One of the most frequent questions I get asked is “how do I stay motivated?”. Everyone always wants to know the secret to staying motivated on a weight loss journey. Motivation is a funny thing. It’s something that we can easily have an infinite amount of or none at all. And it’s all up to the individual! Motivation is the force that drives a person to repeat a behavior. And it is generally considered to be one of the most important factors that drive change within an individual. So basically, it’s pretty important. I totally understand losing motivation while on a weight loss journey. While I may have it figured out now, it still took me over 25 years and lots of attempts before I really grasped how motivation works. And whether you have 5 pounds to lose or over a hundred, figuring out motivation is hard. But there are a few tips and tricks that make a big difference in staying motivated. And I’m sharing those with you below! This post contains affiliate links. See Disclosure for details. Opinions are my own. Tips For Staying Motivated On Your Weight Loss Journey Know Your Why: Knowing your true reasons for […]
Post contains affiliate links. See Disclosure for details. Opinions are my own. When I think of the Easter season I think of endless chocolate! Easter is one of those holidays where people don’t realize how quickly you can load up on unnecessary calories. Between chocolate, candy, baked goods, and holiday dinners, its really easy to get carried away! But Easter doesn’t have to be unhealthy! You can still enjoy a delicious Easter dinner and desserts without falling off the healthy eating wagon. Instead, this round-up of healthy plant-based Easter recipes will bring your family together and help you stick to healthy eating. Plant-Based Easter Recipes Even Meat-Eaters Will Love Easter is a holiday that brings family together around the dinner table. But most people agree, feeding so many different tastes can be challenging. This can be even more so if you’re planning a plant-based meal for meat-eaters. For many people, Easter tends to be very animal specific (lots of ham, eggs and lamb) but its definitely doable to sub out these meat-based mains for a healthy, plant-based alternative. Check out my list of nutritious, plant-based recipes below and comment on which is your fav! Easter Breakfast Carrot Cake Banana Bread: […]
Contains affiliate links. See Disclosure for details. Opinions are my own. Honestly, part of me barely knows where to begin with this post! There are so many aspects of a large weight-loss journey that have been surprise. Or at least, many things I hadn’t previously thought about. At the beginning of my journey I was like most people with a large amount of weight to lose. All I could focus on was the scale and numbers. When I started my journey I was 249 lbs, a new twin-mom, and was overwhelmed by life. While I had been overweight all my life, I had never before been this overweight. I was in a really low place. I was so close to tipping the scales over to 250 lbs and for me, I knew that if that happened, I would fall down a hole that I might never be able to get out of. So that was the first day that I pushed play on a fitness program. And from there, I never looked back. It was about putting one foot in front of the other. Numbers, Numbers, Numbers When I started my weight loss journey, it was all about the numbers. […]
This post contains affiliate links #ads. See Disclosure for details. Opinions are my own. Eating a plant-based diet is one of the fastest-growing food trends worldwide. The number of people moving toward a plant-based diet has been steadily increasing since 2017. So you might be asking yourself, what is it all about? Is this something for me? What Is A Plant-Based Diet? A plant-based diet focuses on whole, minimally processed foods. The diet emphasizes eating plants including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes as your primary food sources. This way of eating minimizes or eliminates animal products including meat, dairy, and eggs from your diet. There have been many studies over the years showing the many health benefits of eating a plant-based diet. Overall, eating a diet high in plants and very low in animal products has been shown to significantly lower one’s risk of developing coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and high blood pressure. A plant-based diet, when done correctly, contains all the protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that a person needs for a healthy diet. In fact, studies have shown that a plant-based diet is often higher in fiber and phytonutrients. Can I Eat Keto and Plant-Based? […]
Water is my jam. But believe it or not, I used to have a really hard time drinking water. I couldn’t drink a straight glass of clear water, I always felt the need to add water flavouring. Which isn’t healthy at all, let’s be honest. And I’m almost embarrassed to say how long that lasted. Let’s put it this way, I was a parent before my H2O habits changed. But when I finally decided to get serious about my health, I knew I needed to be drinking more water. And not just more H2O, but more clear and plain H2O. Now, weaning myself off of the sugary water “enhancers” was a separate (and difficult) task. And if you struggle with drinking enough water and think that adding water enhancers with help, I urge caution. Firstly, once you start using them, its a hard habit to break. Secondly, is drinking flavoured water better than soda or juice? Just barely. The truth is that these water flavours contain artificial sweeteners, colours and more, and there is not nearly enough research done to say whether they help or hinder weight-loss. There are other ways to add flavour to your water (if you feel […]
A food binge doesn’t need to be a game-ender. If you struggle with binge and emotional eating then this post is for you! I’ve talked about changing my relationship with food in another post but I only lightly touched the topic of emotional eating. Emotional eating was (and in many ways still is) the biggest hurdle in my health journey. My inability to control how I used food was always my downfall. And there was the terrible habit of letting a single food binge equal automatic failure. Post contains affiliate links. See Disclosure for details. Opinions are my own. I used to think that a food binge meant that I had failed myself. I used it to berate myself about my lack of self-control, to call myself a gross loser, and to validate my feelings of worthlessness. Then I would let a single binge destroy any and all progress I had made. And the downward spiral would begin for the umpteenth time. Are you using food to fuel your body or abuse it? Answering this question honestly was one of the first steps toward healing my relationship with food. It’s kind of like the AA mantra, the first step toward […]
Changing my relationship with food is an ongoing process. When I talk to other people about health and fitness, food is always the biggest pain point. Many of us who live in western culture tend to have a deformed relationship with food. Although when I think about it, even that statement isn’t entirely true. It’s more like we have bizarre relationships with food-like products. Because, when was the last time you heard someone talk about their out of control stir-fry addiction? And I’ve never heard anyone berate themselves because they went back for that second serving of sautéed vegetables. But if I replace the words stir-fry and vegetables with chips, candy, or anything covered in cheese and it’s a different story. It’s these food-like products that have us chained to an unhealthy lifestyle. And it’s our attachments to these foods (and the meanings we’ve assigned to them) that hold us back. Post contains Affiliate links #ads. See Disclosure for details. Opinions are my own. Convenience isn’t that convenient. You know that saying, ‘if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is’? Adults of the ’80s and ’90s should have held that in mind when the convenience food explosion […]
Do You Struggle With Eating Enough Fruits and Vegetables? If you are used to eating a largely meat-based diet, adapting to a plant-based diet can be strange at first. I’ll be honest, training your palate to enjoy all the different tasting vegetables can be a challenge. But not to worry because I am here to help you out! Plant-based or not, if you are looking to include more fruits and vegetables into your diet, you have come to the right place! Eating more fruits and vegetables doesn’t have to be all about salads and juice. And it also doesn’t have to be difficult to include them in your meals. There are tons of delicious ways to eat fruits and vegetables! Why Add More Fruits and Veggies to Your Diet? The leading causes of death around the world (according to WHO) are coronary artery disease and stroke. Sadly, in the past 15 years, the number of people dying from these preventable diseases has only increased. Education and research surrounding diets are at a high, yet first world countries are slowing eating themselves to early and preventable deaths. Doctors and research worldwide largely agree that a “heart healthy” diet includes zero red […]