Many ask what pre-workout mixes I use. I alternate between these two. C4 and optimumnutrition gold standard pre-workout. I purchase mine from bodybuilding.com

Heyyy guys! I am getting multiple emails daily in regards to my meal plans. I am finished them up, then they will be edited. I am hoping for the next 2 weeks to have them finalized then they will be available for purchase.

They will include MANY meal and snack Ideas, many tips, and OFCOARSE many of my recipes.

Can't wait!!

To keep it short and sweet, this is a rough course. Very intimidating. I give props to anyone who has done an in person version class of becoming a CPT. Def never imagined it to be as rough as it is and will be. Lots of things to learn, in the classroom and the lab training! & gym wise!! Also found out that after I take the test and pass, I have to do an internship for 30 hours. Def rough because I am nonstop busy now as it is, but I will make it work. All I can say is never knock the course until you have taken it. Def VERY challenging. The professor is very knowledgable which is great as well. Feels weird to know I am losing my whole weekend between workinf saturdays and in school all day sundays BUT what I am gaining in the long run for my future will pay off. I will keep you all updated.

I keep getting asked what sweeters I use. I cut out all sugar where I can. I don't use splenda, sweet & low or equal anymore unless I HAVE to. I even carry these in my purse. They are natural & don't contain the chemicals like the other ones do. Tgey are Stevia & Truvia

Well tomorrow I start school, which definitely feels weird.in my late teens and early 20s I started College courses and dropped out each time. I am now 27, and giving it a shot. But this time I WANT to go. I NEED to go. I need these classes to better myself for what I want to do in the future. Now that I know what I want to do with my life, I am fueled by passion to better myself.its going to be weird devoting all of my Sundays for the next few months but those are sacrafices I need to make, and I am proud of myself for taking this big and important step in my life.

Just finished my interview with Women's health. Very excited because having my story out there will hopefully motivate and inspire others on a weight loss journey or those looking to become healthier and fit. It is definitely an honor to have my journey recognized. As soon as it is available online I will post it. Xo!

• QuestNutrition.Com
• Detourbar.com

"Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly"

Love that quote. One thing people need to realize is that regardless of what journey you were on whether it be a weight-loss journey or another personal journey you need to have self-motivation. You can look to others for motivation to start but the progress and their journey will never motivate you to the point that you reach your goals if you are not self-motivated. Basically what I'm trying to say is that you have to have your mind made up and be completely ready physically and mentally to completely reach your goals.

Something will automatically just click mentally and you will just say "that's it. Im going to do this."

Not only do I try my hardest to motivate and inspire others but there are a lot of people doing the same tjings. Putting our stories and transformation out there WITH THE HOPE thst someone will look at it and say "you know what? If she can do it then so can I" BUT remember that "motivation is what gets you started...but habit and commitment is what keeps you going" find that passion and self motivation before you start or continue your journey or you will never make it.

As crazy and cliche as this might sound....knowing I motivate and inspire so many others is what keeps me motivated. I am a success story. I am an inspiration to so many people. Reaching my goals keeps people inspired to start or finish a journey. Find out what your self motivation is, and keep it in mind. Whenever you feel like quitting, just remember why you started.

Not sure if any of you on your weight loss journey suffer from excess skin, but a good way to handle it while you work out are with compression shirts. If I am wearing a t-shirt, I will usually wear one underneath. Will it make you look thinner? No. It just helps to keep your skin compressed. (I only buy them from Nike & Underarmor because although they are not cheap they do work the best and are the most comfortable. There are some people who can lose lots of weight and have no excess skin and some who lose a lot of weight and have lots and lots. People have it in a different places. Mine happens to be in my arms (tricep area) and in my lower stomach. Some people have it on their lower body like legs, etc. That I do not have. I take pride in how hard I work my legs and butt in the gym since day one to avoid that. Unfortunately I couldn't avoid getting loose skin everywhere. Lots of people say "ohh I am sure U can get rid of it" uhm no. I have seen multiple doctors. Regardless of what you try, once skin in certain areas has lost its elasticity completely, the only way to get rid of it is by surgery. Excess skin is VERY common in massive weight loss. Even natural weight loss. So If you are like me and lost lots of weight naturally and have it, just realize you are not alone. I have learned to just deal with it and be okay with it. I have learned to focus on how far I have come. Think of it as battle scars. I have my imperfections but I love the woman I have become because I fought to become her.

Ok let's be honest here. Workout clothes are not cheap at all, and neither are good sneakers. I am not one to sugar coat anything so I am going to be honest. You should invest in a good pair of sneakers. I go through them quickly. In all honesty, my sneakers last me 2-4 months MAXXXXX! I destroy them. But but yourself a good pair. It doesn't necessarily have to be from Nike. There are lots of good brands. But if you buy cheap shoes that are not good quality, then you will not obtain the best results from your workout.

I try to go to the Nike outlet (clinton,ct) and stock up when I can. For me, the best time to go is in February and March because all of the winter clothes are on clearance. See if there are outlets in your area.

My favorite color is the NIKE VOLT which are barely on clearence which is why I only have like 2 pairs of that color. The rest are all different colors. To be honest I don't really care what color nike's are on my feet. I am more focused on the comfort for my workout but NIKE is my brand of choice.

• Always have water with you. (I always have a water bottle in my purse.)
• Plan your water intake. (I will drink 1 bottle before breakfast, 1 at lunch, 1 after my workout, 1 after dinner.)
•  Sip on water throughout your work day.
•  Many people add fruit, cucumbers, and/or mint to their water, water bottles, and/or glass jars.
•  Drink seltzer water with meals.
•  When eating out or at a party, have a glass of water when drinking liquor. (You will stay hydrated and drink less liquor which is better for you are your health.)
• Use water to dilute your soda and juices.
• Fill bottles and/or glasses with water and have them ready so that you know how much you have drank and how much more you have to go!

• Drink 2 cups (16 oz) of water before every meal: Science has proven that drinking 2 cups of water before every meal helps you to eat less during meal time and lose weight. If you do this three times daily – at breakfast, lunch, and dinner – you have already consumed 48 ounces of water.
• Morning and Night: Get into the habit of drinking one glass (16 oz) of water when you wake up and another 8 oz glass before you go to sleep every night. This will add another 24 ounces of water to your daily intake. The easiest way to do this is to keep a glass or container of water at your bedside, that way as soon as you wake up and start your day, you can begin drinking water.
• Keep Track By Your Container: One thing that has proven to help people consumer enough water daily is to buy a special container for their water and set a goal of how many times they will fill an finish the container. For example, if you buy a 16 oz container and need to drink 80 ounces of water a day, your goal would be to drink 5 of those daily. Need to drink more water? Try a larger container.
• Infuse Your Water With Flavor: Water doesn't have to be boring and infusing your water with fruit, herbs, and other flavors can make it much easier to reach your daily goal. Try adding cucumber, strawberries,lemons, limes, and fresh herbs to create flavorful water.

1. Your weight: The first step to knowing how much water to drink everyday is to know your weight. The amount of water a person should drink varies on their weight, which makes sense because the more someone weighs the more water they need to drink. A two hundred pound man and 100 pound woman require different amounts of water every day.
2. Multiply by 2/3: Next you want to multiple your weight by 2/3 (or 67%) to determine how much water to drink daily. For example, if you weighed 175 pounds you would multiple that by 2/3 and learn you should be drinking about 117 ounces of water every day.
3. Activity Level: Finally you will want to adjust that number based on how often you work out, since you are expelling water when you sweat. You should add 12 ounces of water to your daily total for every 30 minutes that you work out. So if you work out for 45 minutes daily, you would add 18 ounces of water to your daily intake.

Very excited to announce within the next few weeks, my meal plan will be available to purchase! It will include LOTS of varieties for each meal and each snack throughout the day. I am putting a lot of time and effort into this and I can't wait for it to be finished. Xo -Annamarie

Well normally I start work at 7a.m.....today we had a delayed opening due to the snow! I wanted to get back in bed and go to sleep eep so bad but I used the extra few hours to get in a double cardio season doing my Hip Hop and DVD! I know I am crazy because but I just wanted to burn some calories and every workout brings me closer to my goal. Just because you can't get to the gym doesn't mean you can't workout.