Healthy Eating Tips & Recipes by Jules: My Story and Journey To Living a Healthier Life!

I wrote this on, January 19, 2011, and shared this with all of my Facebook friends. I wanted to share this on my blog as well. I also posted "Before and After" pictures to show everyone my progress through this life changing journey. At the bottom you will see today's date with where I am at today. (I tried to sum up everything, but it turned out to be a rather long blog...just wanted to let everyone know that, lol)!

Just a Little History...

A couple of years after Jason and I got married (July 2001) I started to gain a lot of weight. I have no other explanation other than I loved food and ate whatever I wanted and never exercised. When I could no longer wear my size 14 jeans and had to go buy a size 16 I knew something had to change. Very shortly after I decided to start Weight Watchers. I had family, friends and coworkers that had all had success with it. I learned how WW worked and within a year I lost 43 lbs. I never thought I would lose as much as I did and I got down to a size 4 before my first pregnancy. I was pregnant twice and miscarried both times before getting pregnant with Nathan. I kept all but 15 pounds off before getting pregnant with him. I gained 25 more pounds during my pregnancy with Nate. After having him I tried to do WW a few times, but never really stuck to it for any length of time. Shortly after Nathan turned a year old we decided to start trying for another baby. I had lost some weight but wasn't where I needed to be. I gained 46 pounds during my pregnancy with Dylan. I knew it was going to be really hard to lose this weight... and honestly I LOVED food too much and had decided that I didn't want to diet for the rest of my life. I again tried WW and just couldn't stick to it for very long. I lost a little weight, but had so much more to lose. I would tell myself to just accept that I was over weight and try to enjoy life. Obviously this is a hard thing to do when you are extremely unhappy with how you look and don't feel healthy. I had given up and just flat out didn't care to focus on it anymore.

The Weight Loss Journey Begins...

On May 7, 2010, I woke up on a regular morning and decided to cook cinnamon rolls for the boys and my breakfast. While our breakfast was cooking in the oven I got a call from Jason... The first words out of his mouth were, "Let's start doing Weight Watchers today." My first thought was, "I can't because I'm making cinnamon rolls for breakfast!" But I agreed that we should and was happy that we decided to start this journey together! So back to those cinnamon rolls...I ate 1 instead of my usual 3 that morning!!! This was a big deal!!! I was enjoying all the unhealthy food way too much and needed to give this another try especially since we would be doing it together!

Dylan was close to 2 years old (May 2010) and I had gotten off 33 pounds since he was born. My weight would go up and down, but I had reached a weight that was pretty much staying the same. I was in a size 12 at this point. The first week we started Weight Watchers together I lost 4.5 pounds and was excited that the weight was coming off. By June 1st I had lost 7 pounds. Jason and I had started walking in the evenings some and I was doing Yoga sometimes as well. At the end of June I was up to a total loss of 12.5 pounds. At our 3 month mark (August 6th) I had lost a total of 19 pounds doing strictly Weight Watchers, which was a total of 52 pounds since having Dylan 2 years prior. Needless to say, I was happier and feeling great about myself.

The week of August 9, 2010, I did a High Intense "Boot Camp" with a group of ladies and at that point realized I needed to try and get myself on a better exercise routine. It was one of the most challenging things I have ever done! I will be the first to admit that exercising is not one of my favorite things to do, but I always feel great afterwards. The following week I started exercising more on my own. I continued on a pretty regular basis for about a month. Shortly after I started having some personal medical problems and couldn't exercise as often as I was. That's all taken care of now and I am trying to get back to my workouts! I constantly have to tell myself I feel so much better when I exercise and I need to stick with it!

Moving On...I want to start by saying that I think Weight Watchers is a great diet. It worked great for me both times that I was serious about losing weight. I think you learn a lot about portion sizes and are forced to look at the nutritional facts, which results in better food choices. One thing I do want to mention is that I have never gone to a Weight Watcher meeting. With my own home scale, the points finder, all the WW books, and the internet I felt like I knew enough about how WW worked that I didn't need to go to the meetings. It obviously works and I give a huge amount of credit to Weight Watchers for my weight loss.

Why "The Abs Diet?"

By September 20, 2010, I reached a total weight loss of 57.5 pounds since having Dylan... So here's the answer to some of the questions about why I switched to The Abs Diet. I had reached a point in this journey where I wanted to change things up. I no longer wanted to "count points." Believe me I will say that counting points WORKS, but I knew I didn't want to do it forever! I wanted something that I could realistically stick to for the rest of my life. Since having 2 babies obviously my body isn't the same and even with my weight loss my stomach has always bothered me. I started to research how to get a Six Pack. During this search I kept coming across "The Abs Diet for Women: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Belly and Firm Up Your Body For Life by David Zinczenko. I viewed his book on Amazon.com and in just the first few chapters I read I was HOOKED!!! I went to the Library and brought home every book of his that was on the shelf...2 heavy bags, I think it was 11 books!! I learned so much in just a short time and was EXCITED!!! There are so many things that you will learn in the beginning of his book and it will make you want to keep reading. I now have a couple of books on my Kindle and refer back to them almost daily!

My Results...

In just the first 2 weeks of following this plan I lost 1 inch in my waist and 1/2 inch in my hips and another 2.5 pounds. By November I lost another 2 inches in my waist and hips and another 5 pounds. Needless to say...this plan works and I do not at all feel like I am dieting. As of today, January 19, 2011, I am at a total weight loss of 70 lbs since having Dylan almost 2 1/2 years ago. I still have areas of my body that need to be toned and I know if I continue to exercise it will improve. Bottom line...I'm happier, I feel great about myself, and I look in the mirror and I'm proud of myself for sticking to this!!

I think the key to losing weight and keeping it off is most definitely developing good eating habits. Exercise of course is also important, but learning what to eat and what not to eat is the KEY! The Abs Diet will focus on 12 Power Foods that will actually help you burn fat. You are not at all limited to just these foods, but they should be put into your 6 meals per day. I eat every 2-3 hours (3 meals and 3 small snacks throughout the day) and I do not at all feel deprived and I rarely ever have cravings. Once you start reading "The Abs Diet" this will all make sense. He starts explaining things in the very beginning. It's a very easy book to read and not at all complicated to understand. He also gives you weekly meal plans and workout plans to follow. I have never followed it exactly, but have gotten some great ideas on what to eat throughout the day. This book is so worth reading!! This has been life changing for us!! This is just simply how we eat now! We eat healthy and don't miss the cookies and all the white bread, lol! And btw...I don't follow a recipe at every meal. In the beginning I definitely cooked his recipes (and still do sometimes), but now I just know what foods to eat and that's what I cook with. It's very simple! I've told a few friends to give themselves at least 2 weeks to get used to it and it gets easier. You will make a few grocery trips, but once you start buying all the "right" foods your grocery bill won't be any different from how it used to be. Also just wanted to mention that David Zinczenko has other books that he wrote before this book came out. This book just has extra things in it for women, but is the same book for men as well. Another favorite book I have of his is "The Abs Diet Eat Right Every Time Guide." It has tons more recipes and lots of other great information.

May 16, 2011

An update on where I am at on my healthier living journey...

I wanted to mention before I begin that I am a full time stay at home mom and wife. With two little boys (who are almost 5 and 3)...There is never a dull moment in our house. I stay very busy! Being that life is so busy, I try to remind myself daily to not neglect myself. This all together has made me a happier person! Living healthy is so important for so many reasons!

I have always enjoyed cooking and trying new recipes. Since my 70 pound weight loss and learning to cook and eat healthier, I love it even more!! Now that I know what to eat and what NOT to eat, creating & cooking my own recipes has been tons of fun!!

Since sharing my story with friends and family, I have had so many ask for healthy eating tips and recipes. I started thinking how neat it would be to create a Facebook page and a new blog to share all my tips and recipes with everyone who may be interested in following. As of 30 seconds ago I checked and there are 85 people who have "Liked" my new Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/foodbyjules
This makes me so excited!! Once I realized that living a healthier life and sticking to it was easy, I wanted to share with everyone my success!! I will say it again...this is just how we eat now and do not at all feel like we are dieting. 6 meals a day and eating the right foods is the key!! I am here to share the things that have worked for myself and my husband (who by the way, has lost almost 80 lbs in just 1 year)!! Eating healthy doesn't mean you can't enjoy food! I hope to inspire those that want to change their life! Feel free to ask me anything, and remember...no question is a stupid question! If I don't know the answer I will try my very best to get you an answer!

Thank you all so much for taking time out of your busy lives to read my story! Happy and Healthy Cooking! See pictures below from most recent to 1 month after my second son was born.