Making a change

A lot of people ask how I got from point A:

To point B:

And to be quite honest with you, I get a little stumped for an answer. Not because I don't want to help people, I guess just more that I've been doing it for so long I don't think about it? I'm going to do my best to make a list, and hopefully it will help you if you are looking for a change.

1.) I had to be ready to make a change. I thought the way I was eating that I was happy. But in reality I had no motivation or energy to get up and do anything.
2.)Listening to when my body was full. Growing up (especially at family functions) I was taught if you weren't bursting at the seams, you didn't get enough to eat. I kept that mentality going into adulthood, even more so once I got pregnant with my son (who I gained 100 pounds with)
3.) Cook at home. We had got in a bad habit of eating out at least five times a week. I looked up a lot of recipes to make from scratch. Not only did we save money, the quality and the taste couldn't be beat!
4.) Make small changes. Before I would try and eliminate everything at once. I found that when I did that and got the opportunity to eat it, I would binge eat whatever it was. This time I made small, subtle changes. You wouldn't think it, but even the smallest change can make you feel a world of difference!
5.) Keep an open mind. I made it a challenge to myself to eliminate some of the fake stuff in my diet and replace it with a healthier version. I knew it wasn't going to taste the same, so went in with it open minded. The more I experimented with it, the more I found it to be even tastier then the original food I once loved.
6.) Learning to listen to my body after I ate something: did it leave me feeling bloated, stomach hurting, and tired? Or did it leave me feeling light and energized, ready to take on any task? Once I learned the difference it became pretty easy to eliminate (dairy and grains were my two biggest ones)
7.) Being patient with myself. There were a lot of times I got frustrated, thinking I can't do this. When my husband wasn't here to pep talk me, as silly as it sounds, I would pep talk myself in the mirror, reminding myself why I was doing this.
8.)Being consistent with changes I wouldn't just eliminate something for a week then go back to eating it.
Once I got consistent with changes it was like the weight just melted off. But as crazy as it sounds, this journey became much more than just losing weight for me. I don't really get sick anymore, and when I do, it really is just minor and I can bounce back within a couple of days. My skin is much clearer, and while before when my monthly cycle would hit, I would be in excruciating pain, now I can barely notice any pain (just to name a few). The greatest gift? I get to get up and be active with my kids, and not feel (totally) exhausted. Believe me they are not the healthiest eaters (although they have learned to like a few things I eat). I get to pass this knowledge on to them: You don't just have to eat whatever to survive. You can eat to thrive. That food can truly be the best medicine.

Thank you so much for reading guys. I truly hope it can help someone reading as it helped me.