Weight Loss Tips That Are Easily Overlooked (Part One)

Over the last two years I have lost 40 pounds, but not intentionally.  I never thought I was over weight in any way, because I wasn't.  I've always considered myself a healthy person and because I was in the gym twice a day most weekdays, I thought that was the key.  I began to notice that I was working out so hard constantly, but I never got the muscular definition I really wanted.  AND, I never lost any weight.  This was baffling to me.  How could someone working out twice a day for an hour and a half not lose a single pound?  Why was I lifting more than ever but could not see any muscular definition in my body?  To answer these questions I decided to do this blog in two parts.  This being the first, and the second portion will focus more on diet/food and exercise.
After going to the doctor to have a routine blood check because I was suffering from migraines, I was told that I was deficient in many vitamins.  These vitamins are not only crucial to your health, but I did not realize that they played a major role in losing weight.  Its no secret that so many women are deficient in Vitamin D due to very little sun exposure, unless you live in a tanning bed.  In addition to having low vitamin D levels, I was also low in Magnesium and B12.  I spoke with my friend who is a Marines Boot Camp instructor about my concerns regarding my vitamins and how after hours at the gym I was still not showing any muscle definition.  I went on and on about how I do 500 sit ups everyday and I was drinking the protein shakes correctly.  He took one look at my stomach and bluntly told me, "You have a very strong core, its just covered in fat."  Whoa.  Don't go easy on me or anything bud ha.
One step at a time right?  It is generally recommended that adult women can safely consume 4,000 IU of Vitamin D, but since I was deficient I opted for the bottle with the 10,000 IU (one per day).  I could no longer stand the migraines so I wasn't going to put up a fight about Magnesium helping them stay far away.  I began taking 800mg in the morning and 800mg before bed.  It not only was a god send for the migraines but it does also calm your nervous system.  And then the B12.  I had noticed I had no energy for sometime and small tasks began to seem overwhelming because I was so fatigued.  I not only picked up an "overall" Super B Complex (to cover all the B Vitamins), but I also purchased additional B12 supplements in 5,000IU and took one of each daily as well.
As I did more research on diet, vitamins, etc it became clear that I was missing Omega 3, fish from my diet, and COQ10 for heart health.  I decided to begin taking the Fish Oil in 1200mg two pills in the morning and two at night.  Then got the COQ10 capsules which were quite expensive but when it comes to your health it doesn't matter the price in my opinion. Or you can go for the liquid form which hits the blood stream faster, I take 200IU daily.  When it came to the other supplements I did not break my bank but at the same time I did not opt for the cheapest product they had. And here I had the "Big 5" if you will....ha.

Over the next few months I started to lose weight which surprised me very much because I had stopped my two gym visits a day to 3 visits a week.  I took them religiously and still do to this day.  Little did I know that this combination was the key to kick starting your metabolism.  Over the next few months I lost 10 pounds and I started to see that my arms looking more defined as I wanted before.
I began to realize that the quest for weight loss was more than just the gym.  If anything, the gym was last in the "order of operations" here.  It was diet, supplements, and then the gym.  If you've ever heard the term, "Abs are made in the kitchen" it is no lie.
I started adding more vitamins to my daily intake.  Not for weight loss purposes, but because I wanted to be healthy all around.  I also started to notice some very bad habits I had that seemed small, but were huge additions to causing my goal to back track.  I cut out regular Coke (which is my favorite), started drinking my coffee black without my gallon of Vanilla creamer, quit the $7 Starbucks trips, and never drank a beer no matter what.  As a matter of fact, I took my drinking from twice weekly, to twice monthly.  The coffee. My vice that has its flaws but does 100% hands down get that metabolism going!  It's not for everyone though. Those small things alone I believe aided in dropping another 7 pounds.

*In Cancun about 4 months after adding the supplements and small changes*

As said above this is just "Part One" of a few easy tips I wanted to share.  Losing those 17 pounds boosted my confidence and made me feel better about my body....especially when my muscles began to show through the fat that was covering my body, as my friend so bluntly put it.

*Of course, always consult a doctor before adding supplements and vitamins into your lifestyle change. Because that's exactly what it is; it's something you plan to commit to for life. If I had never gone to see a doctor I would have never known how much I was really lacking from my diet. 

-Do not ever get discouraged in your quest to become more healthy or lose weight.  It will never happen over night, patience is our greatest friend here, yet the one we hate.  Taking very small and very easy steps like the ones above will get you in the right direction towards your goal.  Do not give up.

Very much love my friends, xoxo IG: van_rogue83