How I Lost 13lbs In Less Than One Month!

Introduction

 I love food. I love everything about food. I love growing it, picking it out, cooking it, the way it looks and smells - you name it. What I don't like is "Dieting" in the modernized sense of the word.  I do, however also like clean eating and doing your best to be healthy.
 I have always been somewhat of a healthy person, but I'm no stranger to Ben and Jerry's and Netflix either. I would say that I was an average 'healthy' eater about one month ago. I would eat my fruit and veggies but I would also have the occasional fast food and soft drink.

 Although I've never struggled with being overweight, after having two children and slacking in the eating clean department, I knew I wasn't reaching my full potential and certainly wasn't back to my pre-baby weight. I was easily tired and often sluggish. I had no 'extra' energy to workout etc. 

So... how did I do it?

On September 13th I began my weight loss adventure. On October 5th I checked my weight and I had lost 13lbs! I couldn't believe it! By simply keeping a routine (That's not hard to keep up with) I had actually made a physical change.

So what did I do? There are several things that I did, and you can do them too!

First things first. You must try to cut out soda, ice cream, and other junk as much as possible. I know that is easier said than done but it only takes 28 days to make or break a habit. I can attest to this. When I began this, I was drinking at least one soda a day. Now if I have a drink of soda, it just tastes like a gross syrup and chemicals. If you can cut it out all together you will see dramatic results! 

Don't go for the boxed or bagged dinners, no matter how good the advertisement looks. These things are just salt and carbs. Very detrimental to your health. Instead choose whole foods as much as you can. Whole foods have no ingredients they ARE the ingredients.

My first thought being introduced to raw whole foods, was "No one can eat and get full on just salad and veggies!" Well that's true. It's all about what you do with those greens and veggies. For instance.. 2 eggs and one banana make killer pancakes that are packed with protein and will keep you full at least until your snack before lunch. There is the true secret! Protein! See, with sugar and carbs you're getting no protein so you can eat and eat and it takes forever to get full, then you're hungry again in 30 minutes. 

Another helpful hint is to switch things up by using herbs and spices in the kitchen instead of sugar and salt and you can replace (In almost any baking or cooking) coconut oil in the place of butter. When you do use butter, make sure it's real butter and not margarine. 

Now that you have a good platform to start..

Here are my 10 weight loss tips..

1. Stay Hydrated - I began drinking two glasses of water upon waking (One of which was lemon/cucumber water) and a glass of water before every meal and throughout the day. Staying hydrated is very important. Otherwise you gain water weight as your body tries to store and retain water.
   
2. Make breakfast the largest meal (with desert!!) - If you give your metabolism a jump start first thing in the morning -after hydrating of course- it will stay high throughout the day. Your lunch should be a bit smaller than breakfast and dinner should be the smallest meal of the day. This is the 'norm' in many other countries but unfortunately in the U.S. we see the opposite as conventional. 
   
3. Green Tea - This one I cannot stress enough. So many health benefits including cleaning arteries of plaque and minimizing lower belly fat. It's great for lending a helping hand to your digestive system just after a meal and it's a wonderful way to energize.
   
4. Vitamins - Vitamins will give you that little extra pep in your step and that's always a good thing! Make sure you get a good brand. Don't fall for a marketing scam like "Leading Brand" look at the ingredients and don't get any that contain harmful chemicals like red40 or aspartame. I take Vitafusion Miltivitamin and Omega-3 EPA/DHA.
   
5. Remember that eating fat doesn't make you fat! - Healthy fats in your diet will help you burn fat. Very good for your body. Beware of "Low fat" and "Non fat" as that usually means it's a chemical sh*t storm! Stick to the natural, good fats. Your body needs them for many different reasons and they reduce your risk of cancer.
   
6.  Portion control - This is one of the more important tips to remember.. your plate should be half fruit and/or veggies, and somewhere around 1/4 protein and 1/4 grains. (A bit more or less if you prefer) 
   
7. Work it - Working out at the right time is very helpful. Working out first thing in the morning has been proven more effective. Working out about an hour before bed ensures that you burn off your extra fat from your last meal or snack before you go to sleep.
   
8. There's no wrong way to exercise - Whether you're running a marathon or choosing a parking spot a little farther away from your destination than usual, you're exercising. You have to start somewhere. Don't be afraid to take breaks as often as you want or do less reps than the instructor suggests. Do your best and do it comfortably and make sure it's something you enjoy doing. 
   
9. Avoid added sugar - Forget the soda, sweetened waters, and energy drinks as they are detrimental to your overall health in the first place, not just weight loss. Eliminate junk foods, reduce carbs (like breads, pastas and rice) Watch out for "Diet" or "Low Fat" labels as most of the time they are replaced with carbs. 
   
10. Get your beauty rest - An adult needs no less than 7 hours of sleep per night.   

                             

..and don't forget...

Say "No" To Pinkwashing (In Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness)

I would like to share with you, why I, like many others (Doctors, Lawyers, Scientists, breast cancer survivors and patients) have chosen to boycott the Susan G Komen Foundation and expose the breast cancer fraud. 

Breast cancer is a very real thing and effects 1 in 8 women in the U.S. Unfortunately these statistics are not exactly accurate, somewhere between 50,000 and 90,000 women are falsely diagnosed with breast cancer every single year. Due to faulty Mammogram readings, or due to the exposure to the mammogram itself. These women are told they have cancer, treated unnecessarily (Chemo and radiation) and sometimes they even lose their breasts or portions of their breast and ultimately their lives. Because these women never had breast cancer to begin with, the radiation and chemotherapy kill perfectly healthy cells, which overtime can claim lives. However you seldom hear of this. It is usually just said that the cancer itself claimed the life.

For those who are accurately diagnosed, it is such a tragedy. There's nothing 'Pretty in Pink' about it. Which is why so many are in outrage about the Susan G Komen fraud and pinkwashing. This Foundation donates less than a dime for each dollar they make to finding a cure. Many Scientists are already on this rising tragedy and are calling for a boycott of the Susan G Komen Foundation which also supports sales of products which cause breast cancer, simply because they put a pink ribbon on the product.

So, what is Pinkwashing?
"Breast Cancer Action coined the term pinkwashing as part of our Think Before You Pink® campaign. Pinkwasher: (pink’-wah-sher) noun. A company or organization that claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product, but at the same time produces, manufactures and/or sells products that are linked to the disease."


For more information:

http://youtu.be/3QPZfcYTUaA

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/22/breast-cancer-awareness-ribbons.aspx