Over the last couple of years, I’ve gained around 30-40 pounds, which I’m not super happy about.
And beyond my looks, I’m not crazy about how it makes me feel.
I’m feeling more exhausted and experiencing some heart palpitations.
So! I am now on a journey to lose weight (around 50 pounds), so that I can feel more comfortable in my own body + feel a lot better.
And I thought I’d keep you updated so that you can keep me accountable + know what I’m doing and replicate it yourself (if you want 😊).
So! In this first weight loss journey post, here’s what I’ve bought/eating and a few quick tips. 🙂
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Eating the Right Snacks (But Not Just for Weight Loss)
One of the things I’m trying to do is to change my normal unhealthy snacking patterns by feeding myself snacks that are filling but also gonna make me feel good.
So I chose nuts (raw, not roasted).
These nuts are also gonna help my health out in the long run by…
- Helping my thyroid (I have some thyroid issues and Brazil nuts are great because they’re packed with selenium).
- Giving me healthy fats which are great for the brain.
- Giving me Vitamin E.
- Giving me protein (great for energy and feeling full).
- Improving my heart health.
- Supporting Digestion
- And of course a lot more. 🙂
I really want my body to feel and look good from the inside out and to live a long life, and I really feel like making small decisions like this is gonna help me out big time.
Read: >>> 9 Tips I’ve Personally Learned in My Weight Loss Journey that ACTUALLY Work
I Don’t Wanna Give Up Pasta So….
I REALLY like my pasta (and especially since I cook Asian so much haha), so I decided to look for some healthy alternatives.
In the picture, I have edamame spaghetti and brown rice + chia seed pasta. But I also bought some chickpea flour so that I can make my own pasta.
Obviously, you don’t have to do this, but I thought it could be fun. 😊
Other Good Healthy Pasta Options that Aren’t Just Whole Wheat:
- Quinoa pasta
- Chickpea pasta (premade)
- Brown rice pasta
- Red rice pasta
- Black rice pasta
- Shirataki pasta
- Soba noodles
- Multigrain pasta
Slow Carb Instead of Normal Carbs
I’m also trying to do more slow carbs which digest more slowly (keeps you feeling fuller longer).
Also, slow carbs are great for having your blood sugar levels rise more gently and producing less insulin.
My favorites: Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and lentils. 🙂
But here are more examples of slow carbs to put into your diet:
- Quinoa
- Barley
- Beans
- Nuts
- Oats
- And other whole grains
Side Note: If you want a super tasty recipe involving chickpeas, then check this out. 🙂
I’ve Decided Not to Cut Out Everything
I love my sweet desserts, so I decided that I wouldn’t cut them out completely.
Instead, I only bought one thing on my grocery shopping haul and made sure it wasn’t a huge size. That way I wouldn’t eat more than I needed + it would last longer.
I feel like something this small will last longer for me because I’ll want to make it stretch out if I have to wait a whole week to buy something else.
More Carb Substitutes that Taste Good (I think you can tell that I like my carbs LOL)
Cauliflower rice and other types of veggie rice are something you can find in the frozen section.
But before you go, “Ew, that doesn’t sound good.” Trust me, it is.
All you need to do is cook it in a pan on medium-high heat, add some oil (Quick Tip: avocado oil is great since it does well with high temperatures), and season it like crazy. Also, cauliflower doesn’t have a very strong flavor, so it kind of just absorbs whatever spices you cook it with.
I Also Like Coffee So Here Are My New Go-To’s
I really like milky coffee (sorry, I just can’t drink it black – I mean I could… I just don’t want to 😂).
So I’m gonna be testing out different almond and oat milks until I find something that works well for me.
I’ll keep you posted and as for the ones in the pictures, I haven’t tried them yet so we’ll see how they do. 🙂
Quick honey tip: Honey is SUPER good for you and if you decide to use it in your hot drinks, then just know two things. 1. I would go for honey that comes from a specific plant, they just taste so much better haha. 2. Go for local raw honey. Some big companies make honey that isn’t 100% honey and buying local honey has been shown to help allergies since the honey is made from allergins in your area.
Oats 🤷♀️
I used the shrug emoji, not because I think oats are boring, I just didn’t know what else to put in the title. LOL
But yeah, oats.
They can be customized in SO many ways and can taste great. Also, they’re just a good, heart-healthy alternative to other unhealthy meals.
So… yeah. 🤷♀️
I Like Hot Drinks So I found Some Tasty Teas
Since I love my hot drinks, I thought I’d give myself some other options other than coffee.
Also, I just wanted something that would help with weight loss + had other health benefits.
Quick tip: Try teas with hibiscus. It has a TON of benefits like lowering inflammation, lowering blood pressure, heart health, etc. So again, more things to put into my life that’ll help it.
Quick tip II: Make sure to add some honey, I always feel like honey makes tea like the ones above taste SO good. 😭
So far, these are the changes I’ve made (as well as doing a quick exercise in the morning at least 3 times a week).
I’m excited to see some changes in my weight + how I feel. Can’t wait to report back in a week or so and let you know! 🙂
PS – Here’s an ultra-comfort breakfast that won’t make you cringe when stepping on the scales.
Chasing Foxes was started in 2016 as a way for Grace and her husband, Silas, to start traveling. However, they started to realize that they had a passion for improving themselves, and wanted to help others level up their lives as well. So whether it's with cooking, travel, or staying healthy, they want to help you better your life bit by bit, as they do the same.
