Lose 10 LB's Like It's Your Job

Welcome. Please step in to my office.

Not that I have an office, but I want you know know that I take this seriously!

Do you want proof that I know what I'm talking about?

Ok, so maybe I didn't lose 100 lbs. like the biggest loser, but I lost enough to gain a LOT of confidence and to feel better from the inside out. I know we all like the before and afters, so here are a few more:

Would you believe me if I told you that I made these changes solely through changing my eating habits? No diet. No time at the gym. No lie. As I said yesterday, developing Hypoglycemia was one of the best things that happened to me. I was forced to change ALL of my normal habits and:

Limit foods high in sugar
Eat smaller portions, spread out over the day
Be careful about when and how many carbohydrates to eat
Eat a variety of whole-grain foods, fruits and vegetables every day
Eat less fat
Limit use of alcohol
Use less salt

Now, I'm sure you have heard these suggestions before (as had I), but when you become physically ill and they are your ONLY option...you don't argue. I dove right in and never looked back. Yep. That's a Lifestyle Change, people.

Before I get to the good stuff, I must warn you that there is NO SUCH THING as a cure-all-easy-peasy-no-work-cheating -"diet", and I'm referring to the four-letter-word-version.

Honestly, that word should just be stricken from the record, because people cannot get the negative connotation out of their heads.  What people need to understand is that your DIET is one thing, while DIETING is a whole 'nother thing.  You need to make sustainable and enjoyable changes to your DIET, not try to crash DIET, which may or may not give you superficial changes that will NOT last and probably do more harm than good in the long run. 
Think Noun, not Verb!

Wouldn't you rather think of your "daily intake of food" in a positive way, rather than "abstaining from food"?  I know I'd rather think about the food I'm going to eat that will help me to lose weight vs. not eating, which will make you gain MORE weight in the end!  I don't care if you give your "diet" a nickname if that helps you, but figure out something that will allow you to forget that four-letter-word.

A few fun options:
Aliment, comestibles, daily bread, victuals, viands, menu, grubbery, nourishment, sustenance,
or if you're Southern-we call 'em vittles ;)

I want to try to make this seem as easy and painless as possible, so I've broken it down into separate steps that you can take.  You can start off with one and work your way up, or maybe you already do a few of these and can add in a few more.  More importantly, I don't suggest doing everything at once because you will crash. I accidentally cut all grains and meat out of my diet at one point and boy did I suffer. I LOVE vegetables and fruit, but it is impossible to survive simply off them.  Well, you might survive, but you won't have any energy and will probably regress. Baby steps, people.

1)  Kick the Beverage habits.  Sodas are absolutely NOT worth the LB's.  Simply cutting sodas and sugary beverages from your diet will show you almost immediate results.  Who doesn't want immediate results?! But don't forget that, that includes flavored teas, energy drinks, sport drinks, Starbucks and even fruit juices!  Those all contain sugars, carbs, sodium and calories- all of which STILL count!  Let's say you had a morning juice: 140 calories, Starbucks on the way to work: 400 cal., a soda with lunch: 200 cal., an afternoon Red Bull (cause you needed wings): 110 cal., and a glass of wine with dinner: 130 cal.  That adds up to 980 CALORIES JUST IN DRINKS!  REALLY PEOPLE?  All I gotta say is tsk tsk tsk.  Make water your friend.

Instead:
WATER
Coffee (don't use real sugar)
Fresh Tea hot or cold (don't use real sugar)
Zico Coconut water (no more than one per day)
*Limit caffeine intake

2) Honestly, you need to stay away from sugar altogether. Point in case: Last month I got back in the habit of having 2-3 small pieces of candy each day. Guess what happened? I put on a few pounds. I couldn't for the life of me figure it out, because I wasn't overindulging or doing much different, but I decided to put down the candy and see what happened. Let me tell you, I lost TWO POUNDS in TWO DAYS. If that doesn't show you how badly sugar (including the beverages) affects you, then I don't know what will.

Instead:
Jazz up oatmeal with dark chocolate or dried fruit
Fruit dipped in PB
Fruit salad
Dried fruit
Fresh baked Banana or zucchini bread

3) Sodium is another big thing to avoid. It causes you to bloat, crave bad foods, and gain weight.  Does that sound fun? Not to me! I avoid it so much that my doctor told me that I might be the only person in  America that is "Low in Sodium".  I took that as the biggest compliment EVER. That means that I am eating pretty "clean".  To avoid it, I never salt after something is cooked, I try to eat less processed foods, I don't eat out very often, NO fast food, and I read labels. Did you know that Bloody Mary Mix could kill you with all the sodium it has?
Just by choosing ZingZang, you can save a 1,000 mg of sodium!

4) Portion size might be the biggest culprit these days. Due to supersizing everything, and everyone wanting more for their buck, we've all lost sight of what we really need to eat. Think back to the last time you were sick and lost your appetite...What happened when you could eat again? If I'm correct, it probably didn't take much to fill you up. That's because your stomach shrunk back to "normal". That's how my stomach is ALL the time now. 
Eat small portions all day and yours can be too!

5) Make the switch to whole wheat/whole grains.  White flour and white rice are straight up empty calories.  If you switch to whole wheat and whole grain, then you will be consuming nutrients and they also make you feel more full and satisfied.  Same goes with Quinoa.
No arguments with this one. Just do it.

6) Eat out less.  I know you like that the take-out place down the street knows your order, and the McDonald's on the way to work is uber convenient, but is that worth all the pounds you add each year?  If you want to know the EASIEST way to shed the LB's, then just say no.

7)  If you must eat out, and I'm talking dinner with friends, a date, dinner meeting, etc.(not just because you forgot to pack a lunch) then drink only water, say no to sauces and anything fried, choose light dressings, stick to seafood/light meat, and always opt for a to-go box vs. eating the whole thing.  Most meals at a restaurant average 1,000 calories, so you BETTER NOT eat it all. Plus, then you get to have leftovers. I LOVE leftovers.

8) Did I mention no fried foods? Yes, I know this is hard (hello, I'm from the South), BUT I can personally control my weight by laying off fried foods for a month at a time. I can eat all the pizza I want, but when I eat fried foods I can see the change with a quickness. These results have actually made me decide to stay away from them altogether.

So what does a typical day look like to me?
7:00AM Coffee (2 cups, Truvia-no sugar)
9:30AM A well-balanced LARGE breakfast. To control my blood sugar levels, I eat a starch, lots of protein, and dairy for breakfast.
1:00PM A salad, apples & peanut butter, or a bowl of Parmesan veggies.
4:00PM Handful of Chocolate Almonds or some other grab-n-go snack.
6:30PM Tofu and veggies, Sweet Potato chips dipped in sugar free Ketchup, or spaghetti squash with a meat sauce. Just depends on how hungry I am.
10:00PM Small bowl of cereal, oatmeal or trail mix.
Drink lots of water ALL day.

I have to eat approximately every three hours, and this allows me to feel full and satisfied all day. I make sure to find snacks and foods that I REALLY like, which makes it easier to stay away from what you may call the "bad" stuff. Personally, I try not to label anything as "bad", since giving food a 'bad label gives it power over you. I also find that if I tell myself no to anything I will just want it even more, so I just eat a really small portion of whatever it might be and call it a day. Like I've said before, I don't allow myself to feel guilty.

Even if Will is home, he eats healthy with me, and I just use real meat for him.  I'm not a complete vegetarian, but sometimes I get grossed out by certain meats. It makes me very happy that he wants to eat healthy too, because you need positive reinforcement. I mean, it's not hard for me, because I FEEL so much better, but when he does go through phases where he wants to eat out (like right before the deployment) then I fall off the bandwagon. It's fun for a bit, and then I feel icky, which reaffirms my desire to eat healthy.

I know there are a MILLION diet books out there, but I have three go-to books/series. I don't recommend cutting down to 1,200 calories like some of them say (NEVER do that), but they have good recipes, TONS of healthy substitutes, and the last one changed my ENTIRE mindset on eating. As in seriously changed my life. For further help, check these out:

I PROMISE (cross my heart), that if you try these things- you will not only feel better, but you will shed at least a couple of pounds.  Just remember, these are LIFE CHANGES, not quick fixes.  I could tell you more, but I think baby steps are better.  Start off with these, master them and then when you are inspired and ready for more, I'll be here..As for now- I have rambled enough! Thanks again, for getting us past 100 Facebook followers! 

On a different note, I would like to solicit one favor...My friend Lauren is getting scanned today, and we are hoping that she is negative for cancer cells. She has already beaten cancer twice, so it's not fair to ask her to do it again. Positive thoughts and prayers please!