Fitness Journey Feature | How she created her new body

 Today is an exciting day for me.  Months ago, I set an intention to share fitness and weight loss stories of inspiration on the blog.  And here we are with our very first fitness feature!  The moment I saw her before & after pic, I immediately wanted to learn more about her journey.  Miss Celiabug was gracious enough to tell us her inspiring story.  Let's learn from her.

Tell us about your relationship with your body growing up.
I've always been heavier than my friends growing up and it affected my self esteem a lot.  My family was also healthier and active and I tried to stay healthy by playing sports and exercising but I never really had much motivation and didn't understand why my friends could eat what they wanted but I couldn't without gaining wieght. It was frustrating.

What made you decide to start your fitness journey?  How long has it been?
When I moved out to go to college, I gained 30 lbs and it was affecting my social life as well as my physical health.  I could litterally feel myself becoming more and more unhealthy.  When I met up with an old friend from high school and she commented on my weight I realized I had to change. It's been 2 years since my highest weight.

What are your current goals?
My goal is 145 and I'm currently at 155 lbs.  My goal used to be 135lbs but then I came to the conclusion that 135 is too low for my height (5'7) and frame.

They say that creating a new body requires a new lifestyle. What has shifted in your life since your journey began?
No more late night eating!  That was my biggest issue. Also I'm an emotional eater and since starting my journey, I have started going to the gym when I'm having an emotional moment instead of pigging out.

How much weight have you shed so far?
Around 30 pounds.

Tell us about your daily/weekly workout and eating routine.
I try to go to the gym everyday for the least 45 min. I don't have much of a routine, I just try and work up a sweat. Three days out of the week I go in the weight room and I do squats, lunges, and leg lifts and that's about it.  I plan on working on coming up  with a better routine once I have more time.  As far as eating is concerned, I have a calorie counting app on my phone.  I've been counting calories so long that I pretty much know how many [calories] are in what I eat.  I'm not exact with it but I usually know the range of calories I eat. I try to stay at around 1500 a day.

What has been the greatest challenge so far?
My greatest challenge has been staying consistent with the gym. I have a busy schedule and sometimes don't make it to the gym everyday but I try to run around my neighborhood if I don't make it.

What has been the most rewarding?
Being able to fit into my clothes and to hear people tell me I look good. Having pants that used to fit tight now fit loose is really motivating to keep on pushing.

What do you do when you are tempted to eat junk for or skip your workouts?
When it comes to junk food, I have to buy it in small quantities and not keep it around the house otherwise I will eat the whole thing.  Sometimes I give a bag of candy to my roommate and tell them to only let me have one piece every once in a while. It helps.  And I force myself to go to the gym when I have a day when I don't want to. I put on my exercise outfits and it makes me much more likely to go than to stay home and be lazy.

How do you take care of you beautiful hair while working out and afterwards? Has this new lifestyle impacted your hair journey?
I keep my hair pulled back and co-wash frequently.  I think that a healthy lifestyle really helps with my hair.  I always notice that when I eat more protein, my hair seems healthier.

Based on your before & after pic, you seemed to tone up a lot in your midsection. What do you think contributed most to that result?
I think that my waist is mostly due to trying to eat clean.  I don't do much ab work in the gym but I think the running I do helps to it up enough.

How do you stay inspired to get going everyday?
Looking in the mirror and at my pictures motivates me. I also follow of a lot of weight loss and fitness Instagram pages and seeing those every day is encouraging.

What advice do you have for others who want to create their ideal body?
Don't get discouraged by setbacks. I've had many setbacks but you've got to get over them and forgive yourself and start again. Learn from then and keep it moving. Set short term goals for yourself. Also, put away the scale!  I try to weight myself once a month because it's easy to get caught up on a number when it's how you look to yourself in the mirror is what matters.

I love the statement you made about not getting stopped by setbacks.  Could you share a set back experience and how you came back from it?
One set back was right after my last break up. I gained 10lbs in a month and I didn't go to the gym the whole time. After the post breakup sadness, I got back out there and managed to lose all the weight and then some.

I absolutely love Celiabug's commitment to her fitness above all else. She identified her weakness (emotional eating) and turned it into a strength.  I also admire her discipline around eating clean ensuring that her food contributes to her goals (instead of working against them).  Most of all, I appreciate the words of encouragement around how to overcome a set back.

Thank you Celiabug, for being an inspiration to all of us.