How I lost 20 Pounds & 5 Tips How You Can Too

I use to travel for my job and although it was fun, my body and health took a huge toll.  I gained 30 pounds after doing it for 5 years.  I recently decided to change career paths because no matter what I did I couldn't lose weight due to my traveling lifestyle.  So on July 30th I made a complete lifestyle change.  Since then I have lost 20 pounds and have never felt better.  I am not at my end goal weight and I have still a lot of work to do but I'm pretty proud of how far I've come.

So I want to share 5 tips that helped me lose weight.

1. Find a diet that works for YOU.  I tried going vegetarian, vegan, eating 6 times a day and lastly Keto.  I settled with Keto after doing a lot of research.  I found out that it doesn't have to be red meat, oil, fat based.  You actually eat a lot of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, brussel sprouts) and a protein of any sort.  I completely cut out carbs and sugar for six weeks.  After my six weeks I started introducing carbs back into my diet once or twice a week.  This doesn't mean you should do the same thing as me.  Find a diet that works for you, that you enjoy, and that you can stick to.  For me, it was Keto.  If you are curious of what a week of eating Keto is like, I filmed a video so feel free to Click Here and watch it.
2. Cut processed foods. It is crazy how much junk is in processed food that we eat without thinking twice.  I started making my own treats, bread, dressings, everything from scratch.  Yes it takes longer but your body will appreciate it so much. 
3. Walk/run 3 times a week for 30 mins.  You don't need a gym to stay active or lose weight.  The outdoors is free and it not only helps you lose weight, it helps you keep your mind clear.  I started using an app called Running and am currently training to do a 5K and in it I would run 3 times a week with intervals.  Make time to exercise 3 times a week, no excuses, and you will see and feel a huge change in your body.   
4. Make a bomb workout playlist! It's no surprise that I love music and this honestly motivates me to work out.  Music has a way of pushing you and making exercise fun.  I love house music for working out so I put back to back, pump it up music to get me moving and motivated!  My husband loves heavy rock, so find music that will literally get you pumped up and going.
5. Take measurements + before and after pictures.  There will be days that you will feel you have not made progress.  There will be days where you feel your body doesn't reflect what the scale says.  There will be days where you think you still need to lose more weight.  Whenever you feel this, pull up those measurements and compare them to how you currently look at that moment.  You will be surprised how much progress you have made and it will turn your spirits around.  This is when you will know that YES, you have lost weight, YES you can keep going, YES you should feel proud of how far you have come.     

Losing weight doesn't happen over night. So be patient and just keep going.  This journey is like a roller coaster.  Some days you will be feeling high and other days you will be feeling low. Just keep pushing.  If you want it BAD enough you will make it happen.

Remember to dream big, be brave, and explore life! Until next time healthy beauty XoXo