What is so hard about CLEAN EATING????

DISCIPLINE....that is what so hard about CLEAN EATING!  Just when you think you have nipped it in the bud.....you smell something so good....and you think....how can something that smells so good be so bad for me?  Yep.....DISCIPLINE!

This blog is a list of things that I HAVE NOT EATEN in 9 weeks:  (this is stuff that I would normally eat on any given occasion)
pizza
pizza
pizza
cheese
cheese
cheese
cereal
milk
dry creamer
chicken pot pie from Cheddar's Restaurant
Taco Cabana
Taco Cabana
Taco Cabana
Whataburger
Burger King
McDonald's
sodas
diet sodas
orange juice
apple juice
any kind of juice
mexican rice
refried beans
flour tortillas
pizza
pizza
pizza
potato chips
tortilla chips (i have had a few of these)
lime chips (i have had a few of these)
doritos
frito pie
cheese
cheese
cheese
beef
pork
any kind of salsa that came out of a jar
hot dogs
deli meat
white rice
Chipotle
pickles
eggs with the yolk
breakfast sausage
bacon
ice cream
cookies
cupcakes
pasta (other than whole wheat spaghetti that my nutritionist allowed me to have)
pop tarts
bagels with cream cheese
bread
bread
bread
bread.....

I'm sure there is way more food that I have not eaten, but these are the ones that I can still remember because I'm sure I still want to eat them LOL!  '

Check out what you get when you do have DISCIPLINE:

these are some size 14 capris I'm trying to get into

these size 14 pants when I first tried them on....DID NOT GO UP PAST MY MID THIGHS!  Now they are buttoned and zipped.  They still feel a little snug, but hey....ALMOST THERE!

I bought these Size 14 pants for a wedding.  They fit me loose and I probably will have to give them away soon!

9 weeks...LIME CHIPS...SIZE 14....DETERMINATION!

In the middle of the 9th week and things a rolling pretty good.  New menu makes things go faster.  I love that.  I love when my nutritionist sends me my new menus and recipes and all that good stuff.  It makes the next 2 weeks go by faster.

Being in the middle of 9 weeks, I feel like a lot has happened.  With so many people around me, I would say that I still struggle with junk food.  I smell pizza and it overwhelms me.  I smell potato chips and I am in heaven.  2 days of last week, my husband made some guacamole dip for a party we were going to.  When we arrived to my daughter's apartment, i grabbed some lime chips and took a few dips in the guacamole.  I'm not gonna lie....it was DELICIOUS!  Even more, those lime chips.....wow! Why would someone invent those horribly delicious chips!!!  LOL.  Anyways, I took a few tortilla chips and dipped into the guacamole dip again.  I was done.  After that....it was over.  I ate my meal I had brought and enjoyed it with some home-made salsa someone had brought.

2 days later, we were back at my daughter's apartment eating left overs from the party (I was eating my food), but there was a little guacamole left from the party.  I didn't have the guacamole, but I did grab me like 8 more lime chips.  Ate them and then I was done.  After that I ate my food.

So why do I write about the lime chips?  Because I love them!  Ha Ha!  But you really want to know why I'm writing about the lime chips?  I STOPPED EATING THEM!  Back in the day I would of eaten half the bag or probably the whole bag in ONE SITTING.  I would of devoured the guacamole dip and paid the price later on the toilet!  I kept thinking about those chips I ate as we were driving home.  You really want to know how I felt after?  NOT GUILTY!  But I actually felt proud because I STOPPED!

This is what I realized:  LIME CHIPS taste good, i will always love them, i will always want to eat them, they have a lot of salt, they taste good, i want them, don't bring them to my house, I CAN STOP MYSELF FROM EATING THEM!

So yea, just in case some of you are wondering if I am going over board on this nutrition thing....well yea I am.  Why?  Because it is MY LIFE STYLE......

I've been asked many times...so will you ever get to eat pizza, potato chips, cheese, etc?  I answer...I CAN EAT IT NOW IF I WANT....and BELIEVE ME I WANT TOO.....but it's not WORTH IT....

I'm sure there will come a time where I will eat pizza again, eat a sandwich with chips, etc., but when that time comes....I'll make sure to write my blog while I'm sitting on the toilet NOT ENJOYING what I ate :)

I went to the groceries yesterday, and I knew I was going to run into meal time.  so I put the shaker with protein powder in my purse, while in line to pay, I grabbed a cold water from the coolers there, poured it in, drank it and asked the cashier to charge me for the water...DONE!!  Any other time, I would of grabbed a bag of chips right there where they are displayed, open it and eat!

The moment when you feel overwhelmed........

What an incredible 7 weeks this has been!  Right after my 6 week follow-up, I found myself deep into a project.  During the 7th week I was preparing for an event taking place at my work.  Everyday of week 7 kept me so busy.  Each day of that week I was not able to go work out.  That was the first sign that I knew it was going to be crazy!  Don't get me wrong, I love this kind of craziness!  I live for it!  But I started getting nervous as the event was getting closer.  Nervous...why?  Was I going to be able to maintain my clean eating?  Would I use the busyness as an excuse just to eat what was offered?

Thursday came.....I made it!  I was surrounded by snacks.  I was surrounded by deli meat.  I was surrounded by chips and sodas!  I did it!  I kept my CLEAN EATING before me....no matter what!

Friday came....I made it!  Same stuff in front of me for 8 hours!  The end of the event it was time to get things put away and finished.  By the time I got home on Friday, I felt good.  First of all, the event went great.  Second, I came home NOT exhausted (physically).  I told my nutritionist that this was the first time my ankles/feet did not swell up.  I had been on my feet for over 8 hours.  My feet were not tired or did not ache.  Why?  20 pounds lighter will do MIRACLES!!!  LOVE IT!  And no snacks in my body full of sodium.

Saturday came and I got to sleep in.  This was heaven.  I gradually got up, made my breakfast and enjoyed my quiet time.  No one was home and this was beautiful.  I then got up and went to work for a few hours.  When I arrived home, I began to make dinner for my family.  During the day I was off a little on my eating schedule.  I knew this was going to mess me up, but not like real bad.  And then it happened.  I was alone again....hubby was in the room studying, but no one else was around.  I'm in the kitchen and whatever reason, I can't explain.  I just wanted to grab a fork and dig into the dinner I made for my family.  I not only wanted to eat it, but I wanted to EAT IT ALL!  Then I wanted some chips. And then I wanted cookies.  Why now?  Why now would this be so hard?  Why not during the event when all those stupid snacks were right there?  I found my answer.  Before I share my answer....let me just say that I did something right then and there that I can say is what WE SHOULD ALL DO for anything in our lives that we are so weak at.

I PUT ALL THE FOOD AWAY OUT OF SIGHT!  I JUST GOT IT OUT OF SIGHT!  I did not eat any of it.  And then I was fine.  After that, I began to process everything.  Why now?  What happened? I had not gone to work out for an entire week.  Some of you may think, what did that have to do with it?  EVERY TIME I WORK OUT, IT HELPS ME GET MY MIND OFF OF EVERYTHING!  The endorphins that come out of me during work out......YES!!!  I am able to release stress from EVERYTHING!  So by the time Saturday came and everything was quiet and settled.....it hit me hard!
Yea, working out is not just to get in shape...it's a great stress release!

During this weekend I had various conversations with various people about clean eating.  All I found myself saying...."it's a lifestyle".  When something throws off your lifestyle...it can really mess you up. Because I have chosen this life style, something that comes along that messes it up.....will mess me up. Something that used to be my lifestyle that hurt me, was back and it did not feel good.

So I ask, why would I ever want something to come back into my life to mess me up?  Sure stress is always going to be there.  Events will come and go.  People will come and go.  It's how we deal with them is what counts.  Working out helps me deal with it.  FOOD would just make it worse.

No, I'm not saying that I will conquer the next time or the next or the next...but I did it this time and that means a lot to me.  If I did it this time......I can do it again.

This is what I think....
If you need to make a life choice that is going to better your life.....then do it.  Just do it....one day at a time.  Don't set a goal that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt you can't even reach.  Set a "today" goal.  Don't set a time limit for your "day" goal.  Don't set a "I will do what she/he is doing" goal because people will fail you.  Just do it for YOU.  If you find yourself taking it one day at a time....then you know it is becoming a LIFE STYLE.....

My nutritionist told me to pick up one of these today...to remind me how much weight I use to carry around 6 weeks ago!!!!

The FOLLOW-UP after 6 weeks...

Today at 3:30pm I had my follow-up.
6 weeks of:
NO JUNK FOOD
NO BURGERS
NO PIZZA
NO SODAS
NO DIET SODAS
NO CHEESE
NO CHEESE
NO CHEESE.........

6 weeks of:
DISCIPLINE
DETERMINATION
DEDICATION
WORKING OUT
CONSISTENCY
FAITH in GOD
FAITH in ME
FAITH.........

Here we are today.  August 2, 2013 (Friday)...I'm sitting in the hotel room...a little nervous....so glad my husband went with me.

In 6 weeks I lost 20 pounds!  My nutritionist was so amazed!  I was amazed!  My husband was amazed!  My nutritionist said I broke all records!  WHEN SHE SAID THIS....it made me laugh....a really GOOD INSIDE FEELING LAUGH!!!

Wow!  What else do you want me to say in this blog?  I have nothing else to say.....oh yeah...here it is...
I AM OFFICIALLY A SIZE 14!  I AM OFFICIALLY OUT OF THE 200 pounds!  One more thing....I NOW BELIEVE IT....I am a PETITE woman.  My nutritionist said it too!!!!

There are other numbers I want to share with you.  My measurements and all that, but that will come later.  I HAVE HEALTHY NUMBERS and I WORKED MY BUTT OFF FOR THEM!!!! Literally!!!!!!!

My trainer rewarded me with this bracelet...I <3 being

in SHAPE!!!