40 pounds down — This is one reason why I meal plan

Those of you who have lost weight — does this happen to you, too? Even though you now may be buying clothes in smaller sizes, you don’t really see the difference in yourself or trust in the process until you run across old photos and realize, oh, yes: There is actually a difference here, look at that.

For those of you who are new to my whole journey (which I’ve intermittently chronicled here): Back at the very end of 2016 I started watching added sugars in my diet, which inherently also led to cutting out a lot of processed food and recommitting to cooking for my family at home.

January 2017 is also when that commitment to home cooking inspired me to start meal planning consistently, and it’s when I started writing up free weekly ALDI meal plans — to help keep myself on track, to help keep things affordable, and to share the meal planning bug with others.

What does meal planning have to do with weight loss?

So, what does meal planning have to do with weight loss? Just about everything, as it turns out! While everyone is different, and different strategies work for different people, for me: Too much processed food and too much sugar leads to overeating, mindless eating, and overall unhealthy habits. Too little planning leads to fast food, carryout, or prepackaged dinners. Planning out our dinners and cooking at home is the only thing that (after all these years of trying…) that has turned out to help keep me on track. 

When a plateau is not a plateau

So after I thought I’d kind of plateaued last summer, I went on to lose another 13 lbs — and sticking with the yoga has also made a big difference.

I did so love this shirt, by the way, but it finally went in the donation bag this week because it’s just too big on me — which is part of what got me thinking again about this whole process. I got it several years ago over at Cents of Style, but they no longer make this one. 🙁 They do carry some similar options over on Amazon, but I’m not sure any I like quite as well.

So, it’s now been a full year of yoga: They even emailed me proof! About a week ago, I celebrated my one year anniversary with my yoga studio, where I now make a habit of dropping in several times a week. (For those of you who are local to me, I highly recommend Ahimsa — I use the Elmhurst location, but they also have locations in Oak Park, Berwyn, and La Grange. Get your first month for $49 through my referral link here, and maybe I’ll see you over there! 😉 )

I had tried yoga off and on over the years, but never stuck with it. I don’t really think I could have until I changed some of my other habits, and got myself to a point where practicing yoga worked together with the dietary and other life changes.

So, just a little catch up today on where I am now, for those of you who have been following along over these last couple of years. How are you all doing with your own “real food meets real life” journey?

Earlier installments in the Refined Sugar and Me series

Read the whole Refined Sugar and Me series in chronological order (or catch up on any posts you might have missed).