12 days and 7 pounds – it’s so much easier to lose weight

Raw Ingredients

Other ingredients for green smoothie

Just add water and ice!

For years I tried to diet and lose weight while drinking wine. It was a struggle. A constant battle, to say the least.

Now that I’m not drinking it so mush easier to control my food intake.

I tried Adkins and I tried low carb and intermittent fasting over the past years but it would always come down to the fact that after a few days without wine I would try to fit wine into the diet plan. We all know that just doesn’t work, at least not at the level I was at. One or two wines was never enough and at this time three or four really wasn’t enough either. So I would fluctuate between attempting to control my diet and alcohol to basically saying “who cares, I’m not that fat, one of these days I’ll get where I wanna be.”

Over the last 11 days I have enjoyed eating healthy whole foods, drinking this wonderful new aloe drink I found (see photo), and fasting most mornings until afternoon. When I was hung over I found it hard to fast and I would crave breads are carbohydrates to neutralize the acid I felt in my stomach. These days, I am finding fasting refreshing and I feel lighter and happier.

For more info on intermittent fasting check out my blog about it here: https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/ilovemynewlife.wordpress.com/193

I’ve been able to get in a workout 11 days so far (every day since I quit drinking) and those have included 3 yoga classes, 7 walks, 4 bike rides and 3 weight lifting sessions. If I was drinking none of these would have happened because I’d have been consumed in drinking or hungover in bed.

I hope this inspires someone who is in the same boat I was in. I was trying to control my drinking and it consumed me. I was always athletic and fit as a young person and being out of shape was just against who I am. Being a drunk was against my inner morals. So, if you’re in this boat just give it up. It leaves nothing to think about. I just don’t drink. And it freed my mind to think this way. Yes, there is some self talk going on and I’m certain I will face some difficult times. But for now I’m minimizing my exposure to those situations and I’m filling myself up with all the things I’ve been missing.

This morning, as I do several days a week, I’m preparing a green smoothie for me and hubby which is packed full of great greens and proteins, fiber and good fat. My wonderful health coach last year turned me onto it. I’ve tweaked it a bit to make it even more powerful for me and to help my high blood pressure (I’ve taken meds for 25 years). It’s so yummy and good for me. I just love having it several late mornings a week.

I’ve also been meal planning and shopping on Sundays. This way we have what we need and know what’s being cooked for dinners and lunches are basically salads with home made olive oil and vinegar dressing and lean turkey or boiled eggs and of course for me a bunch of green olives. I love love love olives!

I hope to begin to document some great healthy and fun foods over this coming year as well as some fitness logs. It takes small steps each day to reach the big goal. It’s enjoying the process and not just trying to reach the end goal. The small steps all add up. And as my coach said last year, just start. All you have to do is start!

Not perfectly healthy (has some carbs) but oh so refreshing and yummy!