New Year New You My Weight Loss Journey

My Weight Loss Journey

Hi there. I’m Alyssa. Lover of all things food. I am taking a break from the delicious recipes to bring you a real life post. I’m a huge introvert (EEK!! I am putting myself out there!!). that tends to keep personal things separate, but I hope that this post can help others that may struggle with loving food and weight loss. Because lets face it… Losing weight is FREAKING hard. I was able to lose 45+ pounds last year and the best part is I am maintaining it, and it feels awesome. Here is the thing. I am a foodie. My life and business revolves around good food. When foodies come to visit me, we go to an amazing restaurants and get one two desserts. I am a comfort eater, I am stress eater, FOOD IS LIFE. In case you didn’t know already, I am a mother of four stinking cute kids. As my babies first birthday was getting closer I still looked at my body and wanted to do something so bad but I just love food way to much. How is giving up all the food that I love happiness? Never being able to wear cute t- shirts and always buying sizes to cover myself, I knew that I truly wasn’t happy and needed to do something… but what? I went on a cruise with my husband in February and was mortified. I covered up the entire time and wore giant moo moos just to hide my insecurities. I have tried all of the quick fix fad diets. I started Keto and even though I lost weight quickly in about 3 weeks, I hated it and gained it all back within a week. I love carbs! I felt so helpless at this point. So I decided to join a program where I became accountable to someone and weighed in every week to them and tracked every single thing that I ate. I learned that this was something that needed to become apart of my lifestyle.

I remember taking this picture in front of the mirror and thinking that it seemed impossible to lost 40 pounds. Two weeks into this program that I joined, I lost my first 7 pounds… WHA?? I wasn’t doing a crazy fad diet but tracking every single thing that I ate. I knew that if I kept within my points that I would lose every single week. I started feeling so much better, and asked my mom if she wanted to start coming with me to the meetings. Soon after my mom started coming with me, my dad also jumped on the band wagon. Together we have all lost over 120 pounds!

Here are my tips that worked for me in my weight loss journey:

What do I eat when I am trying to lose weight?

Sorry guys. I don’t have the time to meal prep and plan ahead. I am way to busy with my business and four kids. I usually am able to make 3-4 quick meals every night and that is why these Asian Turkey Lettuce wraps are my favorite. I will be sharing some of my favorite recipes this month. You don’t have to sacrifice on flavor when you are trying to lose weight. A few ingredient swaps is all you need. You have to mix things up so that you don’t get sick of the foods and crave what is bad for you even more. Please don’t just eat chicken and vegetables!

What are my favorite things to eat when I am on the go?

Chick fil A grilled chicken sandwich Chick fil A 12 count grilled nuggets Chick fil A fruit cup/power kale salad Cafe Rio whole wheat salmon taco with Pico, lettuce and black beans. Chili’s Ancho Salmon Chili’s Margarita Chicken -substitute rice with broccoli Cheesecake Factory Skinnylicious Salmon Olive Garden Chicken Piccata McDonald’s Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich Wendy’s Grilled Chicken Wrap/ Salad Wendy’s half Apple Pecan Salad Wendy’s half southwest guacamole salad Cubby’s Apple Salad Subway 6 inch whole wheat turkey sandwich

I just want to show you that it is possible to be super busy and still go out and eat with your family and still make healthy choices. You can still live your life while making better choices.

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Set non negotiable goals

We always make crazy unattainable goals at the beginning of the year right? Well I am done with that. Even if it means starting out small. This is the first year in my life that I have maintained my weight and even lost some in the month of December. I don’t have to set weight loss goals this year… for once. At our gym we started talking about non negotiable goals and it really stuck with me. I set 3 non negotiable achievable goals at the beginning of each week. These are 3 goals each week that no matter what, each day I have to do. My goals usually vary from; drinking enough water every day, going to the gym four times a week, etc. This is really helped me in setting my goals and actually reaching them each week.

Is it really worth it?

My journey has really been all about a mental shift. I had a friend that lost over 100 pounds tell me once that your body is like a car. When filling it up with gas, just fill it up until it tells you to stop, because once it spills over its harder to clean up. She doesn’t even track what she eats and has maintained her weight for 10 years. She eats until she is satisfied. If there is something that I really really want, then I plan for it. But before I indulge in something I always ask myself… is it worth it? Because usually it isn’t, and the way I feel about myself now is such a better feeling.

Find out what works for you and makes you happy!

What worked for me may not work for everyone, but find out what does work for you and is apart of your life and makes you happy. Start out slow and set your goals that you can achieve. I feel so great now that I am here and I never thought it was possible. I would love to hear what has worked for you and I am always here to support you in your journey! Thanks for reading! xo