just wanted to share a pic!!

wanted to share a before and after pic with you guys.... the first pic was taken last september when I was 240ish (not quite up to my 245.5 mark yet). the pic on the right is me tonight... at 200lbs!!! 45.5 pounds lost... and the difference in the pics?!!? it's all been so worth it! thanks to all my friends and family that have been sooo encouraging :)

The excuses we make NOT to diet

Since I've started dieting, I've heard every excuse (I've used) in the book. Heck, I still use some of those excuses today!!! Below, I will share with you the different excuses that I've used and heard, and my rebuttals to them. If you've heard any others, share them with me!!!

1. "It's so expensive to buy healthy food".
This is the most common. Who reading this hasn't said it? Hasn't heard it?! I disagree completely. Before I started my new lifestyle, I would spend around $150-175 every two weeks on groceries. I'm now spending about $125-150 every two weeks. It's not a significant difference, but it's certainly not more expensive!!! I find the most expensive thing to buy is meat, but if I wasn't dieting I'd be eating meat anyways. Vegetables and fruit can be a bit more expensive, but if you buy what's on sale that week, you'll find that they won't run you anymore than the bag of chips you're buying would, or the bag of cookies, or the juice. Once I started my new lifestyle I've almost entirely given up my diet pepsi addiction. Giving up the beverages that you buy will cut a shocking amount off your grocery bill!!! Mathew and I would usually buy 2-3 bottles of juice every two weeks and 3-4 bottles of diet pepsi. That ended up costing us about $15 every two weeks!!!

I think the most important trick with buying groceries is to listen to the thing you hear so often from dietitians and people that are savvy with buying groceries and saving money; STICK TO THE OUTSIDE AISLES. The only aisles I go down in the grocery store now are to get pasta, rice, oatmeal, and cereal. If I'm making chili and spaghetti then canned food, but other than that I only use the outside aisles. It also keeps you from eating over processed food!!

2. "I can't afford a gym membership".
If I hear this one more time, I may just scream!!!! Can you afford to buy a coffee every day? Do you go to the movies every a month? Do you go out to eat every month? My gym membership is $46 dollars a month. Not only does it give me a way to get fit, sexy, and hot, it also gives me a form of entertainment! There are tons of classes. Already at my new gym (I've only gone twice) I've met two people! It's a great way to get involved in your community, meet some people, and get healthy. Also, your heart needs to exercise!!! AND if you can't afford a gym membership, well, you have two feet and a heartbeat, get your butt in gear and go for a walk around your neighbourhood. Exercise at home! I downloaded exercise videos to my computer for FREE, so I'm sure you can do that, too!!

3. "I don't have time".

The one thing the gym has given me is MORE TIME!!! I sleep less now than I ever have before. I sleep about 6-7 hours a night and sleeping in for me is sleeping more than eight hours. Exercising has given me so much energy... and getting all those processed junky foods out of me is allowing my body to work its best.

4. "I won't know what to eat"

The most important thing is vegetables and fruit. Make sure you get the servings you need every day! I try to eat a fruit with breakfast, at least two veggie servings and a fruit at lunch, and at least two veggie servings and fruit with supper. And then I eat all the regular foods I would usually eat, but I measure out my portions and I buy low fat/low cal options. My new favourite food is vegan margarine!! It's soo yummy!! And LEAN meats. Turkey and chicken are your best options. I eat red meat as a treat, and I stay way from pork. Also, try to get fiber into you! AND if you STILL don't know what to eat... then you really are using this as an EXCUSE.

Excuses are what we use so that we don't have to hold ourselves accountable. I've realized that now. Before I just thought my excuses were legitimate reasons. Now, I see my excuses let me eat as much as I want, never concerned about the fat or calories!! And when I tried dieting I'd blame it on other things... like, I was too busy, or I had a birthday that week and was going to be eating out, or Mathew was in town and we wanted to go on a date. BELIEVE ME, I still eat fattening food!!! I love to treat myself and eat french fries... or poutine... or chinese food... or anything really. I love treats! But what used to be my meals every day have now become my treats.

And I have some exciting news, too. When I got weighed this morning I was 200.8 pounds! I am .8 pounds away from meeting my first goal of reaching 200 pounds! It was 45.5 pounds I was aiming to lose, and I'm very, very proud of myself for almost getting there. It's been a LOT of hard work and determination, but it's been worth it!!!

After this goal is met, my next one is 165! and according to Loseit.com I'll be there by August 18th! YAY!

Have a wonderful day, readers!

What do you eat??

I get asked this question constantly. As soon as people hear I'm on a diet, they want to know two things. 1) What do I eat? 2) Do I work out?

At first, I found planning my diet to be incredibly hard. No matter what I tried, I seemed to be eating too much. And not enough.
I originally started (in January) by following the Canada food guide. 7-8 serving of vegetables and fruits, 6-7 grain products, 2 meats and alternatives, and 2 milk and alternatives. It was easy to create my own diet with so little guidelines!!
In February, when I started using loseit.com, my diet followed almost the exact same pattern every day. For breakfast I have a fruit, a grain, and a dairy. And I usually try to get some protein in (especially if I'm going to be heading to the gym!). Breakfast is usually:

• Boiled egg, one piece of toast, and a fruit
• 1/2 cup Oatmeal, 1/2 cup skim milk, and 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds and 1 tbsp dried cranberries
• 1 cup cereal, 1 cup milk, and fruit
• Vegetable omelette with egg whites and 2 tbsp low fat cheese with a piece of toast.

I rotate between these 4 breakfasts every day and never get bored!! Most of these breakfasts are around 350-400 calories. I try to always keep my breakfast under 400 calories.
The most important thing I do is measure my food. I cannot place enough importance on this. Measuring holds me accountable to portion sizes. Before I started dieting I used food as a coping mechanism for my stress/anger/sadness. Measuring my food gives me more control than my food.

Lunch is probably my most varied meal of the day. Lunch can be leftovers from the night before, or I make lunch. Lunch is something like:

• 1/2 can tuna with 1 tbsp low fat mayo, one piece of bread, salad, 1 tbsp salad dressing, cucumber, and a fruit.
• Salad with 1 tbsp dressing, half a chicken breast, a tomato, and a fruit.
• A wrap (low fat wrap with vegetables and cheese) fruit, and a salad

I try to keep my lunch around 400-500 calories. Lunch is the meal I cheat the most on! I don't know why, maybe its cause it's in the middle of the day. Yesterday, for example. I packed a lunch and took it to work. Tuna and bread, cucumber, almonds, and pineapple. And yogurt. And instead of eating my packed lunch, I ate pizza. Why would I do that? I think I cheat then because its when I figure it's easiest to burn off the calories over the rest of the day than it is at supper time.

Supper is my favourite meal of the day. Anyone that knows me knows I love stir fry. Especially chicken stir fry. For supper, I'll make:

• Chicken stir fry; half a chicken breast and 2 cups of different vegetables, soya sauce, 1/2 cup rice, low cal pudding and fruit (dessert!!)
• Spaghetti sauce (1/2 cup) and 1 cup spaghetti, salad, 1 tbsp dressing, and yogurt.
• 1 cup chili on a bed of salad (especially on days when I overate carbs ALL day)
• Grilled chicken, 1 boiled potato, steamed vegetables, fruit salad

And so on. Supper is usually around 400-500 calories. I never have a hard time creating suppers and I don't worry about throwing weird stuff together. I always make chili and spaghetti sauce ahead because I eat it so frequently its worth my while. I make double recipes and freeze them in small containers that have just the right amount for me (and Mathew).

Snacks through my day are:

• 15 almonds and a fruit (especially if I'm heading to the gym, I'll eat almonds an hour before)
• Fruit smoothies (a combination of milk/yogurt/juice/real fruit, both fresh and frozen)
• Crackers and low fat cheese
• Popcorn (I love fresh popped popcorn!!!! and low fat bags of popcorn)
• ANY vegetables
• ANY fruit

I never the limit the amount of fruit or veggies I'll eat. If I'm over my 1400 calories for the day, I'll eat more fruit and vegetables if I'm still hungry. Not only are they healthy and low cal, but they are so good for you.

When I started my diet I remember reading somewhere... "does your food weigh you down?" and I thought "YES!!" Some weekend mornings, there's nothing more that I enjoy that McDonald's breakfast. I would go get my McGriddle and my two hashbrowns and love them.... and then need to take a nap after eating them. My food WAS weighing me down. Now my food gives me energy.

Since I started my healthy lifestyle, my body has adapted in many ways but the number one way... the amount of sleep I need. Before I would sleep about ten hours a night and still feel like I hadn't had enough. I now sleep about 7 hours a night. In fact, right now I'm awake (and its only 5:51) because I went to bed early last night (around 9) and my body just won't let me sleep anymore! Its times like this I take the sign, grab my running shoes, and head to the gym.

Healthy eating is easy. I hear excuses all the time about why people can't diet. I MADE those same excuses, too. It all has to come with a personal choice. Once YOU decide you're ready to make the changes that you have to to become the new you, it's easy to go from there. We're all in this together. Find yourself a support group of friends that are dieting, too, to hold you accountable. You'll find the further away from January you get, the more those friends will fall off the bandwagon.... but YOU don't have to! YOU can be the person that inspires your friends! All you have to do is make the choice. You want to be healthy! Your body is designed to work most optimally when you are healthy, when your heart is in good shape and you are in good shape and you're getting the right nutrients.

:) Thats my pep talk for the day! I'm off to the gym now!