Before & After

Far Left Dec 2012: Middle June 2013: Far Right June 2014

My Health Journey (at least one small part of it).

Way back in December of 2012 a lot of great things were happening in my life. I had just completed my student teaching, was living with one of my best friends, and finally graduating college with two degrees. My health however was not in great shape. At this point in my life I realized that I was at the heaviest I had ever been (A year or so prior I had had another "this is the heaviest I've been moment" but that new number had surpassed that old record high considerably). I started to come to terms with how much weight I had gained and tried to take some steps to lose it. At the start I was: 191 pounds. (pictured below)

During January 2013 I started taking small steps to losing weight. I became a bit more active and started watching what I was consuming. I didn't really see many considerable changes. 

In February of that year I was in a pretty serious car accident that put me in a hospital bed for awhile and then left me recovering and relearning how to walk. I was in a wheel chair for a good amount of time and over several months eventually worked myself back into walking without assistance. 

In March 2013 while I was recovering (now living with my parents) I decided I really needed to take control of my health issues. It wasn't just that I was overweight according to the internet- it was that I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin- simple activities were harder to do, my energy level was crap. I knew I wanted to change but still wasn't quite sure how. 

My mom and I dove into this crazy rewards program we developed for ourselves. That started with a juice cleanse and worked into the 17 day diet. Honestly, this plan was really effective for me. The intense diet worked well since it focused on healthy food choices. It didn't leave room for empty calorie choices and was so drastic to my regular eating habits that I had ridiculously great results. I also wasn't able to do much physical activity at the time so it worked out better for me to focus on food choices. This wasn't the first time I had tried the 17 day diet. Both times I had a lot of success with it. The hard part is what happens after!

Aside from the dieting and the healthy changes we were making during this time I discovered Sarah Jenks. She's a blogger who started the live more weigh less movement. I started reading about emotional eating and learning about how people can use food to fill a lot of other voids. I did some soul searching and started focusing on living more. If you haven't read her stuff and have struggled with diets that don't work- you must read it! By starting to focus on the positives and loving myself just as I was at 190, I was able to really enjoy life and not feel like the diet was punishing me. Instead it was just one tool to help me get back to a healthy lifestyle.

By June 2013 I had reached about 175. However, like most normal human beings, after you come off of an intense diet it's easy to gain some weight back. (which is why so many diets don't work). So by mid July I had bumped back up to 185. I remember it was hard not to be discouraged but rather than feeling defeated I just kept plugging along. I decided to do the 17 day diet again and had some more success. I incorporated more exercise into it this time and by August I was fitting into my old skinny jeans back at 175. 

In August 2013 I started my teaching job. This rocketed a series of crazy life changes. I went from a pretty sedentary lifestyle to a full time on your feet all day job. I had the new job to get used to and in October moved to a new city closer to school. I remember trying to stay pretty healthy during the start of the year- but honestly I think all the changes helped distract me from being so focused on food that by the time November hit I had lost another 10lbs. (165) These months are proof that having a fulfilling life can really help you avoid emotional eating! 

The holidays happened and I gained some and lost some like most. Can't say no to those dang cookies! But in February 2014 I was about the same weight (167). 

When the new year hit I did a lot of searching to find inspiration about being healthy. Making better choices and having a healthier lifestyle. I was starting to feel complacent and not happy with myself, which is ridiculous right? I mean come on, I had lost over 20 pounds, I should be screaming with joy! But society has a way of making us feel really inadequate. And a lifetime of looking in the mirror and seeing all your flaws takes more than a few months to un-do. I re-read some of the Sarah Jenks material online and got re-inspired to like myself just as I was. 

I focused again on making more consistent healthy choices. I used my knowledge of nutrition and started tailoring it to what works for me. I tried incorporating elements of what the 17 day diet teaches but not depriving myself of the things I love. Last May I even tried being a vegetarian and doing daily exercise. 

During May 2014 I was down to my lowest weight I had been in ages, 153. I had lost a total of 38lbs. And honestly those last 15 pounds from February to May wasn't because of any crash diet, it was just by making consistent healthy choices and from focusing on my overall mental and emotional health! 

Since then I have slacked off a bit. The end of the school year got stressful and I totally turned to food for comfort. (bad me, I know better). Then the summer hit and I've been kinda living it up food-wise. I've been spoiling myself and indulging in maybe one too many ice cream cones. I'm back up to 167. But honestly, that's reality. When I'm eating healthy and living a healthy life style my body naturally and gradually lets go of that weight. But when I'm using food as entertainment, comfort, or some other thing I tend to over-eat and not make great choices about what I'm eating. 

So what's next?

I'm experimenting again with vegetarian dishes to help re-inspire my passion for healthy cooking. I'm purposely choosing not to do a crazy intense diet because I'm looking to make long term changes that will last. Also I'm planning on cutting myself some slack. I'm not going to get mad about gaining back a few pounds, and I won't beat myself up if my pants are a bit snug. I'm going to try and appreciate myself and my life right where I am now.

Here are things I've learned in the past year and a half about food/health/dieting that have really made a huge difference for me! 

1. Eat whole foods. (try to avoid processed foods or prepacked stuff)

2. If you want bread or chocolate or peanut butter just eat it. (The trick to this is buying great quality bread or chocolate. This way I don't have to feel like I need it every day or to binge on it because it's "not allowed". I can just enjoy great quality treats every once and awhile.)

3. Try to move daily. (walk, jog, dance, whatever works- just do something). 

4. Get excited about what you are eating. (In April I was getting super bored cooking the same chicken and veggies every night so I shifted to a no meat diet that way I'd be challenged to try new things. best. choice. ever. Cooking ended up being a fun thing to look forward to and made the meal taste that much better)

5. Make your plate look pretty. (this one may just be for me, but I swear it helps. Arranging your food really beautifully on a cute plate, or using colorful veggies on purpose can make your meal really visually appealing- not only will it be delicious and healthy but you can even instagram it.. lol #foodpic)

6. Try to address the issues in your life instead of filling them with food. (a lot of us eat when we are bored, sad, lonely, happy, celebrating, tired, etc. The trick to not over-eating is to start only using food for when you are hungry.- I still struggle with this, but take it one day at a time). Read this post on emotional eating, it's eye opening!

7. Try to not let your weight govern how you live your life. (so many of us put our lives on hold while we are dieting. We tell ourselves how fat we are and then punish our bodies with crazy restrictive diets that set us up to fail. Learn to love and accept yourself now. LMWL really helped me with this concept- and it's life changing once you grasp it. Start living the life you want right now- not after you are your goal weight. We only get one life and I'm pretty sure at the end of your days you won't care what size pants you were wearing- you'll care that you lived.)

So there it is. Lessons I've learned about health. It's only taken me 24 years to realize I don't want to spend the next 24 years in a perpetual cycle of dieting and gaining and dieting again. I'm honestly feeling happy at this weight. (Even though pretty recently I weighed less.) It's not that big of a deal. 10lbs or even 40lbs doesn't change who I am, or how happy I can be. I've had a great year and a half and I can promise you most of that happiness is because I'm trying to pour myself into living my life and not holding myself back regardless of whatever weight I happen to be. Honestly, the most dramatic change about my "after" picture isn't my pants size it's my mindset. 

I challenge you to really think about your relationship with food and with your weight. If you don't like what you find- dare to change the way you think! 

Comment below, or message me if you'd like to chat. I'd love to cheer you on in your own health journey or have a discussion about your thoughts on this post!

How I lost 13 lbs in 20 days

Hey all! I hope you are having a great day today. Right now I am loving the sunshine and warm weather outside. I feel like spring may finally be here! Today I wanted to write to you with more updates about my weight-loss journey. Last time I talked about a 3 day detox cleanse I tried, and I gave you tips and tricks about doing the cleanse, my results, and my overall review of doing the cleanse. This post today will offer you a similar format to review the completion of Cycle 1 of the 17 Day Diet. That's right, today is my first day on cycle 2- hooray carbs! (more on that later). In order to give you a better idea of what the 17 day diet is... check out this video about the diet covered by ABC News!! 

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Now let's talk about my experience with this diet! 

For those of you who may not know, I did do the 17 day diet in it's entirety once before. I completed all 4 cycles and had lost a little over 20lbs! Needless to say when I found myself having gained a lot of weight during my past 2 years of college I finally decided I HAD to do something about it. I wasn't happy at all with how my body was. Not only was I a lot heavier than I wanted to be, but I certainly wasn't living a healthy lifestyle. So after some deliberation I decided to retackle this Diet for a second time to help me get some of this newly gained weight off- and fast! 

My Results: 

(These results are based off of my 3 Day Cleanse and Completing the First Cycle of the 17 day diet) 

aka 20 days of eating really healthy and getting regular exercise! 

Total Pounds Lost: 13.2

Total Inches off my body: 13.75

Total % if body weight lost: 7%

I added this picture below to show you the difference the weight-loss has already made in my face! :) Yay!

Now some quick positives and negatives in my opinion...

I'll start with positive things first! 

1. You really do lose weight quickly.

2. You won't be starving.

3. The food you eat can taste really good.

4. There are no calories to count- points to add up- or specific meals you must eat. Just a simple list of foods and some general guidelines about serving size. 

5. The book is straight forward, easy to understand and easy to follow.

Now to the negatives:
1. I really miss eating Carbs! 
2. It takes incredible will power to really stick to the diet and not cheat.
3. The first two cycles do limit you on certain fruits and veggies, which is a bummer. (has to do with higher sugar, starch, and fat content.. so it makes sense)
4. No fruit after 2 pm... seriously? 
5. The time to prepare the food is higher than throwing a sandwich together for lunch. 


This all being said it is a highly effective dieting tool. I've never been disappointed with my results when really following this diet plan. I mean I can't really complain about losing 13 lbs! 

If you are considering doing the 17 day diet here are some tips and tricks to think about before you start and during your diet. 

Before you start: 
1. Buy the book- and read the first few chapters. Know what you are getting into before you start. 
2. Really evaluate your desire to lose weight. Yah almost everyone in America wants to lose a few pounds, but there is a huge difference in someone wanting to lose a few pounds to fit into a pair of jeans, and someone who is feeling totally fed up with themselves and ready to make a life change. (if you are closer to the latter example then this is the diet for you.) If you only are half-a** about losing the weight I wouldn't recommend this diet to you- you'll just waste your time. 
3. Weigh yourself! And take ALL of your measurements! I know it can be scary to face the hard numbers- but don't worry soon enough those numbers will get smaller- and it's important to know where you are starting from. 
4. Plan, Plan, Plan! Bust out a calendar and look at exactly where the cycles will fall. If you know you have a wedding to attend during cycle 2 and it will be impossible to not go off your diet- add an extra day or two to that cycle. 
5. Make an extensive shopping list and get all the food you will need for the first few days. If you live alone I'd suggest throwing away or locking up the foods in your house you can't have!
6. Talk to the people close to you and explain that you'll need their support in this diet. I'm not gonna lie- it's really hard not to cheat. But if you can manage to get your roommate to agree not to offer you cookies all the time it will help out immensely! 
7. If you struggle with not cheating on diets set up a rewards system for yourself at certain check points. (I'll do an entire post about the rewards program my mom and I created. But I know that without that reward system I made I probably would have cheated a lot and not done hardly any exercise!) ((make sure the rewards you set for yourself are NOT food!))

During the Diet: 
1. Plan out all the meals you are going to eat that day. It's helpful to plan ahead- it will be a lot less stress at mealtime and you can budget out your servings of the things you love. For me it's greek yogurt and fruit. I almost always eat my allotted two servings everyday! 
2. You know that pesky rule about not eating fruit or starches after 2 pm? If that's hard for you- then just ditch it. There isn't a lot of scientific proof to back up that rule. So if you feel like eating a cup of grapes after dinner will help you avoid the ice cream in the freezer then GO FOR IT! (I know I do...and I still lost plenty of weight). 
3. Get some exercise! During the first cycle he doesn't really harp on you to do a lot of strenuous exercise- but forming a habit of regular exercise in the first cycle will be WAY more helpful in the later cycles when it's more important to your success. This way instead of trying to start out exercising in cycle 3 doing intense cardio... you can just take your regular workouts that you are used to and ramp them up a bit. 
4. Stay strong! Really try so hard to not cheat on the diet. It's worth it to follow his rules- because the only person you are hurting when you cheat is yourself! 

After the Diet: 
1. Once you have made it through all 4 cycles- or have achieved a good amount of weight-loss you will most likely want to go back to eating whatever you want whenever you want. You can't do that! Remember how I said this is a lifestyle change? Yah, that means it's for life. Don't worry too much- he offers the 4th cycle as the plan that you should stick to in order to maintain your weight where it is. And that cycle does incorporate eating your favorite foods but helps you learn to restrict them. I am living proof that if after the diet you just stop caring again you'll put back on the weight plus some. So really think about how committed you can be to making a forever change before you start this diet. 


Where is my health journey headed now that I am done with cycle 1?
I'm so glad you asked. I am diving head first into cycle 2! Which means I can start eating some slower processing carbs(YAY) every other day! You can look forward to another health update in about 17 days. 


If you have any questions about the diet, please do not hesitate to ask! My results are pretty typical of what you can expect. I know many other people who have tried this diet and experienced similar success! Good luck! And please send me a comment or message if you are going to start. I'll be glad to cheer you on!