How I dropped 3% Body fat in 6 weeks!

I guess I should start with these results are not typical and consult your doctor or physician before beginning a workout program...

Now that I got that out of the way, it's been very difficult! I'd be lying if I said that I never got frustrated when I got on the scale or REALLLLYYYY wanted a cheat meal but never actually ate one. The fact of the matter is that the progress that I've seen in these 6 weeks has been a result of several things. Here's what I'd attribute it to:

1) Consistency in the Kitchen - I've posted about it before but my wife and I meal plan weekly so that we can get a good idea of what we need to buy at the grocery store. I know a lot of people think that meal planning equals chicken breast and broccoli EVERYDAY! And, to be honest, for some people, that may be the case. For us, it just helps us make the best food choices given our schedules, our budget, and our fitness goals. We allow room in our weekly meal plan for meals out or days that we don't take lunch. At the end of the day, it's flexible but it is at least a guide line for us to try to make good nutritional choices.

2) Dedication to the Dumbbells - The first thing people think of when they want to lose weight is cutting out all the carbs in their diet. The second thing is increasing cardio (I'll address this later) and putting the weights down. Staying dedicated to weight training definitely helped me maintain my muscle mass and I can tell I'm getting stronger. Even though I didn't put on the amount of lean mass that I wanted, I can tell that I FEEL different. The way my clothes fit, the muscle memory from the movements...all of that! It's a great feeling!

3) Cranking up the Cardio - Now, I know that there are runners and then there are the rest of us. I think I can speak for the rest of us when I say, it's hard to stare at yourself in the mirror when you're doing cardio in 20 degree weather. Honestly, if we burned as many calories tweeting, taking Instagram pics, or watching our biceps in the mirror as we do from running 10 40-yard sprints, we'd ALL be in better shape! I have NEVER liked running but I don't mind moving so for cardio I do 9Round Kickboxing, T25, Insanity, Circuit Training, or HIIT. All of these are ways to get your heart rate up and burn some more calories. If you're not at that fitness level yet, the elliptical is still one of my go-to's. It's a low-impact cardio life-saver that I use weekly!

4) Everything in Moderation (sorry I couldn't come up with any alliteration for this one) - One thing that I've learned is that I can't beat myself up when I give myself a cheat meal or when something comes up and I can't go to the gym like I planned. Contrary to all the pages I follow on Instagram, I have ZERO desire to be a fitness model/bodybuilder. That being said, I know that one of the biggest reasons I've seen progress lately is that I've been able to have more balance in everything. School, work, church, gym, down-time, etc. Being able to understand what's really important in life can help put things in perspective. Now, does that mean I have a week's worth of cheat meals? Absolutely not! However, I do know that once I have my meal, I enjoy it, I don't wallow in guilt but I do make sure I hit the gym hard on my next go around. 

So...that's it! That's how I've managed to be down in the first month of my attempt to Build Rome! We'll see what the numbers say in 4 more weeks but until then, keep making forward steps!