A diet doesn't have to be just another bad 4 letter word. It's actually a good word. It's a word that describes how you eat. You can have a good diet or a bad diet. Everyone has one or the other.. I slowly decided to change my bad diet into a good diet. These changes allowed me to recently loose over 25 lbs!
I'm going to go over just a few simple things I did to change my diet so maybe you can get a few ideas on simple things y'all can do to change the way you see and feel about food.
1. I started out doing the Atkins way.. I count carbs on everything! You'd be really amazed at the amount of GOOD food you can eat on Atkins. I have to admit it's challenging at first, but after you get the hang of it, it's actually fun to find new recipes to try and test with your friends. :) I don't stick to it quite as strictly as i probably could though..
If something is high on carbs and that's all that's available (like pizza) now I'll eat 2 pieces instead of 3. I eat a 1/4 plate of spaghetti noodles instead of 1/2 plate (buying the wheat kind as usual). It's not something I eat everyday. It's way high in carbs! My spaghetti sauce I buy has the lowest carb count possible ALWAYS! This is dependent on which store I shop at. It's not always the same.
2. I try to never shop hungry!!!
3. I watch my portion sizes on EVERYTHING except water.. I just drink as much as I can. I carry water with me everywhere I go! We often mistake thinking we're hungry and it's really thirst. Not only that, but if we're not drinking enough, our bodies are living in a survival mode and wanting to hold on to all of water it can hold to sustain us cause it thinks that water is scarce... This causes us to hold a lot of excess water weight. I was shocked how much water weight I lost by just drinking more water. It seems like the opposite would be the case doesn't it? lol
4. I eat "no sugar added" sweets. I eat omelets almost every morning. I never ate them EVER before starting to diet. I can have so many good foods that I am really missing NOTHING! The sugar free alternative are really good!!!
5. Stop eating when you're FULL and not STUFFED, If you do this you'll fell so much more satisfied. I am convinced that overeating leads to a stretching out stomach and it actually takes more to fill it. I've never been told that, but that's my own personal theory. Now I eat less and I'm fuller longer.
6. Have plenty of low carb/sugar free snack foods on hand. You don't want to feel like you're punishing yourself by being on a "diet." Also if you don't prepare, you can get off track and have to grab something that is probably not the best choice.
7. Find a buddy! It is a great help to have someone that wants to loose a few pounds a long with you! I didn't have anyone start when I did, but I had two close friends that had committed to doing Atkins and they paved the path for me to start. Seeing how great they looked inspired me to start.
I really hope these tips will help you and make you feel encouraged on your weight loss journey. That's what it is.. It's a one day at a time plan. It's a decision that you make that will change the way you think about food. I know I see it differently. YOU are the one that has to make the decision. No one can make it for you! I finally reached my 25 lb weight loss goal, and I've actually passed that without trying. lol I feel better than ever!
I went for a long walk with the children down a small portion of the Natchez Trail in Mississippi today and didn't get wore out! What a great feeling! :) I'll have to dig up a "before" picture and take and "after" picture soon and add her for y'all to see. Last time I checked, I had lost over 25 lbs, 7 1/2 inches, and 2-3 pant sizes. Some size 8 are to big for me now! You know how long it's been since I've seen size 8???
Right: This is Before and After I lost 30 lbs! You can't really tell in my arms because of the shirt, but you can tell in my face, neck, and thighs!
