Optional: Tell us your success story!

df1982

As I just wrote in my post for today's optional mid-week weigh-in, I see that some people are here because they are ALREADY on a whole fitness-healthy eating-wellness kick, and just want some extra motivation to keep it up. That's awesome!

Or, maybe you have had some significant success in the past, but need to get back to prioritizing your health now - I would put myself in that camp. Either way, tell us your success stories! How have you stayed motivated and on-track in the past over longer time periods?

Fitness wise, I will say that one thing that has worked for me in the (rather distant) past is training for an event like a half marathon or sprint triathlon. While the time commitment for both of these is a bit much for me these days, I was thinking about signing up for a 5 km race at around the end of the 60 days. Paying the entrance fee is that extra bit of motivation to get going on the days when you just don't feel like getting out there and exercizing.

Another fitness-related thing that has worked well for me more recently has been doing Jillian Anderson's 30 Day Shred video whenever I can fit it in. Because it's only 20 minutes or so, I'm not able to make as many excuses for skipping it (versus a scheduled one-hour spin class at the gym, for example) - OF COURSE I have 20 minutes to spare to lift some weights and do some jumping jacks at home! Even though it's short, I have really noticed a change in my strength as a result of doing it somewhat consistently.

Eating and wellness wise, I have much less to contribute, ha ha ha. I'm hoping to learn some helpful tips and tricks from you guys though!

JoyfulToday

Two summers ago when I finished college I was upset that I had gained the freshman 20!! I did a cleanse program and only lost like 5 pounds. I decided to keep with the cleanse idea and rid my diet of 3 things:
Dairy products
Refined flours
Added sugar and artificial sweeteners

This was very difficult, especially after eating the college diet for 4 years, but it was almost like a game I was playing with myself to see what would happen to my body, my mood, and my skin after a month of doing this. I stuck with this challenge about 90% of the time, so there was some cheating, but I noticed a dramatic difference in my skin (little pimples were gone!) and my body (I lost 15 pounds doing this for about 5 months without really "dieting"). I did not deprive myself and yet over time the pounds came off!

And guess what, I wasn't even exercising!

Don't get me wrong, exercise is critical for health, but for those of you who are having a hard time losing weight even though you're exercising, I would take a good hard look at your diet.

I stopped eating this way for a year or so and put on some pounds, but for the last 7 months I have been dairy free, I have been gluten free since January (on and off- it was hard in the beginning), and I use pretty much just honey, Stevia, maple syrup, agave, and the occasional raw or coconut sugar for my baking cooking and snacking .

I am pretty thin now (just here to be ready to rock a bikini come summer time) and I have cut out these things not so much for weight loss but for my health. I have thyroid problems and gluten is terrible on your thyroid. I also have blood sugar swings so I'm trying to calm them down. I have been struggling with chronic fatigue for years, and eating a clean, whole diet is one way I am trying to regain my health.

I realize the different bodies respond well to different things and everyone is so unique, some do well on low carb, some on low fat, and some get thin on vegetarian diets. Many of you think "Lord have mercy I cannot give up bread!" I had a love affair with gourmet cheese, but dropping 5 lbs just giving up dairy alone made me eventually not crave it like I used to.

But hear me out, no one can go wrong by eliminating gluten and sugar from their diets. My boyfriend is a doctor and his mother is a nutritionist and they are constantly telling their patients that if they have health problems these things may be contributors. There are actually hundreds of ways that sugar can ruin your health. Once I understood the way the body works and became convinced that what I put in was either poison or medicine it made it much easier for me to maintain this lifestyle.

So I would suggest to anyone who has never given up either dairy, gluten, or sugar, maybe just try it for a month get creative with alternate foods and recipes, eat a ton of veggies, and after awhile you won't even miss it anymore!!

Anyone cut out these or other things and seen great benefits?

df1982

I did the Whole30 in January (no dairy, no gluten, no added sugar, among other things) - I couldn't believe how much better I felt, physically and mentally. I never felt deprived, but I lost around 5-10 pounds. It's hard to stick to - I love cheese and bread - but the results are nothing short of miraculous if you can. That was my experience at least! Thanks for sharing!