Ok, I admit it. I have tried every weight loss pill, supplement and program on the market. Yes, all of them. I started way back in high school with a pill called Dexatrim. Does that even exist anymore? Oh my gosh, it does! I just searched for it, and there it is. It is still telling people that it will give them the “power to lose weight”. What it really did back then was make me very wide awake, with way to much energy. The formulation has changed, but the marketing has not. It didn’t work in 1980 and I am pretty sure it still doesn’t. There is the apple cider vinegar pill, the fiber diet and a myriad of supplements I have spent literally thousands of dollars to try. I still have some bottles in a box in our pantry. I feel stupid to have spent all that money. Maybe I keep them around to remind myself that I don’t need them anymore.
I have done meal replacement shakes too. LOTS of them. From Slimfast to Shakeology, I have bought them all. The prepackaged meals were another experience. Cardboard like taste, coupled with extreme hunger, left me frustrated and starving. I even tried some that had fiber in them to keep you full. The only thing any of them really did was lighten my pocketbook. Most don’t have enough calories to be considered a meal. Many of them also include artificial sweeteners and colors. What I have found is that plain protein or egg white protein, with some veggies and berries added, makes a much better meal replacement at a much lower cost than any of the other ones could have done. The worst one was an MLM company that professed to be an 8-week experience. The only experience we got from it was sticker marks on my arm, massive headaches due to the artificial sweeteners and the jitters from the caffeine content. That was an epic waste of $400 I can never get back.
I decided that 2017 was going to be the year I let all that crap go. I was going to figure this thing out, once and for all. I am a really good cook, and I needed to figure out a way to make really great food that was healthy, simple and satisfying. I also needed to figure out a way to eat with my own intuition. To learn how to eat until I was full, and only eat when I was hungry. I needed to identify my food triggers. WHY am I eating WHAT I am eating?
I had to finally confront my demons. I love food, wine and all things “bad for me”. I needed to take a good, long look at my habits to create change. Change is a hard thing! We all like things to be the same. Challenging yourself to create healthy change is so important. I took the challenge, and here is where I ended up.
- I did an elimination diet. I started by doing this to see what foods might be affecting me in a negative way. I kept a food journal during this time, not to keep track of calories or fat, but to keep track of how I felt before, during and after eating. This was a profound experience. I discovered that grains and gluten made me feel bloated. I discovered that veggies made me happy and that butter is my best friend. I realized that the discomfort caused by pizza wasn’t worth the taste. I also discovered that sadness made me eat and that dealing with grief and stress led me to a bottle of wine.
- I created a list of what my body likes. This list includes meat, veggies, berries and bacon! Butter and really good dark chocolate are on that list too. I discovered that I can eat these things until I am comfortably full and stop. I learned that I don’t need to binge if I pass over the foods that feel addictive to me. I learned to trust my body. I learned to trust my mind.
- I reevaluated my fitness plan. I hate running, I love lifting weights and I adore a good yoga practice. I took these things and came up with a better fitness program. I still get out for walks, and I am still working on my 50 states half marathon journey. I just don’t train for those races anymore! I do yoga everyday and lift weights or do high intensity interval training 3-5 times per week. This keeps me at a good enough fitness level to do half marathons for fun. No pressure, and no training that I hate. I still get out on the bike for a quick 30 miles on a nice Sunday. I do things that my body wants and loves, and I do them every day!
- I eat real food, when my body is hungry. I eat what makes me feel good. I eat when my body says to eat, not when the clock does. I eat things that taste amazing to me. I don’t waste my calories or my taste buds on crap. I no longer let my mood control my food.
- I quit drinking alcohol. Now this was a personal choice that came mid-year. I decided to take a break from my bottle a day habit. After about a month, I tried a glass with dinner when we were out to eat. It did not taste nearly as good as I remembered. I also slept like crap that night. That was my last glass of wine and I am happy with that decision.
6. Last, but not least, I lost 40 pounds. It took the entire year. But you know what? I have it under control, FINALLY after all these years and all this expense. I eat when I am hungry, and stop when I am full. I eat food I enjoy and can finally identify the “why”. I feel like I am in control of my body for the first time in my life!
I can teach you these things! I can help you find your happy way of eating and your happy way of moving. I would love to help you create new habits and let your body find its happy place in a slow, gradual and healthy way.
We can work together to find the foods you love to eat! We can figure out how your body likes to move, so that you WANT to work out every day. We can create meals and grocery lists and recipes that make you smile in the kitchen! I want to help you love you and be the healthiest you possible.
Learn from all the stuff I have done! Are you ready?
Take the first step. Email me at jennifer.monsos@gmail.com or hit one of the CONTACT ME buttons on my website. Let’s do this thing.
Jen
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