Could use some help!
I just ordered my wedding dress yesterday so the pressure is on to get in fantastic shape before I start with the fittings/alterations. That gives me 3-4 months to get to my ideal size so I can limit the amount I spend in alterations. I would like to lose about 3 inches from my waist, maybe 2 from my bust, and a few from my hips. I don't care about the scale I just care about inches!
I currently spin M, W, F at 6 am before work, and sometimes on Saturdays for 2 hours. I was doing a boot camp but it ended so I'm not currently doing any strength training. I like structured classes, but there isn't much offered when I'm off work (around 6:30 or 7 pm). I get sick of DVD's because I can't stand the repetitive nature. I thought of doing Cross Fit through my gym but I can only make classes 2x a week because they cater more to non-working schedules.
I'm going to really amp up my nutrition by trying to cut back on sugar and processed foods. Working out comes easy for me and eating healthy is always harder.
Any suggestions?
Re: Could use some help!
I do find the eating part harder then the exercise part but that is because I freaking love to eat!
The 6 months leading up to my wedding I worked out consistently for about an hour a day, 5-6 days a week. That was the easy part. With eating, I didn't cut anything out (except diet soda) but I just kept a close eye on my serving sizes. For example I would eat about 4 ounces of spaghetti for dinner, which is two servings, so to help cut back I would only eat 2 ounces and add in a chicken breast for some protein. This way I was still eating things I loved but just in a smaller more healthy amount.
Also, even though I made some healthy changes to both my diet and exercise regime, I also was stressing about things and was constantly busy with work, buying our first home, moving, doing a whole bunch of DIY things for the wedding, etc, so that definitely played a part in me losing weight.
Cross-training and lifting make a tremendous difference. Spinning burns calories, but the more you do it, the better your body gets at it, and that sort of efficiency can reduce calorie burn over time. Adding in a lifting session or two every week, along with some other sort of cardio (running, arc training, etc) may give you a bit of a kick.
CrossFit 2x per week is plenty to get some HUGE benefits, so unless you're losing money by not doing more classes, I'd go for it!
If your looking to cut back on sugar and processed foods... myfitnesspal.com has a great food tracker. It also includes exercise tracking. I've used it now for about a year now, and have had great results. You could also join "groups" on this website that gives daily/weekly/monthly fitness challenges.
I'm with you on the eating part- my main thing is to stop eating after dinner... no snacks, etc. I think the little handfuls of pretzels can really add up!