In the short time that I’ve been on the healthy lifestyle train there are already many things I’ve learned. I decided today would be a great day to create a list of the biggest things I’ve learned in the last 6 weeks!

1. Drinking water is harder than I thought
I have never been good at drinking water, but now that I’m trying to be healthier this seems more important than ever. Mio and Crystal Light are my saving grace, the only way I consistently drink water. I’m open to any recommendations!

2. Eating healthy does not mean I have to eat the same meal everyday
After watching my fiancee lose a ton of weight (40 pounds at some point) I thought weight loss meant eating rice and beans every night. I’m blessed with an extremely supportive fiancee who lets me try new healthy meals no matter how crazy and gross they turn out to. Having some Healthy Choice frozen meals makes it not such a gamble to try new things out!

3. I already feel more energy
It’s crazy to me how quickly I felt a energy boost from just eating healthy and walking more. This is one thing I’ve heard so many times from so many people. I’m sure my mom is reading this and saying “I told you so!” (hi mom!).

4. I feel hungry 85% of the time
My stomach is still not used to eating the amount of food I am currently, although it’s better than it was in the beginning! Always keeping a snack on me has been my saving grace. And apples, so many apples.

5. Exercise has a lot less to do with weight loss than I thought
Although I decided to do this weight loss journey all in with a lot of fast changes, adding exercise has been a slower process for me. I bought a fitbit so I could start competing with my parents on steps in the day (it’s impossible, they get like 20,000 steps a day). I (attempt) to walk 10,000 steps a day, but the majority of my changes have been with my eating. I guess it’s true what they say, abs are made in the kitchen not the gym!

6. I still hate mornings
Although walking in the morning makes meeting my 10,000 steps goal, it does not make waking up in the morning any easier for me. As anyone who knows me knows, I hate waking up. If I had it my way I would start my day at 12 because I slept till 11. With some discipline, or annoying Adam enough with my alarm that he pushes me out of the bed, I’ve been able to wake up and get those steps!

7. Discipline > Motivation
This is one I can thank my work for teaching me(thanks Paul!). I’m now imagining all my coworkers reading this! Motivation is great, especially for getting started. For me getting engaged was the motivation I needed to finally admit I needed to make a change. Motivation, however, is not what gets me up at 6:30AM to go walking. Or to take the time to meal prep for every lunch and dinner. Discipline is what will get me through 34 more weeks of dieting, and losing 38 more pounds.

I just finished up my 25 squats, 10 crunches and 10 sit-ups. Sit-ups are a lot harder than I remember.