8 sneeky ways to lose 42lbs!

As a woman and a mum so much of my self-esteem is linked to how I feel in my body, how my body looks and how my clothes fit me. I feel judged by it.

You can see from the picture on the left that I've lost quite a bit of weight- 42lbs.
My weight has yo=yo'ed up and down a lot all my life but I've finally found a solution to losing weight and keeping fit that works for me. 

Before I tell you what that is, I want to tell you that being overweight made me feel worthless, unhappy, invisible and ugly. 

It impacted on so many parts of my life - from not going to pursue my dreams to staying in a relationship that was unhealthy for me. I didn't feel worthy of many of the opportunities that I passed up on and being overweight made me miserable. I had no sex drive, I hated going shopping, I felt wholly unattractive and (over) eating made me feel momentarily satisfied. 

I also didn't feel like I had the tools to win my battle with weight loss, and didn't feel I had the power to change.

After Drew was diagnosed as dairy intolerant and I had to change my diet I was forced to look at food and nutrition in a whole new way. Thankfully its a passion of mine anyway so I was able to learn and adapt quickly. It took me a little while to put it all into practice but it was worth it.

So here's what I've learnt:

1 - Listen to your body: it tells you what it likes and doesn't like, if you listen to it.
2 - Drink a big glass of water before every meal and as soon as you get up
3 - Cut out ALL processed food (dark chocolate is allowed)
4 - Add more dark leafy greens into your diet and the easiest way is with point 5
5 - Small steps: start with adding a green juice or smoothie every day and add more good stuff into your diet gradually
5 - Exercise every day. even if its just half an hour of walking or light stretching.
6 - Write a journal. Like point 1 - the answer to why you do or don't do stuff is inside of you and all you have to do is listen. 
and lastly
7 - Plan your food and stock your fridge and cupboards for success. Being prepared is key.
8 - Be kind to yourself. This is a process, not a race. You are learning about yourself all the time and that's important!

The most important thing I've learnt is that you can do this! I believe in you and if you really want to its possible to change as long as you listen to your body. 
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Now I'd like to hear from YOU in the comments below. Tell me:
1 - what have you learnt along your journey to keeping fit and losing weight
2 - any inspirational messages for others on their journey too
3 - what are the tools you've used to get to where you are now.

lots of love

Dawn xo