I lost it, not my mind, but weight…lol

The past few years were challenging and like many, I turned to food for comfort. I was eating continuously and not worrying about the consequences. Up until last December I was seven pounds heavier. I know you must be wondering how I lost the extra pounds rapidly; well I am happy to tell you.

Desire: I wanted to lose the weight and at this point, upon deep reflection, I was highly eager to self correct my dilemma, so I took it on with a vengeance. Thankfully I have been collecting recipes from Lori a fitness enthusiast and a friend and posting them on my website. I was able to follow her recipes and use them as a guide to successful weight loss.

Inspiration: Lori is a huge inspiration to me. She has acquired a well-disciplined form and has fashioned a healthy lifestyle centered on proper nutrition and exercise. I recall once she attended a holiday party and was surrounded by great foods, there was a selection of donuts on the table and she said something that resonated deeply in me. Lori said, “I work out too hard to have a donut”. She was 100 percent correct, why have seconds of satisfaction to sabotage my goal. I was ready mentally to have a lifestyle change.

Resistance: I was ready, which meant resisting all the tempting foods. There are people around me who do not share the same weight loss goal as I do, so what they are eating and what I choose to eat may sometimes differ. Do I drool over their food choices? No, because I remained focused on my goal. 

Foods: I swapped my rice with quinoa, eased out sugars and a large portion of my carb intake because I knew I wanted to lose the pounds quickly. I was enjoying my veggies, salads, and meats without the roti and rice. I opted for unsweetened almond milk for my smoothies, but sometimes cheated and had regular milk with my decaf coffee or tea, but no sugar, only honey or agave. My bread choice is 44 calories per slice, so it is smaller and less dense than the regular whole-wheat slices. I had made up my mind so saying no to desserts around the holidays came naturally

Moderation: It is a huge key factor, I do not binge eat. I eat just enough to fill me up and stop when needed. Although I am not at Lori’s high level of commitment, but I was doing my best.

Exercising: Most mornings I do a mini workout to get my muscles activated. My workout consists of a warm-up, weight lifting, squats and standing calf raises. Whenever I can, I head to the gym and do a more intense workout.

Bonus tips:

For breakfast I usually have two hard-boiled eggs, whole-wheat crackers and some sort of fruit and nuts. If I am opting for a smoothie; I will use a banana, few strawberries, unsweetened almond milk (or soy), tiny bit of peanut butter, dash of cinnamon, turmeric and chia seeds.

For my salad to be filling, I add a number of healthy ingredients such as corn, black beans, dried cranberries, nuts, avocado, sunflower seeds & a mixture of regular and whole wheat croutons.

After dinner if I am still feeling for a peckish, I pop some popcorn, not the ones in the packet, but the actual kernels. I pop it in a huge pot, using very little extra virgin olive oil. I lightly sprinkle some salt and black pepper. It may not taste as yummy as the buttered ones, but that’s ok.

After my meals I usually have a sweet craving, so I eat a mini piece of crystallized ginger, or when I am very over whelmed at work and I need a pick me up I indulge dark chocolate.

There are multiple diets out there, however, you can create your own, consisting of the necessities of daily nutrients.

A good motto to live by is “do not eat for taste, eat for nutrients”