A Fresh start on my continued journey

So apparently I am a blogging slacker! I have not blogged since February, eeks. I need to refocus!


So here we are still on my weight loss journey, but today is different, I can feel it. I will explain why in a moment, let me first catch you up.


The scale has recently gone as low as 236, which is great since I started out at 294 and have gotten as high as 296. But not only have I been slacking in the blogging department, but I have also been slacking in motivation and temptation. Mend-a-body has really been life changing for me. This is the longest that I have been on a program in years and have stuck to it. Its easy to fall off sometimes, but its even easier to get back on. But you do need one thing...drive. My drive has been in comfort zone lately. I feel good, I feel like I look good, people compliment me all the time on my weight loss and I can't help but smile and feel confident. I am so much happier with my self....yet I still have more to go and the scale has not really budged in 2 months. The thing with MAB is even if the scale doesn't move, eating a low inflammation diet still keeps the inches falling off even if the numbers on the scale don't move. I'm pretty sure that is what people are seeing, which is what is important, but I of course want the numbers on the scale to move too, I'm only human. The other thing that I decided to do is become a MAB coach. I really love it and hope as my weight loss continues that I will get even more people inspired to join me on this journey. So that pretty much brings you up to speed.


So back to today and what is different about it. Two weeks ago I was standing in the grocery isle waiting to cash out and glanced over at a Womans World Magazine. The lady had lost 170 lbs and after around 60 lbs lost she hit a plateau and the weight wasn't coming off. Sounded like me, so intrigued I picked it up to browse through it. It said her secret weapon was eliminating dairy products and that the rest of her weight just fell off of her. Briefly it crossed my mind that maybe this was something I could try and then reminded myself what an addiction I have to cheese and cheese and oh yeah more cheese! I tossed the idea out of my mind because well giving up dairy would just be nuts! So I went home and started really noticing my cheese/dairy intake. It was a lot, even more then MAB recommends. Then I started googling things about dairy, how those products affect our blood sugar, how Milk is used a growth product in our small children. How no other species drinks the milk of another. The more I dug into the research the more I learned how obsessed we all are with cheese and milk! How we are deceived into thinking if we don't drink milk that we will all end up with osteoporosis. I also learned that it can affect your thyroid, which I have a problem with and the list goes on and on. So it took me a little over a week to prepare myself to give up cheese. I had already given up milk back in September when I started MAB, but cheese, well that is a doozy. I eat cheese on hot dogs and burgers. I make MAB pizza with cheese, I eat cheese sticks, cottage cheese, ice cream, whipped cream, even chocolate has dairy in them! Creams, yogurts, sour cream, cream cheese, oh my cheese. I eat cheese all darn day! Even my ranch dressing has dairy in it. Time for a change.


So at the end of September makes my 1 years since I started MAB, so while following the MAB rules, I am going to deduct cheese and other forms of dairy from my diet. I am also going to attempt to really keep things organic and as natural as possible. I am not opposed to Soy products but I want them to be real, not manufactured. I also am going to attempt to reduce my amount of splenda/sugar free products and stick to the basics of fruit, veggies and lean meats and less fake stuff.


Also with the help of my Vegan friend Michelle, she has really been helping me understand more about some of the replacement products that I can use, like Goats Milk, Almond and coconut milk, soy etc. I did find some substitutes in the local grocery store like Tofutti products and coconut milk ice creams etc. Finding things that are dairy free and low in sugar is difficult, but I found a few. I will be heading to whole foods and Trader Joes this weekend to see what they offer too. Plus she lent me her P90X program. Its time to get serious and kick it up. I have come too far to turn back now!


So today is Day One with no dairy. I am surviving. I am giving myself a challenge to try this for a full 90 days. Will I miss Pizza, yogurt, chocolate and ice cream? Yes of course. I love dairy and no I am not allergic. But for the possible health benefits its worth a shot. Will I eat Pizza again? Of course! Grilled cheese is not out of my life forever, but for right now its on hold while I figure out if this is something that will benefit my life. Who knows what path it will take me down.


So wish me luck!!




Tiff