In November of 2012 (Picture 1) I reached an all time high of 198 pounds. That is 53 pounds over weight for my height.
Then one day I decided I was going to take control of my life, and my health but my way. Having two life long diseases was not going to stand in my way!
My Dr.’s way didn’t help, and neither did many other ways I was advised.
What did I do? It’s easier then you think. I lost 46 lbs so far (Picture 4) and still dropping!!
EAT KIWI!!!! There are many benefits and can replace soda, coffee, and help you boost your energy and immune system!!!
Step One: Stop eating junk! I stopped eating McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and anything else with Fast Food anywhere in the name or description.
Step Two: Nothing Dark to drink, i.e. Soda, Juice or Beer. Cut out soft drinks and replace it with anything clear or homemade and I’m good.
After these two steps within 3 weeks of doing that I lost 10 lbs!! NO EXERCISE, NO COMPLETE DIETING NEEDED!!
Step Three: Get serious about the seriousness of my health. I love food, I was a Chef and that doesn’t mean it’s ok to eat just anything. So I started a journal, in that journal, everyday I wrote down the following; date, mood (saddest=1-10 = happiest), time I woke up, Time I went to sleep, Food I ate all day, and anything major or relevant to my mood that happened that day fills the rest of the page.
The journal helps me realize what i eat everyday, which then effects what i eat the next day. For example if yesterday I didn’t realize I was drinking more then a healthy serving of coffee, then today I only have one cup and if I need more energy I reach for Kiwi.
Step Four: Replace, Replace, Replace, Replace, Replace, and Replace. There is always something healthy, that can replace anything unhealthy for the same price or less or that unhealthy food.
My favorite example is TACO SHELLS!! Guess what? Replace them with big lettuce leaves or King Kale leaves and they taste fresher, and so delicious, cutting out all of the breading and dryness that comes with shells.
Don’t think you can find replacements for things in your recipe, as my mother always says, “the range of an excuse is ZERO”, so go online and GOOGLE IT!! (Bing, Yahoo or something else for others). Literally go onto your computer and type in, “a healthy replacement for _______”. If that doesn’t help, email me ElenasCardsDiscounts@gmail.com, I’ll help you find something.
Step Five: Farmer’s Markets!! If New York and New Jersey has Farmer’s Markets then so does your area, look it up, it’s there. Not only are you eating locally (great with people who suffer from allergies), but you are giving back to the community. They have free recipes, accept food stamps (if you use them) and each vendor can give you advice, cooking directions and information on anything new you are buying and anything that you never heard of.
Step Six: Walk it out! These days almost everyone doesn’t have time to go to the gym or workout, I sure don’t, so I walk as much as I can, I leave an hour early and plan it ahead so I can walk to the bus, path or subway to where I need to go. Have an hour to spare? Walk in the mall, (LEAVE YOUR MONEY IN YOUR CAR, HOME, OR JOB LOCKED UP!!) Don’t just shop, window shop or become a mall walker (it’s climate controlled 98% of the time for your comfort).
Step Seven: Do a week long, NATURAL cleansing. Don’t buy pills, and don’t buy a kit, just web search cleaning smoothies or juices, buy what you need and flush out your system. They taste delicious, they give you natural energy and flush out your system.
Step Eight: Do not abuse your body, indulge! If you want to eat something, EAT IT! However, look at the label! I eat chips and don’t gain all my weight back, why? Because I reading how many chips or what not are in ONE SERVING per container. Overeating is putting all your hard work to waste.
Step Nine: Keep it going and don’t stop. Once you are a month to two months in you will see and feel the difference. But do not stop, keep going. Read labels, control your hand to mouth ratio and eat healthy.
Step Ten: Beware of the steady zone. So you’re losing weight and you reach a certain weight (Ex. 155 lbs), a week passes by you’re still 155 lbs, another week 155 lbs…. This happens with everyone!! Don’t stop and lose hope, that is your body’s way of saying I am adjusting to these changes and I’m working my way further down. It could take up to three months (varies) or more to start dropping weight again but that is normal. DON’T GIVE UP!!!
I hope this helps someone else as it has helped me. Some people that have helped me with great advice and support is my Mother, my brother Ralph (Vegan), My cousin, Chino (body builder), DoctorOz.com, and a couple more.
Good Luck!!
