Raise your hand if you spent the last year eating? Let’s be honest, we ate our emotions, our stress, our isolation and everything we could get our hands on. Guess what? There’s no shame because we’re all in the same boat. But with everyone getting vaccinated within the next few months, those beaches have got to open soon. We’re not talking to you, Florida. If your beach body isn’t quite ready, no worries.You have plenty of time to turn things around.

So What Really Works?

First things first – what doesn’t work? Starving yourself. It doesn’t work and wrecks your health and body and your metabolism. Do. Not. Do. It. Okay, so running five miles a day then? Maybe, if that’s your thing and you enjoy it and it works for you, your life and your schedule. But what if it doesn’t? What if your knees can’t or won’t help you reach your goal. No problem. Eating got you into this mess, eating will get you out of it. The saying abs are created in the kitchen, not the gym, is #facts. Don’t believe me? Then keep your Covid 15. Just kidding. You don’t want to do that. 

Well, How Did I Do It?

Picture me. 39 years old, just diagnosed with Hashimotos (Autoimmune disease that affects your thyroid, energy and metabolism) and living off of Diet Coke and as many comforting carbs as I could handle. I was 20 pounds overweight and not feeling very good about myself, my health or my muffin top. When feeling exhausted got old and just too hard, I finally gave up on my endocrinologist and went to a holistic doctor. And now, I’m going to very generously share what I learned with you. She told me I had to change EVERYTHING to feel good again. And by everything – it was everything I put in my body. No more soda – no more sugar – no more processed food, no more grains. She basically put me on the paleo diet and three months later, and 25 pounds lighter, I was a believer. 

How Hard is it to Change Your Diet?

Not as hard as you think. I was addicted to pizza and tacos. How can you give up pizza and tacos? By finding paleo versions of the things you love, of course. Get rid of the flour tortillas and either find a good taco salad recipe or spend the cash for those Siete chips. (To Die For.) I’ll be honest – pizza is hard without cheese. I’ve tried almond cheese though and it’s not bad. Oh, and here is the hard part. No eating all the junk food to get rid of it. Literally give it to your local homeless shelter or your neighbors teenagers, or a family you know who might need some extra groceries. It’s a sacrifice but you’re setting yourself up for failure if you’re surrounded by your greatest temptations. Oh, and soda/pop? Kombucha is your answer. It takes a minute to get used to, but after that, you’ll love it and you’re doing your body a favor with all of those probiotics. 

Other Options that Work

We’ll discuss other diets a little later, but the diets that actually work and give you healthy results are the Keto diet. Yes, it works and it’s been proven too. The Meditarrean Diet – incredibly healthy and also proven to give you great results if combined with portion control. Intuitive eating. This one is great if you’re actually intune with your body. But me and body? We were not intune and my intuitive eating had a lot to do with tacos and pizza. And the new darling on the block: Intermittent Fasting. This one goes along with OMAD – one meal a day. This one is a little trickier and while some people swear by it, some people are riding a fine line between good health and maybe being too restrictive. But there are great options out there if you’re serious about getting your health and weight back on track. Do your research and then dive in with both feet. Doing anything half-way won’t get you results.