1st 90 Day Challenge = Lost 24 pounds total by October 15th.
- I stopped taking my Skinny Fiber, stopped caring what I was eating and ended up gaining 10 pounds back on between October 15th and December 1st while not doing anything.
2nd 90 Day Challenge = Lost 20 pounds by March 1st.
- By January 17, I had lost 10 pounds again.
- By March 1st, I lost another 10 pounds which was almost 2 pounds a week.
So, 24 pounds lost + 10 pounds gained - 10 pounds lost + 10 pounds lost = 34 pounds total in half a year just by controlling how much I eat, some increase in fitness and change in foods.
4 inches off the waste --- I was just about busting out of my pants when I started this challenge (so squeezing in a pant size). I am no longer in that discomfort and in another pant size down. This is almost 4 inches off my waste when I measured.
2 inches off the band --- I did not go down a bra cup size, though my band size is 2 inches down.
Most importantly, I can see a noticeable difference in the shape of my arms, legs and belly. I can see a difference in my round baby face, hands and feet. I can always get elastic waste pants and pretend that I , but my wedding ring and shoes never lie to me especially during that time of the month. My rings fit fine and my shoes are not tight; in fact, the house shoes are much too lose by now :)
The funny thing is that my husband looked at me the other day and said "it looks like you've lost about 30 pounds". He is correct. I lost 34 pounds total since using the natural weight loss supplement to control my appetite. This may not seems like much in comparison to if I was trying to lose it on my own, but the fact of the matter is that I WAS NOT LOSING WEIGHT on my own before, therefore I am delighted and motivated to keep going until I hit my target weight. I am just about at the point where I feel comfortable taking pictures again - WOO HOO!!!
I am going to start using this chart to track my measurements and then put them into the 90 Day Challenge website because I keep losing my little post-it notes as I am doing now. You can print this off and use it, too.
List of food and lifestyle changes I made over the past few months!
I made very few changes from what I did before and during my 90 Day Challenges. The following are the changes that I have made towards a healthier lifestyle. I encourage my children and husband to do everything here on the list, though I do not stop what I am doing if they do not follow suit (this has been what I have done in the past). In fact, I have not fed into one "lets get ice cream" hint in the past 2 weeks. I just pull out the blender and make our own with fresh fruits. Here are the other changes that I have made:
Natural Weight Loss Supplement
I started taking my natural weight loss supplement. At first, I started taking it 3 times a day and dropped down to 2 times a day during my 2nd 90 day challenge because I did not need the extra dose for appetite control. It has helped in areas other than appetite control such as swelling, energy, etc.
Eating Breakfast - I Do Not Skip This Meal
After a few times of doing my Walk At Home and watching her Super Breakfasts bonus footage, it finally clicked. She and so many others swear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, therefore I started eating breakfast regardless of whether I was hungry or not. I really do think that it has made a difference in the way that my body feels. Instead of skipping breakfast and starting my meals at around 1:00 pm, I usually have a smoothie for breakfast, though do have eggs for breakfast sometimes, too. I typically have 2 eggs and 2 pieces of bacon or sausage on Sundays, as this is my family's special breakfast day. I just stay clear of the bread, waffles, pancakes, etc because they REALLY make me feel sluggish.
Drinking Water & Green Tea - Always!
There have been many times in my life where I was not drinking enough water. My drinks of choice were coffee (I used to drink 1/2 to 3/4 pot of coffee a day - now I drink a cup or two), diet Pepsi or diet ginger ale. I changed this when I was pregnant with our son. I was drinking plenty of water in 2011 because I was nursing our baby, but my water intake decreased considerable once he weaned. I am now drinking a lot of water and unsweetened green tea each day. I make a conscious effort to have a 16 oz glass on my desk all throughout the day. Anything less than the suggested water intake a day (which is eight 8 oz glasses for most) can lead to our becoming dehydrated even if we are not aware of it.
Sugar, Salt, Sodium ... Major Reductions
I no longer put sugar in my coffee, tea or anything. I switched to Stevia (again) and stuck with it. I do not care for Stevia as much as Equal or even Sweet N Low, but it is better for us as the others are claimed to cause cancer. Using Stevia in cases when I want that sweetness (like my coffee) has worked 10 times better than honey or sugar because it is never as sweet as the other two, therefore I do not crave as sweet as a taste in my foods in general. I do not sprinkle the salt; I use DULSE FLAKES instead and watch the sodium in foods. I was not a huge salt user, though am now more conscious of the amount of salt and sodium in the foods I am eating. I just keep a watch; especially for any foods I might eat while out (which is not that much any more).
Walking & Exercise - I'm getting up and moving more!
I was always too busy or too tired to exercise. I am now always making the time to do some type of exercise even if it is just 10 or 20 minutes. My ideal is to walk a mile each day, but it is not always working out like that. I do walk a mile outside of the home at least 3 to 4 times a week. I take my teen and dog with me on most occasions; I take our baby for walks as well. I get up and dance, march, jog in place, etc. with my baby all of the time now. He loves it and it makes my heart rate pick up in short spurts which is great for the metabolism. I have a few exercise DVDs that I use when the weather is poor or I just cannot get it together to get out for exercise. They are not extreme work outs, but they get me sweating. I walk back and forth (as far as the connection will let me) when on the phone for extended lengths of time for business. So, I am not hitting the gym hard (yet), but I am moving and it feels great.
Increased Fruits & Veges | Reduced Refined Starches and Bread From The Diet
I did not say anything about dieting - I am not dieting at all, though I have made food changes that include increasing fruits and raw vegetables from my diet and I reduced my refined starches / carbs and breads. In fact, I am very funny about the breads that I eat because I noticed that they make me feel sluggish in comparison to a Kale smoothie or 2 scrambled eggs. If I do eat any of these types of carbs, it is a slice or two of pizza, Paleo types for low carb and I do love Ezekiel 4:9 wraps which are not low carb though high grain and they say organic.
Avoid Mindless Snacking and Stress Eating
I have trained myself not to run to the kids and my husbands snacks when hungry between meals. I will make a smoothie, eat nuts, carrots or other fruits / veges we have instead of processed snacks and cereals. When I am stressed or deeply upset, I make sure not to eat at that time. Not because I will over eat because the weight loss supplement has my body pretty good with that, but I tend to grab foods that I do not want to eat at those times (candy, cookies, chips, etc.).
Almond Milk / Cheese / Yogurt
I have always had digestive issues; I would not go for days as regular of my adult life. I love dairy foods (butter, cheese, yogurt, milk), though decided to start testing if these were bothering my system and reduce as needed as I heard on TV. I tried organic soy milk for a long time and realized that I was having allergic reactions to it that include itching / dry skin, and my breathing was affected similar to the bronchial asthma I get when allergic to some things, though not as bad. We drink unsweetened almond milk around here. It is NON-GMO, high in calcium and low in fat. It is lactose-free and my body feels good when I drink it. I was drinking organic soy milk and realized that I was having an allergic reaction to it.
Ok, so now you have my 2nd weight loss challenge information as well as some changes that I have made during this time. They are no different than changes I have made in my past, though I am still taking weight off and slimming down without extreme work outs and dieting.
How have you been doing with your weight loss challenge?
Have a great week!
Lea
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