3 things folks often overlook during their weight loss journey

What you eat

Hey let’s face it what you eat matters. If you’re not getting enough protein, fiber and carbs (yes, I said it, carbs) you are going to experience plateaus and weight gain. 

Examples of the types of protein you should consider are:

Lean beef such as flank steak, sirloin 90% lean ground beef

Fresh tuna, albacore or chunk light tuna fish in the can ( in water)

Chicken thighs (trimmed) chicken breast

Salmon

Cod

If you can get you chicken and beef organic or grass fed and your fish wild caught, all the better. 

Examples of the types of fiber you should consider are:

Green leafy greens like spinach, kale, spring greens (for salads)

broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini

Examples of the types of carbs you should consider are:

Sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole grain pasta, green beans, green peas, carrots, turnips

Although some of these are typically in the veggie category, they are also a great source of carbohydrates that don’t do a ton of damage to the waistline. 

When you eat

I can’t stress this enough.  When you eat is just as important as what you eat in my humble opinion.  Frankly, practicing intermittent fasting is a very effective way to manage your weight. Intermittent fasting is when you choose an eating window in your day.  For example, my eating window is typically 12p - 8p eating the largest meal of the day first. Throughout the eating window, I decrease the portions proportionately at each meal.  The last meal of the day is the lightest, usually a superfood shake which I have found boosts my metabolism and makes for a more restful night’s sleep.

A good night’s sleep

Speaking of sleep, it should never be underestimated how much a good night’s sleep contributes to weight management. The more sound sleep you get, the deeper the rejuvenation of your bodily functions and the healthier your metabolism will be.  We all know that your metabolism contributes significantly to achieving a healthy weight. A good night’s sleep will almost guarantee your weight loss goals once you make how much you sleep and your quality of sleep a priority.

Bonus Tip!

Movement

How much you move is definitely related to healthy weight management.  While diet and sleep account for about 90% of your weight loss goals, movement and exercise give you an edge.  Even walking can get the heart rate up, help you break a sweat and get the blood flowing.  All of that contribute to the commonly accepted and basic concept of calories in calories out that is essential to effective weight loss. Thirty minutes a day is all you need.  So take that walk at lunch time. Taking a walk does wonders for your digestion and it’ll do you good to enjoy the sunshine (on a nice day) and get some vitamin D as well as clear your mind from the stresses of the day.

So there you have it. My tips for healthy weight loss. If you want to begin your weight loss journey but don’t know where start, start here. 

When you have checked all the boxes...

You got good grades in school. You were a good girl and didn’t make any trouble.You did your best to be the perfect girlfriend. You had a moment of rebellion just to try to fit in. You met the man of your dreams and vowed to be everything he ever needed. You became a mother and swore to be the best mother God gave you the strength and power to be. You went college and earned an advanced degree. You went out to work in a world that demanded more than your best time and time again and you always and consistently delivered. You didn’t need anybody’s help. You got this!

For all your hard work 😓 you:

Still got rejected by your parents.

Still wasn’t what he wanted.

Still was the last to be invited to the party.

Still got bamboozled by the husband.

Still fell short as a parent.

Still got taken advantage of in exchange for your good will at work.

Still wasn’t smart enough.

Still wasn’t good enough.

For all your effort, you realize you ain’t got this!

Don’t you deserve better? 

Don’t you deserve to live a life full of wellbeing and purpose?

Don’t you deserve to know love and peace in a way that surpasses all understanding?

Don’t you deserve to have more, do more, be more?

Don’t you deserve to enjoy good health, be financially fit and renew your mind to the highest esteem?

You can! Starting today! In order to have more you have to be more so you can do more. You have that power. It all starts with a desire and a decision to create change that creates focus and determination to go where you want to go and be who you want to be.

I know it’s a big decision. Bigger than the decision to get married, have kids, go back to school or even accept an offer for a job. Keep in mind, all those decisions were made in fear.  Fear of your biological clock. Fear of being rejected. Fear of failure. Fear he wouldn’t love me. Fear she wouldn’t respect me. Fear of being alone. Fear of (fill in the blank) How about we change the narrative? How about we start stepping out on FAITH!?!

Why not change the thoughts in our mind to know and accept that anything is possible with God?  How about we write some crazy, awesome dreams down on paper and take them to God in prayer? How about having some hope for something more than just checking the boxes of what the world expects of you?

What if you did that and changed your life in such an amazing way that you won’t even recognize the life you left behind? If fear was no object and faith took its place, what could your life look like in 5 years?