How I Lost 10 Pounds In 6 Months

With New Year's right around the corner, weight loss is going to be one of the most made New Years Resolution.

Stepping on the scale, I couldn't believe I've been neglecting my weight! Although the weight I've put on was only the 10 pounds I've previously lost, I found myself right back to feeling sluggish, my butt and stomach look disgusting, and my lower back ache is back.

The first time I lost 10 pounds in 6 months, it was really easy. I was having dinner with a friend in early January at a raw foods restaurant when he told me about the benefits of green drinks. He suggested I get a copy of Victoria Butenko's Green For Life.

I purchased the book and read it during my lunch break while I was still employed. Very interesting book, by the way. But instead of trying out the recipes she provides, I tried my friend's version of the green drink.

Basically, what I did was change my eating habit and incoporated the green drink. I had either oat meal or scrambled eggs and whole grain toast for breakfast, had salads for lunch ( which I totally got hooked on) and made home cooked meals for dinner instead of packaged or frozen dinners. I consumed the green drink 3 times a day.

Doesn't really seem like a big change in diet, but I went through the detox process during my first week, and by the end of the 4th week, I felt like a new person! I was so excited I forgot to keep tabs on my weight. Now how lame is that?

I was due for my annual female visit in June. By this time, I had gotten used to feeling great I didn't even think about my weight. But my doctor noticed! She couldn't believe I had lost 10 pounds. She even asked me how I lost the wieight, so I told her I just changed my eating habit and began consuming green drinks.

That was 2 years ago. I was laid off in December 2008, and since spending time at home, I've gotten really bad about my diet. Since I don't have any more set schedules, it's really difficult to have breakfast, lunch and dinner anymore. I guess it's due to lack of discipline.

So once again, I'm planning on going back to oatmeal, salads and the green drinks that I really grew to love.

Here's the recipe for the green drink:

• About 3 leaves of kale
• A handful of spinach
• 1 apple
  
• 1 mango (peeled)
• 1 banana

Put all the ingredients into a blender with 3 cups of water and blend until everything is liquified.

I've since tried Victoria's recipes and found them to be very delicious so I'll be making a variety of them from now on.

I will post my progress here periodically just so I keep on schedule.

First of all, Happy New Years!

Today, I missed breakfast. You would think I'll get at least that bit right. After all, we know breakfast is what gets our metabolism going.  Instead of crying over this little slip up, I'll go straight into detoxing.

I like to use First Cleanse (2 week program) by Renew Life, along with essential oils, mainly flaxseed and fish oils. The oils actually help move the toxins out of the system. Without the oils, I found out you can actually become constipated, which isn't what I'm aiming for.

To help me stay on track to lose weight, I purchased Sketcher's Shape-Ups. I'm due to go on my usual hour walk with my daughter.

I love these shoes and wrote a review on it. You can read it here.

In my quest to lose weight, one of the things I wanted to know was how many calories I was burning throughout the day.

So I was pleased when I located a website that allows you to download a free calorie calculator. This calorie calculator has 100 different activities we engage in, for example, making the bed, doing aerobics, to water water rafting. By selecting the activity in the drop down menu, entering the time during the activity and your present weight, it will calculate how many calories used to perform that specific activity.

You can download the Calorie Calculator at www.freedownloadscenter.com/.../Calorie_Calculator_Download.html