How I lost 10 lbs in 8 weeks- the Right Way! 60 Day BMS Challenge

Losing weight is hard. Losing weight when you've had three kids and are super busy with work, family, and church is harder . Losing weight when you have Rheumatoid Arthritis and take medicine that makes you retain weight is ridiculously hard. I could go on.  We all have our reasons that make it hard for us to lose weight. After the holidays, the scale had really inched up to a point I said I'd never hit again.  I knew it was time to do something to turn things back around.   My bloggy friend Abbey from The Cards We Drew posted in a Facebook group that a new challenge over at April Kennedy's 60-Day Body, Mind, Soul Challenge page was about to begin, and would anyone be interested in teaming up for the challenge? I read over the challenge details and was excited.  This wasn't a "diet", it was more of a "healthy living" plan.  I felt like it was totally do-able for someone like me who really doesn't like a lot of "healthy food".  So I jumped in and the challenge began. I'm 5'4" and I started my challenge at almost 146 lbs. Here's my "Before" pics:   

After 8 weeks of healthy eating and daily exercise, I ended the challenge at 135 lbs, and I lost a combined 15 1/2 inches, dropping a dress size.  Here's my "After" pics:

In addition, I feel great, have more energy, and my disease activity has been the lowest it's been in awhile! I don't know how obvious the change is since 10 pounds isn't a huge amount of weight.  But, my legs and arms are more trim, my belly is flatter, and I have had comments that my face is a bit slimmer.   My clothes fit so much better, and I'll have to buy new shorts for summer since none of mine fit from last year! I can't give you all the details, since we pay April for her hard work when we register for the program, but maybe I can give you enough to see if it's something you want to do for yourself. Food:  The requirements are adaptable for any diet- regular eaters like me, gluten-free, paleo, vegan, etc.  You eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy.  Whatever combination of foods you eat is really up to you and your needs.  There is no quantity limit on this plan- you never go hungry.  I could always find something to eat even when eating out. **You are going to cut out a lot of carbs, most sugars, and unhealthy things like fast food, soda, bakery items, etc. Exercise:  30 minutes a day, 6 days a week.  If this sounds crazy hard, know that you can adapt this to your own physical needs.  As I mentioned, I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, and I have damage to my wrists and hips.  My doctor insisted I only work out 3 days a week- the other days I had to do very light exercise like marching in place or sidesteps down the hall.  I felt stupid doing them, but I did those light exercises for 30 minutes and it counted.  And I still lost weight :) That takes care of the B for Body, but we were also challenged to improve our Minds and Souls.  There was a daily prayer/meditation/scripture study portion (again, adaptable for your own beliefs), and each week we had bonus activities and acts of kindness to perform that would earn us points. I loved working as a team.  It kept me accountable when I knew I had to report my points each week.  I knew others were counting on me to do my part.  We even had our own FB group to encourage and help each other along the way! Our team came in 4th place for overall percentage of weight loss- and I personally came in 4th for total inches lost!  We didn't win any prizes, but I'm proud of us! Now I'm in maintenance mode.  I've let myself eat some naughty foods this week, but overall I'm going to try to keep up the healthy habits I've developed and stay at this weight (or even drop a few more) for summer. A new challenge begins on April 11th- so head over and register next week if you want to be a part of it!  And if you have any questions, I can try to answer them- leave a note in the comments or shoot me an email.

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