My Journey to Wellness – Part 4 {I’ve lost some weight!}

Good news, y’all!  I’ve actually lost some weight!!!  Nine pounds to be exact!

I would love to say it is because I have been so diligent in my “journey to wellness” that I posted about in November, but that would be a lie.  

Sooooo, I’ve got some splainin’ to do…

via GIPHY

 

I started off really good in November, drinking a lot of water and eating a little healthier.  My next goal was to exercise more.  Um…  Let’s just say that that didn’t go over so well.  I attended one Zumba class.  That’s it. 

And then it was December.  Lord, help us all.  Is it even possible to NOT gain weight during the holidays?!!

I wrote a post about how I was pretty much going to try and maintain in December, and then in January I was going to HIT IT HARD. :)

#wrong

I didn’t maintain… I GAINED!  Good grief!!

Last weekend, we went down to Georgia to visit my husband’s side of the family.  Sania Louise is the only granddaughter in the bunch, but she loves it!  We had a blast, but we also talked about getting healthier in the new year.

So we decided to form a group on the LOSE IT! app and hold each other accountable. 

Cy, Jonathan, and I are using the app, (along with my MIL, FIL, SILs, BIL, and nephews!) and we have been counting our calories all this week.   I am able to have a little over 1,300 calories.  So each day, I have been logging what I have been eating, and in the past week I’ve lost 9 pounds!!!

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I’m not kidding, y’all!  

I knew I would start to lose weight, but I didn’t think I would lose so much so quickly.  But to be truthful, I have a WHOLE lot to lose!

And the one thing that I think is making a HUGE difference is that I didn’t drink one single coke all week!  It is my goal to give them up for good.  Coke and Diet Coke.

Plus, I have not eaten any sweets, like chocolate, candy, donuts, etc.  To satisfy my “sweet tooth,” I have been putting honey on a slice of Ezekiel 4:9 bread.  I LOVE this bread!!

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source

I do not like to use it for a sandwich, but I LOVE toasting it until it is super crispy, and then topping it with natural peanut butter and/or honey.  Deee-licious!

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This is the peanut butter I like, and it has to be refrigerated.  You can get it HERE. 

Something I have been drinking to help me not crave Cokes so much are these cans of Zevia.  Don’t get me wrong, they are no large Coke from McDonald’s, but they are sweet and they have fizz, so I can deal. 

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-Zero Calories with No Sugar and No Artificial Sweeteners
-Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Gluten Free, Vegan and Kosher, Clear in Color
-Naturally Sweetened with Stevia and Monk Fruit
-Contains 45mg of Caffeine per Can

They are better for me than Diet Cokes, so this is what I am drinking right now.  I like the flavors:  Cola, Cherry Cola, and Grape.  You can check them out HERE.

The other thing that I am drinking to help satisfy my sweet tooth is tea from Teavana.  We have a new Teavana store in our local mall, and every time I walk past it, I stop and get a sample of their tea of the day.  It’s a little pricey, and something I would never buy for myself, so I asked Cy to get it for me for Christmas.  ;)  I got the Season’s Treatings Dessert Teas, and I LOVE them!screen-shot-2017-01-07-at-7-38-39-pm

In this pack, there was White Chocolate Peppermint, Gingerbread, CoCoCaramel Sea Salt, and Caramel Almond Amaretti.

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I’ve never been a big tea drinker, but I LOVE the flavors of the loose leaf teas.  I am looking forward to trying new flavors during each new season.  

I brew myself a single cup in the morning with this Teavana Perfectea Maker.  They come in different colors, but I got mine in black. 

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Before brewing, I add Belgian Rock Sugar.   It’s the perfect touch of sweetness to each cup.  I usually drink my tea hot, but you can also fix it over ice. 

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“Unprocessed. Unrefined. Unparalleled.
This all-natural, non-GMO beet sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness to your cup. Pure crystals dissolve while your tea steeps, enhancing complex flavors without drowning them out. It’s the perfect complement to any of our teas—or any other beverage that needs a boost. Made in Belgium.”

So a cup of tea is usually less than 40 calories, which is WAY better than the 300 calories that are in a Large Coke!!  

Now here is another big reason I lost weight this week…I didn’t eat out at all.  I ate every meal from home.  #firsttimeever

And y’all, don’t pass out, but I cooked dinner four times this week!!  I KNOW!

I told Cy I might have missed my calling.  #not

Here is what we ate for dinner this week:

Tuesday:  Sirloin Steak, Brown Rice, and Broccoli

Wednesday:  Top Round Roast, Carrots, Mashed Cauliflower, and Sauteed Onions and Mushrooms

Thursday:  Baked Chicken Breasts, Brown Rice, Skillet Sweet Potatoes, and Asparagus

Friday:  Taco Salad-Beef, Lettuce, Tomato, Cheese, and Sour Cream

That doesn’t sound like a diet, does it?!  I measured each of my portions and put the info in my LOSE IT! app, and I was able to stay under my calorie budget every single day.  

The cool thing about this past week is that I have only felt hungry a couple of times all week. I  tried to fill my meals with some type of protein so I wouldn’t get hungry.  I haven’t felt like I was on a diet at all. 

Sooooo, I am feeling really motivated right now.  Next week, I am planning to start exercising.  I told Cy to sign us up for the Papa John’s 10 Miler in Louisville, KY on April 1st.  I ran in that race about 5 years ago, and I want to challenge myself to do it again.  Running will definitely help me lose some weight as well.  

And of course, I still use my essential oils every single day.  These oils are life changing.  I seriously cannot tell you how much I love them.  Cy is even starting to use them and loves them.  His favorite is Frankincense.  

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This oil is seriously the most amazing oil ever!  If you do not know about the benefits of using Frankincense, PLEASE just google “Young Living Frankincense Oil Testimonials” and see what comes up!  You won’t believe what you read.  (and unfortunately, I cannot share it here on my page because of the “ef-dee-a”)

If you would like to start using essential oils, click HERE.

Okay, I think that is it!  I’m super stoked about staying on my eating plan!  I will keep you updated on my progress. :)

If any of you want to join me on the LOSE IT! app,  you can add me as a friend by going to “friends,” tapping the plus sign in the upper right corner, and then adding my email address:  beneathmyheart4@gmail.com.   

If you have any great healthy meal ideas to share with me, I would love to hear about them.  

Have a blessed day, friends!!

xoxo

Traci

  *there are affiliate links in this post. 

 

 

 

24 Comments

  1. I am excited for you. I just bought some Frankincense. What are you all doing with it? Where are you putting it? I am going to try to eat less carbs and see if I can get started. I’ve got to lose weight. I”ll try to download the Lose It App and find you! Have a great week.
    Teresa Cordon

  2. Yea Traci! So proud of you ! Congratulations…thx for sharing your journey. The older we get the harder it is to lose weight. You’re doing great!!

  3. Great job, Traci!
    I’m 45 and grew up with Cokes in glass returnable bottles, back when they were sooo good and burned going down. Unfortunately, my parents never monitored my cola intake as a child and I ended up with a lifelong Coke addiction. That sounds awful. LOL — I came off them while pregnant, but went right back on them afterwards. I did cut way down while nursing my girls. August 2012, I decided enough was enough and quit cold turkey. I’ve not had one sip, but boy, I’ve thought about it. I know it will only take one drink and I’ll fall completely off the wagon. Even after 4 years, I still think about the condensation rolling down the side of a cold glass. It’s awful having a food control you so intensely. Anyway, I just wanted you to encourage you to hang in there and not beat yourself up if you daydream about a burger or a bowl of popcorn and “that drink”, because even after 4 years, I still do. Hang tough and Kick Coke’s butt!! Love ya, Girl! (((Hugs)))

  4. Good for you! I love a fresh start! We love using oils too! My husband puts Frankincense on his feet at night before bed. I would love to hear other ways you use this oil! Blessings!

  5. Congrats, Traci! Keep up the great work. I am so proud of you. Both my hubby and I are trying to lose weight. I have 47 lbs to lose and he has 69 lbs. he has to give up Diet Coke and I really need to cut back on coffee. Thankfully, I love to drink water and unsweetened tea.

    I have the Lost It App but can’t find you with the email address you listed. It has you must use the email that the person signed up with.

    Keep up the good work!

  6. Woohoo on the 9 lbs! Hang in there; you can do it. I agree with you on Teavana. Their teas are really pricey but the ones I’ve had are so yummy and a nice treat. I was just there the other day and they had the White Chocolate Peppermint out to test and man it was yummy.

  7. I gave up soft drinks…regular and sugar free…by switching to Kombucha. If you haven’t tried it, you should. It is naturally fizzy and you can make any flavor you like, and it is very healthy. I don’t miss cokes at all. In fact, I tried a few sips over Christmas and found that I didn’t like it any more.

    I’ll add a link to the the site that got me started. I make my own for pennies a week. It can get pretty expensive if you buy it.
    You can also learn about making Kefir and cultured vegetables. I make some of these, but Kombucha is my favorite. I drink it every day…DELISH! Your kids would probably love helping you make it and it’s a very healthy drink for them too.

    https://www.culturedfoodlife.com/

    Congrats on your weight loss. I will check out the app AND try to close the laptop and get back to walking every day. 😘

  8. Congrats Traci! I started my journey to health on January second. I hear you when you talk about those McDonalds cokes. I’ve not had one in 8 days. Probably sounds ridiculous to some but for me it’s a huge accomplishment. I’m trying Whole30 with a friend and my daughter. I’ve also been cooking all our meals at home and I’m kind of enjoying it. Thanks for the inspiration. Keep up the good work and thx for sharing.

  9. Traci- I used to be a big soda drinker and don’t drink it all now. If its the fizz ( it was for me) try carbonated water. So many on the market different flavors and many have no sodium. It did the trick for me. Great Job on your week !

  10. Traci way to go! You are inspiration to all of us. I have found mindbodyfitness.live and love it! I get to workout with a trainer while at home. It is so convenient! I think you would love it to…there is a free 14 day trial! Keep the updates coming, it keeps me motivated!

  11. Congratulations!!! this is a battle most women have!! I too struggle but when I exercise and eat right – all is good!!! A great blogger to follow is Skinnytaste – she has lots of great recipes and lot of nutritional information for you and yummy meals for the family. Check it out – good luck and thanks for your motivation too – that helps me too!~

  12. After falling down a flight of stairs in October and breaking a few bones, ripping a few ligaments and spraining everything else, I am finally on the mend. My son is getting married in June and I want to lose forty pounds (read: I want to feel pretty!). My doctor put me on a ketogenic diet. Also told me to read The Mood Cure and The Diet Cure. The main takeaway from the books is that it’s not all our fault! We have amino acid imbalances going on making us crave sugar, carbs and food! We get “most” but not all of our amino acids from lean protein. Eating poorly makes the deficiency worse. Feeling the blahs is also an amino acid imbalance. Taking one certain amino acid gets rid of a sugar craving in about fifteen minutes (if you can control yourself and not eat 🍭for that long 😜). There’s a website too. Absolutely the best explanation I’ve found in ANY book ever as to why we eat the way we do and how to control it. I’m so happy my doctor told me about these books. I hope you read them and they help you too.

  13. Great job Traci! Keep up the good work! I’ve battled my weight most of my life and the older I get the harder it is to lose/maintain. I cut my diet cokes way back. I have one Sonic med lime one a day and that’s it! It does help weight loss to just take them out completely though. I can’t eat carbs or sugar without gaining but I try to eat a bigger lunch and not as much at night.
    Eating at home is so much better for you than eating out. The portions in restaurants these days are huge! We go out to lunch on Saturdays ( we call it “fatter day) so we can have one splurge meal a week. 😊

  14. Trying to get on a healthy track this year. Giving up the cola is hard and the eating out. I’m convinced that those two things alone should be worth several pounds lost. Exercising is another thorn in my flesh. Due to some health issues that has been touch and go, but I really need to make the effort to get back on track.

    So far this week I’ve managed to not eat out and that has included two trips to town on errands that normally would have resulted in a meal out – instead we came home and fixed a meal. One thing that helped me is roasting some veggies on Saturday that we could eat over a few days and I cooked some chicken ahead and prepped it for a couple of meals. Soups are great to have on hand too for quick meals.

    We can do this! I have a lot more to lose than you, but am going to take it one day at a time.

    Love hearing about your progress. Congratulations on the 9 pounds!

    I’ve stopped by before but don’t think I’ve left a comment, at least not for awhile. I’m a Ky gal also.

  15. You go girl! Thanks for being so open and honest. I have the lose it app and your posted prompted me to start being more dedicated to using it and tracking better. I do use the lemon oil in my water at lot!! Keep it up.

  16. Oh my goodness! You are speaking my language! I have gained 17 lbs. in the last 2.5 years. I feel awful. I look awful!! As I was reading this post I was eating my lunch which consisted of a tuna sandwich …. wait for it…. cheetos and a Dr. Pepper! I have been having sofa every day for the last week. It’s is definitely an addiction for me. I’m going to join you on LoseIt! I have tried for years to do something but end up doing nothing. Thanks for your honesty and encouragement!!

  17. Yay for you getting healthy! I am 53 (yikes!) and my weight has gotten increasingly difficult to keep in line – I was seriously hoping to make some healthy changes tomorrow (story of my life – lol). The Lose It app sounds like it will be really great for me! Thanks for sharing your story and I am going to add you as a friend!

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