20 Pounds Later

Alright, I posted this on facebook for my family and close friends but I suppose I ought to do it here too, in case someone is looking for a bit of inspiration. Over the last 6 months I've dropped 20 pounds. I probably could have done it much sooner but it took a while for me to realize what was impeding my progress. You see, I still feel like I'm 17. So then, I can still eat like I'm 17 right? Um, no!
I started working out in mid May. Decided that since it had been over a year since I'd had my 4th child, it was time for the baby weight to come off. I had lost most of the baby weight in the past but I was bored with the same old videos so I wanted to try something new. A friend of mine told me she had lost over 30 pounds doing Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. Great! It sounded like a good place to start, and it was. I love the mix of cardio and weight training. I lost 5 pounds over those thirty days which was encouraging so I decided to move up to some of Jillian's other workouts. I kept going for nearly 3 months, getting stronger but with little fat loss. One day, in one of the new workouts I was doing, Jillian said at the end, "Don't forget you have to be smart about what you eat. Don't erase all the work that we did here today by eating badly."
The light bulb went off in my head. I was sabotaging my own efforts at becoming more healthy. I was still eating like I had my 17 year old metabolism. Now, I've never "dieted". Never had any desire and still don't, but I decided that I did need to make some changes to my diet. I decided I needed to be eating far more fresh fruits and vegetables and that I didn't need to feel full all the time. I had no idea that such simple concepts could produce such results. Shortly after I began more mindful eating along with the workouts, the fat started to melt off. It's been great to drop 4 sizes and wear clothes I thought would never fit me again. But more importantly I feel stronger and healthier than I ever have in my life. I definitely have my bad day or days where I fill up on too much junk and not enough good stuff but my eating habits are so much better over all and I feel so much more energy and wellness because of it!