The "secret" to a healthy lifestyle...

    I am constantly being asked "how did you do it?" or "what's your secret?" And I can honestly say that there is no secret! It isn't a secret pill, shake,  wrap, or fab diet. It is counting calories,  portion control,  working out, hard work, and dedication! I knew this was not going to be a temporary thing and that's why I decided to make a lifestyle change!

 

 

    The best way to track your calorie intake is with the free app myfitnesspal that I'm constantly talking about!  It is truly a lifesaver!  You input your current weight and your goal weight then you will choose how many pounds a week you would like to lose. From there it will generate your net calories consumed for the day! You can scan or manually input your food,  and for most accurate results you will input how many calories you burned working out.  Myfitnesspal really put in perspective for me how many calories in a day I need and how many I ate before January 2014! I honestly don't even want to know how many calories a day I consumed before!  The first couple weeks are hard!  It's best to keep yourself busy and to only keep healthy food in the house to resist temptation for the first few weeks! 

Please feel free to add me on myfitnesspal!

 

   As far as tracking the calories that you burn, I highly suggest getting a Polar Fit watch! I have the Polar ft7 but unless you care about logging your workouts on the computer then I'd recommend the Polar ft4 because it's a little cheaper.  It is the most easy to use and accurate way of tracking your calories burned because it comes with a heart rate monitor.  I wouldn't recommend any other device. The other brands are truly overpriced and the reviews were not that great! 

 

                        

 

*tip* If you do not want to buy it on Amazon, buy it at Best Buy because they price match with Amazon!
 

     I will say this over and over again that meal prepping is your best friend!  If you spend one or two evenings a week meal prepping you can have lunch and dinner made for a couple weeks for yourself!  If the meals are cooked I have no excuses! I cant say "oh, well there's nothing at home so I'm going to stop and pick something up." Because there is ALWAYS something at home!  Some of the stuff my kids will not eat, and I just have to whip them up something quick. People say "eating healthy is expensive", but I highly disagree.  Ever since I stopped buying junk and portion my food out I go through way less food, in fact our grocery bill has went down!

This is just a small glimpse of what I meal prep every week, and my freezer full of meals ready to eat! 

In the end the secret is:

-You have to be willing to change your health habits! Throw out the junk food, and trade them for healthy snacks, fruits and vegetables! 

 

-Will power- you will be surrounded by fatty, unhealthy foods every single day! I would be lying if I said I didn't have my cravings and occasional cheat meals. You need to have the will power to have the cheat meal once a week and get right back on track!

 

-Determination- You have to want it!  No one can make you want it!  If you want it bad enough you will make the time to eat healthy, meal prep, and workout!  

 

Weight loss is 80% in the kitchen, 20% in the gym!