ryanmrozek
New member
This is my first time doing this, so if I link anything wrong or I miss specific information, please let me know. I'll correct it immediately!
NSFW Back View
Front View
Side View
The first set of pictures were taken on February 18th of this year, first thing in the morning. The second set of pictures were taken this afternoon, November 11th at 1pm, after breakfast and lunch.
Yes, a boy helped me accomplish this.
Before meeting my boyfriend, I ran 2 miles every day OR I did 20 minutes on the elliptical at a steady state. Every day. But that was it. Occasionally I did some plank holds, but that was my only form of exercise. I worked a relatively active retail job at the time as well, but otherwise I was relatively sedentary. I ate 1700 calories a day and never drank because I feared "wasting" calories. I tracked my calories to a T. (Can you tell I have a past of disordered eating? aha)
When I met my boyfriend, I found myself getting frustrated that I couldn't enjoy life with him. I always needed my 8 hours of sleep. I always needed to eat food I made. (This sucked as he loves to cook). As soon as we woke up, I had to go on a run. I never lingered in bed and cuddled with him. I always had to run. Even on the rare night he got me to go out and drink, I'd run through my hangover.
My boyfriend always listened to the podcast Mindpump. I too love podcasts, so he recommended the show to me. I could tell he also felt defeated by how strict I was with my routine. So I gave it a shot. I started to learn about reverse dieting and bulking and the power of strength training. Consistently, they berated cardio, noting how it was inferior to strength training.
Finally, I gave it a shot. Is topped running, and I opened up my life to friends, love, and discovering what type of physical movement pleased me.
From February to May, I hit the gym 5 days a week, doing split routines along the lines of:
In April, I decided to "bulk," aka... try eating more calories. I bumped up 100 calories every week until I was at 2,300 calories. At this point, I hovered around 122-123 pounds, which kind of scared me, but I tried to trust the process.
At the end of May, my boyfriend and I were not doing so well, and I simultaneously received an incredible summer job offer out of state. My boyfriend and I decided to part ways, and I went to the mountains.
A string of unfortunate events (some related to the breakup and some not) left me in that new state with this new job feeling apathetic and depressed. The new job was not as great as I thought it would be, and I found myself crying all the time. I looked around and realized that yes, I was lonely, but I was surrounded by beautiful mountains, and I wasn't going to waste it.
All of June and July, as well as half of August, I summited at least 3 mountains a week, with varying hikes of 5-10 miles long and anywhere from 1k-3k of elevation. I've never felt stronger. These hikes wiped me out to the point where I couldn't do any other form of exercise, but I didn't mind. Those mountains saved my life. I listened to hours of podcasts, sang on top of mountains where no one else was, cried a lot of tears, and forgave a lot of people.
During the summer, I learned how to take care of myself and honestly love myself. I took myself out for dinners and drinks. I stood up to people. I asked for forgiveness to several people, and you know what? They forgave me. I also applied to graduate school, and I quit my job. I've never been more proud of myself.
Two days after I quit my job, I flew back to my apartment and my cat and started fresh. I had two weeks before graduate school started. I took that time and completely cleaned out my apartment- again starting fresh. For the first time in three months, I entered the gym again.
From August until now, I have been swamped with graduate school. I'm currently getting my teaching credential while also working as a gymnastics coach on the side to pay the bills that FAFSA does not cover. My only time to myself is Sundays, which are reserved for homework, but I am thriving.
Now, my eating is at 2,000... when I track, which tends to be about 5 days of the week. The other two days are when I am out with friends and don't want to micromanage, so it ends up being definitely more than 2,000 but I can trust my hunger signals now to know when I'm full. I end up at the gym 3 days a week with a hike every other Sunday (that is my serene bliss and saving grace through grad school). I have found that my body loves full body routines. I can give it my all for 3 days and then rest and stretch on the other days.
My full body routines have mainly come from my own creation, but I do try to incorporate progressive overload as much as possible. Oh! and I only go to Planet Fitness because $$$$$$$$$.
My two favorite people on Instagram are Katrina @collegecleaneating and Taylor @tayl0r_fit --- With that, my biggest piece of advice is to please please please GET PICKY about who you follow, support, and endorse on Instagram. So many of them are frauds.
I didn't realize I'd talk so much about the emotional side of my journey, but I guess that goes to show how interconnected everything is with our bodies. Every little bit matters, but this also means we all need to learn how to manage stress and relax.... and endless journey of growth for me.
Please let me know if you have any questions! I hope this is helpful. Runners- there is more out there!
NSFW Back View
Front View
Side View
The first set of pictures were taken on February 18th of this year, first thing in the morning. The second set of pictures were taken this afternoon, November 11th at 1pm, after breakfast and lunch.
Yes, a boy helped me accomplish this.
Before meeting my boyfriend, I ran 2 miles every day OR I did 20 minutes on the elliptical at a steady state. Every day. But that was it. Occasionally I did some plank holds, but that was my only form of exercise. I worked a relatively active retail job at the time as well, but otherwise I was relatively sedentary. I ate 1700 calories a day and never drank because I feared "wasting" calories. I tracked my calories to a T. (Can you tell I have a past of disordered eating? aha)
When I met my boyfriend, I found myself getting frustrated that I couldn't enjoy life with him. I always needed my 8 hours of sleep. I always needed to eat food I made. (This sucked as he loves to cook). As soon as we woke up, I had to go on a run. I never lingered in bed and cuddled with him. I always had to run. Even on the rare night he got me to go out and drink, I'd run through my hangover.
My boyfriend always listened to the podcast Mindpump. I too love podcasts, so he recommended the show to me. I could tell he also felt defeated by how strict I was with my routine. So I gave it a shot. I started to learn about reverse dieting and bulking and the power of strength training. Consistently, they berated cardio, noting how it was inferior to strength training.
Finally, I gave it a shot. Is topped running, and I opened up my life to friends, love, and discovering what type of physical movement pleased me.
From February to May, I hit the gym 5 days a week, doing split routines along the lines of:
- Back/Shoulders
- Arms
- Chest
- Two leg days
In April, I decided to "bulk," aka... try eating more calories. I bumped up 100 calories every week until I was at 2,300 calories. At this point, I hovered around 122-123 pounds, which kind of scared me, but I tried to trust the process.
At the end of May, my boyfriend and I were not doing so well, and I simultaneously received an incredible summer job offer out of state. My boyfriend and I decided to part ways, and I went to the mountains.
A string of unfortunate events (some related to the breakup and some not) left me in that new state with this new job feeling apathetic and depressed. The new job was not as great as I thought it would be, and I found myself crying all the time. I looked around and realized that yes, I was lonely, but I was surrounded by beautiful mountains, and I wasn't going to waste it.
All of June and July, as well as half of August, I summited at least 3 mountains a week, with varying hikes of 5-10 miles long and anywhere from 1k-3k of elevation. I've never felt stronger. These hikes wiped me out to the point where I couldn't do any other form of exercise, but I didn't mind. Those mountains saved my life. I listened to hours of podcasts, sang on top of mountains where no one else was, cried a lot of tears, and forgave a lot of people.
During the summer, I learned how to take care of myself and honestly love myself. I took myself out for dinners and drinks. I stood up to people. I asked for forgiveness to several people, and you know what? They forgave me. I also applied to graduate school, and I quit my job. I've never been more proud of myself.
Two days after I quit my job, I flew back to my apartment and my cat and started fresh. I had two weeks before graduate school started. I took that time and completely cleaned out my apartment- again starting fresh. For the first time in three months, I entered the gym again.
From August until now, I have been swamped with graduate school. I'm currently getting my teaching credential while also working as a gymnastics coach on the side to pay the bills that FAFSA does not cover. My only time to myself is Sundays, which are reserved for homework, but I am thriving.
Now, my eating is at 2,000... when I track, which tends to be about 5 days of the week. The other two days are when I am out with friends and don't want to micromanage, so it ends up being definitely more than 2,000 but I can trust my hunger signals now to know when I'm full. I end up at the gym 3 days a week with a hike every other Sunday (that is my serene bliss and saving grace through grad school). I have found that my body loves full body routines. I can give it my all for 3 days and then rest and stretch on the other days.
My full body routines have mainly come from my own creation, but I do try to incorporate progressive overload as much as possible. Oh! and I only go to Planet Fitness because $$$$$$$$$.
My two favorite people on Instagram are Katrina @collegecleaneating and Taylor @tayl0r_fit --- With that, my biggest piece of advice is to please please please GET PICKY about who you follow, support, and endorse on Instagram. So many of them are frauds.
I didn't realize I'd talk so much about the emotional side of my journey, but I guess that goes to show how interconnected everything is with our bodies. Every little bit matters, but this also means we all need to learn how to manage stress and relax.... and endless journey of growth for me.
Please let me know if you have any questions! I hope this is helpful. Runners- there is more out there!
. Thank you for posting, this gives me inspiration to keep inching towards that goal!