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I Lost Three Pounds This Week: Here’s How

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I’ve had a pretty fantastic week. I made a decision when I stepped off my Disney Cruise and haven’t looked back. Health was going to become a priority for me. 2017 = no more excuses.

There’s a number I want to hit and while it would be amazing to get there, I am dead set against crash diets and fads. I grew up in a 3-family house with my aunt – a dietician – and she drilled in me the notion to stick to the pyramid and to stay away from anything that sounds too good to be true. Believe it or not, those words stuck! While I like to read up about the pineapple diet, the cayenne pepper diet, and the cabbage soup (yuck) diet… I would never try any of them out. It’s no secret that you gain all your weight back the minute you start eating regularly again.

So, I never look at dieting as just that. Diet isn’t a word in my household. Instead, I decide to make better decisions. I decide to put my health first. There is no end to the choice either. There is no dress I am trying to fit into. There is no cruise that I am crossing off dates towards on a calendar. It’s just life – and I’m living it.

Acting within this new frame of mind, I was able to lose three pounds this week. I didn’t deprive myself. I didn’t starve myself. I didn’t HATE myself. I just existed – doing what I do on a regular basis. Here’s a quick rundown of the small changes I made throughout the week that added up to true results.

  1.  Started running one mile a day: Avid runners will look at this and laugh, but for me it’s a big deal. One mile on the treadmill before breakfast. One mile before I start my day. One mile before the excuses start to kick in. Then I hit the floor and do a few leg lifts, sit ups and arm exercises. Feels good to get it out of the way before 9AM. There’s something psychological about it too. Since I am putting in the physical work, I found that I automatically snacked less. I didn’t want to waste the effort I just did in the AM with a cheat.
  2. Limited sugary drinks: I am a black tea and lemonade girl. Love that drink to pieces. Drink it all day long. This week, I limited myself to two glasses a day and then turned to water for the rest of the time. I’m not someone who consumed a massive amount of soda. It’s not like I saved a million calories here – but I know it did help. Any bit helps.
  3. Cup of dry cereal for breakfast: Ok, listen. I don’t drink a lot of milk. I typically drink rice milk when I need to do so. But I didn’t happen to have any and I wasn’t too concerned about it. For breakfast, I had my tea and a bowl of dry cereal. I know it sounds weird but I was happy. I’m ALMOST lactose intolerant. Like BORDERLINE. So, using milk isn’t an option for me. This is what I had to do and it worked. Next week, I plan on getting oatmeal.
  4. Guacamole, carrots, and pretzels for lunch: I bought snack sized guacamole packs at BJS and snack sized gluten free pretzels on Amazon Prime and made a plate with a handful of carrots. That was my lunch – almost every day. Or something very close to that. This was my biggest issues in the past. I always thought I had to have a FULL lunch which was pretty much a second dinner. You don’t need that much food by 1130-12.
  5. Fruit or cheese snacks: Whenever I needed a snack, I would whip out a string cheese or a bowl of fruit. Did that twice a day.
  6. Healthy dinner: None of this is complicated so far, right? Grilled chicken and rice with vegetables for dinner. Something simple. Something light. Something healthy. Something I could make ahead. Salad as a side. I mean – easy!!! I wasn’t whipping up anything crazy. I just went on living my life but stayed away from heavy starches. If I did make pasta – which I did one night – I added a ton of grilled chicken and vegetables to the mix. I decided no more plain pasta anymore… even though it’s so easy to make. Always need a protein. Always need a veggie.
  7. Desserts aren’t really my thing: While I AM a girl that loves a good chocolate chip cookie, I’m not someone that craves dessert. I rather have an entire bag of potato chips. When I needed something sweet, I would have a Jell-O. Something light. Something to just give me enough flavor of sweet to keep me happy. I also bought a huge box of Rice Krispie treats from BJs and figured if I have to have an actual dessert, a gluten free one would do. 🙂 But I try to avoid it – it’s like a LAST RESORT!!!
  8. Dance parties with the kids at night: We have Alexa and while I typically can’t stand when all the kids are screaming at her at the same time and fighting over what song she is going to sing… she is pretty cool to own. Every night, we all have a little dance party after dinner and it’s super fun to do. My kids LOVE it and I know it’s an easy way to get everyone moving. I’m not just on the couch doing nothing. I’m doing the cha-cha around my kitchen island – 7 nights a week for about an hour at a time. It all adds up. I truly believe that.

See! Nothing insane, right? Nothing revolutionary. But when I tell you that I am down three pounds, you better believe me!!! I was so happy this morning when I got on the scale. I am not happy with my weight and it consumes a lot of my thought process during the day. Now, I am doing something about it. That’s all that matters. Effort clears the mind.

What small steps do you do at home to help keep the pounds off? Would love to hear!

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