Weight Loss/Getting Healthy ~ LONG post. ;)

Hi crafters! Have you ever noticed how much we sit down? Okay maybe not ALL crafters but I definitely fall into that sedentary life style more than I would like to admit!

So starting the 1st of this year my husband and I made a commitment to our bodies and to our children to get healthy and get in shape! What does that mean well just that. We were going to NOT focus on weight loss because we've tried that before and we get hung up on the number for some reason! So my cousin along with a few others asked me how we were doing it and I wanted to post about it in case it could possible help any of you as well!!!!

As of today my amazing hubby is down 13 pounds! I am so very proud of him as he hit a big milestone today! Way to go baby. What is he doing you ask???? Well he decided he wanted to try Body By Vi. A friend of mine Ashley sells it and so he has been doing that since maybe the second week in January. Review: He did like it at first. He would say hey I can do this for a while. But recently he is just sick of the taste. He kinda has to chug it so that he doesn't think about it lol. He still takes Body By Vi two times a day breakfast and lunch and then he eats whatever he wants for dinner. And when I say he eats whatever he wants I pretty much mean that! (I'm kinda jealous but whatever lol) He also gave up coke (which was a big part of his day before) and sweets so no ice cream, candy etc. So far so good I just worry for him that he wont be able to stand the Body By Vi forever and he'll get sick of it! But we are all on our own path for a reason. ;)

As for me as of today I am down 10.8 pounds. I decided after the first day of doing Body By Vi with him that I needed to choose a different path. I was worried that I would have to be dependant on some type of aid and that just didn't go over well with my psyche! So I came up to the craft room turned Netflix on and watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead for the third time. lol. It's a great movie if you haven't seen it. But I knew again this wasn't going to work for me either. I get bored and eating or drinking rather only juice for long periods at a time wasn't going to work so here is what I did.

I made a list of all the foods that are raw, natural or that have probiotics or healthy elements that I would actually eat. Here is my list...

Fruits/Veggis
Tomatoes
lettuce
cucumbers
celery
apples
oranges
bananas
broccoli
Avocados
spinach
kale
carrots
Kiwi
Tangerines
mango
Squash
Cauliflower
Strawberries
peaches
blueberries
raspberries
sweet peas

Nuts
Walnuts
pecans
Almonds
(Not in that order as I normally only eat Almonds and in very small quantities)

Extras
Greek God Yogurt (I prefer the Honey flavor)
Oatmeal (instant single serving, I'm lazy)
Kombucha
Peanut Butter (an indulgence on occasion with a banana)
Granola

Drinks
WATER~ I drink TONS of water per day. You do not want to go to a movie with me. TRUST. ;)
Kombucha (on occasion)

Juicing
Okay so here is what I do with all that food. All of the fruits and veggis are juiced I don't eat them whole. I make enough juice in the morning to last me all day. I store the juice in an air tight glass 8 oz. container. This is the best way to store your juice so that it stays fresh longer. I don't mean juice that you buy from the store I make fresh juice with a juicer I bought at Wal-Mart. It was super cheap which fit my budget and my fickle mind because I wasn't sure how long I would want to do this! I actually LOVE juicing, so I may have to invest in a better juicer soon!

Review: I would NOT recommend this juicer. It is fine but you have to keep cleaning it out and it doesn't fit whole veggis you have to cut them up prior to inserting them and yeah I'm not in love. I'm sure I probably don't even get all of the juice out of my veggis as I could with a different juicer. Either way it does the job for now and if you are on a budget then get this one it works fine!! ;)

My other favorite tool is the Blender. I use this to make smoothies all the time. So if I say juice down below in the menu area that can be a smoothie or a juice. I just add one cup of fruit (normally frozen) with one cup of water. Add the water first to the blender and then the fruit. If it is a little tart I add one package of stevia. :) Emm that got my mouth watering.

I also have a citrus juicer which is different than the other juicer because it only juices things like oranges, tangerines, kiwi, lemons and lime. Again not the best juicer in the world but it does the trick! ;)

So here is an average day for me...
Breakfast~
Oatmeal or Yogurt w/Granola
fresh fruit

Snack~
Small amount of almonds or a juice.

Lunch~
Juice and sometimes I'll also have a small amount of yogurt

Snack~
Banana with peanut butter (If I worked out that morning) otherwise
A juice

Dinner~
A juice with steamed Vegetables

That's pretty much my day. Although it is totally interchangeable. My main thing is I'M NEVER HUNGRY. I will not allow myself to be hungry and I DO NOT COUNT CALORIES. If I'm hungry, I eat. I just make better choices.

Now don't get me wrong I've had pizza and spaghetti and tacos a few times this month but I'm no longer eating that everyday for every meal. Ya know what I mean? And ZERO sweets. Okay okay I've had maybe one or two chocolate pieces. But I will not eat the entire package like before and no cheese or dairy products at all. Except the yogurt. If there is something that I am tempted to eat I pour water over it. For example the other day my sister and I went to dinner with my mom and I ordered croutons on the side (because one or two croutons is okay but 23 was not) so I put two on my salad and then poured water into the container because I knew if I didn't do that I would keep eating them hahaha.

Anyway, I hope this helps some of you! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. Also I am in no way shape or form a medical person so I cant give advice I'm just sharing what has worked for me. I'd love to know what you are doing to get healthy in the new year. ;)

Quick side note: I will NOT eat meat so that is a no go for me but I will occasionally have Tilapia or Salmon. I also have thrown some protein powder into a smoothie or two but I don't do that often at all. I get plenty of protein from all of the veggis and fruit. ;)

I was gonna post pictures but I'm pretty nervous about that so I may just have to work up to that. ;) But I still have 10 pounds to go to get to my goal so you neva know. ;)

Some of the benefits I've experienced are: clear skin, minimal cramping, better attitude, clearer thinking, more energy, able to regulate my body better, and I'm happier. ;)