“Why am I not losing any weight?” “Why do I struggle so much to gain muscle?” “Why is this so hard?!?!”

I’ve said these things to myself on countless occasions over the years and if you’re looking to change your body then I can bet that you have too.

I am not a qualified Nutritionist, nor am I Doctor or a Personal Trainer…yet…and I don’t have any qualifications that prove I am a fountain of knowledge on this subject however, I can give you an idea of the answers to your questions based on my own experience spanning almost 3 years.

Blood, sweat and tears. Determination, hard work and consistency. That is what it takes, 100%, all the time, no excuses. Cake once a week.When I first decided that I wasn’t happy with my body I decided to do something about it which is the first and most difficult step to living a healthy lifestyle.

Many of you have told me that you HATE going to the gym, you get bored and agitated because you don’t know what to do, there are two answers to that problem: educate yourself on what you should be doing or move onto something different.

There are THOUSANDS of ways to keep fit and not all of them involve a gym, to list a few: running, yoga, pilates, boxing, cycling, football, rugby, netball, karate, judo, climbing, calisthenics,  boot camp, fitness classes, dance classes, pole dancing, hoop dancing, circus arts and my personal favourite of course – weight training which does involve a gym.

This is just a fraction of the possibilities and to make sure that you stick at something you’ve got to enjoy it right? Find something that excites you, gets you hot, sweaty and really works you hard…..

Once I found something I enjoyed (which was weight training) I needed to learn how to do it properly. Weight training will help you power through that stubborn fat because the more muscle you have then the more calories your body will use, muscles need more macro nutrients to grow and function correctly. (Macro nutrients = carbohydrates, proteins & fats) 

You will NOT end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger if you lift weights and NO it will NOT make you ‘bulky’, there are certain methods that people use to specifically achieve that look and I can promise you that if you’re using the squat rack more than the treadmill then you will eventually have a better booty than Beyoncé and not boobs like Arnold. Also ladies, don’t be afraid to train your chest with weights, the muscle will sit nicely underneath your breasts and will keep them pert and pretty! Men, good pecs make great pillows.

Learning how do your chosen exercise correctly will help you to avoid injury and will speed up your progress, for example: one hundred crunches per day will not give you abs within a week and squatting with incorrect form will hurt your knees and back. It will take you some time to figure out what you’re doing, I would advise seeking advice from professionals, researching and practice, practice, practice!

Next is consistency, if you’re not consistent then I’m sorry but you’re not going anywhere sweetheart. Many people try exercise and  then give up after 3 weeks or even 3 months because they haven’t made any progress. This really aggravates me because people assume these things are easy and that they’ll have abs of steel within a few weeks. IT’S NOT EASY! It takes a long time to get the results you want which is why so many people quit, think about it: if you’re 18 and are perhaps over weight, it’s taken you 18 years for your body to get to that stage therefore it’s going to take you longer than 3 weeks to lose a few stone. It won’t take you another 18 years but you get my drift.

Enjoying what you’re doing plays a huge role in your consistency. No matter what variation of exercise you are doing you will be burning fat and gaining muscle, this hurts a lot. You may cry, you may bleed, you may crawl and you may end up questioning yourself a million times. I have experienced this many, many times, I’ve had moments when I cry because I feel as though nothing is working and I have given up in the past as well which one of the reasons (as you can see from the photos) my weight has fluctuated over the years. BUT IT’S OKAY TO FEEL LIKE THAT! We’re only human, have a cry, be honest with yourself, pick yourself back up and keep going!

In contrast to that, I have cried at the sight of myself in the mirror because the progress I’ve made has made me happier than anything in the world. I’m fit, strong and healthy, I’m able to enjoy life and feel as though I can take on anything that is thrown at me all because I took that simple decision to make a change for the better.

Next is diet!! Yay my second favourite topic!! Earlier I said that you can’t expect to have abs doing 100 crunches per day after 1 week, would you like to know why? Because you CANNOT OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET!!!!!!! Did you get that? I said YOU CANNOT OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET!!

That is SO SO SO SO important and it took me years to figure that little gem out.

I’m not saying you have to starve yourself (please don’t do that, food is your friend), you don’t have to ban the chocolate, you don’t have to eat cold egg whites and protein shakes (although it helps) and I’m not saying you have to go low carb, gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian or vegan. What I am saying is that you need to be eating a full, nutrient dense diet that incorporates carbohydrates (YES, CARBS!!), proteins and fats. 

It’s all about making healthy choices so instead of having burgers, pasta, pizza, cereal, sweets, noodles, microwave food, fast food, chips, crisps, chocolate and all of that total crap which is killing you if consumed regularly,  you will need to think about making wiser decisions such as rice, sweet potato, oats, chicken, fish, steak, nuts, avocado, greek yoghurt, dark chocolate, olive oil, eggs, fruit, VEGETABLES…..ALL OF THEM!!!!

Eating clean, whole foods is the key, foods which are as close to their natural state as possible is what your body is made to live off. Someone proudly told me once that a stick of pepperami (the spicy lunchbox snack) was healthy because it had protein in it….errrrr no, it’s heavily processed, full of chemicals, sugars, flavourings and unhealthy fat, it will do you more harm than good. Repeat after me: food less processed is what we love the most…ess.

I’m not going to advise you on a meal plan because a) I am not qualified to do so & b) everybody is different. Your weight, height, age, state of health and fitness level all contribute to how much of which foods your body needs to survive and function efficiently, if you’re really stuck then I would advise asking a professional.

What you need to be prepared for are set backs, the above 3 pictures show you what I looked like about 1 year ago (outer 2) compared to about 2 weeks ago (middle). Over the last 3 years I have gained a lot of weight and lost a lot of weight, people tell me that I don’t look any different but they’re not seeing what I’m seeing on a daily basis.

Controlling your mental state is a very difficult thing to do especially if you’re particularly body conscious. You need to understand that life does sometimes get in the way and that sometimes you need a break, sometimes you will give up and sometimes you will be uncomfortable with how you look. It’s important to acknowledge these feelings and try not to yield to them too much: have a treat once per week, take a week off from training every few months and eat what you like, chill out and try not to be obsessive, there is always room for flexibility.

Your journey is yours and no one else in the world looks at your body in the same way as you do, do not let other peoples opinions cloud your mind. Your body is yours to do with as you please, do not let your demons stop you from achieving your goals.

Love your body, it’s the only one you have. Worship it and treat it right, it will love you back in time.

♥