Living Day to Day Simply

Down another .4 today. It's amazing that I spent so much of my life overweight/obese when, in reality, all I had to do was try a LITTLE bit and I could lose .2 - .4 pounds a day (leading to a 1-2 pound loss a week!).

It really boggles my mind when I think about the insane effort I put into staying fat: how much I had to eat, the junk I bought, the utter determination to sit on my butt all day. Ridiculous.

My days aren't consumed with losing weight - I just eat normal portions, eat whole/clean foods, and move around more than I sit/lay down. When I want to lose weight, I make sure I end up just the teeniest bit hungry at the end of the day (a sign that I didn't eat enough calories to make up for what my body burned that day) - which is around 1700 calories.

My day yesterday:

• Internet and Blog
• Eat coconut milk yogurt and frozen berries
• Dog Walk
• Life Stuff
• Eat cilantro chicken sausage with 1/2 sweet potato, peppers and onions
• Eat square of dark chocolate
• Life Stuff
• Yoga/Strength workout
• Eat cantaloupe and grapes
• Hang out with Dog for nice times
• Eat lemon pepper chicken and green beans
• Drink flax milk
• Enjoy evening and go to bed!

It just doesn't have to be awful or hard, I promise.

BUT

You really can't eat processed crap. I'm a true believer in that.

It wasn't until I removed all processed food from my diet, all chemicals, all CRAP, that I could really easily control my weight. My most processed food is the yogurt and flax milk (the chocolate is just melted down clean ingredients) and it's minimal. There are no dangerous chemicals or preservatives. The chicken is natural - no hormones and no antibiotics.

Now that I only eat meat/eggs that are hormone/antibiotic free, I've seen a big difference in my body. It responds SO WELL to food. It actually scares me how many outside hormones I was ingesting, and I wonder what the hell it did to my body. Did it mess with my menstrual cycle? Did it bloat me? What? There is actually very little research done on this issue because it is hard to see the effects of added hormones from natural hormones. What I *DO* know is that there is a high possibility these IGF (insulin-like growth factors) can affect our own human growth hormone -- and when human growth hormone gets out of control, cancer is a likely result.

So whether they have decided, scientifically, if these things are safe or not, I still prefer to go as natural as possible.

There is literally NO harm in eating the most natural food possible (unprocessed, no hormones, no antibiotics, no pesticides). But there is some likely harm from eating the opposite way.

So my experience is anecdotal, not scientific, but it is here for you to read. I've found what works for me:

Eat simple.

Eat clean.

Stay as close to natural as I can with fruits/veg/meat.

Eliminate grains/legumes/dairy.

Stay active - mix of strength and cardio.

I am not perfect in any of this. But I follow these rules wayyyyy more often than I don't. And the results for me are undeniable. I spent my teenage years and early adulthood obese. I spent the rest of my adult hood just a little overweight. Now, in my 30s, and following these rules - my body is at a great, healthy weight, my body is energetic, I am rarely bloated and no longer have any digestive issues.

So there's another rant for you.

I just wish I could really make some people see and feel how EASY all of this is. Once you get over the hurdle of changing bad habits - the days are so simple and easy and your spirit and body will feel so good. 

Namaste, my friends. It is time to eat my eggs and take the dog on a walk :)