I thought I’d share a picture with everyone to show that hard work and discipline really do pay off. As of today, I have lost 71.5 lbs, and this is the result!
This is my inspiration to just keep going and work hard to reach my final goal, and if this helps even just 1 person out there, that would make me very happy.
I’ve received such an outpouring of positive responses and feedback from so many people and I am still shocked at just how many people I have reached and inspired with my weight loss. I never thought in a million years that I could ever inspire ANYONE to lose weight, let alone give people advice about it.
Most people’s first question is ”What’s your secret?” and the second one is inevitably ”What do you eat?”. My response to the first question is the same…there is no secret…I just completely changed my eating habits, cut down portion sizes, started counting calories (1500/day), cut out unnecessary fats and carbs and the pièce de résistance…Exercising 3 times a week! And yes, that’s all it is! The key is to stick to it, no matter what. I’ve completely changed my life style and have committed myself 100% to this. Discipline, determination and hard work are all you need to lose weight. I was told that for years, but until I actually started doing it, I refused to believe it. I’m not going to sit here and make you believe that it’s easy, because it really isn’t! There are times where yes, I’d love to go out and have more drinks with my friends, but because I limit myself to about 2 or 3 glasses of wine a week, this can sometimes be a challenge. But I’ve managed to really stick to my guns…I’ll have 1 drink sometimes, and then stick to club soda after that. Because technically, the act of going out for a drink with friends is not necessarily to drink, but to spend time with your friends.
As for what i eat, Weekdays and week-ends are slightly different, but i still pretty much stick to a routine & a schedule on weekdays and it works out great. Here’s just 1 example of what I eat on any given weekday:
Breakfast:
- Nutribar, meal replacement bar (260 calories)
- Glass of Grapefruit juice (100 calories give or take)
- and of course COFFEE (with a splash of milk, NOT cream, and no sugar!)
Snack:
- Apple (approx. 70 calories)
Lunch:
- Grilled chicken and vegetable wrap (this is really just grilled chicken and grilled veggies inside, NO MAYO)
-Shredded carrot salad (about 1/2 cup) made with carrots, a few raisins, a splash of olive oil and lemon juice.
- Either 1/2 cup of Spinach salad (spinach, tomatoes, splash of olive oil and lemon juice) OR 1/2 cup of fruit salad (mostly contains melon and a few grapes)
I’m not sure how many calories this all contains, but i guess it’s around 450 to 500 calories.
Snack: (this really varies a lot, as i don’t always have a snack)
- 6 Kalamata olives OR 2 tbsp of Marinated Eggplant OR baby carrots OR cherry tomatoes with 2 tblsp of Hummus (These are approximately 70 calories each…except for the carrots, those you can eat tons of them)
Dinner: (This varies a lot, as i like to change things up, but this is just 1 example of 1 dinner)
- Grilled Tuna Burger WITHOUT the bun (180 calories) (Grilled either on the BBQ or in a grilling pan using 10 calorie cooking spray)
- 1 cup (or more) of steamed vegetables (most of the time it’s broccoli or Asparagus) (approximately 30 calories)
- 1/2 cup of Non-Fat Yogurt (my favorite one is Source by Yoplait) (40 to 50 calories)
- 10-12 grapes
And There you have it, this is a perfect example of what I eat. Someone asked me if I ever get hungry eating so little, and my answer to that is no, I can honestly say that throughout this whole process, I have never felt hunger pains or anything like that. I drink TONS of water every day as well, and you would be surprised how much just a glass of water can help you not feel hungry. Plus as you start losing the weight and get your stomach used to eating this way, your stomach shrinks and doesn’t require as much food to be full anymore. I used to eat portions that were 3 times the size of what i eat now, and even if i felt full, i would still continue eating until i finished my plate…This may have stemmed from my childhood being told that if i didn’t finish my plate, i wouldn’t get any dessert! ha ha ha. No but seriously, now I’ve learned to really only eat until i feel full, there is no need to stuff yourself.
So if i can lose 70 lbs eating this way, so can you! Just be very conscious about what you eat, try as much as you can to eliminate processed foods, incorporate lots of water and fresh fruits and veggies in your diet, and you’ll be A-OK.
Wow, i didn’t realise it had been so long since my last blog entry! Time really does fly. I’ve been a little bit crazed for the last few weeks, I’ve had my condo up for sale by owner for 3 months, and then I reluctantly decided to give it to a real estate agent and in less than 2 weeks it SOLD!! I am ecstatic about that, because now I can finally move on to the next step in my life which is moving in with my boyfriend!
And in the midst of all this condo selling craziness my birthday came and went which was a lot of fun. I was anxious to see how my diet would hold up during that time, with all the restaurant dinners, desserts and booze and surprisingly it wasn’t as bad as i thought it would be. Ok granted, after the first weekend of celebrations i gained 1 1/2 lbs which I was not impressed about at all, but it was my birthday and I deserved a little treat after being so disciplined for 7 months. It shocked me to see though how easy it is to gain back weight…it’s a lot easier to gain it than to lose it. But thankfully I have lost those extra pounds and another 1/2 lb on top of that, which brings my total weight loss so far to 68 pounds…Hooray.
There are so many elements that have helped me keep this up and not give up if i didn’t lose enough weight or any at all, but the top 3 would be:
1) The support & encouragement of my friends and Family. Without that I don’t know where I’d be today.
2) My health! It has improved dramatically since i started this journey. My blood pressure is back down to a normal level, my resistance is way up and my energy levels have gone through the roof.
3) The confidence that I have gained. I just feel so much better about the way I look now, it’s incredible…I don’t feel like the (fat) ugly duckling anymore, and that is priceless.
A few weeks ago I went to my friends parents chalet and they have a Jacuzzi there. My friend said that I should bring my bathing suit so we could have a nice relaxing jacuzzi. Now seeing as I haven’t worn a bathing suit in about 14 years and I don’t even own one, this was going to be difficult. My friend said well, I have one I could lend you because I don’t wear it anymore. So I said OK. Well, for the first time in 14 years, i put on a bathing suit…a size 12 nonetheless, and it was actually a bit too big! This was a very defining moment for me and it just makes me even more proud of everything I’ve accomplished so far. And it’s not over yet, I am only 18 pounds or so away from my ideal healthy weight, so stay tuned for the progress report.
