MONDAY MORNING POST: WAKING UP WITH ENERGY AND FEELING SATISFIED -- READ WHY FOOD PRINT FOR LIFE FINALLY WORKED FOR KATHY AFTER YEARS OF TRYING OTHER WAYS OF GETTING HEALTHY AND FIT.

Hi Deborah! 

Trying to put my experience so far into words was challenging, but I gave it a shot.

After meeting with you, Greg and I went to Whole Foods the next day. We went through everything in the pantry and investigated which of our "go-to" options were now off limits (contained sugar) and which were still good. We put everything off limits in its own spot, and everything good front and center.

We bought the "Deb Approved" bread, the veggies, the hummus (so much hummus!) the "Deb Approved" crackers, the whole list, and then we just did it. It helped, because there was no time to think about it. The longer I think about things, the more likely I am to justify not doing it. Even the people I talked to, who support my goals, would say things like "cutting out all processed sugar? That's too hard, why not just most?". It doesn't help.

So, we just did it. 4 days after we started, I went on a trip, and everything got harder. All this great new food I'd just bought wasn't available, so I just tried to stick to the basic rules. Fish and chicken. Protein with every meal. No starch after 4. And even with a 3 day break in the middle where I had to eat out every day, and even had some drinks, I've lost 10 lbs since we laid out a plan 4 weeks ago. I'm never hungry. My workouts are strong, and I'm more motivated to do them. Several days a week, I start my morning already energized. I drink less coffee. I do circus, and my tricks are getting better so much faster. My clothes fit differently. My body already looks different. I'm trying on wedding dresses in June, and I actually BELIEVE that I will be the right size by then - because I'm continuing to consistently lose weight, and because the eating is getting easier, rather than harder.

I have been trying to lose weight for over two years - ever since I started gaining it. That whole time I worked out. I thought hard about my food. I did everything I thought would help, but I wasn't consistent. And obviously none of that worked. I love food. I love cheese, and I love beer, and I love(d) having starch with dinner. It just seemed to round out my plate, and I felt like as long as I chose good starches (farro, quinoa, etc) it couldn't be too bad. Now I feel like it's not that it's BAD - it's not but  no starch after 4 is so GOOD. I wake up feeling better. I enjoy it more during breakfast and lunch. I eat as much dinner as I want because there is no such thing as too much fish and veggies, and that is SO NICE when I'm hungry. I love making huge portions, eating all of it, and feeling no guilt whatsoever about it. No temptation means nothing to worry about.

If you try to stick to the plan for 3 weeks - just 3 - it helps. Because then you have your baseline. You find out what you like about it, and what drives you nuts. I prioritize my treats differently now than I would have before I did a full 3 weeks clean. Plus, once you get 4 days in, you realize it's not worth it to lose all the effort you just put in. In something like this, it's been easier (in some ways) to let go and realize that if MY idea of what I should eat worked, I wouldn't be in this situation to begin with.

So, if I were to give advice, I would say trust the process. At least try, for two weeks. At that point, at least you know.

Thanks for everything - obviously I'm loving it!

Kathy