1.5 lbs down!

This has been a GREAT month for me so far in the weight loss department :) I've lost 1.5 lbs every single week of this month! This week was also a biggie as I didn't use any of my 49 extra WW points!

Factors that have helped me lose weight:

1. Friends/Family Support- the support my friends and family have been giving me is HUGE. Do you know how motivational it is for me to hear "WOW you look amazing!!", "look how slim you're looking" or "I can really tell you're losing again!"? Hearing those things makes me want to work harder and push myself even more :).

2. Tracking- Tracking is very, very, very important. If you don't track you might as well not bother. I track EVERY SINGLE thing I eat no matter how scary the number is. Its also really important to keep track of the amount of fruits/veggies, dairy, healthy oils and water I am taking in each day.

3. Not eating out- This is a big one for me as sometimes I feel like I am a fast food ADDICT. I really don't think it's okay to be eating out regularly when you're trying to lose weight. Before I used to go out and get shawarma 2 to 3 times a WEEK. Its not THAT unhealthy for you.. but it's not the best. Now I go about once every 2 to 3 weeks.. I see it as a treat for myself. Putting the extra 5-10 minutes into your morning to plan your lunch/dinner really helps and will keep money in your pocket!

4. Exercise- Although I started the first 30 lbs of my weight loss with absolutely NO exercise it has played a big factor in my weight loss in the last few weeks. I've consistently lost 1.5 lbs every week for the month of November since I started my work out challenge:) I actually enjoy working out now. Nik was right.. once you do something for 30 days it becomes a habit.. I'm only at day 21 but its already a habit to plan what I will be doing for that day.

5. Weighing in weekly- No matter how scared I am of the scale I get my arse on it every Wednesday morning. NO MATTER WHAT. I've had weeks where I've gone up 3-4 lbs and its devastating at first but it pushes me to get my ass in gear and make sure those lbs come off in the following weeks. Sometimes you need the let down to bring you right back up. There have been weeks where I thought I was going to gain and then stared at the scale for a good 2 minutes thinking I needed to get my eyes checked as I had actually lost!

6. Water- Most of my friends already know this but I LOVE water.. it beneficial in sooo many ways. Water is always my drink of choice as I dont drink pop or juice and rarely ever drink alcohol. I also drink A LOT of it.. people are saying my teeth are whiter and are always commenting on how smooth my skin looks too :)

7. Common sense- A lot of it comes down to common sense. If I want to lose weight I don't drink my calories.. I don't eat fatty foods .. I don't eat out. When I do I don't go for the fattening options like say.. waffles or pancakes when I go out for breakfast. I opt for the parfait at coras and ask them to put the granola on the side.. (sooo good by the way!!) or for lunch I don't go for McDonalds or BK or any fried options.. I opt for a salad or a healthy sandwich. These things are in your control.. there are a wide variety of options and you get to CHOOSE what you want! It's okay for me to give in every now and again but the majority of the time it NEEDS to be a healthy choice :)

Anyways thanks for reading. I'll post again later tonight to update you on my workouts!

Steph