10% and a Review

It's Monday morning and my day is starting off great! Why? I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 10% of my body weight from my highest, last October. I am following along with the book "42 Days to Fit" for the second time and am on the final week, which I never completed the first time through. Actually the last 2 weeks of her suggestions I didn't follow because we were in the middle of moving and then we all ended up getting sick. Nevertheless, I ended up losing 9 lbs. in those first 6 weeks! I was thrilled with those results because I have never before lost that much weight and felt so good while doing so. A big part of that loss happened in week one when I lost 4 lbs after the first week! I was shocked when I stepped on the scale and saw it had gone down so quickly. What a difference eliminating sugar makes! Each week she has you change one thing about your diet so you don't have too many things to focus on; it also feels like you can actually change one thing at a time without being too overwhelmed. As a quick summary, here are each week's rules:
Week 1 -- No desserts. No special drinks.
Week 2 -- Eat a healthy breakfast, which comprises of 1 whole grain + 1 protein + 1 fruit
Week 3 -- Kitchen curfew, no eating 3 hours before bedtime. (She includes that you may eat 1 dessert a week at this point if you feel you are able/want to.)
Week 4 -- Eat a health lunch and dinner; fill half your plate with fruits and veggies, no fast food.
Week 5 -- Carb control, if you eat a sandwich fine, use the bread. But if you're having rolls for dinner, eat 1 instead of 2; choose a piece of fruit or smoothie for a snack instead of a granola bar or such. Eliminate extra carbs when it makes sense to do so.
Week 6 -- Whole Foods only; eat the foods God created and that have been processed as little as possible. This is the week I am on and the first time around I felt intimidated. This time though I'm feeling more confident and it doesn't feel nearly as drastic as before I had started this whole shebang back in February. These whole foods are delicious and I'm learning more ways to prepare them so they really don't get boring. 13 weeks ago if you had told me that I'd be eating this way and actually enjoying it I'd have thought you were out of your mind. I was completely addicted to sugar and was eating plenty of starches and enjoying them :)

A few of the changes I've made that I plan to continue because I feel really good about making them a lifestyle (this is not a short term diet for me; this is the way I want to continue eating for the rest of my life because it's healthy for my body {yes, there will be some variation, some weeks I'll eat 2 desserts, drink a caramel frappuccino with extra caramel and whipped cream,  or I'll go out late for an ice cream, spontaneity is part of what makes life fun, an adventure! But for the most part...})
- Eat just one dessert each week
- Continue to use honey + organic half and half in my coffee (this is a huge change/win for me as I was used to filling my mug halfway with milk, heating it in the microwave, adding coffee, then a spoonful of sugar AND coffee creamer.
- No eating after 8 pm (I used to hate feeling {what I thought was} hungry before bed. So I'd eat something and then my stomach would actually feel upset before bed. Now I feel just slightly hungry and it actually feels better than a churning stomach before bed. Plus, making a super healthy choice right before bedtime is hard for me, it was usually ice cream or popcorn with M&Ms or chocolate of some sort. Now if I'm hungry at 7:30 I almost always eat an apple with some peanut butter. I'm awake enough to make a good choice and not be desperate for sugar! And I wake up ready to eat a good breakfast too!) Big Win!
- Eat a healthy breakfast. Most of my breakfasts in the past have included cereal, muffins, pancakes, sometimes oatmeal. Now? I'm actually enjoying eggs nearly every morning. I often add mushrooms and bell peppers and top with salsa. I usually have an English muffin and sometimes bacon or sausage, but not every day.

- Fill half my lunch and dinner plates with fruits and vegetables. Today I had roasted corn salad (a new recipe!) on some salad greens, grilled chicken, and I shared a pear and some red raspberries with the kids.

The reason I continue to talk about the changes I've made is to hopefully encourage and inspire others who might want to do the same. Truly and honestly, if anyone thought I couldn't change, it was me! I never, ever thought I could skip desserts several days a week and still be happy. I never thought I'd get used to honey in my coffee instead of sugar. There are many areas in eating I thought I was just weak willed and it turns out I am strong. I can follow through. I've now lost 10% of my body weight and hope to lose about 15% more. Now that I'm this far there's no way I'm giving up! My clothes are fitting better (today I tried on my 3 pairs of shorts for the summer and they ALL fit!), I'm getting stronger, and I feel more in control over my food choices. I'm excited to see how I'm feeling when I hit my next goal, no matter how long it takes!