On January 2nd, I embarked on a journey to lose 20 lbs. I knew it was not going to be easy but I also knew that with a healthy diet and exercise that it would happen.

Today is February 23rd and I have 5.8lbs to go. In 7 1/2 weeks I have managed to lose 14.2lbs and I didn’t starve myself in the process. I have literally just been watching what I eat, practising portion control and working out.

So what have I been eating?

Breakfast: Healthy pancakes made of cottage cheese, oatmeal & egg whites.

Lunch: Lean cuisine (or one of those types of meals), sushi or I will make extra pancakes from breakfast and eat them cold.

Snacks: Apple, oranges, Slim Fast bar

Dinner: Grilled chicken or fish with a salad and/or veggies.

Dessert: We don’t always have dessert but sometimes we will indulge in a sugar free pudding or a Breyers low calorie ice cream bar.

Alcohol: Cut down to 2-3x a week

Treats: We certainly haven’t given up on things we love. We still go out for meals but try and make the healthier choices. For example if we want a burger we will have it but order it with salad instead of fries. We have popcorn when we go out to a movie. We will have the occasionally yummy dessert but just make sure that we don’t have a massive piece.

I think the most important thing about this weight loss journey is that we haven’t been doing any fad diet. I have done those before and although I lose the weight and fast, it always comes back.

When it comes to my workouts I have mostly been following Body For Life’s plan:

Monday/Wednesday/Friday: Weights + Cardio (Technically on BFL you do not need to include cardio on weight training days but I like to add in about 20 min)

Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday: Cardio (On the BFL program, it says you only need to do 20 min of cardio but I like to do at least 45min).

Here is a link to the Body for Life exercise program: http://bodyforlife.com/library/exercise

I don’t plan on changing this program even after I have hit my goal. I may add in a few more calories but this, for me, really is a way of life. A healthy life. And a happy one.