How I Lost Weight WITHOUT Dieting! - My Fitness Journey + Real Tips for Weight Loss

  • last year
Hey guys!! This video is my fitness journey! I recently lost 15 lbs of fat without dieting, without tracking macros, and without a personal trainer! I included lots of before and after pics, real tips, and my whole story from gaining the weight to losing it! I want to emphasize that the best changes you can make are lifestyle changes that are sustainable and make you happier, not restricting yourself so you can quickly drop 10 lbs and then gain it right back. Weight loss is a slow process but it can be incredibly rewarding and improve your mood, life, and appearance!

This is my personal weight loss story, not necessarily what will work for everyone. I am not suggesting anyone lose weight, I simply hope to inspire some people to make positive changes to their lifestyle to improve their quality of life and enjoy themselves more while being healthy!

MY MEASUREMENTS

Chest: 29 in
Bust: 35 in
Bra size: 32 DDD
Waist: 25 in
Hip: 37.5 in (widest part)
Thigh: 22.5 in
Calf: 15in
Height: 5’9”
Weight: approx. 145 lbs (changes all the time tbh)
Transcript
00:00 how I lost like 15 pounds of fat,
00:01 but I'm also going through
00:02 like how I initially gained the weight as well,
00:04 just to kind of like give some background
00:06 because basically a lot of it
00:07 was just lifestyle changes for me.
00:09 So this isn't like a how to lose weight video.
00:11 I do have some tips that I use that worked for me personally
00:14 but this isn't like, these are the secrets to lose weight.
00:16 This is really just my story.
00:18 I also hope to inspire some of you guys
00:20 to make some lifestyle changes
00:21 that may like improve your overall quality of life,
00:24 make you happier and just feel
00:25 like you're more satisfied where you're at.
00:27 I also just wanted to say I lost all this weight
00:29 without any diets, without hiring a personal trainer,
00:31 without following any workout guides or anything.
00:34 I simply just made some changes to my life.
00:36 It was completely free.
00:38 You know, it didn't cost any crazy amounts of money.
00:40 So you can actually lose weight
00:41 without like spending all these amounts
00:44 and without taking like crazy, like fat burning supplements.
00:46 Like they don't work.
00:48 Okay, so just a little introduction
00:51 giving you guys some numbers.
00:53 Basically at the end of high school,
00:54 I was around 135 to 140 pounds.
00:57 I was probably closer to 140
00:59 and I don't think I really had like all that much muscle mass
01:02 because I was exercising all the time
01:04 because I was a dancer,
01:05 but I wasn't like actually like going to the gym
01:07 and lifting weights and like trying to put on muscle.
01:10 Fast forward to college,
01:11 the time I remember my weight being the highest was,
01:13 I think I was around 157
01:15 and this was like right before my junior year, I think.
01:18 So at this time, this was like kind of after
01:21 a big lifestyle shift to go to college.
01:23 And now I'm around 143 to like 147,
01:27 like depending on the day,
01:28 like it really honestly changes all the time
01:30 because like weight isn't always constant.
01:32 And I probably lost even more
01:33 than like the 10 to 12 pounds of like weight.
01:36 I probably lost even more fat
01:37 because I also have a lot more muscle definition
01:39 now than I used to.
01:40 So I don't have a lot of like dedicated progress photos
01:44 for this journey.
01:44 I didn't wake up one day and was like,
01:46 time to lose the weight sis, we're getting a little chunky.
01:48 Like I never felt that way.
01:50 I actually was like happy with my body
01:51 and I felt confident at every point of this journey.
01:54 It just kind of happened as a result
01:56 of me making some changes to my lifestyle.
01:58 Frankly, like during college,
01:59 I was really treating my body like crap.
02:01 And like people have asked me before,
02:03 like did you bulk and cut?
02:05 Did you like do all this stuff?
02:06 I really didn't do anything fancy.
02:08 Like I just worked out a little bit, changed my lifestyle.
02:11 There we go.
02:12 Starting off with high school.
02:15 So in high school, I was a competitive dancer.
02:18 I danced like 20 hours a week.
02:20 So basically I ate whatever I wanted
02:22 because I was burning so many calories
02:23 dancing every single day
02:25 that basically I thought it was like impossible
02:27 for me to gain weight, which it kind of was at the time.
02:29 I really did mostly eat healthy food
02:31 because I do like healthy food,
02:32 but I probably had ice cream like most nights
02:35 because like that's my food.
02:36 I love ice cream.
02:37 And I would go out and get like donuts and boba tea
02:39 with my boyfriend, like a little more than we should have.
02:42 It didn't affect me because of how much dance activity
02:44 I was getting.
02:45 So I never really learned how to exercise
02:47 because on top of school and dance,
02:48 I really didn't have time to go to the gym
02:50 and like get a workout in, nor did I have the energy.
02:52 So that's where this kind of screwed me over
02:54 because then I went to college.
02:56 So like I said, I didn't learn how to work out
03:01 in high school and I also didn't really find it appealing.
03:03 My mom has always been like super into health
03:05 and fitness and stuff.
03:06 And she always has been doing like home workout videos,
03:09 like literally every single day.
03:11 And I just remember like her doing those home workout videos
03:13 in high school being like,
03:14 I better dance for the rest of my life
03:16 because I'm never gonna do that.
03:17 So in college, I joined the Dancing Devils,
03:19 the Duke's dance team.
03:21 And we consistently had practices
03:22 like six to seven hours a week.
03:24 Plus we maybe had one or two games per week
03:26 that was like two hours each.
03:28 So I was basically getting like consistent cardio every week.
03:31 It was less intense than the dance I was doing
03:33 in high school and it was like less than half.
03:35 So obviously if I didn't change my food intake,
03:38 I was gonna gain weight.
03:39 And that brings me to the fact
03:40 that my food intake really didn't change.
03:42 I probably was indulging in a little too much,
03:44 you know, Southern food.
03:46 And at the dining hall, all the food was really boring.
03:48 And the only thing that was good was like this like
03:49 large bowl of like pasta stuff
03:52 that I probably had like most nights
03:53 but I can't imagine it was much less than a thousand calories
03:56 but I really don't think eating was like the issue
03:58 because I really didn't eat like all that much.
04:00 And I would only eat like three meals a day
04:02 and like never snack because I didn't really have access
04:04 to a lot of snacks being in a dorm.
04:06 I would occasionally get into the swing
04:08 of wanting to go to the gym
04:09 and I'd go like three times in one week
04:11 and then like never again.
04:12 And I didn't weight lift.
04:13 I would do like 30 minutes of elliptical and then some abs.
04:16 So if it wasn't food and it was slightly exercise,
04:19 the real reason I gained weight was definitely alcohol.
04:23 I am like 97.75% sure
04:25 that this is why all college students gain weight.
04:28 In high school, I didn't even have a sip of alcohol.
04:30 I was like major goody two-shoes.
04:32 I was just always dancing or at school.
04:34 So like I really didn't have time for it
04:36 but college is definitely different.
04:37 It's a different environment.
04:38 I wanted to be social and go out with my friends.
04:40 And that's kind of just what everyone did.
04:42 We went out and drank.
04:43 So in my first two years of college,
04:45 I can definitely say I went overboard with the drinking.
04:47 So let's just say as an example,
04:49 at my school, it was normal for people in Greek life
04:51 to go out three to four times a week regularly.
04:53 Like I'm talking during like exam weeks too.
04:55 Like people are going out three to four times a week.
04:58 So I'm not saying this is what I had every time,
05:00 but just like on average from what I saw
05:02 from other people too,
05:03 it wasn't unusual to have like five to six drinks in a night.
05:06 Like on a light night, honestly,
05:08 considering like pre-gaming, like taking shots,
05:10 drinking some beer, beer pong, slapping the bag for wine.
05:14 There's so many options of ways to like drink alcohol
05:16 and to get drunk at these like events
05:18 that it is really easy to have over five drinks.
05:21 So if a shot is about a hundred calories,
05:23 a light beer is about a hundred calories,
05:25 glass of wine is like 130 ish,
05:27 and like a mixed drink would probably be like 200.
05:29 You can very easily with five drinks
05:31 have over 600 calories, no problem.
05:33 And then when people came back from going out,
05:35 a lot of them would order like Domino's or something,
05:37 and you could easily eat like a thousand calories
05:39 and like cheesy bread and pizza.
05:41 So add that on to the list.
05:43 Just adding all this up,
05:44 estimating like 2,400 extra calories a week,
05:47 it takes 3,500 calories to gain like a pound of fat
05:50 in your body.
05:51 This is an estimate, but it's pretty like well accepted.
05:53 So in less than a week and a half,
05:55 you're already gaining a pound of fat.
05:56 So honestly, heavy drinking multiple days a week
05:59 for two years was my lifestyle.
06:01 And besides the issue that that amount of drinking
06:03 is completely normalized in college,
06:04 like it isn't some sort of problem, which it really is,
06:07 I was feeling like crap and I was totally oblivious to this.
06:10 So I'd probably go out,
06:11 then I'd have to wake up for my class
06:13 at either starting at 8 a.m. or 10 a.m.
06:15 I was literally sick all the time
06:17 and I seriously thought something was wrong with me.
06:20 Like I didn't realize like, hey, Catherine,
06:21 maybe you're just like not sleeping.
06:24 And I was so confused as to why I would be falling asleep
06:26 in class all the time.
06:27 And like, I'm a good student, guys.
06:29 It was very unusual for me to fall asleep in class.
06:31 And it's also like always been really hard for me
06:33 to fall asleep in places that aren't like my bed.
06:35 So I was obviously incredibly sleep deprived
06:38 and I would fall asleep in probably most of my classes
06:41 for at least like five minutes.
06:42 So sometimes people have like really clear problems
06:44 with their body that's like right in front of them.
06:46 And this was literally my case.
06:48 I was so oblivious to this.
06:49 I did not realize what the problem was,
06:50 but it was literally right in front of my eyes.
06:52 I was going out too much and I was drinking too much.
06:55 And then I have kind of like a little mini journey
06:57 where I tried to lose weight
06:59 and got into kind of like an unhealthy situation for myself.
07:02 So at one point, I believe the summer before sophomore year,
07:07 I decided I'd gained some weight my freshman year
07:10 and I decided I wanted to lose that weight.
07:12 So what I did was I restricted my calories far too low.
07:15 I cut basically all treats for my diet.
07:17 I was basically barely eating anything.
07:19 And for someone who's five nine,
07:20 like I do need to eat a decent amount of food
07:22 to maintain my weight.
07:23 And I was probably eating like 1200 calories a day.
07:26 So basically this lasted about three weeks
07:28 and it drove me completely crazy.
07:30 And I think one day I just cracked
07:32 and ate like an entire pint of ice cream
07:33 and like a whole box of chocolates or something
07:35 because you just can't sustain
07:37 like restricting yourself that much.
07:38 I had such an unhealthy relationship with food.
07:41 I was still drinking alcohol at that time.
07:43 And honestly, when I would still go out and drink,
07:45 I would hope that I would like drink enough
07:46 to throw up sometimes
07:48 because I didn't want those extra calories.
07:49 So I definitely had like some borderline
07:51 like dangerous behaviors, binging behaviors.
07:54 And I am glad to say that it didn't last very long
07:56 and I definitely don't have that issue now.
07:58 But restricting yourself that much
07:59 can just put you in such a harmful place.
08:01 I would think about the calories
08:02 and like every snack I was having,
08:04 every drink I was having, everything.
08:06 And it was honestly just driving me crazy
08:08 and I really couldn't even focus
08:09 on just like being with my friends.
08:11 So after those three weeks, I know it's really short,
08:13 but after those three weeks, that just ended
08:15 and I just went back to just eating whatever I wanted again
08:17 and not worrying about things.
08:18 And that was much more healthy for me,
08:20 even though like I was still drinking alcohol,
08:22 which I shouldn't have been doing,
08:23 but I was in a healthier mindset.
08:24 Okay, now flash forward to the summer before junior year.
08:31 I woke up hungover from going out with my friends
08:34 and it was literally such a bad hangover.
08:36 I was hungover the entire day.
08:37 I feel like I couldn't do anything.
08:39 And I was like, wow, I really just can't do this anymore.
08:42 It was such a wake up call for me.
08:43 I was like, I am treating my body like absolute crap.
08:46 And this is just not going to work in the longterm for me.
08:48 So I need to turn things around.
08:50 Not only was I feeling bad,
08:51 but I also realized I didn't really like
08:53 how I felt drinking anymore.
08:55 I've never been a person to do or even like try any drugs
08:58 because I really like to be in control of my body,
09:00 like completely.
09:01 I don't like feeling that I don't have control
09:03 over all the decisions that I'm making.
09:04 When you're drunk, you do things you regret,
09:06 you have to have your friends take care of you.
09:07 And overall, like you can just really be a mess.
09:10 And I was just kind of tired of doing that.
09:12 (upbeat music)
09:14 So then junior to senior year,
09:16 I basically changed everything.
09:17 This was kind of the start of my journey,
09:19 but I didn't quite see results yet.
09:21 So basically I changed everything.
09:23 I stopped going out maybe once a month, maybe.
09:26 And I really prioritized my sleep.
09:28 I stuck to a strict bedtime.
09:29 I was always in bed by 11, try to be asleep at 1130.
09:33 And I would always get eight hours no matter what.
09:35 Junior year was also really when I started
09:37 my like fitness journey and like introduction
09:39 to weightlifting.
09:40 Basically I went abroad in the fall
09:42 and had access to this great gym.
09:43 And actually my boyfriend introduced me
09:45 to the brand Gymshark.
09:46 And then I started following some Gymshark athletes
09:48 on Instagram.
09:49 And I was like, I'm gonna try these people's workouts.
09:51 That looks fun.
09:52 So honestly, that's how I started working out.
09:54 I didn't get a crazy trainer or anything.
09:55 I literally was doing workouts from Instagram
09:58 and like Pinterest.
09:59 Pinterest also has some great workouts.
10:01 Like you guys don't need to buy any crazy workout plans.
10:04 There's so many great workouts on Instagram and everything.
10:06 It's all for free.
10:07 I wasn't doing anything crazy or working out
10:09 like a crazy number of days per week,
10:11 but I was consistent about it,
10:12 which I think was the important thing.
10:14 I worked out probably four to five days a week.
10:16 I don't think my eating really changed all that much.
10:18 And I did take breaks from working out when I was traveling
10:21 because like I was abroad.
10:22 And then when I came back from abroad in the spring
10:24 of my junior year, I still had dance team,
10:26 but then I added working out three days a week
10:29 and I was actually consistent about it.
10:30 I would occasionally only work out like one or two days
10:33 a week if it was like exam season.
10:34 I wasn't gonna beat myself up over that
10:36 because like my school obviously took priority
10:38 to working out.
10:39 I did still drink occasionally.
10:41 I was definitely in the process of phasing out alcohol.
10:44 It was just kind of a hard thing to change
10:45 because like that's just the way like my friends
10:47 and I hung out.
10:48 Like we would go out to like a social event
10:50 or something and drink.
10:51 We would like all get together at a pregame.
10:53 So it was definitely an adjustment
10:54 to like not drinking alcohol anymore.
10:56 So occasionally I would have a little bit too much wine,
10:59 get drunk.
11:00 So I definitely didn't lose like a ton of weight quite yet.
11:02 So now like kind of at the end of junior year,
11:04 I think I was about like 155 pounds,
11:07 maybe a bit heavier at this point
11:09 because I did definitely think I gained some muscle
11:11 given that I was like working out at the gym a lot.
11:14 I feel like this was kind of like an unintentional
11:15 like bulking period.
11:17 Like I wasn't trying to bulk,
11:18 but I definitely was still like eating a lot.
11:20 And then I was also like starting to do weightlifting.
11:23 Okay, and now senior year.
11:27 This is where I actually saw some progress.
11:29 First of all, towards the beginning of my senior year,
11:32 I actually injured my back at the very end of the summer
11:34 and I didn't work out for like two months into school.
11:37 But I do feel like this was the period
11:39 where I actually changed my lifestyle
11:41 and saw a big reduction in my body fat percentage.
11:43 After the summer, so I didn't usually drink a lot
11:45 during the summers because I was home.
11:47 So after like that period of not really drinking,
11:49 I was like kind of didn't really see the point
11:51 in drinking anymore.
11:52 Basically from today,
11:53 I don't think I've had more than two drinks in one night
11:56 since my junior year.
11:57 I would still go out occasionally,
11:58 but I would either have like one drink.
12:00 I usually just didn't drink at all
12:02 because I don't love like the trash college alcohol
12:04 enough to like waste it on the calories.
12:06 Like, and if I wasn't going to like even like feeling drunk,
12:09 then like what was the point?
12:10 I was also living in an apartment and not a dorm
12:12 and I had a lot more control over my food
12:14 that I was eating.
12:15 I used to have to go to the dining hall for every meal
12:17 and get like really over-portioned meals.
12:19 But now I was actually like had a lot more control
12:21 over my food.
12:22 I cooked a few of my meals.
12:23 After my back injury kind of subsided
12:25 after about two months,
12:25 I started working out three days a week again.
12:28 So three days a week really isn't anything crazy.
12:30 I was still dancing, so I was getting some cardio,
12:32 but in terms of weight training,
12:33 it was really just the three days a week.
12:35 So that was really it.
12:37 Basically, no crazy diets,
12:39 no crazy amounts of cardio or working out,
12:41 just some simple lifestyle changes
12:43 that I honestly didn't even notice
12:44 I was losing weight at all and it just happened.
12:47 So when I actually noticed I lost some weight
12:48 was in November when I started my fitness account
12:51 on Instagram.
12:52 I had my friend take a picture of me
12:53 in this new Gymshark set I got.
12:55 And all of a sudden I was like, wait,
12:56 like I have way more ab definition than I used to.
12:59 I literally have the exact photo.
13:01 Like this is the exact photo I took that I was like,
13:03 okay, I guess I lost some weight.
13:05 I continued losing weight the next semester as well
13:08 at a very slow rate.
13:09 And I didn't feel like I was restricting myself at all.
13:11 And I also didn't feel like I was hungry at all.
13:13 I was eating the amount of food
13:14 that my body wanted to eat.
13:16 I would still go out for pizza on weekends with my friends.
13:18 I'd still get a nice cocktail at a bar if I wanted to.
13:20 I would occasionally get Chick-fil-A if I wanted to.
13:23 It wasn't like a regular thing though.
13:24 I wouldn't eat pizza every night.
13:26 I wouldn't drink every night.
13:27 I wouldn't eat Chick-fil-A every day.
13:28 But I would still allow myself to do these things
13:30 because like what's life if you can't have
13:32 some Chick-fil-A every once in a while.
13:34 So I attribute most of the fat loss
13:36 just simply to my diet changes.
13:38 But I do think my body also did change a lot
13:40 because of the weight training.
13:42 I really think I gained a decent amount of muscle as well
13:44 and had a lot more like tone to my body.
13:47 And looking back at like the pictures
13:48 at the end of high school.
13:49 So I was actually lighter at the end of high school
13:51 and like throughout high school.
13:53 But looking at photos, like I'll put up comparison photos.
13:55 I have a lot more ab definition now
13:57 than I used to in high school.
13:58 So don't be afraid to gain some muscle people.
14:00 It can do a lot for your body.
14:01 (upbeat music)
14:03 So where I'm at now.
14:05 Now I'd say I'm around like 145 pounds, like about.
14:08 Like it definitely fluctuates up or down.
14:10 But I really don't focus on numbers at all.
14:12 I eat three solid meals a day.
14:14 I eat plenty of carbs.
14:16 I try to keep my protein up a bit
14:17 since I do work out a lot.
14:19 And I try to choose healthier snack options.
14:21 Like I love Popcorners.
14:22 I love just regular popcorn, like Skinny Pop.
14:25 And I found a lot of like low calorie ice creams
14:27 that are really good too.
14:28 I'm thinking of doing a video on like all my favorite
14:30 like healthy food options too.
14:32 So give this video a thumbs up if you want to see that.
14:34 I definitely allow myself to indulge
14:35 every once in a while too.
14:36 And it's not restricting at all.
14:38 I love food.
14:39 I have a sweet tooth.
14:40 And if I'm gonna get like a little soft serve
14:42 with a little fish waffle, I'm gonna get it.
14:44 I do try to eat foods that are healthy.
14:46 And I definitely listen to my body.
14:48 Like I've tried to like burgers and fries
14:51 because you know, everyone seems to like it.
14:53 But whenever I eat it, I feel so tired.
14:55 Like literally for the rest of the day.
14:56 And I just feel so sick that I know that I can't do that.
14:58 So basically, yeah, I listen to my body.
15:00 I don't eat things that make me feel like tired
15:03 and sluggish like alcohol, burgers.
15:05 And I also like tend to not eat a lot of like things
15:07 like salads either because I just frankly think lettuce
15:09 is really boring, but I love veggies.
15:11 So like if you're gonna give me like a whole thing
15:13 of asparagus, like I'm a happy girl.
15:15 Where I'm at currently is I work out six days a week.
15:18 It'll probably be less when I go to dental school
15:20 in the fall because like I just frankly
15:22 won't have quite as much time.
15:23 But honestly, I work out so much because I love it.
15:26 And I honestly look forward to every time I go to the gym.
15:28 It's not because I have to or feel like I need to
15:31 to like maintain my body or lose some weight.
15:33 It's really strictly because I have fun at the gym
15:35 and I love to do it.
15:36 And this is what makes weight loss
15:38 and body changes sustainable.
15:40 I love working out.
15:41 I feel like I push myself at the gym.
15:43 I feel like I can change up my routine
15:44 and make it something different every day.
15:46 I feel like I'm pushing myself and becoming stronger,
15:48 which is just really empowering and really fun.
15:51 And I can't think of anything else in my like day-to-day
15:53 life that makes me feel the same way.
15:55 So yeah, I work out six days a week now.
15:57 But when I made my progress,
15:58 I was working out three days a week.
16:00 So you really don't need to be in the gym
16:01 for like hours upon hours a week to see progress.
16:04 I also now really prioritize my sleep and my health.
16:07 And I haven't been sick in like a long time.
16:09 I don't feel like I'm constantly restricting myself
16:12 to stay lean.
16:13 And I feel like I've reached a point where I'm happy,
16:15 I'm healthy, and I'm so glad that I'm at this point.
16:18 And I have like seriously never felt better.
16:20 So yeah, that's my fitness journey
16:21 from skinny little high school, Catherine,
16:24 to college, you know, not treating myself
16:26 and finally being happy with my body and my lifestyle.
16:29 So I hope this video helps someone somehow,
16:31 maybe inspired you to make some decisions
16:33 that'll not only make you healthier,
16:34 but also make you happier.
16:36 My first tip is you'll make the most progress
16:40 when you stop obsessing over the scale.
16:42 If you're obsessing over seeing like tiny increments
16:45 of like change, like you're looking at yourself
16:46 in the mirror every day,
16:48 you're not gonna see the changes
16:49 because it's just so small day-to-day.
16:51 And same with looking at the scale,
16:52 you're probably gonna stay at a constant weight.
16:54 You could even gain some weight if you're gaining muscle.
16:56 It's going to make the process
16:57 seem really long and torturous
16:59 if you don't just like take yourself away
17:00 from that situation and just let the change happen.
17:03 Also make changes that make you feel better and not worse.
17:06 Like if you hate running,
17:07 please do not go and run on the treadmill
17:09 for 30 to 60 minutes every day to try to lose weight.
17:12 It's not gonna be sustainable and you're gonna hate it.
17:14 So what's the point?
17:15 My third tip is get to a place
17:16 where you're happy with your lifestyle,
17:17 you're doing things that you actually enjoy,
17:19 and you're treating your body well,
17:21 and then be happy with whatever body you have at that point.
17:24 If that means you're gonna have a six pack, okay.
17:26 If that means you're not gonna have a six pack
17:28 and you're gonna carry like a little extra weight
17:29 in your butt, great too.
17:31 It doesn't matter where you are
17:33 as long as you're happy with it
17:34 and it's something that you can actually sustain.
17:36 And lastly, if you hate your body going into the process,
17:38 you're probably not gonna like your body at the end.
17:40 So you have to learn to love yourself now.
17:42 I know it's so cheesy,
17:43 but I really had no problems with my body
17:45 before I lost the weight.
17:46 And I think that's part of the reason
17:48 why it was so successful for me
17:50 because I didn't get into that negative place
17:51 of hating myself.
17:52 So I hope you guys enjoyed this video.
17:54 If you made it this far, please give it a thumbs up.
17:56 But yeah, I've been waiting to film this video for so long
17:58 and I can say the white monster,
18:00 it definitely helped me, would recommend.
18:02 Great, thank you guys so much for watching
18:04 and I'll see you next time, bye.

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