progress actually feels like something that I can maintain because it isn't a chore. Yeah, when I prep for competitions, I get more rapid results, but I'm also mentally and physically BEAT. It's something that cannot and honestly should not be maintained in long term situations. So the fact that I am making this type of progress doing something that I feel like I can actually do in my "real" life, is awesome! No signs of a relapse here!

I was talking to my mom last week about fitness and goals, and she said something that I really appreciated and that I want for myself and all of my clients! "I don't plan to be miserable about food for the rest of my life. I refuse to feel guilty about any slip ups. My weight is where I want it to be. I just want to get stronger at this point."

Cue the bells!! I loved this! And that is exactly why I'm SO pumped on my progress, even though it's not the fastest transformation I've made. I feel like I'm mentally in a place where I'm happy with what I'm doing, I'm not dreading eating healthy (although I rarely actually dread it because I'm a great cook lol), but if I decide to have a treat meal (uh.. Red Lobster?), I can do that without 1) going completely wild, and 2) feeling like I've ruined myself.

This week has been a good one for me! I feel strong and consistent. Now I just need to get stronger! That's always the goal, right? I eventually want to be a Burn Athlete, which means I have to complete the strength and conditioning test in under 10 minutes (my record is 11:12), and I need to be at 15% BF or less.. So, we'll see how long it takes to get there.. But until then, I'm gonna focus on the immediate task at hand.

It's so weird. I've always considered myself a very mentally in-tune person. I am pretty self aware, I can motivate myself, I don't get stage/performance fright, I take criticism well. But HOLY smokes, this is a different ball game. Pushing myself through what feels like a breaking point has really proven to be a challenge for me w/these boot camp style workouts. So I'll cross the Burn Athlete bridge when I get there. For now, I'm gonna try to really elevate my mental capabilities and really blast through these workouts!

Week 3, I'm coming for you!

Aloha!

3 Week Trim - 1 Week Check In

Aloha friends, and thanks for visiting my blog! Before you start reading this, if you'd rather watch the week 1 recap, click here! But the blog has more details and some goals I have set for the next week. :)

So, I am at the beginning of week 2, and I'm feeling pretty good. Last week really challenged me, as far as workouts go. My normal routine consists of interval training for cardio, but then mostly slow & steady, as far as lifting goes. I try not to let my breaks creep up past 30 seconds, depending on what I'm trying to do (shorter breaks for endurance training, longer breaks for strength building), but generally, my heart rate isn't through the roof, and I'm damp, but definitely not covered in sweat.

THESE WORKOUTS ARE DIFFERENT! Holy smokes. Taking myself on as a Burn Bootcamp client has been a doozy (doozie?), and it's only been a week! I'm honestly so excited to see how my clients can transform because I work out ALL the time, and I'm getting worked. Anyway, these workouts are a lot different than my normal workouts because my heart rate is high the entire time, AND my muscles are getting fatigued.

My diet is pretty good! I need to work on timing it better because some days, I have gone like 5 hours without eating, which is no bueno.. Don't do that.  Realistically, I should be eating every 2-3 hours, and definitely not going over 3.5 hours between meals. This is important for a couple of reasons: 1) Metabolism. When you go a long time without eating, your body starts trying to save calories, just in case you decide to withhold food again. So when you eat often, your body isn't afraid to burn those cals. It knows it will be fed again soon! 2) Getting all of my meals in. If I wait a long time to eat my meals, that means that by the end of the day, I either haven't eaten all of my meals (shorting myself valuable calories... we want a calorie deficit, but we don't want to starve.. see point #1), OR I'm eating super late, right before bed, which is also no good.

So, this week, I will work on eating at appropriate times. I may even set alarms to remind me to eat. Hoping that will help with my progress!

SO. Let's talk about progress. I didn't do the body fat scan because I don't think it's cost effective for my pre-birthday, pre-vacation, pre-holiday budget.. I can use that $30 ($60, if we count every week) toward a massage, some Secret Santa shopping, or toward the tattoo I want for my bday (sorry Mom!) Anyway, I weighed myself and took measurements, so let's jump right in (Although, I think it's too late to say that... I missed the "jump right in" opportunity a couple paragraphs ago):

Starting:
Weight: 160.7#
Waist (narrowest): 30"
Waist (belly button): 34"
Hips: 40.5"
Thigh: 22.5"

After 1 week:
Weight: 157.6#
Waist (narrowest): 29"
Waist (belly button): 32.75"
Hips: 40.5"
Thigh: 22.5"

So, I lost some weight and about an inch in my midsection. Yay! Hips and thigh didn't budge, but that's pretty standard for me. Not shocked at all. Posting my progress pics below.  I have to be completely honest and tell you, I was NOT happy with the pictures. I pouted, got back in bed, and texted my friends about how upset I was. It was a little dramatic. But, I just felt like I basically killed it this week, had pretty good measurements, and then my side by side didn't reflect that, in my eyes. But, I got over it.. Changed my sports bra, so it matched my first one and little more in style, faked a smile, and took a second set of pictures. Body didn't change, but my attitude did. I have been working hard!! And I see positive changes elsewhere, so I don't need to sulk over not having a major transformation in 7 days.

In the upcoming week, like I said, I'm going to try to make my meal times more consistent, and crank up the intensity of my workouts. This workout style is mentally hard to do alone. In boot camp situation, you have other people cheering you on, or a trainer yelling at you to go. So that's a hurdle I'm going to try to jump this week. Your mind is your worst enemy, but also your BIGGEST tool, when it comes to reaching fitness goals (or goals, in general). I have to work on telling myself to keep going, when I feel like I can't. My workouts this past week consisted of LOTS of water and breathing breaks that I think I could've pushed through, so this week, I'll try to trim those down. Less breaks = higher maintained heart rate = more calories burned = more progress!

So, week two. Let's do it!

Cheers

3 Week Trim - Day 1

November is here! It's my favorite month of the year! Not only because my birthday is this month (yes, I will remind you each post), but because my favorite holiday of all time is Thanksgiving.. PLUS, both of my little brothers have birthdays in this month, AND my parents have their anniversary this month. It's an exciting one for sure!

Among all of that excitement, I guess November will also mark the beginning of a, hopefully, permanent transformation on my part. If you didn't read yesterday's blog or watch the video on YouTube, check those out to get caught up.

So here is where I am starting on day 1. I got weight and body fat from the InBody scan machine at my gym.. I think it's pretty accurate.. Not sure what the margin of error is, but I think as long as I use the same machine for all measurements, it will be a good indicator or what my progress is. 

I took waist, hip, and thigh measurements at home with my own tape measure.

Weight: 160.7#

Body fat: 24%

Waist (at narrowest point): 30"

Waist (at belly button): 34"

Hips: 40.5"

Thigh (at midpoint): 22.5"

Definitely near my record high, but not at it. In January, before I started my fitness competition prep, I was 165, and measurements were nearly the same. I didn't take my body fat back then, but I KNOW it had to be higher than what it is now. I also did the body scan about a month ago, and at the time, I was 155# and 23.8%BF. Sharing both of those reports below, but in case you don't feel like scouring them for details, I gained 5lbs. Muscle mass went up by 2lbs, fat went up by 2lbs, so not terrible, not awesome.

Today, I did lower body strength at the gym, and you can find the YouTube video of that workout <<<there! I won't be posting every single workout, but it's day 1, I think it's a good one to see because I'm probably going to be gassed! Maybe I'll post one per week, and hopefully, along with my physical appearance making progress, you will be able to see my conditioning improving as well!

Anyway, that's it for now. Before pictures below!

3 Week Trim - Day 0

So November is basically upon us, and that means the beginning of my 3 week trim. Now, if you read my intro post, you're probably thinking, didn't she JUST say you fell victim to extreme yo-yo dieting? And the answer is yes, I did say that. But this is different. I am not going to be doing an extreme diet or workout plan, NOR will I be quitting after the 3 weeks is over (although I will be taking a quick break for Thanksgiving and my birthday... Nov 27, hint hint).

In general, a lot people start diet and exercise programs because they are getting ready for something. A wedding, a vacation, a birthday. In those cases, there is a hard deadline to reach whatever their goal is. And because I am a regular human being, for this particular situation, I have a similar goal. While I definitely do value long term overall fitness & health, I also have a 30th birthday and vacation coming up, so that is why 3 weeks is relevant to me.  Like I said, I plan to continue this lifestyle afterward, but for now, let's just get through the 3 weeks, and see what kind of progress we can make!

DIET

I will be following a carb-cycling plan.

What's carb cycling? Varying the levels of carbohydrate intake. I will be doing a high carb day, followed by two low-carb days.

Why carb cycling? On high carb days, I will have a large store of energy, which will be used to fuel my life. Through my low carb days, instead of using carbs to fuel my day and my workouts, my body will start using fat (second in line for burning energy). This is why a lot of low carb diets are popular. Less carbs available, more fat burning. The reason I don't love low to no carb diets is that I personally cannot maintain it, long term, and I don't think it's necessary to remove entire food groups to reach your goals. Plus, when you work out a lot or have an active job and lifestyle, I just don't think that low carb is something that is truly manageable. But that's ME. Many people have found success in Atkins or keto diets, but it's just not for me. Carb cycling is like the best of both worlds. Benefits of low carb, but I still get to eat fruit & bread!

Basic formulas I'll be using for my macros: 

Calories = Weight x 10

Protein = 1g per lb of body weight

High Carb days = 200g

Low Carb days = 60g

Remaining calories will come from healthy fats!

WORKOUTS

I will be following the Burn Bootcamp protocols. Meaning, I will be doing the workouts my clients get (or would be getting if our location was open already lol). Each week, all Burn Bootcamp locations have the same workout protocols, and the trainers have the freedom to write the specific workouts. For instance, Wed, Nov 1 is Lower Body Strength. Every Burn location will undoubtedly do a completely different lower body strength workout, BUT every location will be doing lower body strength. So, I will become my own Burn Bootcamp client.

Check out my YouTube if you prefer watching to reading (Note: I'm long winded)

Follow me @memfitdre on instagram to see summary updates

Follow @burnbootcamp to see my weekly workout schedule

Looking forward to sharing this journey with you all!

Who is MemfitDre?

Hi!

Welcome to my blog! I'm Andrea aka MemfitDre. A little background on myself: I grew up in southern California, now live in Memphis, TN, and I've spent most of my life in cheerleading. I have 3 brothers, and we've all been in sports pretty much our entire lives. I cheered in college at Hawaii Pacific University, where I earned 4 national titles and a Bachelors degree in Health Science.

I've been teaching cheerleading camps since I graduated high school, and have worked for Varsity ever since. My work in the cheerleading industry has been awesome. I get to work with athletes of all ages, teaching and inspiring them to be better athletes and better people. I get to travel the country and world, and I have the luxury of feeling like I don't have a "real job" because my work is so enjoyable.  And while I absolutely love the work I've gotten to do in cheerleading, I've always felt like I was missing out on pursuing my passion for working in fitness. With my 30th birthday approaching, I felt like it was time that I pursue this passion, so I got re-certified to personal train, and got a job at Burn Bootcamp as the Head Trainer.

Despite my athletic background and my interest in fitness & nutrition, I, like many others have struggled with keeping myself at a consistent weight and body composition. I look back at some of my "before" pictures, and wish that I could look like & feel like that! The woes of aging and retiring for sports, I guess.

I work out regularly, and have a clean-ish diet (I love dessert & brunch), but I also fall victim to the quick fix mentality, and have fallen victim to extreme dieting & exercise (body building diet & workout plan), only to relapse with 3x as much junk.  Although I KNOW what I'm supposed to do, sometimes I just get lazy.. OR, I see progress, then tell myself that I earned these donuts I'm having for breakfast...... eek.

But with my new career path, I think it is really important for me, as a leader, to find a balance. I will be leading hundreds of women on a path to self confidence and fitness success, and I think the first step for me to do that is the walk the walk.

I'll be using this blog as a diary of what I'm trying, as well as a source for motivation, tips, tricks, and workouts for anyone who needs those things.

Thanks for reading along!