Weight loss Journey Update and Tips

We are 3 days into the New Year and I'm sure there are many of you out there looking to improve your health and make this year better than the last. If you've been with me, you know I did a juice fast for 12 days in November and lost 15 pounds! I have stopped juicing due to fear of having another bad break out and laziness! I have however maintained the weight loss and have continued to slim down. 

My continued success has been in part to my participation of The Oma Challenge! The photo above is the current challenge and an overview of the criteria for it and can be used as a guideline to help you with your weight loss goals. What I like about this challenge is you are not starving yourself nor are you depriving yourself of a lot of food. You can still eat but are forced to make better, healthier and more creative choices. 

It has now been 2 months and I am a pant size and dress size smaller. To be honest, I enjoyed Christmas dinner and desserts too!! I was juice fasting during Thanksgiving so I made sure to enjoy my holiday meal! All that was good but it's time to get back on track. I'd like to share a few tips I've learned and have helped me personally. They may or may not help you but I just want to share my experience.

Helpful tools to reach my goal

Tips
- Drinking a glass of milk or eating a yogurt (I prefer the 0% fat Greek yogurts) make good late night snacks.
-Apples and grapes are very feeling snacks and help with sugar cravings.
- Drinking a full glass of water after a meal helps fill you up (for me it does).
-Drinking water between meals helps with snacking (for me).
-It really is 70% kitchen and 30% working out. If you look at my pictures, I did not over do it with exercising. I simply did my 30 min walk and did one work out with weights for a minimum of 4 days a week. 

Before & After Nov-Dec 31

-The less of something you eat, the less you crave it. For me, I have gone so long without fast food that I don't crave it anymore. If I do by chance eat something fatty and greasy, my body rejects it and I have stomach bug symptoms. Feeling like this further reinforces me to stay away from it no matter how much I miss Popeyes chicken! Also, being gluten sensitive limits what I can get from fast food restaurants. I can't stand how sick and awful I feel when I eat gluten which has helped with my cravings.
-Plan out your meals and keep into account your activity level. The more you work out, the more you need to eat! Use an app to help calculate how many calories you can eat in account to how many calories you need to burn. I like the app "Lose it" and it's free.
-If you are hungry, eat! But grab some water first. Try to eat something every three hours if you are a snacker. I only feel like snacking before dinner and before bed which is when I have my apple and cheese or a glass of milk or a yogurt. 

12-31-12 Currently size 12

The most important tip I have learned is to not beat yourself up if you slip up and have a not so nutritious meal like if you're traveling and there are no other options or you're going out socially. It's ok. One meal will not hurt you! Just don't over do it and compensate for it by eating extra lean the next day or bumping up the exercise. 

Lastly, stay off the scale! Muscle weighs more than fat and you will become obsessed with how much weight you're losing. One day at a time. I am not at my goal but I am further along than I was back in November. Take pictures so you can keep track of your progress! 

Hope this has helped someone and if you need a champion or someone to keep you motivated I am more than happy to help! I do not have super will power but I am committed! If you were committed to go natural, you can be committed to your health! 

Besos, Feron