Weight Loss Update & Lessons Learned

All of this eating healthy is paying off in more ways than one!!!  I am finding that organic foods definitely taste better, I have more energy, and the scale has actually become my friend (which it hasn't been in a long long time).  As of today I have officially Lost 6 Pounds... Woopwoop!!!  Yippee, Hooray... I love seeing the progress!  Although my intention was never weight loss, but rather getting healthy and feeling as good as I could.  The weight loss is a major major plus and I find it is helping to keep me totally motivated!

The picture to the right is not me and that scale definitely does not reflect my weight... In fact it's not even close!!! But I can dream, right?   That is like a supermodels weight.  I think that may have been my weight in maybe middle school, but it is unrealistic and I don't really want to be a waif.  I just liked the picture of the scale :)

It is my desire to get healthy while eating organic and whole foods.  While doing this my body will naturally get to the weight that it is comfortable at.  I do not have a specific goal weight and I am not starving myself.  In fact, in addition to my three healthy meals a day, my snacking has become more often and I am liking a little variety in my snack foods.  I am now snacking on more than just carrots!  I have added raw green beans, raw almonds (just a handful), and cherry tomatoes, also tangerines and strawberries (which are great for a sweet tooth).  I don't eat these snacks all at the same time, but I make sure that when I feel hungry, I grab one (or two) and I'm good to go.  I no longer go around feeling hungry all day.

I know from past experience that the worst thing you can do is go hungry.  When your body is overly hungry it goes into starvation mode.  When you don't eat something every four hours, (except during sleep), your body will hoard any calories that you put into it, and rather than burning those calories it stores them as fat.  If your body doesn't know or can't trust that you will be eating again in a few hours, it will go into this mode.  It is important to eat something every four hours to keep the furnace burning, so to speak.  You have to put fuel in the fire to make it burn.  Your body is like a furnace and it needs some fuel to properly burn.  Just remember to always choose "good fuel" each time you eat!

I found out that asparagus, broccoli and spinach can all be eaten in large quantities.  You can pretty much eat them as much as you want.  Since they are all super low in calories, you body actually burns them pretty much just by chewing.  So they are pretty much a free food and super healthy too.  However, remember if you aren't used to a bunch of fiber, eating so many "whole foods" with all of this fiber will totally regulate your bathroom trips!!!  TMI???  Maybe, but it's so true.  Lots of fiber = lots of "cleaning out".  This probably plays a huge part in my weight loss (LOL)...  

We have all heard that we should eat our fruits and veggies every day.  But I really had no idea how many benefits there are from each one of these veggies.  I learned a bit more about their amazing benefits from Wikipedia (see below).  

Asparagus is low in calories and is very low in sodium. It is a good source of vitamin B₆, calcium, magnesium and zinc, and a very good source of dietary fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, rutin, niacin, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese and selenium, as well as chromium.

Broccoli is high in vitamin C, as well as dietary fiber; it also contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties, such as diindolylmethane and small amounts of selenium. A single serving provides more than 30 mg of Vitamin C and a half-cup provides 52 mg of Vitamin C.

Spinach has a high nutritional value and is extremely rich in antioxidants, especially when fresh, steamed, or quickly boiled. It is a rich source of vitamin A(and especially high in lutein), vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, folate, betaine, iron, vitamin B₂, calcium, potassium, vitamin B₆,folic acid, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids. Recently, opioid peptides called rubiscolins have also been found in spinach.

So far my journey is going very well.  I admit, I still think about sushi, which I am not eating since I like all of the sauces and many fancy rolls with the white rice and other goodies they put inside.  I have not given it up forever, in fact I look forward to rewarding myself with a sushi dinner at my favorite restaurant at the end of my 60 day Challenge.  However, I do plan to "Eat Right" as a way of life, with only an occasional treat (maybe one a week as a reward).  Those occasional rewards will not start until my 60 day journey is complete.  

This is by far the most will power I have ever had in my life!  So far so good...  And I keep telling myself, one day at a time, I can do this... I will do this.  (Oh, and I pray for help daily!)

Blessings,

Diana