how i did it. and how i still do it…

I’ve had several people ask me HOW I lost the weight…more specifically what I ate and eat now. I don’t profess to be a know it all when it comes to weight loss. This is just what worked for me. People always say you HAVE to eat breakfast, you HAVE to eat NO carbs, you CAN’T eat after supper, YADA YADA YADA. I think every person has to figure out that plan that works for them….That they can live with. For me, I had to count EVERY calorie. I was constantly Googling how many calories in a potato? How many calories are in this, that, and the other? My favorite weight loss tool has definitely been my LoseIt! app on my iPhone. You put in your age, weight, and height, what you weigh now, what you want to weigh, and how much you want to lose per week. The program tells you how many calories you can eat per day. It also has a place on your log where you can add exercise. Most exercises are programmed in with the  the amount of calories you burned in a certain amount of time. This program is sahweeeet and FREE.

This is a horrible picture but an example of what the daily log looks like.

It has a HUGE database of foods with all their caloric and nutritional information. I can also use Google when I’m out to check calories. Now that I’ve been living this way for a few months I automatically know how many calories certain foods have. I no longer have to log everyday, but I keep up with it in my mind. I do log a few days a week to keep myself accountable. It makes SUCH a difference to how much you eat and what you eat when you have to actually LOOK at it….SEE how many calories those 2 cookies have…. I pay attention to what I eat and how it affects my body and how I feel. This is not a diet for me. This is the way I want to live my life for the long run. I’m learning to eat some things I miss in love and IN MODERATION. In the beginning I didn’t stray. I ate inside my 1164 calories every.single.day. I did allow myself one meal a week where I could have WHATEVER I wanted. It’s funny though. I found when I allowed myself that privilege I wasn’t as indulgent as I thought I would be. If we go to eat our favorite chicken pizza I don’t eat the entire pizza. Most of the time I will eat 2 small pieces (they’re cut in squares and aren’t the typical huge triangular shaped pieces). If I eat lasagna I eat half of what they bring me. Some things I don’t scrimp on. When Andrew cooks me a 6oz. filet I eat every single bite and love every minute of it.  Did you know that a 6 oz. filet mignon has 304 calories? If you pair it with steamed broccoli at 66 calories and a half of a baked potato with spray butter at 81 calories your total is still only 451 calories? That’s very doable in real life. The key is making sure when you eat that you don’t pile on the sour cream and butter…..You don’t eat a big loaf slice of bread dripping in butter….you don’t eat a huge side salad drowning in ranch dressing.  If you did all that you would be way over your daily intake for a couple of days. You just have to make smarter choices. Once you’ve become used to this and are losing weight it comes more naturally. I started thinking…..is eating this worth me not fitting in my pants? Is eating this worth the stomach ache I KNOW I’m gonna get? Most of the time I say no. If I do really indulge I make sure I make up for it the next few days and log it on my phone.

These are some of my favorite things these days. I love the Sara Lee 45 calorie per slice bread. I can use a small amount of light mayo, some lean turkey, a bag of baked lays and still have a good lunch low in calories. If you look closely you’ll see an empty Publix salad bowl. I LOVE prepackaged things like this. It makes it so much easier for me to eat healthy. I take the salad that has baby spinach, mushrooms, and other veggies and add some grilled chicken, more mushrooms, or veggies. I either use Tyson ready to eat strips or chicken Andrew has grilled for me. I measure out one teaspoon of light Hidden Valley ranch and dip away. It’s A LOT of salad (fills up your plate) for 226 calories! That even includes a tiny sprinkling of pecans. Later on I’ll have an orange for a snack which leaves plenty of calories left to enjoy a sensible dinner with my family. If I don’t eat a salad for lunch, I eat soup, sandwich, or sushi….. I eat tons of stuff. If we go to Chik Fil A I eat the chargrilled chicken sandwich and a fruit cup. Most restaurants always have a good salad or chicken option. Once I month or so I go to Wings and eat WINGS! I get the snack size and have a side of steamed broccoli or half a baked potato.  That satisfies my WANT but doesn’t screw up my whole day. I also keep Healthy Choice steamer bowls in my freezer. I love the chicken marsala and beef merlot. They each have somewhere between 210-250 calories. Pair that with a piece of fruit, and you’re good to go.

I use the butter spray pictured above or the canola spray to cook with. I saute veggies and lean meats….. See that Goya seasoning? It’s our favorite… I put it on meats and veggies. I did some zucchini the other night sauteed in a tiny amount of olive oil and the canola spray. I sprayed butter all over it and seasoned it with Goya. My family ate every single bite.  See the postage scale? I weigh ALL MY MEAT. I slap it on a paper towel and weigh away!

We eat lots of things for supper. Some of my favorites are boiled shrimp with corn and red potatoes, grilled fish with fresh veggies, spaghetti cooked with turkey and served on whole wheat pasta, and any kind of chicken I can dream up. We do eat a lot of grilled chicken. It’s so versatile and easy for us. We eat it about twice a week. Sometimes we use teriyaki sauce sometimes bbq. We do mix it up, but it’s a staple. If we’re having a busy night the kids will have sandwiches or hot dogs, and I’ll have a healthy choice. Making sure there’s always something here helps. If we’re out of everything I’ll meet my sweetie for lunch and eat light supper….

These Klondikes keep me sane. 100 calories per yummy ice cream treat. I love these and have them a couple of times a week… If I’m really craving sweet an orange usually does it for me…They’re only 30 calories less but so much healthier.  I also have a Fairhope Float from Mr. Gene’s Beans once a week or so.

I haven’t stopped living life. I’ve changed the way I live it. My life doesn’t revolve around food. Mashed potatoes really DON’T make me happy. Fried chicken is yummy (and I still eat it occasionally), but it doesn’t fix a problem. Food is not my drug anymore.  It does take more planning and thinking about things to feed myself and the kids, but my meals aren’t the focus of the day. If I can help anyone I’ll be happy to. Just leave me a message in the comment section, and I’ll get back to it as soon as I can. I’m going to be posting my recipe for DELICIOUS Italian chicken the low calorie way next week. My family LOVES it!

I’ll keep updating you with my progress and maintenance. Next week I’m adding some exercise, and I’ll let you know how it goes and if I see any changes. I’d love to know if any of you start your own program and lifestyle change. It makes such a huge difference having people to be accountable too. My friend, Dori, has lost around 80 lbs and has transformed her body and her life. I’ve linked her blog to give you some serious motivation. Her before and after pictures will blow you away! She is my motivation, and I am so proud of her……

Jump on in with me!I’ll be happy to cheer you on!

love and hugs,