So I’ve decided
to share some of my progress, as it were. I’ve said before that I don’t really
like to do a progress report, play-by-play type of blog or facebook posts. I
prefer to post it all at the end when I have the results. So yay! My progress
right now is that I have lost 11 POUNDS! Some people would argue I’m sure that I
didn’t need to lose weight. And they’re actually not exactly wrong. Not like I
was super overweight or anything. It’s just been since I started my desk job,
I’ve gone from active waitress to sedentary office worker. Didn’t change my
eating habits at all from when I was more active, so that’s how that happened.
At my heaviest I weighed 143 pounds, and I’m 5’5. Like I said, not huge, but it
still bothered me. My clothes were all tight, and I didn’t feel good in my own
skin. I did notice I was a little rounder in the face and I was losing my
waistline. I know what I’m used to and I know what I like and when I’m not at
my healthiest. Was also feeling more tired. So I decided to make a change. I
went on the Ideal Protein diet, which worked really well for me. I’’ll attach a
link below to their website if anyone wants to know more about it.
Basically, it’s
very similar to a paleo diet. No rice, starchy vegetables like potatoes, no
bread or pasta, no dairy, no fruit and NO SUGAR. I know that sounds horrible,
but it isn’t that bad. I got to have things like chocolate shakes and maple
oatmeal for breakfast, vegetarian chili and cream of broccoli soup for lunch,
and chicken stir fry and steak with roasted cauliflower for dinner. Plus a
snack like a chocolate bar or BBQ chips. They have a lot of the food pre
packaged and you eat a lot of fresh vegetables. It only took about 1 and a half
months for me to lose the weight.
So now I am down
to 132 pounds, and I have about 5 more to go for me to be where I want to be.
But I feel great! My pants fit me again and I’ve got my waist back. The other
great thing that I noticed was that because I cut out the SUGAR, I have
improved skin, energy and have lowered my yeast levels (if you’re a girl you’ll
know how helpful that is!). Something surprising that I noticed during this
diet was what I craved a missed food wise. Not pasta or mashed potatoes, but
sugar! Which makes sense if you are on a no sugar diet. But I was still amazed
with how much it impacted me. I’ve never been a real sugar person, more of a
salt person, I don’t eat much chocolate or sweets or ice cream. I don’t even
let pop in the house, and I recently stopped drinking juice except occasionally.
So I was really surprised when I realized my biggest craving on this diet was
sugary things. Cakes, cookies, muffins, chocolate bars, things I never had much
interest in before suddenly looked so incredibly good to me. I always knew that
sugar was bad for us, and that sugar was in everything, but I started to do
more research. Boy is it really in everything! Ketchup, soy sauce, salad
dressing, pasta sauce. Now mind you I did know some of this and don’t use too
many condiments and try to cook mostly from scratch, but still! Think it’s
those fries or cheeseburgers that are making you gain weight? Well they are but
it’s likely sugar that’s the main culprit. I watched a couple of really
incredible documentaries that explained it, which I will attach below.
I also started
going to the gym 3 times a week, usually 2 days of cardio and weights and one
day of yoga. The yoga is really the thing that is taking it to the next level,
do I ever feel it the next day, but it is a great feeling, that achy sore
feeling of knowing you gave your muscles a challenge. I’m not shredded or
anything ….yet, but I do feel better. I’ve noticed I’ve been sleeping super
hard lately, I think because the workouts just tire me out, but in a good way.
Since I’ve first gained
weight, I’ve had a family member comment on my weight in a negative way (or
rather that I perceived negatively!) That really surpised me because most
people thought that I was a pretty good size just the way I was. Of course that
statement did hurt my feelings a little, but in no way is it why I decided to
lose weight and eat healthier. I did it for me. Instead of taking it
personally, I decided to take a different approach and have it motivate me. Every
time I was tired, and didn’t want to work out or wanted to cheat on my diet, I
envisioned that family members face, telling me I was fat, or telling me I
couldn’t do it. And I would plow right through and succeed! Not that I didn’t
ever have any slip ups, but it sure helped encourage me.
Pictures of my
transformation to follow!
#2 - Jamie Oliver
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