how I lost 15 pounds without trying all that hard

I am proud to announce that I am officially 15 pounds DOWN! I have been wavering between 10-15 pounds of weight loss for a few weeks, but yesterday I stepped on the scale and it was the lowest I have seen it in three years. THREE. I emphasize three because it's kind of depressing that I had been carrying around that extra weight so long! Luckily though, it's gone now.

How did I do it?

Well, let's start with how I didn't do it.

No pills
No weird shakes.
No crazy fitness programs.
No calorie counting.
No starving or depriving myself.

I hate gimmicks and though I'm one or all of the above has been beneficial to someone out there, I know myself. I don't follow through with set "programs" and I don't like counting calories because a) I'm bad at math b) I'm lazy and c) I used to struggle with eating disorders and I used to obsess with every single calorie that I put in my mouth and it was unhealthy. I don't ever want to go down that road again.

So what have I been doing?
1. I discovered that I can't eat gluten, so cutting that out immediately made me feel better and drop a few pounds.

2. I eat more fruit and vegetables. I don't always eat at least five servings a day, so I just make sure to add extra the day after I didn't eat as much. The easiest way to do this: salads.

3. I eat smaller meals throughout the day. This tricks my mind into thinking I get to eat more throughout the day even when I don't. It also makes my metabolism faster.

4. I don't deprive myself. If I want gummi bears, I eat them. If I want extra mayo in my tuna, I add it. I'm sure if I was more strict on "bad for you foods" I could be down even more pounds, but if I ever feel deprived I'll overeat. Since I started eating healthier months ago I haven't felt the need to binge on anything.

5. I have cut out almost all processed foods. I still eat them on occasion, but generally speaking, if it has more than five ingredients, I don't eat it.

6. I started working out again, anywhere from 1-3 times a week. Sometimes I work out hard, other times I do 30 minutes of strength training and call it a day.

7. STRENGTH TRAINING. Ladies, I can't stress enough how important this is. Most women I see at the gym stay in the cardio section. Cardio is obviously important, but if you really want to feel good and see a change in your body, it's important to strength train. I honestly feel like I've lost over 20 pounds just because I now have toned muscles.

Fifteen down, fifteen more to go!