"If people have specific questions they'd like answered just let me know! I LOVE talking about this stuff!" Shannon.
My Story: I'm a 35 year old married woman who works full time outside of the house. I have three children. 2 boys who are 11 and 8, and a girl who is 5. I'd ALWAYS struggled with my weight! Come to find out I'd never been given the tools to know how to change that. About 2.5 years ago I found myself tipping the scales at 220 lbs and knew I needed to change something. Timing was good for me to focus on myself! I joined a contest that included receiving training on how to workout 2 times a week with input on how to eat healthy. I lost 65lbs in 5 months and won the contest! I then went on to lose another 15 for a total of 80lbs lost in less than a year! I have kept that weight off (with the usual fluctuation of 10lbs up and down-which is NORMAL!!) for 2 years and I'll never go back! I am also currently a trainer at Crossfit UAC which has also changed my life (more on that later).
What's helped me the MOST is my mentality and approach to healthy eating (notice I didn't say DIET!!). Dieting has an end in sight. It's something you'll do for "this long" and then once you've reached say a weight goal you say "I'm done". Listen, you're NEVER done! Approach this with a attitude of changing habits and that takes time and patience! Pick ONE thing you're going to change and do it faithfully for 2 weeks (they say it take about 20 days to make AND break a habit).
My first thing was the cut out pop, then I cut out candy, then I cut my portions, then once I was ready I started to count my calories, then I moved onto eating VERY clean (we call it Paleo eating). At first I was VERY strict with myself, there was NO cheating! I DID have a goal in sight BUT once I hit that goal I didn't throw everything out the window and fall back into my same bad habits. I just would let myself "relax" every so often. I didn't want to be THAT person that would NEVER go out to eat, NEVER eat food at gatherings etc. I just would keep track of what I was eating and give myself some flexibility when it was NEEDED. Mostly I take an 80/20 approach. I eat good 80% of the time and give myself that 20% to go wild.
The BIGGEST thing that will help you with eating is to write EVERYTHING down that you put into your mouth. Even if you aren't counting calories, STILL write it down! It really opens your eyes to see it down on paper what you are consuming each day. It helps you be aware of what you eat instead of just mindlessly eating it.
The next biggest thing is to MOVE! Everyday do something. When I started I walked for half an hour everyday. After a few weeks I'd run a block, walk 3. Then I added weights and body moves (sit ups, push ups, lunges) twice a week. Finally I'd worked myself up to feeling comfortable taking on Crossfit and I LOVE it and wish I had found it earlier! Take it slow when you start out. You don't want to push your body too much or burn yourself out. Shake it up too! Run one day, ride your bike the next, walk to the next, lift weights the next. Keep that body guessing! Again just MOVE every single day!!
My last advice is to again not go into this thinking there is an "end". You are making lifestyle changes and healthy eating changes that you will MAKE your lifestyle. It's the ONLY way you'll keep the weight off and stay healthy. Plus showing your family how to be healthy will reap benefits way down the road! Feel free to relax one day a week or one meal every other day. Just make sure to keep track of how you're doing and reign it in when needed and let it loose when needed. Surround yourself with people that like to move also. I can't tell you how having like minded health conscious friends and family has helped me stay on track. They make it easy because it's just our lifestyle! It's what we DO!
Meal ideas: Keep your meals simple! Make sure you have some good protein each day. It'll help you stay and feel fuller longer. Eggs, chicken and fish are the best. The plate idea really is a good one. Fill your plate with veggies first, then add your palm sized piece of protein, and then a little hand full of fat-olive oil, seeds, almonds, cashews, pistachios, avocado. Make fruit your desert-strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapefruits, apples. Leave the complicated meals for eating out.
Also-try to eat something every 2 hours. A carrot, an apple, celery pieces, piece of chicken. That'll help keep your energy level and your body fueled all day and keep the munchies away.
Example of my meals:
Breakfast: 2 eggs with mushrooms, garlic, OVOO, and salsa-scrambled together
Grapefruit
Bag of strawberries
Lunch: 3-6oz of chicken (usually cooked with OVOO, garlic, salsa or other marinades)
Sliced veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, celery)
Spinach (I'll make everything above into a salad if I'm feeling like it-I use olive oil and vinegar as dressing)
Dinner: 3-6oz of chicken or fish or 2 more eggs cooked over easy
1-2 cups shredded sweet potato cooked like hash browns
Spinach (another salad if I'm feeling like it-sometimes I'll just grab some veggies again to snack on).
Snacks: Dark chocolate squares (2) or sliced banana with nut butter on it (it's like peanut butter only made of almonds instead).
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