Everyone knows there is no magic pill!

Weight seems to come on stealthy, in the night, when we aren’t looking. How does this happen? We live as we’ve always lived, eat as we’ve always eaten, and all of a sudden, our belly is NOT as it’s always been.

What’s the deal? I’ve struggled with 20 pounds through my adult life. I don’t know if it’s the same 20 pounds, but through the years it keeps showing up. Weight Watchers worked for me in my 20’s, 30’s and early 40’s (I did it once a decade to get rid of that 20 pounds).

For some reason, it didn’t work in my later 40’s. What’s up with that?

Bob and I saw a flyer on “How to lose belly fat” at a health food store last summer.

We both had a nice little muffin top going, so we went to the workshop.

Well, it turns out, there is a hormone in my brain that I somehow turned off by eating lots of carbs and sugar.   I had heard of crazy people who gave up sugar, but I never wanted to be one of them. Truth be told, I’m not that into sweets. Now bread, on the other hand…

We listened to Dr. Eric Shuemake from Maximized Living, and learned that the sugar had turned off the fat eating hormone in our brains. To fix this, we needed to cut sugar and anything that turned to sugar in our bodies. Now our bodies would go after the fat instead of just burning sugar.

We both made the decision to cut sugar, bread, cereal, and all fruit except Granny Smith Apples and berries. Breakfast now consisted of almond milk, berries and whey protein. After about 2 months, Bob lost 30 pounds and I lost that same 20 that makes its presence known every few years.

The good news…I was never hungry! I snacked on Granny Smith Apples with sugarless peanut butter, or cashews. The protein kept me full and I no longer had low-sugar dizzy spells. I also noticed I didn’t feel bloated and gassy–before, I just thought that’s how everyone felt after eating.

The hard news…I went through withdrawals from the lack of sugar. I had headaches and body aches for about a week. I drank lots of water and rested as much as possible to get through it. Staying busy and focusing on activities helped. Once it passed, I felt better than before and don’t ever want to do that again!

We both gradually added back some bread and fruit, but kept most of the sweets out of our diets. The results? We’ve been on a 7-day cruise and through a holiday season without the uninvited pounds showing their ugly selves.

Bob bought some new clothes and slim fit shirts. His co-workers didn’t know what happened when he showed up in his trim new clothes. It looked like he dropped the weight over-night, but he just wasn’t hiding in baggy clothes anymore. I went down 2 sizes and feel so much better. Clothes are fun when you’re not squished in!

I told you it was simple…I didn’t say it was easy. It’s worth it though! Give it a try if you’ve got muffin tops to lose :)

This Blog Written by Colorado Life Coach, Carrie O’Toole