THOUGHTS ON FINALLY REACHING MY GOAL WEIGHT + ALOHA GIVEAWAY

I mentioned on my @GetInspiralized Instagram account the other week that today, I’d talk about my weight...

Thoughts on Finally Reaching My Weight Loss Goal + ALOHA Giveaway

I mentioned on my @GetInspiralized Instagram account the other week that today, I’d talk about my weight loss journey and give an update. If you haven’t read my original post, check that out here.

Unfortunately, I have to postpone this post for an even MORE exciting post a little later on. However, I wanted to share (because I just can’t keep it in!) that I finally reached my goal weight!

Starting at 168.5 at almost 5’8″, I wasn’t happy with my body. This morning, I woke up and weighed myself and to my happy surprise, I have finally reached my original goal weight of 140!

A photo posted by Ali Maffucci (@getinspiralized) on 

That’s a total of 28.5 pounds lost since January 2014. Yes, since January 2014. As in, 12 months.

That just goes to show that a healthier you doesn’t take place as a diet. It takes place as a lifestyle. Sure, there were weeks that went by where I gained a couple pounds, or a weekend when I really got off track.

There were nights that I just had to eat a tub of almond butter. I’m human, I’m a woman, and I love food (clearly.) BUT, alongside those “weaker” moments, there were more “strong” moments where I worked my butt off at the gym, turned down the bread basket, chose fruit over chips as an after dinner snack and said no to that second piece of dark chocolate, even though I desperately “needed” it.

Thoughts on Finally Reaching My Weight Loss Goal + ALOHA Giveaway

It’s tough. Losing weight is about balance – outweighing those “weak” moments with the “strong” ones. There are three major elements that have helped me reach this goal weight:

1) Turning my weight loss journey into a lifestyle and not saying “by this date I will be this weight.” Of course, I set goals, but when I didn’t reach them, they didn’t discourage me – they motivated me.

2) Finding my fitness stride, as in finding a fitness routine that I loved and made me look forward to working out, not dread it. Now, when I miss a spin class or a weights session, I don’t say to myself, “Ugh, I’m going to gain weight now,” I say, “Oh man, I really wanted to work out and get a good sweat on, oh well – tomorrow’s workout’s gonna be even better!”

3) Starting my mornings off with a green protein smoothie, using ALOHA’s new superfood protein powders.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, ALOHA protein powder products have been recalled. Please read about the recall here. I believe that ALOHA will do everything in their power to correct this unfortunate situation. We can only wish good health to anyone who might have been affected.

My morning smoothies aren’t just something I like to snap pictures of on Instagram, they’re an integral part of my mornings. They power me up with tastiness and protein so that I’m focused and clear through the morning, setting a productive pace for the rest of the day.

The reason I love ALOHA so much is because of their strict “free of anything artificial” policy – I feel safe using their protein powders every day in my smoothie. Aside from providing 18 grams of plant-based protein, they’re vegan, non-gmo, gluten-free, soy-free, totally organic and made with sustainable materials (like their packaging!).

Every time I share my green smoothie pics on Instagram, I always get asked, “What’s in it?!” Today, I’m sharing the recipe! Well, I use a Nutribullet (I can’t live without it – I even use it to make pasta sauces!)

Thoughts on Finally Reaching My Weight Loss Goal + ALOHA Giveaway

MOVING FORWARD: NEW GOALS

Now that I’ve reached my goal weight, I’m going to be focused on maintaining and focusing on toning, which I’ve neglected a bit in the past couple of months. I want to start an ab challenge, do more squats and lunges and get those much-desired toned wedding arms!

Now, like I said, I’m going to be sharing a much more in-depth weight loss update post with before and after bikini pictures and answers to all of the following questions. Stay tuned for that, because I’m going to pour my heart out. Sorry for not having it for you today!

  • What are your exercise routines?
  • Did you drink wine?
  • Can you share what you ate and your typical meal plans?
  • I would find helpful your ideas for spiralized snacks – post workout or at night
  • I would like to see something about what parts about your old life you found difficult to overcome! Like food cravings etc.
  • I would love to read about how you maintained will power through your journey–any tips or tricks to overcome a temptations/cravings?
  • I don’t cook – at all and it makes it hard. What should I start off with? What can I make that I can bring to lunch?
  • Would love to know how you stayed motivated, what foods were difficult to stay away from and how you kept yourself from indulging in them?
  • Can you mention how you handle nights out with friends, going out to dinner, etc? How do you resist healthy items on restaurant menus?
  • Are there any prep ahead suggestions for those of us on the fly? Or super quick recipes?
  • Morning routine! How you schedule your workouts especially in terms of meal/snack planning
  • What would you say your average day is like in terms of eating? What do you eat?
  • How many hours a week did you workout to get to your goal? What made a bigger difference, working out more or your change in diet?

Be sure to ask me anything you don’t see listed above and would like to know in that future post!

Thoughts on Finally Reaching My Weight Loss Goal + ALOHA Giveaway

MY ALOHA GREEN PROTEIN SMOOTHIE

Actually, I usually just use 1/2 an ALOHA vanilla protein powder packet, since I often use the remainder later on during the day for a quick, powerful snack! Plus, protein powders can be pricey, so it’s a great way to make the packets last!

Serving: 16oz smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup ice cubes
  • 1/2 cup PACKED spinach (I usually eyeball it by using 1 large handful of spinach leaves)
  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup frozen blueberries (I freeze fresh blueberries myself)
  • 1/2 frozen large banana, sliced into chunks (I freeze fresh bananas myself)
  • 1/3 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 packet Vanilla-flavored ALOHA protein powder
  • 1/3 cup water or more, enough to reach your preferred consistency (I don’t like thick smoothies)

Directions Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds – 1 minute, depending on the power of the blender. Add more water, if needed, to reach your preferred consistency.

Thoughts on Finally Reaching My Weight Loss Goal + ALOHA Giveaway

ALOHA GIVEAWAY

ALOHA is giving away one lucky Inspiralized reader a 7-day supply of their chocolate and green protein powders! Trust me, you’re going to want these: they’re delicious and clearly very helpful if you’re trying to lose or maintain your weight. Open to US addresses only, giveaway ends January 21, 2015 at 11:59pm EST. Good luck!

Disclaimer: Although this post was sponsored by ALOHA, all opinions are my own. I’d never endorse a product, person or brand that I didn’t believe in! 

UPDATE: Unfortunately, ALOHA protein powder products have been recalled. Please read about the recall here. I believe that ALOHA will do everything in their power to correct this unfortunate situation. We can only wish good health to anyone who might have been affected.

Would you like to add any other questions for me to address in this future post? Let me know in the comments! 

with love, Ali

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