Lost 37 pounds, before and after pics posted!

SammySweetheart

I am posting this for anyone who needs a little motivation and to show people that it IS possible to get to your goal weight!!! It just takes strength, determination, and a LOT of discipline.

I weighed 155 in the photo in the white tank top about 4 years ago. The bikini photo with no face is from about a year ago. The photo in the dress sitting on the ledge was taken about a month ago for a modeling shoot. My main photo was taken last week, just after I won a bikini contest.

I did it by cutting out grains, gluten, soy, and dairy from my diet and avoiding processed and fried foods. Lots of meat, lots of fruit, lots of vegetables, lots of nuts and lots of fats.

Good luck to you all, and let me know if you'd like any advice or help.

Sam

LizC26

Awesome!!!! You look amazing!!!

abeautifulvoice

You look fabulous!! Great job and thank you for posting. Such an inspiration!

catecn

i love when people post things like that! it lets me know that it is possible and that i shouldnt lose hope! thank you, and like others have said, u look amazing!

_Sally_

Wow... you looked great before and your transformation is even more amazing. Congrats!

Thanks for posting... very inspiring.

knewbill72

Way to go Grokette!!

JoeyC07

too beautiful

melibea

You look amazing! How tall are you? Im guessing you're taller than me, but its inspiring that you lost about the same amount of weight i want to lose, but im only half way there. You look rock hard, love it!

I sent you a friend request.

27strange

Awesome! way to go! I love the the accomplishment stories when people reach their goal weight. You can literally feel their excitement and joy in the words from their post. Very motivating!

SammySweetheart

Thanks, all, for the kind words!

I am 5'5".

LexyDawn

Very inspiring! Thank you. You look stunning!

SammySweetheart

A lot of you are already asking for meal plans/ a more detailed description of the way I eat. I hope this helps!

***

The main objective of this diet (which is my own modified version of something called the Paleolithic diet) is to eat like a caveman or a cavewoman would. The idea is that our bodies have not had enough time to adapt since the introduction of processed foods and grains into the American diet. Compounds in grains have been shown to have inflammatory effects on the body because we have not properly evolved the right enzymes to digest these compounds. For example, a compound in wheat called phytic acid, lowers the body’s absorption of key nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Another example, gluten, has hormone-like effects on the body and causes cravings and weight gain (especially in the midsection). So, think like a caveman. You forage for some fruits, vegetables, and nuts. You find bird eggs and cook them. You hunt animals and eat them. So, try to eat all natural, free-range meats and organic fruits and vegetables. Do not eat bread, pasta, cereal, oats and rice. Stay away from legumes like beans, cashews and peanuts. Cut out potatoes. Try to limit your dairy consumption as well (it causes bloating). You will not only SEE a difference (you will lose a lot of stomach fat especially), but you will FEEL a difference- in your energy level, the quality of your sleep, and your moods!

Shopping List Example

Protein:

All Natural Chicken Breasts
Grass fed hamburger patties or all natural ground turkey
Nitrate-free deli ham and turkey
Nitrate-free bacon
Trader Joe’s has a delicious uncured apple smoked bacon that is to die for
All natural breakfast sausage
I like Trader Joe’s Chicken Breakfast Sausage and Whole Foods carries a yummy turkey maple sausage by Wellshire
Farms
Free-range brown eggs

Fats:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coconut oil
Roasted and unsalted pistachios
Raw unsalted macadamia nuts
Raw unsalted almonds
All natural almond butter
I love to spread this on some apple slices for a yummy snack!

Produce:

Strawberries
Bananas
Watermelon
Cantelope
Mango
Oranges
Apples
Carrots
Zucchini
Asparagus
Mushrooms
Lettuce
Spinach
Avocado

Misc.:

Larabars, Kind Bars (These are gluten free and are made entirely of fruits and nuts and are good for emergency snacks)
All natural Beef Jerky
Dairy Free Ice Cream (Henry’s and Whole Foods carries Coconut Milk based ice cream)
Almond Milk or Coconut Milk (To put in your coffee instead of dairy products)
Organic Hemp Seed (Sold at Whole Foods, this is a vegan protein with a pine nut taste and delivers 11g of protein for 3 tablespoons. Perfect to put in your smoothies or sprinkle on your salad for extra protein.)
Organic Chia Seed [Also sold at Whole Foods, this is a fantastic source of natural fiber (5 grams per tablespoon)]








Example Meal Plan:

Breakfast
Day 1
Tea with a lemon slice
Scrambled eggs cooked in olive oil
Breakfast sausages
A bowl of fruit or a fruit smoothie

Day 2
Coffee
Egg omelette with spinach and tomato
Bacon slices
A bowl of fruit or a fruit smoothie


Lunch
Day 1
Deli turkey or ham roll-ups wrapped up in lettuce with onions and avocado
¼ cup of mixed nuts
A piece of fruit

Day 2
Salad with grilled chicken, deli turkey or deli ham, bacon, avocado, and hard boiled egg (dressed with a little olive oil and vinegar)
¼ cup mixed nuts
A piece of fruit





Dinner
Day 1
Chicken breast with a side of asparagus sautéed in olive oil
A few squares of dark chocolate
5oz glass of red wine

Day 2
Grass-fed hamburger wrapped in lettuce with avocado and bacon
1 cup Dairy-free icecream, sorbet, or a bowl of fruit



Smoothie Recipes (My favorite breakfast) **I add hemp seed and chia seed for extra protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and fiber!**

Watermelon smoothie
Blend a 1/2 cup water with 1 cup of diced watermelon. Add 1 banana, 1 cup of strawberries, 1 cup of mango chunks, and a cup of ice. 300 calories, 9g of fiber

Strawberry Banana smoothie
Blend 1 cup water with 1 cup of apple slices. Add 1 banana, 2 cups of strawberries, and a cup of ice. 255 calories, 10g of fiber

Mango Smoothie
Blend 1/2 cup water with 1 juicing orange. [If you go for orange juice, realize most store-bought brands have added sugar and are pasteurized, which eliminates some of the nutrients] Add 1 banana, 1 cup of mango chunks, and a cup of ice. 274 calories, 8g of fiber

Doesn't-Taste-Green Smoothie
Blend 1 cup water with a cup of apple slices. Add 1 banana, 1 cup of mango chunks, 2 cups of baby spinach, and a cup of ice. 278 calories, 7g of fiber, 18mg of iron

***

Try this out for a couple weeks. Remember, no bread, no rice, no pasta, no pizza, no cereal. Limit dairy products. Try to stay away from soy products because they are genetically modified and not good for you. If you are desperate and need to do an In n Out run, make it a double meat hamburger, protein style. Nothing fried, nothing with preservatives, and nothing processed. If you’re not seeing the results you want, start cutting out alcohol and sweets and limit your fruit intake to a cup or one piece a day.

Sincerely,
Sam

tammietifanie

congrats girl!!!

skyls

You look awesome! That looks a lot like the south beach style diet I did at the beginning of this year. I believe whole grain foods are allowed on that though, and dairy, so I guess that would be the difference. I might have to try this for a few weeks, I love carbs, and sweets it would be hard!!

stephaniemariej

I'm hoping to drop 40 pds. How long did it take you to drop your weight? Also, what is your caloric goal & your exercise plan? Thanks for sharing your meal plan! It was very helpful & doable for me.

mustanggirl_2011

This was great, thanks for posting!

maureenx

Thank you for your posting...you look amazing, WELL DONE!!

jamja

I've lost over 90 pounds on the same plan. To everyone out there trying to find a sustainable lifestyle ...all I can say is this plan works. Not only did the weight come off but I feel great.

Funny thing is I never counted calories while losing weight. I only began to do so to figure out how to maintain....to avoid the ups and downs.

chellydee

You look great girl! Definitely need to read this! I need to lose 15 lbs by my birthday, i hoping your diet can help me.

TimTamGirl

Truly amazing results.

Do you or did you feel like "what am I going to eat?" at any time because it is such a raw diet?

Also, how do you cope with take-away foods or eating out?

Silly questions I know, but I would really like to try this sort of eating plan.

Thanks :flowerforyou:

SammySweetheart

TimTamGirl,

At first, it was difficult. The simple carb cravings sucked, but after 7-10 days you stop craving. Because it is such a raw diet, the amount of fiber you get keeps you full and fruit, of course, is very satisfying. Simple grab-and-go snacks include hardboiled eggs, fruit, veggie spears, beef jerky, apples and almond butter, etc. Eating out I have things like chicken salad, avocado bacon burger without the bun, baked chicken wings (coal-fired chicken wings are my fave), flatiron steak, etc. For drinking, I usually have a glass of wine or hard apple cider.

Let me know if there's anything else you're wondering about!

Sam

MissMaggie3

Fabulous! Absolutely fabulous!

And you diet is interesting. Very, very interesting. I'm going to have to investigate the possibilities for vegetarians ...

Rainbow_Brite86

WHOOP!!

SammySweetheart

Hemp seed for vegetarian protein is one of my best friends!