“Rev It Up”: My Weight-Loss Journey

When I first started this blog, I wanted my blog to be dedicated to everything I love and enjoy. I also wanted to use my blog to motivate myself and others to live a healthy lifestyle. I put on a lot of weight over the years due to stress and just not eating healthy. I figured if I put myself out there for the world to see, I would be more likely to stick to my plan and goals.

I titled this section of my blog, "Chubby Girl Gets Skinny." I thought that title had a clever ring to it. I published my first post on May 17, 2015. You can check out the first post here! I posted that I am going to lose 80 lbs and shared my starting pictures. This was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I was afraid of what people would think. However, I knew this time was going to be different. I was going to stick to my plans and not give up. However, life got in the way a little and I didn't actually begin my lifestyle change until June 14, 2015. I was not going to let life get me down. I knew I could make small changes that would eventually lead to big results.

The first small change I made was getting informed on successful (and healthy) ways to lose weight. I picked up, " Rev it Up! The Lifestyle Diet That Puts You in The Driver's Seat" by Tammy Beasley, at a thrift store. I was not expecting my life to change from reading this book. I just thought this book would be like any other diet book. A book where you have to eat exactly what the author says and cook the (mostly non-appetizing) recipes they have included. A book that tells you an exact workout plan and has such extremities that you wonder how you can follow the plan for the rest of your life. However, this book is the complete opposite. Rev It Up is the first book/plan I have ever read that anyone (and I mean anyone) can stick to for the rest of their lives. It has truly changed the way I approach weight-loss and my body image.

In this post, I will share a brief summary of the book/plan. I will also share the tips and strategies I learned and apply everyday. I love that Rev It Up will work with any lifestyle and you can slowly add the plan into your life. It is all about making frequent, small, healthy changes. Finally, I will share my results from using many of the Rev It Up strategies. So let's get to it!

Rev It Up is a book on lifestyle change and weight-loss. It breaks down how to achieve weight-loss into weekly steps. Rev It Up explains that your body is like a vehicle and this vehicle needs proper fuel and maintenance. It explains weekly changes you need to make in your body maintenance. I love how simple this method is and how it can be incorporated into any lifestyle.

During the first week, you learn about your body and about the Rev It Up process. There are four challenges for the week and these are broken down into foundation, food, fluid, and fitness challenges. The foundation challenge for the week is to record your hunger level before and after every meal. The food challenge is to eat breakfast within 1 hour of waking up. The fluid challenge is to double the amount of water you are currently drinking. The fitness challenge is to simply get moving for 4 days/week with a warm up and a cool down added.

During the second week, you are introduced to four more challenges. The foundation challenge is to eat every four hours. The food challenge is to eat from 3-4 food groups at meals and from 1-2 food groups for snacks. The fluid challenge is to drink extra water when you are working out. The fitness challenge is to check your heart rate for exercise.

During the third week, you are introduced to more challenges. The foundation challenge is to slow down when you are eating. The food challenge is to add more fruits and veggies to meals everyday. The fluid challenge is to "match up" fluids (read the book for more information on this). The fitness challenge is to incorporate strength training 2 days/week.

During the fourth week, more challenges are presented. The foundation challenge is to record the changes you have successfully made. The food challenge is to improve the quality of your snacks and to improve the quality of your "fat fuel." The fitness challenge is to make sure you are exercising properly and safely.

Weeks 5, 6, 7, and 8 present you with just one challenge per week to really accelerate your progress. Week 5's challenge is to choose healthy options when eating out. Week 6's challenge is to increase the intensity of your aerobic activity and strength training routines. Week 7's challenge is to write down at least two positives about your body and read this list at least 2x per day. Week 8's challenge is to determine your biggest struggle in losing weight and use one of the given strategies to combat this struggle.

I tried to follow the challenges and strategies presented in this book to the best of my ability. I love that Rev it Up is so encouraging and allows you to mess up. If you mess up one week, just jump back to the plan the next week. There were challenges I had a tougher time adapting to and there were challenges that were easy for me to adapt. I highly recommend reading this book because it truly is about lifestyle change and not just weight-loss. I will be referring back to Rev It Up as I continue to move forward in my new healthy lifestyle. Below is pictures of my weight-loss success from using the methods presented in this book.

Height:

5'7″

Starting Weight:

246 lbs!

Current Weight:

220 lbs (down 26 lbs!!)

Starting Measurements: Current Measurements:

I lost 19″ total!

Starting dress size:

20 (I wear 1x and sometimes xxl large clothing)

Current Dress Size:

16 (I wear XL, but L in some clothing items)

I am really shocked I lost so many lbs and inches. I really love the Rev It Up method because it is a process you can stick to. It is a healthy way to lose weight and a doable lifestyle change. I can't wait to see how many more pounds and inches I lose in the next three months. I am definitely moving forward in my weight loss goal to lose 80 lbs. I am just so proud of the progress I am seeing.

I am starting to fit into clothes I haven't worn in years. I also have so much more energy and feel so much more productive. I do not get as hot as I use to because I have lost fat (which keeps your body warm). I also look forward to exercising everyday. I schedule exercise on my planner and I am excited when it is time to workout. I find ways to move more everyday. I love hearing my boyfriend compliment me and even he is noticing that I am getting smaller (he always says I am beautiful either way, but I know he is proud too). I feel so much happier and confident now.

I have learned so much from Rev It Up. I apply many of the challenges every single day. I make sure I am eating every 4 hours. I have an app that alerts me when it is time to eat. I started strength training 2x/week and running 2 days a week. I now strength train 4x/week and run 6 days a week. I pretty much only drink water; about once a week I will drink juice or another beverage. I actually crave water. I eat breakfast every morning within 1 hour of waking up. I also try to eat balanced healthy meals. I daily write down what I eat and journal about how I feel.

My goals for the following month are to learn even more about healthy lifestyles and weight-loss. I also want to start cooking more and eating more balanced meals. I am going start running for 1 hour 3x per week and do kickboxing 3x per week. I will also add time to my strength training routine and increase the amount of weight. I can't wait to see what my results will be in 3 months.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and I hope you learned something too. We are all in this together (totally a song...I know). I highly recommend Rev It Up because it is a healthy and safe way to lose weight. Fat loss does not happen overnight, but it does occur with hard work and dedication. Remember: slow and steady wins the race. If you can't stick with a plan, you will not see long term results. Rev It Up is a lifestyle change not a diet. It is something I can stick to for the rest of my life. I have changed my life!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. I hope I inspired you to make your own healthy lifestyle changes. Everyone (no matter how big or small you are) can benefit from making small healthy changes. Weight may not be an issue for you, but almost everyone has bad habits that they can change. We can all encourage each other to accomplish our goals. So what are you waiting for, be the change TODAY!

P.S. If you want to purchase Rev It Up, click here! (I found mine at a thrift store, but wanted to provide a link in case you were interested)