Weight Loss Tips + How to Form Healthy Habits

Let me start off by saying that I’m no nutritionist or personal trainer by any means, but from March 2017 to June 2017 I went from 146 lbs to 116 lbs. That’s 30 pounds in 3 months… And I have kept it off.  I didn’t do it by following some crazy, zero-carb diet or juice cleanse. I just made some very small adjustments to my eating habits and I did 30 minutes of cardio every day. I’m not a weight loss expert, but I have experienced a 30 lbs-in-3-months weight loss so I guess that gives me some credibility.

The Keto diet and other zero-carb diets are nice and all. And yes, you will lose weight the one month that you cut out carbs. But zero carbs for the rest of your life is not feasible and you will start eating carbs again eventually. But what’s going to happen when you eat those carbs after so long? Your body is going to go absolutely crazy and you’re going to gain so much weight back, and some more most likely. So why waste that time when you could be making small adjustments to your regular eating habits that you can maintain forever??

Let me take you back to October 2016. My general practitioner had started to notice that I was gaining some weight and he would tell me three things every time I saw him: 1.) Stop eating fatty meats like steak, beef, pork, and chicken, 2.) Eat “whole wheat” bread and pasta instead of white bread and regular pasta, and 3.) Eat smaller portions.

I understood the whole wheat bread and pasta part, but no more meat? And I wasn’t eating these huge portions anyways, so what does he know? Well he went to medical school and studied the human body, so apparently he knows a lot about it… He told me that fatty meats like steak, beef, pork, and even chicken(!!!) as well as bread and pasta are the hardest things for your body to digest. So meat and bread literally just sit in your stomach for so long while your body tries to break it down and digest it. And it’s harder to work /exercise those calories/fat out because they’re just sitting inside of you! Does that not make you cringe a little?!

So, I went home and threw out all of the white bread and pasta. I stopped buying meat at the grocery store. And I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app and started tracking everything I was eating. As I was tracking my food, I realized that I wasn’t necessarily eating big portions, I was just eating a lot of different things. And it was adding up. So I didn’t really need to eat smaller portions, I just needed to eat normal meals and stop snacking so much.

I started making myself fruit smoothies for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and veggies and whole wheat pasta or brown rice for dinner… Before that, I was having chicken and white rice and broccoli for lunch and dinner. So it’s not like I was eating cheeseburgers and fries every night. I was just eating the wrong things for my body.

That first month I went completely vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and I think that’s what kick-started my weightloss. I felt a lot more energized, I was sleeping better at night, I wasn’t bloated every day or having stomach pains. I felt so healthy and so strong like I could take on anything. Maybe it was a type of detox or something. But I made sure that I was eating enough protein, carbs, and fat to keep me healthy and balanced. Did you know that protein really comes from plants and not meat? The cows, chickens, pigs eat plants so that’s where protein comes from, you’re just second handedly getting protein from the plants they eat. Why not take out the middleman, eh? Check out my H-E-B Vegan Dietary Grocery List here

I also wasn’t doing the right type of exercising either. I was going to the gym every single day and running a mile on the treadmill and then I would lift weights (as an online personal trainer had instructed me to do). Except, I didn’t need to build muscle. I was just building muscle under the fat and I was rapidly gaining more and more weight.

So, I cancelled my gym membership and I started jogging around my neighborhood park. I’ll admit, it was very hard at first but after 21 days of consistency, I was almost addicted to it. I would get home from work and if I didn’t immediately change into my running clothes, I honest to God would get a headache. I HAD to go run after I got home from work or else I would be in a bad mood or I would be physically ill. But hey, there are worse habits to be addicted to, am I right…?

Changing my diet from what I thought was healthy (meat protein, vegetables, white or cheesy rice) to eating veggies, fruit, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, sweet potatoes AND quitting lifting weights and running on the treadmill to instead jogging outside, helped me lose 30 pounds in just 3 months. No crazy diet, no starvation, no extreme workouts, just barely changing what I was already eating and changing my form of exercise!

Losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Working out and lifting weights for an hour every single day won’t help you lose a significant amount of weight. If you’re like me, it can actually make you gain even more weight by just adding muscle under your fat. So really you should be focused on your diet and what you’re eating. Diet and exercise combined will help you lose a significant amount of weight. BUT in order to keep the weight off, you have to make adjustments to what you’re currently eating. Humans are creatures of habit, we like what we like and we eat the way we eat. If you love goldfish crackers, don’t give up goldfish crackers. Just eat less of them and give something else up like cheese on your burgers or take the bun off of a burger. Dieting is all about balance. I believe that you have to be happy in order to make progress. If you’re angry or reluctant or annoyed, you’re going to give up quicker!

Dietary supplements can also help aid in weight loss and keeping the weight off once it’s gone. #ByeFelicia I wasn’t really taking any weight loss supplements during my weight loss period but now that the weight is gone and I know how easily it can come back if I get off track, I’m taking quite a few supplements. Every morning I drink breakfast smoothies with some of my Herbalife supps: Prolessa Duo fat burner (one scoop), protein mix drink (two scoops), herbal tea concentrate in raspberry flavor (1/2 tsp), aloe concentrate in mango flavor (three partial cap-fulls). And I’ll drink the Herbalife Lift-Off energy booster before I work out or when I’m craving a soda. Aaaand I make myself a meal replacement shake for lunch or dinner if I’m in a hurry or super busy. Here’s a breakdown of what I take and why:

• Protein Mix Drink (Vanilla) – since I’m not eating meat anymore, I have to have a substitute for that protein source and (b*tch you guessed it!) protein shakes are a fabulous, healthy substitute
• Formula 1 Meal Replacement (Cookies ‘n Cream) – soooo yummy, there are actual chunks of cookies in it! This stuff has all the right macros to get me full and keep me full for a while. Usually, when I’m running out of the door and planning on being out of the house for a while, I’ll make myself a shake or get the shake ready and put it in my bag so I won’t have to stop and buy food while I’m out and about. #BallinOnABudget
• Prolessa Duo – this stuff I definitely should have used while I was trying to lose weight. This stuff is a 30-day “program” that will basically melt the fat off of your tummy and mid section. I have the flattest tummy when I take this consistently every day!
• Herbal Tea Concentrate (Raspberry) – this is a metabolism booster and will also help aid in weight loss. I usually mix this into my smoothies, into a Starbucks tea drink, or just into a glass of water with the Liftoff.
• Herbal Aloe Concentrate (Mango) – this helps me stay on a regular bathroom schedule. Yes, I’m talking about #2. Which also helps me keep a flat, non-bloated tummy. It’ll also help soothe your stomach and help with your digestive health. So if you have occasional tummy issues or have an irregular bathroom schedule, gas, or non-normal-consistency #2’s, this stuff really helps me avoid all that so it might help you too!
• Liftoff Energy Booster (Pomegranate-Berry Burst) – these are by far the best “pre-workout” supplements I’ve ever used. They don’t have too much caffeine to make me shaky, but they also have enough to get me energized and ready to kick some a** at the gym or on a run. I’ll also drink these when I’m really craving a soda but don’t want to break my diet!

Now let’s move on to how to form (healthy) habits! I’ve managed to keep that 30 lbs off because I formed healthy habits and I have been able to stick with them for almost two years now. First of all, it has to be something attainable. You can’t start off by saying, “okay, I’m going to start running 5 miles every single night” because that’s not an easy thing to “start” doing and you’re setting yourself up for failure. Instead, you can say, “okay I’m going to start walking/jogging around the park after work”. This is more attainable because “after work” is less intimidating and just “walking/jogging” is a lot easier. You can work up to 5 miles every day but you have to start the habit of just getting out and going first. Start off slow.

Second, you have to stick with it for 3 weeks, or 21 days. You can’t just give up after the first few days. It takes time. But once those 21 days are over, you’ll have a habit formed and you will feel naked/lost if you do not feed that habit. Some examples of habits that you should try this with: exercising, eating healthy, morning routines, drinking lots of water, skincare routines, reading every day, etc.

Lastly, don’t knowingly set yourself up for failure. If you know that you are trying to eat healthier, don’t buy unhealthy food at the grocery store. If you know that you are going for a run or to the gym RIGHT after work, don’t make plans for RIGHT after work. If you know that you are supposed to be drinking a certain amount of water throughout the day, don’t leave your water bottle at home. You have to keep your goals and your healthy habits in mind or else you will get lazy and fail.

I hope these weight loss tips and how to form a healthy habit guide were helpful. Trust me, if I could form healthy habits and lose that much weight and keep it off, you definitely can, too. One of my favorite quotes is, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” by Albert Einstein. If what you’re doing isn’t working, then change it. And that applies to all aspects of life. Make yourself happy!!

P.s. Check out my post on 5 Ways to Make Exercising Easier and Healthy Cold Lunches to Bring to Work for more weight loss tips!!

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