The 2 Changes I Made That Helped Me Finally Shed Those Last Few Pounds

In 2016 I gained quite a bit of weight. It was by far my toughest year yet; I experienced loss, survived a near-death experience, and moved across the world to start a new life in a city I had never even visited before. It was impossible to keep my normal diet and fitness routine in the midst of all this chaos, so I ended up putting on some extra pounds – a fact I wasn’t stoked about, but I knew it was only temporary.

At the beginning of this year I started my weight loss journey (well, it felt more like a battle at the start). Over the course of several months I got my diet back on track, started exercising more, and even meditated on a daily basis. But for every step forward, it seemed like I would take two steps back, and I couldn’t get rid of those last stubborn pounds. It wasn’t until recently that I made two significant changes to my lifestyle that helped me shed the unwanted pounds.

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For starters, I started lifting heavy weights. I had always loved strength training much more than cardio. Give me a barbell any day of the week, just as long as I don’t have to run at all. But I was one of those women who was afraid to lift heavy – I didn’t want to look “bulky.” After researching and talking to a few personal trainers, though, I learned that lifting heavy weights wasn’t going to make me bigger. In fact, it was going to do the opposite and help me slim down.

So I started back squatting, hip thrusting, shoulder pressing, and deadlifting, all with the help of a personal trainer, so I could learn how to do it all on my own. I even incorporated chest dips and bench press into my workout routine. Before I knew it, I was squatting 200 pounds – and feeling like a total badass.

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The picture on the left was from six weeks ago, and the one on the right was taken the other day. I couldn’t believe how quickly the transformation started showing up on my body. Not only did I lose belly fat (without doing any ab exercises whatsoever), but my legs were slimmer, I lost fat on my shoulders and upper arms, and even my cheeks were less chubby. More importantly, though, I was feeling like myself again. I woke up with more energy every morning and felt stronger each day.

Another big change I made was the size of my meals. I already eat a…

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