How I Lost Over 20 lbs

How I Lost Over 20 lbs

Hi there!

Not your typical home related post I know, but several of you who have been around for a bit have noticed I’ve lost some weight and want to know what I’m doing. I figured the best place to share about it was here.

If you follow me on Instagram I’ve talked about being on a health journey for the last year or so. I never made it about the number on the scale and I didn’t really choose a definitive day to start a “diet”. So I don’t have any powerful before and after photos or even an exact amount of weight that I’ve lost (I know it’s well over 20 lbs now). I chose not to put too much pressure on myself but to just start making healthy changes to my diet and my life. For me this has been about health not weight.

I don’t believe in any kind of fad miracle diet or pill. I think we get healthier when we take care of ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. And there are several ways I’ve started doing that over the last year that I’ll be sharing. I’m not a health expert this is just what has worked for me!

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click on these links and purchase something, I make a commission at no additional cost to you. This helps to support my blog, so thank you SO much!*

Last Summer This Summer

1. Water

I can’t stress this one enough. The first thing I do in the morning (after going pee of course lol) is drinking a big glass of water. And you’ll rarely see me without my 30 oz Yeti of water. I try to drink 3-4 Yetis a day.Water is always the answer. Headache? Drink more water! Low energy? Seriously just drink more water!

It’s hard! I know! A tip that has helped me big time is getting a straw and just chugging it down. I’m busy and won’t remember to sip all day. So when I do remember I try to drink a half a Yeti at a time.

There are endless benefits to water. Plus it curbs your appetite! My skin has improved too! Besides my morning cup of coffee water is the ONLY thing I drink on a normal day.

2. Sleep

Another big change I’ve made is getting enough sleep. I would say by nature I’m a night owl and not a morning person but I’ve made the switch and I feel SO much better! I’m usually in bed by 8:30-9pm so I can read and unwind. I actually start AND end my day with reading.

Now I wake up on my own between 5:30-6am. I keep this schedule even on most weekends. I used to stay up super late on the weekends and then it would take until Wednesday before I wasn’t feeling exhausted from the schedule change. Then Friday would come and I’d do it all over. Breaking this cycle has made me feel so much energized everyday.

I also got a weighted blanket and it is AMAZING! Seriously some nights I don’t even think I move!

3. Diet

I have given my diet a MAJOR overhaul but I did it gradually. I knew I wasn’t feeling good and I had to make some changes. First, I started by cutting back on portion sizes. Then each week I would try to remove some of the processed things from my diet and just generally be more aware of what I’m putting in my body. I slowly moved to a much cleaner diet. I eat lots of veggies and fruits, nuts and seeds, and lean protein.

Meal Prep

We meal prep and have for almost 10 years now. The way we do it is different than meal prepping recipes you might find on Pinterest, but it’s what works for us. Us being Ed and I. We don’t have any kiddos and I know that could make it a bit tricky but just stay with me because this has made healthy eating and life in general so much easier! Especially lately, since moving towards mostly all clean, natural foods the only thing we prepare ahead are our proteins.

When I talk to people about meal prepping the number one thing they say is, “yeah but I don’t know what I’m going to want to eat everyday”. Valid point! But while I LOVE food I have completely changed how I look at it. Now I eat food to fuel my body, to give my body what it needs.

For the record I also don’t deprive myself. If someone offers a cookie I’ll eat a cookie but here’s the thing, you have to get really honest with yourself about what you’re eating. What you buy at the grocery store is what you’re going to eat. Duh right? But I remember in the beginning it was hard because I was in the habit of buying certain things and wasn’t really thinking of them as “that bad”. If you buy it you will eat it! If I buy a bag of Doritos and a gallon of ice cream Ed and I will eat them everyday until they’re gone. It’s like preventative self control lol!

**Another tip: Use a grocery pickup service. Kroger is my fav but I know Walmart and Target offer this too. You can write down exactly what you want to buy, add it to your cart online in on the app and then go simply pick them up. This way you aren’t tempted to stray from your diet once in the store!

Fuel Your Body

I buy and prepare food ahead so that it’s ready AND so I don’t have the choice of eating junk because all my choices are healthy. And I swear to you once you do it long enough your body will crave that healthy food! Usually I do one cheat meal (sometimes a cheat day) per week and almost always it’s not as good as I expected and I regret it because of how I feel afterwards. My body isn’t used to being a dumping ground for highly processed sodium saturated food anymore and it makes me so happy!

I’ll give you 2 different examples of what my meals choices might look like for a week.

Breakfast

2 hard boiled eggs or
fruit smoothie

Lunch

can of white albacore tuna in water hand full of almonds or
2 small hamburger patties

Dinner – Always Salad

romaine lettuce (I like the bags that include other veggies)
mushrooms
baked organic garbanzo beans
2 pieces of bacon
tomatos
almonds
sunflower seeds
vinegar and oil dressing

Snacks

I usually eat a mid morning snack of a handful of almonds or a piece of fruit like a grapefruit or an avocado

Exercise

I don’t follow a consistent exercise routine but plan on implementing one when we move to the farm. I do try to walk the dogs a few times a week. But because I have so much more energy I’m naturally more active throughout the day anyway, but I would like to tone up! I’ll keep ya posted once we move!

Self-care

This has been another biggie for me. Setting aside intentional time for myself. I do face masks once a week and a nightly skin care routine, which I’ll share more about in a different article soon. I’ve also started reading books like Own Your Everyday, journaling, and stretching in the mornings. These small changes have made all the difference for how I feel during the day.

<br />

I hope you enjoyed reading how I lost over 20 lbs and that maybe it inspires you to take better care of yourself even in some small way! You are worth it! You deserve to be happy, healthy, and feel good from the inside out!

Ps. You can shop my style under Midcounty Journal on the Reward Style app! 😉

Take care friend!

New Lower Prices on the Kohler products you want