25 days to go- What I have learned

So I officially have 25 days as of tomorrow left in the Lifetime fitness 90 day challenge. Through the first 65 days I am down 20lbs. It has been a hell of a learning experience. Pretty much everything I thought I knew about diet has been thrown out the window at this point.

Here's just a few of the things I thought I knew, but clearly did not.

1.) Doesn't matter what I eat as long as I am under 1300 calories at the end of the day-
I blame weight watchers for this stupid idea. I have been on weight watchers twice, this is what I remember from it. I can eat fun size bag of cheetos for the same amount of points as a grilled chicken. Really? Nutritionally void food vs a high protein, low carb food- same difference in my daily points. Cheetos won out on every stressful day I had, and I wasn't cheating on my diet, woo hoo! I gained every ounce back I lost on weight watchers as soon as I went off it. I never learned better habits cause I didn't have to. I am learning now. I have learned that on weeks where I submit to stuff I know in my heart I shouldn't eat instead of healthy options with the same calories, I lose less weight and I'm hungry. Or I I feel terrible, french fries absolutely piss my stomach off... so does donuts.  I know now- being under 1300 calories matters but what matters more is that you fill that 1300 calories with nutritionally dense, protein rich, fiber filled food.

2.) I can still eat all the carbs I want and hit my goals.-
I'm not gonna pretend for one second I cut out carbs, cause I didn't. I still eat fruit daily, I still eat a bag of baked lays when I am dying for a salty snack, and oatmeal will always be my favorite breakfast. What I have learned is to control my carb intake big time. I eat no more than 50-80 grams of carbohydrates a day. Carbs are mildly evil. They cause insulin spikes which cause fat storage. Insulin also makes you more hungry. I made the mistake of a skinny cow ice cream right before bed a couple weeks ago, I woke up the next morning and it felt like I had been starving myself for weeks, ravenous. I also try to eat all my carbs prior to 2pm. It gives my body time to burn it away before I go to bed. I know now- curbing carb intake is a key in healthy weight loss. You will stop being hungry if you watch the carbs, I promise.

3) If I skip breakfast, I have more calories to eat through out the day.- 
I hate breakfast, well I hate morning in general and breakfast is a part of it. Putting food on my stomach first thing in the morning used to make me gag. Unfortunately for me, study's show that people who eat breakfast daily weigh less than people who don't. A belly full of protein for breakfast will keep you full and going strong all morning long. I completely advocate bacon and eggs in the am. Well egg beaters or egg whites and turkey bacon (we are trying to get healthy right). As far as I go, I have one of 3 things for breakfast. Oatmeal because I love it, a protein shake, or if its the weekend egg whites and turkey sausage. I know now that I feel better and have more significant weight loss when I eat breakfast.

That's it for tonight. I hope you all learn from my mistakes, because your health journey will be easier for it. Tomorrow or Wednesday I am going to begin posting some of my favorite recipes to help you all along!

Make it a great week!