{"id":22677,"date":"2025-06-28T20:15:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-28T20:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/22677\/"},"modified":"2025-06-28T20:15:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-28T20:15:12","slug":"makayla-kim-thomas-hiit-and-cookbooks-helped-me-lose-weight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/22677\/","title":{"rendered":"‘MaKayla Kim Thomas’ HIIT And Cookbooks Helped Me Lose Weight’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing up, much of my life revolved around sports. I was a gymnast for 17 years and did competitive cheerleading, swimming<\/a>, and diving. In college, I did an occasional 15-minute abs workout<\/a> or a 10-day challenge to get the \u201cperfect glutes,\u201d but I was never consistent with a routine. <\/p>\n

When I graduated nursing school at 26, I eventually started night shifts, worked in the emergency room, and began traveling on nursing assignments too. It was hard to adjust to my new schedule and I had no energy or motivation to work out. I was also too tired to cook, so I relied on fast food, vending machines, and the hospital cafeteria which offered fried options like chicken nuggets, burgers, and French fries. <\/p>\n

I poured my energy into work and personal relationships, and always had an excuse why I couldn\u2019t put effort into my own well-being. I didn\u2019t necessarily realize it at the time, but over the next eight years, I fell into an unhealthy pattern of never prioritizing myself. <\/p>\n

In January 2024, while on a nursing assignment, I decided enough was enough. <\/p>\n

I was alone and had nothing else to do aside from work, so I committed to working out.<\/p>\n

At the time, I was 210 pounds, which was the heaviest I had ever been, so my initial goal was to lose weight<\/a>. I wasn\u2019t sure where to begin, so I followed personal trainer and nutrition specialist MaKayla Kim Thomas<\/a> (you may know her as Makayla Thomas Fit on Instagram) and joined her 13-week workout plan, which focused on HIIT-style, full-body workouts and lightweight resistance training. The program was five days a week and provided gym workouts as well as at-home modifications, which I appreciated depending on my schedule, and most workouts were 45 minutes to an hour long.<\/p>\n

My first week was hard. It felt good to get back into exercise, but I was quickly winded and sore every day. Previously, I would have skipped a workout if I was sore, but I knew I had to stick to a routine to get stronger. And I was right. By week three, I was less winded, less sore, and looked forward to my workouts. <\/p>\n

I also followed MaKayla\u2019s cookbook which provided a variety of low-calorie, high-protein recipes<\/a> and the necessary shopping list. I rid my kitchen of processed snacks, ditched fast food, and stuck to her recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was still working night shifts, so I also learned to meal prep<\/a> and brought my own food to the hospital. Initially, I tracked macros<\/a>, but once I understood portion size I ate intuitively. At the end of the 13 weeks, I lost 18 pounds and had no intention of turning back. I felt great and wanted to continue being the healthiest version of myself I could be.<\/p>\n

Now, at 34, I train six days a week and prioritize muscle hypertrophy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These days, I program my own workouts to focus on full-body strength, with a different muscle focus each day. I found an incredible community at the 24-hour gym and fitness club Classic Bodyworks<\/a> in my area.<\/p>\n