My diet is simple. Just eat real food. There is no long, restrictive list of what you can or can’t eat. Find what works for your family and run with it!
For us, we restrict dairy, refined sugar, and gluten because we have auto immune issues. Our issues don’t respond well to those food groups so we avoid them. Dairy, refined sugar, and gluten are also extremely inflammatory and most dietitians will recommend at least limiting your grain, sugar, and dairy consumption, if you’re trying to lose weight.
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Changing the way that I viewed food was key to my success. I started to view food as fuel. The way my body looks and functions is a reflection of the fuel I’m giving it.
Below is a list of the most important points that I followed on my weight loss journey:
1. Track Everything
Counting calories or points hasn’t been sustainable for me. However, I know that having that form of accountability is very important. For this reason, I kept track of everything I ate, every single day, for the first 6 months in my day planner. This was crucial as it helped me understand my body’s patterns, related to food.
2. To Weigh or Not to Weigh
The scale was also a great accountability partner of mine. Weighing daily helped me discover my body’s patterns. It helped me figure out what foods were more difficult for my body to break down and digest. In addition, it helped me stay on track because I didn’t want to see my progress so easily erased after so much effort!
Now that I’m in maintenance mode, I’ve stopped weighing daily. My body has a natural fluctuation range of about 8 pounds. I weigh once a week now (out of curiosity more than anything).
3. Water!
You’ve heard it said a million times, you’ll hear it said a million more. You’ll likely not lose weight as successfully as you want unless you’re drinking sufficient levels of water. Staying hydrated is essential to losing weight. The rule I’ve tried to adhere to is: 8oz of water, 8 times a day. In truth though, I always aim for more than that. 10-12 8oz glasses a day is where I find I’m most successful. It helps me feel full longer before, between, and after meals. It also helps my body get rid of toxins!
I track my water intake by making tallies in my day planner. I make one tally for every 8oz glass of water.
4. Portion Control
Instead of counting calories, carbs, or points, I focus on my portion sizes. Earlier in human history, diets were more plant based and less carb/meat based and their portion sizes were much, much smaller. To emulate this, I use a small salad plate or a 1 or 2 cup bowl to measure my portions.
As a portion size rule of thumb, I keep in mind that my stomach should only be the size of a clenched fist. The portion I eat, shouldn’t be much more than that. Eating more than a proper portion causes my stomach to grow larger, which then causes me to eat more food in the future to feel “full”.
In general, for portion contents, I try to never eat more than 1/2 cup of quinoa or brown rice a day, try to keep my meat protein at about 3 ounces per meal, and fill my plate with as many vegetables as I like. If I go back for seconds, it’s for the vegetable contents, not the carb or the meat protein contents.
5. Treats and Substitutions
About once a week, I’ll make a treat for my family. I’ve always loved to bake. It helps me de-stress and my kids really love the foods we make. Friday night is our family dessert night. On this night, I usually make cookies, cake, or brownies but I substitute traditional ingredients with healthier substitutes. Even though the treats have healthier ingredients, I still keep my portions in check.
Because I have healthier dessert substitutes at my fingertips, I don’t feel like I need to stuff my face and overindulge. I remind myself that I can make these kinds of treats again next week and still stay on track.
6. Alcohol
My husband and I slipped into the unhealthy habit of drinking alcohol at night before bed. He’d have a beer and I’d have a glass of wine while watching Netflix and eating chip and salsa.
In January, my goal wasn’t to lose the weight as fast as I could, my goal was “How can I make this lifestyle change sustainable for me, long term?” And since alcohol was something that I really enjoyed, something had to give. But instead of cutting alcohol out completely, I decided to stop buying wine (mainly because there are no ingredients/nutritional facts listed) and start making my own Skinny Cocktails. For the first month or two I was still drinking an 8oz cocktail every other night. I was still able to lose weight but surprisingly, my want for my cocktails eventually waned and now I only drink socially, around once a month.
7. Snacks
Because my portions are an appropriate size for me, I eat more frequently, usually 3-6 times a day. This typically consists of 3 meals with 2-3 small snacks interspersed. This keeps my metabolism up and keeps me from ever feeling “starved”, which by default, keeps me from overindulging.
8. Keep it simple!
I don’t cook a masterpiece, pin-worthy meal 6 times a day. Breakfast is usually very simple in our house. Typically, eggs and turkey bacon or smoothies, with blender muffins for my kiddos. I usually don’t snack between breakfast and lunch. At lunch, we usually eat raw veggies. I make a big salad or a veggie tray with homemade ranch. I’m always super hungry during the 2pm-3pm hour. I love to snack on hummus and veggies, apples and peanut butter, or hard boiled eggs. Dinner is the meal that requires the most effort but I tend not to spend more than 30 minutes preparing it. Most nights I make something in the Instant Pot; a soup, stew, or quinoa bowl. After dinner, I really like to have a small snack while we watch TV. This might be a handful of nuts and dairy free dark chocolate or a small bowl of popcorn seasoned with coconut oil and sea salt.
9. Set Yourself Up For Success!
Get everyone on board. Don’t keep food that you don’t want to eat inside your home. Not for your husband, not for your kids, not for anyone. No exceptions. By keeping food like this around, you’re setting yourself up for failure. If it’s not around, you can’t eat it.
I told everyone in my family what I was doing and why. I needed my family’s help to keep me accountable until I was strong enough to do it on my own.
10. Get Movin!
I don’t go to the gym or work out. I don’t have the time. However, I do try to get some form of movement in, every day. Sometimes that’s a half hour of dancing in the kitchen with my kiddos, sometimes that’s sweeping my whole downstairs, or sometimes that’s taking a short walk in the morning. Movement is important!
In 2018, I plan to devote more of my time to movement. I not only want to be and stay at my goal weight, I also want to be strong!
As a footnote, below are two links showing the same form of movement, one in December 2016 and the other in August 2017!
Click here to watch me dancing with family Christmas 2016
Click here to watch me kitchen dancing in August
^^The difference is crazy!
Join the Instant Loss 2018 New Year Challenge!
Do you have any skinny cocktail recipes to share?
HELP!!
I’m a single woman in need of losing weight. I started a new job and have gained around 25-30 lbs this year alone since I sit and work ALL the time!!! My question is; Yes, I purchased your 4 week plan. However, do you have thoughts on how I should adjust the plan since it’s just me or instead of following the daily meals just make a few things and have it everyday? Will doing that mess up the plan by not switching up? Also, if I am just eating the same thing for a few days, what would you recommend? Thank you so much for your time!
Angela Mink
2018 will be my year to get back on track. YOU are most helpful, especially when you discuss what foods to look for and those to stay away from. Thank you