How I'm losing my weight...

I have a lot of people I've run into (online and off) asking me how I'm losing my weight and I'm happy to share what I'm doing. The way I'm exercising and eating is working beautifully for me! I also definitely want to say that I'm getting very valuable help from a friend with a nutrition background who's been a integral part of this whole process. He's kept me on goal with watching my calories, carbs and proteins as well as keeping me on track with my exercise and keeping it changed up to help avoid plateau. I feel so blessed and grateful that he came into my life! With his help, my hard work and the support of family and friends, I am able to walk this journey.

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So, here we go:

1. I eat 3 meals AND 3 snacks each day... breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack.
   
   
2. I haven't been drinking pop (or soda depending on where in the country you're from, lol) in a few years and I've stuck with that. No diet pop either. I'm not an aspartame fan AT ALL.
   
   
3. I've dropped my iced coffee habit completely. I can honestly say that I haven't had any coffee since starting all this jazz in July. I can also honestly say that I used to order an iced coffee at McDonald's almost every day. Yes. It's true. UGH!
   
   
4. When it comes to grains, I search out 100% whole wheat or 100% multi-grain. This goes for my bread, pasta, couscous etc,. And rice... I stick with long-grain brown rice. (it is SO important to read the ingredients on each package!)
   
   
5. When it comes to meats, I stick with lean meats like turkey sausage, Canadian bacon, chicken breasts, pork loin, cod, salmon (not so lean, but a very healthy fat w/all those Omega-3's and a great protein source!), tilapia, scallops, shrimp and tuna (canned, in water...not oil).
   
   
6. As far as lean proteins, I like low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat cheese (made with 2% milk), skim or 1% milk, chickpeas, beans, egg whites etc,.
   
   
7. When choosing nuts, I tend to go with almonds or walnuts (raw, unsalted and I roast mine in a glass Pyrex dish to bring out their flavor)
   
   
8. I eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies - the more color the better! I even throw a cup of baby spinach into my morning protein shake!
   
   
9. I keep a close eye on my sugar intake and have cut it down significantly!
   
   
10. I measure out each and every serving and stick to ONE serving only!
    
    
11. I drink water almost exclusively except for hot green tea (decaf) a time or two a day.
    
    
12. I have chosen to simply NOT BUY JUNK FOOD. I just don't need it in my pantry. I've made a conscious decision to NOT have it in my house. I shop healthy and try to always have healthy foods stocked so that I always have easy decisions right in front of me.
    
    

As far as exercising:

I exercise 60-90 minutes a day, 6 days a week. This is an example of what my weekly routine looks like (although my nutritional friend and I try to keep it changed up every 3 weeks or so...again, to keep that plateau far from me!). My workouts are at the YWCA and normally I'm the only one in the gym. LOVE that! :) My walks are in the evenings with the hubs.

Sunday: (this is my sort of day off...I just walk in the evenings on Sunday)
Walk 2 miles/40 minutes.

Monday:
Aquatic Therapy (30 minutes - 15 cardio, 15 general)
Weight training - Upper Body (30 minutes)
Walk 2 miles/40 minutes

Tuesday:
20 Minute Aerobic Bike Workout (20 minutes on the recumbent bike, each minute is at a different/changing resistance level. It's tough but it's become much easier for me! YAY!)
Walk 2 miles/40 minutes

Wednesday:
Aquatic Therapy (30 minute - 15 cardio, 15 general)
Weight training - Lower Body (30 minutes - sometimes 45 if I jump on the elliptical machine)
Walk 2 miles/40 minutes

Thursday:
20 Minute Aerobic Bike Workout
Walk 2 miles/40 miles
*Every other week, I clean a gal's house and that's a 2.5 - 3 hr. workout...

Friday:
Aquatic Therapy (30 minutes - 15 cardio, 15 general)
Weight Training - Upper Body (30 minutes)
Walk 2 miles/40 minutes

Saturday:
20 Minute Aerobic Bike Workout
Walk 2 miles/40 miles

I move and groove a lot. I do. But, I love it and I am so thankful and blessed that I found (okay, with MAJOR help from hubs!) aquatic therapy that now allows my feet to take a lot of moving, finally!

A few other things:

- I've quit my night owl routine. I used to be up until 1 or 2am and now I go to bed around 10 or 11pm.

- I naturally get up between 6:00-7:00 and often times I wake up even earlier and I think it's just because my energy level is higher.

- I spend probably 50-60% less time on the computer and watching tv because I'd rather be moving now!

- I am very strict with myself because I know I have to be

- I avoid eating out as much as possible but if I do eat out, I choose VERY carefully, ask a lot of questions, request specifics and surprisingly they do what you ask. I'll also get online and look up a restaurant's nutritional information so that I'm well informed before I get there. It's my body. I care about it now and I'll do what I can to stay ahead of the game.
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Feel free to ask questions and I'll be happy to answer them the best I can. And of course remember, that we're all different. We all lose weight differently and there are so many different aspects of people's lives that can affect eating and exercise, so I guess it's fair to say that this happens to be working for me and that's the only one I can speak for. :)

Let me tell you...there's nothing I could eat that would make me happier than how I feel now!