Here are my before and after photos. I might as well start with that because people are going to want to see. I’m not going to go into detail on how I lost the weight. There are different approaches and I’m not a doctor, so I don’t want to tell you what diet works best. Whether you’re exercising, counting calories, counting points, low-carbing, all-twinkie dieting, detox dieting, cleanse dieting, doing Shakeology, doing the latest Hollywood fad diet, etc.—the point is, it’s whatever works for you.
I was never a thin person and I wouldn’t call myself small by any means. But I also never thought I was fat until I saw pictures of myself last summer. When did I get so big?! I almost surrendered and accepted that I will now always be “this size.” But I just couldn’t accept that. I don’t want to be “this size.” I had to do something. I went on a hard-core diet and got off my butt and started walking my daughter to school at least 3 times a day (It’s a good 25 minutes one way!). I started eating right and watching how much I ate. The dieting part was very hard, and sometimes I really had to muster all the will power I could to stay on track. I had to learn how to say, “No, thank you. I don’t want a slice of ooey-gooey chocolate cake with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream,” while I sulked and bit into my boring apple. I stayed strong, stayed focused, and kept my eye on the prize! And in the end, it DID pay off.
So I’ve lost the weight, now what?
Yeah, yeah… dieting is hard but what’s really difficult is the maintenance. How do I stay “this size” now? Like I said before, you do whatever works for you. I’ve changed my eating habits and continue to walk at least 3 times a day. I’ve removed sugar in my everyday eating (no more caramel macchiatos with whip, no more sodas, no more baking brownies just because I’m bored). I now eat foods low in carbohydrates most of the time (sayonara white rice, white bread, and mashed potatoes) and eat more brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and quinoa. I am also eating more fruits and vegetables. And lastly, I started reading food labels. (There are lots of hidden sugars in our everyday foods!)
Don’t get me wrong. I still eat my faves like pasta, chocolate, and ice cream—just not everyday. And I’m not going to deny that every once in a while, I will have some mashed potatoes or an occasional Sprinkles cupcake. Hey, I’m not a saint! What I’m saying is that I changed my dysfunctional relationship with food. I started “eating to live” instead of “living to eat.”
The purpose of this blog is to post interesting “guilt-free” foods (mostly treats) that I’ve come across and made. I’ll let you know how they turn out and how they taste. To be honest, these foods cannot replace the real deal when it comes to taste, however some of them do taste pretty dang good, especially if you haven’t had the real deal in a long time! If you’re low-carbing, not eating sugar, or going gluten-free, and you want to eat a batch of peanut butter cookies, knock yourself out. I will not say you won’t gain weight, or it’s a healthier option, or you won’t get a face full of zits from eating a jar of peanut butter. But if you eat in moderation, it is somewhat guilt-free. In my case, I know that if I eat one gluten-free, no sugar, low-carb vanilla cupcake with vegan chocolate frosting, the scale will be kind to me the next day. 
Enjoy and happy reading!
