What I'm Doing

What am I doing to lose the weight?

Well...

1) Drinking water. This is a big one. It was a year before my mother had lap band surgery that I stopped drinking sugary soft drinks. I switched to diet cokes, and I just got used to it. I quit diet soda on January 1st of this year. It was hard at first. I would have a coke occasionally (maybe once every other week), but I got to the point where I stopped wanting them. I just would drink water. I got used to it. There is TONS of sugar in regular pop. I didn't like the thought that I was drinking all of my calories away. Diet pop contains aspartame which is probably just as bad as regular pop. Aspartame turns into formaldehyde and actually preserves fat cells. Not good. So I stick with water and the occasional green tea.

2) Calorie counting. I aim to be around 1,500 calories each day. I plan out what I am going to eat, and if I haven't planned out my meals for the day I make sure to journal everything. I use thedailyplate as a tool to track what I am eating.

3) Fruits and veggies. Lots of them! I eat fruit for a snack between lunch and dinner. Fruit is like a miracle food. Because it is made primarily of water, it passes right through you when eaten on an empty stomach. Be careful when eating fruit with any sort of grains because it won't pass through your stomach as easily and might cause digestion problems and bloating. That's just what I have come to learn about eating fruit. That means it is great to eat for breakfast. Veggies. I try to eat a good amount of vegetables each day. I get the majority of my vegetables at dinner. I go and buy some from my Kroger's produce section (no farmer's market near us) and will look up new ways to prepare them.

4) Exercising. I have come to love exercise. I experiment with new cardio routines and try different classes at the gym. My favorite cardio workout? Spin! I love my spin classes. I go on Mondays for 45 minutes, Wednesdays for 60 minutes, and any other opportunity I get. I just love it. I also take weight classes twice a week. At home I do the treadmill while watching TV or do a few ToneItUp workouts.
I love their abs workout (zero equipment and works the entire abdominal wall). Sometimes I will take a walk. I've tried yoga, zumba, and pilates too. I do 5-6 cardio workouts a week and around 3 strength training classes/videos a week.

5) Looking for inspiration. I read blogs, articles, and magazines on the weight loss topic and watch videos ALL the time. It keeps me going.

That is it for now.
Lots of love,
Jessica