The top 5 things I changed to drop 30ish pounds and keep it off for good
First picture: sophomore year in college
Second picture: 15+ years later
But the truth is, although the way I see, know and understand food has evolved, and definitely deepened in massive ways, there are things that are still the same day in and day out and that’s what makes my body consistent. My weight is stable because my health is stable, and if you have the goal of losing weight and want to seriously do it as something that you will continue for your life, these are the top shifts I made that I have to share with you today.
#1: Mentally commit to it
Change is always happening inside, from the moment you eat anything, but the thing is, we can’t see it right away. So the biggest challenge you will face is keeping on moving forward with improved choices with your food, exercise and lifestyle in the days where it looks like nothing is happening. Because it IS happening, you only need to keep doing it and it HAS to shift. It literally has no other option. But when you actually decide it’s time, it’s this very singular thought or decision you will come back to when you do a workout and then you’re so starving and oops you don’t have healthy groceries (yet lol) and you just want to eat a cookie (or whatever) but instead you remember the decision you and you made. Nope I’m choosing differently now. And that, that teeny tiny micro choice IS where everything changes.
Then you eat a few baby carrots to get you through and either cook something or get to the store, or order a smoothie or whatever. You make a different choice in the moments, where it looks like it wouldn’t matter if you just did what you used to do.
#2: It’s always going to be about the vegetables
There is NO way that you are going to line up with the easiest form of weight loss without a majority of your lunches and dinners consisting of large amounts of veggies. Especially the non-starchy ones. This is NOT because carbs are bad, because all veggies are carbs. And carbs run your whole health, your body runs on carbs. But it’s because they move things inside you. The key to food that works is that it gives to you only good things. Your non-starchy veggies including leafy greens, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, peppers, cucumbers, celery, they are giving you massive nutrient potentials while giving your body the fuel to clean itself out. The tip I use every single day: leafy greens first. Add them to everything. Pasta, rice, soups, salads (duh), stir-frys, even sandwiches, and wraps. Build your plate or bowl out of all the veggies and the other things are on the side. Or a lesser proportion. Your body lives on this stuff. And you’ll get to a point where if you don’t eat your veggies for a meal then you will feel like you are missing food. You’re missing the actual filling, powerful elements that make you run.
#3: Think ahead. Be prepared.
I always have things to eat that feed my body and things I love because it matters to me immensely that I do. I just can’t imagine coming into my kitchen and not having all kinds of veggies and fruits all over. It wouldn’t be me. It wouldn’t work because I AM healthy. And this is the whole key of ‘being’ healthy and ‘not trying’ with food or exercise to force yourselves to do things. It’s YOU. All of you is this healthy person. Meaning overall, you just eat this way. So of course you naturally are going to be led to shop in easy ways, order things, get delivered groceries, or even have the idea to know you’re running low on apples for example and put them in your instacart. You make sure you have real food because? You always eat it.
This goes especially for traveling and eating out. I don’t have the highest expectations for most restaurants YET, I used to and then I constantly was bummed, more like mad and starving because they didn’t meet my needs lol. So I looked at menus ahead, I learned how to order food the way I like it and not feel badly. I pack things for any kind of travel. I make sure my body is going to have it’s fuel because it matters to me immensely.
#4: I learned how to cook
This is the kicker for so many. Jodi, I don’t like to cook. Jodi will you just come and cook for me? Jodi, if I could have food delivered like yours then it would be easy. Yes. Yes it would but you can’t afford me dragging food around or coming to your kitchen and cooking and prepping so here’s your options: Get a live in cook, order premade organic meals online (still I have lots to say on these and literally want to create my own line so it works for ALL people) OR OR OR you can do what I do. You can learn how to cook super simply and quickly and learn how to hack the system where you don’t need recipes just formulas. THIS is so huge. I know you don’t want to spend hours cooking. I know you have busy lives. I know you are tired and just want to sit down. But you also want energy, to feel amazing, to feel attractive and lean and like you are in your own body. This is how I win with food and health. Literally every day.
#5: Let myself have what I want
Please don’t think I only eat plants. Please don’t think I’m some perfect eater. I’m not, it doesn’t exist because it has to be about how you want to eat, a situation where you get to eat things you are so happy about or else, this will be a ‘diet’ even though it’s about real food. You cannot give yourself hard rules. You get to make your own rules. And one of those that I highly recommend is that you let yourself eat things you really really love to eat. Like every week. You either eat the thing in it’s original (not so great ingredient list) form, maybe in a smaller size, or you swap it, or you surround it, which is another trick I use to focus on adding more real foods to things I love.
These are the habits that don’t change. They create consistency. They ensure that my body has what it wants and needs so IT is healthy and IT cleans itself out, it runs the show and I receive health, pure energy, and the ability to not worry about my weight. It’s not supposed to be a struggle, but we are meant to take care of our human bodies. And it’s an honor you know?
I’m teaching you way in depth about addressing a plant based diet to help you Tip The Scale and see weight melting off your body. I don’t actually use a scale, or care about a scale, I just named my new course this, to show you that you can see the weight move, you get to see physical results and understand how and why you created them. Then you’ve got it. You know how, you have the answers and you also won’t ever be bound to a hard diet, restriction or anything you literally do NOT want to do to see your lighter self.
I’m literally so excited to do this with you!
Jodi