Sometimes the hardest part to starting something is just simply starting.  Just wanted to share with you today how my lifestyle change began.  As I mentioned in earlier post I removed as many toxic chemicals from my body as possible and allowed my body some time to recover before jumping into anything drastic.  The chemicals that are in so many of our processed foods and drinks are destroying our bodies.  Research! Research! Research!  Please educate yourself on these chemicals.

As the old saying goes, how do you eat an elephant? Well, one bite at a time of course. (LOL)  It was exactly one year and two weeks after I stopped consuming aspartame to the time I began my weight loss journey.  Not sure why I waited so long, but slow and steady has brought me closer to the finish line.  Having been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, I lived in constant pain and wasn’t able to exercise very much at all.  I walked when my body allowed and made a point to do everything for myself and not ask others for help.  In doing so it caused me to get up and move more which in turn resulted with more calories burned.  So if you’re starting slow like I did, just make these small changes and stick with them and your body will become stronger and you will begin to lose weight and feel better.  Another plus to giving up aspartame as I mentioned in a previous post is you won’t crave carbs as badly and the dieting process with be much easier.

When I started a lot of people were jumping on the Meal Replacement Shake bandwagon but I wasn’t sold.  The going product at the time (which shall remain nameless) contained chemicals that weren’t healthy so I opted for another route.  I had been taking Juice Plus Garden Blend and Orchard Blend capsules which provide your body with the fruits and veggies that most of don’t take the time to consume each day.  The company had a product called Juice Plus Complete, Whole Food Based Shake Mix and since I trusted this product I made up my own plan to kick start my weight loss.  For the first three weeks I drank two shakes per day, ate one meal and had two snacks.  It did work, and I lost approximately fifteen pounds, but I quickly realized I like to chew my food and not drink it so I modified it to one shake for breakfast, 2 meals a day and one low fat snack per day.  I continued this for approximately a year before changing to something different.  When you have such a long journey you have to mix it up a bit here and there.  I’ll share more in an upcoming post of what I switched too after this.

So come on!  Get started today!  My lifestyle change is just that, it’s going to last a lifetime.  Looking back at where I’ve come from till now, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  I have learned so much.  I will be posting before and after pictures of my weight loss in the near future.  Hope it will inspire you to get started even if you know it’s going to take a bit longer than you would hoped.

*Please note:  I am not a medical professional.  I am sharing my story and what worked for me.