Three Weeks into a New Life(style)

I can't believe I have made it three weeks on my new lifestyle! I've never lasted more than two weeks on a diet.  Maybe that is my difference, that I'm calling it a lifestyle instead of a diet. So far I'm down about 8lbs! Here are some tips and tricks I've learned so far:

• Work out EVERY morning! It kick starts your metabolism for the day, wakes you up, and helps you start your day with a sharper mind!

• Ginger is your best friend! Ginger can literally be used as a substitute for pain medication, it can help with indigestion, it has anti-inflammatory effects, and so much more! See more benefits here.

• Eat ALL of the veggies you can! Veggies are delicious and will fill you up more than you expect! Be creative and daring with your choices and don't be afraid to mix and match!

• When feeling hungry, always lean on beans, peanut butter, or almond butter to fill you up!

• If you're just CRAVING something sweet, eat a date! They're only 20 calories each, they taste like little candies, and they are an excellent source of fiber and antioxidants!

• Work out more than once a day! On top of my morning work out I try to work out at night as well.  Ideally I've been doing three mini work outs.  I found that spreading my workouts out during the day helps keep me awake, active, and keeps my muscles tight and working all day! But another great thing about working out in the morning is that if life is too busy for a night time work out, I don't have to feel guilty because I've already worked out!

• Eat the majority of your calories before 3pm! Based on what I've read, the earlier in the day that you eat the majority of your calories, the better it is for weight loss, but if you're building muscle, you can eat your calories later.  Since I'm doing both, I'm trying to keep the majority of my calories before 3pm!

• With a few exceptions I've been basically a vegan plus fish.  So not quite a pescetarian. I don't consider myself and anything-ian.  I'm just avoiding red meat and yellow cheese, and I happen to have not been in the mood for chicken, turkey or eggs since I started this lifestyle.

• And All of the other basics: drink lots of water, avoid yellow cheese, avoid sugar, avoid starches, avoid white rice, avoid white bread.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Sending healthy wishes your way!