In January of 2020, I weighed 205 pounds and I made a New Year's Resolution to lose weight. I created a monthly chart that captured the number of workouts completed, number of pounds I lost, times I dined out, and times I was active besides work. I believed I could lose 3 to 5 pounds a month if I focused on the above things. In March of 2020, I weighed 207 pounds. That's right I had gained weight. I was desperate to find a solution. I read multiple articles and watched 100s of videos that suggested I should reduce calories and exercise more. I completely agree but I didn't want to be hungry because in the past that has just led me to overeating or giving up after a couple of weeks. I decided to make 3 lifestyle changes.
1. I decided to eat oatmel everyday using the 5 ingredients below:
1 cup of quick oats
1/2 cup of whole milk
1/2 banana
1/2 apple
Approx. 20 raisins
The above ingredients filled me up and raisins reduced my sugar craving.
2. I decided to walk Diva (Fur baby benefits) twice a day for at least 2 miles (total).
3. I stopped dining out. The pandemic gets most of the credit for this one.
By making these 3 lifestyle changes, I lost 22 pounds and currently weigh 185 pounds. After 10 months, I feel emotionally and physically better. This worked for me but if you need an extra accountability partner check out the VA MOVE program.
My name is Jacqueline Hill, an Army veteran and weight loss champion. Learn more at survivingthemilitary.com.