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.
