Healthy Eating- The work is worth the reward!

Weight loss is not an uphill battle for me, and it's not a downhill battle either. It is a yo-yo battle. You would think that after 2 years of paying for a gym membership I would have this great body right? Wrong! Why? I was inconsistent! I would go the the gym every day, sometimes twice a day, and count calories for a month, lose 4 pounds, or for two months and lose 8, then I would have ONE DAY when I didn't get around to it, and one day turned into 2 days, and I blinked and 2 days turned into a month! So how much weight did I lose from my start point until now? Probably around 30-40 pounds. Because of my lack of consistency, and adding on all that weight I kept gaining back, I am a whopping 10 pounds lighter than I was when I started two years ago!

It's just sad isn't it? It happens to a lot of us. We pay all this money and sign these contracts and we just don't go to the gym. I'm not going to give you any excuses. I am holding myself accountable 100%. I got lazy, a lot. Now my gym membership is up. Even though I spent the last two years accomplishing less than I desired as far as the scale goes, I gained so much knowledge on how to eat healthier, that I know I can still do this! I'm not ready to give up, and I'm not ready to spend the rest of my 20's overweight. Now that I've shared all that with all of  you, what choice do I have?

Eating healthy isn't just about the calories you take it. It's the sugar, it's the fat, it's the sodium. So it is my mission to meal plan EVERY WEEK and put in the work it takes to be healthy! Here are some of the substitutes I have made in my diet:

1. Fat Free Cheese: Yes, I know it doesn't taste the same, but it has no fat and half the calories and you do get used to it. If you're a person who uses shredded cheese in a lot of your meals, or any at all, this will help!
2. Ground Turkey: I've been doing this one so long it makes me sick to my stomach to eat ground beef. This is one you need to get creative with because it is more bland than beef, however, spices and seasonings are a wonderful thing!
3. Chicken and Beef Broth: I used a lot of this, but even the "lower sodium" broths have hundreds of milligrams of sodium. So instead I buy herbox no-sodium beef and chicken bullion and make my own broth. Just as tasty and so much better for you!
4. Soda, Juice, and Tea: A no brainer here; drink more water! I might have a soda once a week, at the most. I'm glad for that because I have enough trouble with food.
5. Junk Food: Lucky for me I don't have much of a sweet tooth but who doesn't love a good bag of chips when they are available to them? I don't buy them I buy fresh fruit and vegetables instead. I know something like this seems expensive, but if you CUT OUT the junk and REPLACE it with the right stuff, the cost is about the same.

Of course I'm not perfect, of course I make wrong choices, that's why I'm still in this unhealthy body. So now for your reading and hopefully using pleasure, a Recipes and Healthy Living section on my blog. I'll be creating healthy alternatives to unhealthy meals for my benefit and yours. Happy Reading!