Weight loss how i've done it

1. Why Do Weight Loss Plateau's Happen

2. WEIGHT LOSS: HOW I'VE DONE IT
Happy Thursday friends!
Have y'all had a good week so far?
Mine has been much better than I was expecting being that it's the first week back
after Spring Break, however, exhaustion has definitely hit!
My flight didn't come in from Orlando until late Sunday night, which made for an
early morning on Monday. Surprisingly, I breezed through Monday and Tuesday
(likely running on adrenaline alone) and then exhaustion hit big time Tuesday
evening.
That being said, I haven't even added pictures from my trip to the computer yet and
am still getting all my ducks in a row since being home.
I have some great posts in the works, but, honestly just don't have the energy to put
them all together.

3. After my last post, Resolutions Update and an April Fool, many of you asked how I've
managed to lose 18 pounds. I thought today I'd share what's worked for me and some
basic tips I've picked up.
This will be a text heavy post, so I've tried to add in some Pinterest inspiration along
the way and apologize now if I bore you!
But, before I continue, I'll give you the answer to my 3 Truths and a Lie for April
Fools. To recap, here is the list:
Bryce and I met during my 4th year at UVA.
I am naturally a brunette.
I was a psych major in college.
Surprisingly, most of y'all guessed right; the lie was #1! Bryce and I did not meet until
the summer after my fourth year through mutual friends here in Richmond. Here is a
link to the first post I ever mentioned him in, and if you scroll through "Newer Posts"
from there, you'll find a recap of the early days of our romance. I can't believe it was
nearly 2 years since that first post and since first meeting my B.

4. Additionally, I'll mention the other 2 truths. I am naturally a brunette-kinda. As a
little girl I was blonde, but during high school my hair gradually changed into a dull
brown. I was born a blonde, and therefore think it's in my soul (ha!), but technically
now would qualify as brunette. And secondly, I was a psych major in college and
also earned my Masters of Teaching while at UVA.
Okay, now onto the nitty gritty: losing weight!
I started the post with that picture because it really has proven true for me. Around
a year ago, I tried to start losing weight, pretty much by working out alone. I saw
virtually no results! I may have firmed up a bit, but as a whole, working out alone
was worthless.
This time around I changed my diet and the first 5 or 6 pounds fell off without
setting foot in a gym.
I started slow: Sometime around the end of November or early December I cut
Cokes out of my lunch. I only drank one of the small 90 calorie cans each day and
always justified it telling myself "It's only 90 calories!" But what I didn't think about
is what makes up those calories--sugars, chemicals, caffeine! I switched to water,
and usually add some lemon slices to it for flavor!

5. If you dedicate yourself over the next 21-days and follow The 3
Week Diet as outlined, you will be walking around with 12 to 23
pounds of body fat gone from your waist, hips, thighs, belly and
butt. Your clothes will be looser, you’ll look healthier and more
attractive…and you’ll have more energy than you’ve ever had in a
long, long time.
The best food for good health to maintain the system of your body I
really engaged for.
Find out here: Fast Healthy Weight Loss
Best rgs

6. I also began focusing more on my body's natural cues at that point. I had gotten
into a really bad habit of overeating all the time. Rather than eating until I felt
comfortable, I ate until I was overly full and usually felt like I was going to burst.
With just these two simple changes I lost the first 5 or 6 pounds-- it was painless!
Part 2: Taking It to the Next Level
I was thrilled by those first pounds that came off, however, I knew that those
simple changes weren't enough to reach my goals. Once the new year began, I
knew it was time to take it to the next level.
I did that in a few ways:
REALLY changing my diet!
Working out, some
Allowing myself some leeway
Keeping my eyes on the prize

7. First things first, y'all know I'm a Southerner and you know how we
Southerners eat. We love our comfort food. As stated in my bio on the side,
mac and cheese is and will always be one of my favorite foods. However, I
knew I needed to take a step away from the comfort foods (carbs in particular)
if I wanted to see real and lasting results.
I changed my diet in 3 major ways:
Switching to a low carb diet
Switching to a low sugar diet
Adjusting portion size
I should start my explanation of that low carb diet bullet with: "Hi, my name is
Allie and I'm a recovering carbaholic." I LOVE carbs--my favorite food is by far
pasta and I love carbs in just about every form. Now, however, pasta dinners
are more of a reward, rather than the norm. I also have been more strategic
when it comes to carbs. I knew that a zero carb diet just wouldn't work for me,
so now I focus more on adding complex and gluten free carbs to my meals
(especially polenta!).

8. Additionally, I have really cut my sugar consumption down. At the beginning
of March I did a two week sugar free cleanse to boost metabolism and curb
cravings. I've found that when you break the habit of eating things like sugars,
the cravings tend to go away. Not only have I cut back on sweets, but also
sugars in many different forms. For example, I switched from Honey Nut
Cheerios (9g sugar/serving) to Rice Chex (1 g sugar/serving) for my morning
cereal and cut my lemon yogurt out of my lunch (13 g sugar). I also cut sodas
out completely about 2 months ago (aside from the occasional cocktail with
Sprite). When I initially started, I still allowed myself Coke when out to dinner
or after a particularly long day, but now I don't drink it at all!
Finally, I really adjusted portion sizes. Being that I'm not a fitness or health
expert, I can't really verbalize what my portions are now, however, I'd reiterate
what I said earlier: I eat until I no longer feel hungry and feel comfortable,
rather than eating until I feel full or stuffed. To give you an idea, I'll share
an Instagram pic of my dinner one night:
Now to give you an idea of what all this "low-carb, low-sugar, reduced portion
size" mumbo jumbo means, I'll share a typical day's eating with you! I decided
to include two dinners for a bit of variety!

9. This will be short and sweet:
Find a work out you love (for me, that's spin classes!)
Workout when you can. (for me, that's usually about 2 times/week, sometimes
3, sometimes only 1!)
Like I mentioned before, 70% diet, 30% exercise--if you eat well, working out is
more for toning!
3.
Allowing myself some leeway
This has been key. I strongly believe that my changed eating habits are not a
diet, so much as a lifestyle. HOWEVER, you'll never be able to maintain a
healthy diet if you don't allow yourself some leeway. People who limit
themselves completely are more likely to give up or get to a point where they
binge after depriving themselves for too long!
I'm a firm believer that most everything is okay in moderation. I eat somewhat
bland cereal 5-6 days/week for breakfast. BUT, you better believe I indulge on
the weekends! Brunch is one of my favorite outings. On weekends I allow
myself chocolate chip pancakes, waffles, or cheesy omelets for breakfast!

10. Additionally, when I'm out to dinner, one of the last things I'm ever going to order is a
salad. Going out to dinner is a treat and if I'm at a restaurant and pasta is the best
sounding thing on the menu I'm going to order it!
And finally, if I really want ice cream, I'll stop and get some (usually kiddie size,
though!)!
4.
Keeping My Eyes on the Prize
Finally, none of this would be possible without a big dose of motivation!
For me this motivation came largely from clothes (are you surprised?). For close to a
year and a half, I had a closet full of beautiful, but unwearable clothes. I went from a
size 6 to a 10 and felt defeated almost every time I looked in my closet. I finally got to
a point where enough was enough. I wanted to regain possession of my closet, and
also a lot of my confidence. Fitting into smaller sizes has kept me going. I'm proud to
report that I can now fit in probably 99% of my clothes again and it feels great!
Yesterday was class picture day at school and I felt so triumphant when I was able to
wear a favorite Lilly!

11. I still have 7 pounds to go to reach my goal of losing 25 pounds, but I'm not dreading
it--I'm excited about what is to come! My next steps are to continue what I've been
doing and try to up my workouts a bit, as well as add more tone/definition to my arms
and abs.
Wish me luck!
Do you have any weight loss tips?
What is your motivation for staying skinny?
Have a great day....tomorrow is FRIDAY!