Over the past year, I have gotten many emails and messages about what my tricks and secrets are to getting and staying lean. I am sorry to say that there are truly no tricks to this in life. It is absolutely without one doubt about getting your diet in check and making it to the gym. It isn’t so much about looks for me anymore but more about how the food that I eat makes me feel and being mindful of this daily. Once you have purged the processed foods and replaced them with God-given earth food, you find that your body starts to crave this amazing food. You also find that feeding your body great food makes for the best workouts of your life. Once you STOP the craziness of eating three slices of pizza and drinking two cans of pop for dinner, and thinking you will work it off at the gym tomorrow, you realize how great eating the broccoli, fish and sweet potatoes for dinner make you feel. You realize what these clean foods do for your workouts. The energy you get from this food is like nothing else. Within two weeks of my dumping the processed foods and replacing with fish, veggies and protein, I could not believe the difference in my workouts, energy level, mood and self-esteem. I could sprint faster, lift heavier, and my endurance went through the roof. If you give yourself enough time to see what this truly does to your body, you will never want to go back to the eat-crap-and-work-it-off-tomorrow routine. It all goes back to this: “Eat to live; don’t live to eat!” Truly there are no secrets to getting in shape. It is all about diet and exercise.
As I head into my third year of my weight loss journey in 2017, I do plan to continue to share with you some of the things that have helped me to keep my weight off. I think of all that I have done in my life, this is one of the things that I am most proud of at this point! I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I am an emotional eater. This means that during the different phases of life, my weight would fluctuate up and down with whatever was happening in it. If I had a bad break-up, my weight would go up 20 lbs. If I was getting ready for a wedding or trip, my weight would go down 20 lbs. My weight was a roller coaster and would change with the wind and seasons.
I feel so blessed that it all has finally clicked for me. I no longer let my weight and body change with the way my mood or the way life is headed. In order to conquer this disorder, I had to put my body and health as a top priority in my life. This in turn has allowed for me to do and be better in many other aspects of my life including parenting and my career. I want nothing more but to share what has worked for me to help others.
I know there are many, many others struggling with their bodies and health. You may not know it now, but if you can just get your body and diet in check, some of your other issues or addictions that you are battling may just get better along the way! I CAN NOT WAIT for you to start your journey. I’ve been where you are, and I know where you can be. Trust me: you want to feel the energy and zest for life that eating clean can bring you! Bring on 2017! Let’s get and stay lean together!
As a final boost to this article to verify that what I am saying does work. I would like to share a note that I got from a life long friend of mine. We have reconnected over face book and my health postings over the past year. She shared this with me last week and I thought it went along with my article as proof as this is not all just a bunch of words from me. Here is what she has seen over the past month of clean eating and working out and I could not be more proud of her!
Hi! Stacey- I just wanted to say thank you for your help and guidance in getting the ball rolling on making major changes to my diet. I think it is safe to say that is definitely what was holding me back. I had plateaued for such a long time. Was getting plenty of cardio each week teaching four Zumba classes, but I was really not fueling my body to burn calories and fat and not really looking at opportunities to build muscle. So, since we messaged last, I have lost 15 pounds, have added hiit work outs twice a week which is helping with a bit of strength training. Adding some lifting/weights next, but I wanted to feel stronger before I jumped into that. And my food situation has drastically changed and improved! I definitely feel like I am eating more – five or six times a day – but eating better combinations of food for my body. That is a huge mental shift, but it is a very welcome one! I spend Sundays – and with tomorrow off Monday – prepping food and planning my week. I find that if I have a plan, I am very good at sticking to it. (in fact, I am working on that now which is what made me think I should send you a thank you message! Attaching my work in progress of meal prepping for the week!) So thank you very much for the support and inspiration. I continue to follow your blog and posts religiously. Love the recipes – they help me see new options that I would not otherwise venture to try. The peanut butter mixed with protein powder and celery sticks has been one of my favorites! Anyway, thanks again!
I truly with all my heart can not wait to hear about your journey in 2017. Remember you only have this one life to live. We might as well give it our all! Make this year YOUR year! Your family and friends will thank you later.
Body By Beers 