Article By Tracy Liu • December 16, 2019
Photos from left to right: October 2017, August 2018, October 2019.
PS - She is the same body weight in August 2018 and October 2019.
“2 years ago I dramatically changed my eating habits and lifestyle. I took on a full Keto approach. It was magic, my mindset, my habits, my commitment....it was nothing I have ever experienced before. I lost 30 pounds in 10 months and have kept it off, getting even leaner and stronger (strength training and Crossfit) over the past 14 months. Today I don't use the super low carb keto diet at this time, I eat a "low crap" diet now.”
- Shawna Sanders
Lose weight, eat less junk food - tops many New Year’s resolutions lists.
Most people know WHY we need to stay fit and eat nutritious food, what they don’t know is HOW.
There are many reasons why most of our diet and fitness plans fail:
- ➡️ unrealistic expectations
- ➡️ work gets busy
- ➡️ too poor to shop at Whole Foods
- ➡️ tempting junk foods
It’s common to lose faith and give up, and we shouldn’t feel ashamed of ourselves.
To be honest, Shawna Sanders was at this point many times in her life.
She would start following a diet plan in the morning but find herself eating pizza later on that night.
She would turn to food for comfort and stress relief: a pint of ice cream when feeling down; a slice of chocolate cake when feeling bored; swing by the drive-through after a long day at work.
She even turned down her husband’s keto diet suggestions a few times.
That’s why Shawna wanted to share with the tips that actually helped her succeed in reaching her weight loss goals after a number of failed attempts:
1 - Remember, it’s your choice
You can eat whatever you want, but remember your main priority first.
Shawna can still remember at social events, other people told her what she could not eat. Her response has always been the same :”I can eat whatever I want, but I choose not to eat that.”
This choice shows that she is taking control of her diet and her life.
She is not forced into doing anything, instead, she evaluated the options and decided that pursuing better health is what she wants the most in life.
We can’t force someone to change, that person has to have some internal motivation to change.
So, if you want to succeed in losing weight and staying fit, tell yourself and all the people around you, you are not forced to do anything, you choose to do so because it’s what you want the most.
2 - Don’t set unrealistic expectations
When you start a diet plan, it takes time for your body to adjust.
You will feel tired, you will feel moody, and that is perfectly normal.
Don’t be too harsh on yourself, and don’t blame your body when it doesn’t feel so good for the first few weeks.
When Shawna started her original Keto diet plan, she struggled in her workouts for the first 4 to 6 weeks.
She was a crossfitter and she tried to push herself though, despite feeling fatigued and frustrated.
She recommends people who are starting a new diet to adjust the intensity of workouts down a little bit so they don’t have to go through any unnecessary suffering.
3 - Focus on your long-term goal
Don’t focus on short-term happiness.
Eating a piece of chocolate cake might make you feel great for 3 minutes, but in the long run, it will make you feel worse.
Studies indicate that people who consumed excess sugar felt more tired and less alert than those who had not.
According to Shawna, high sugar/high carb food would make her feel physically unwell for 30 minutes. She would feel overly full and bloated which made her want to lay down and rest.
So, next time, before you stuff yourself with junk food, ask yourself, do you like how you will feel in 30 minutes?
4 - Be patient
Your tastebuds will adjust!
The first few weeks might be tough, Shawna cried out of frustration because she couldn’t consume sweets.
Through the elimination of very sweet foods I found I actually like some vegetables.
Instead of being full of carbs and sugar, she started filing herself with vegetables, proteins and healthy fats.
The increase in nutritionally dense food kept her feeling full, and she felt much better after every meal.
Fat that had once been forbidden now became incredibly satisfying, way more than sugar ever had been.
Now she is not eating as much fat as before but still enjoys her meals more than ever.
5 - Don’t buy junk food
After starting the Keto diet, Shawna did almost all the grocery shopping in her house.
She only purchased healthy food that she planned to consume.
She stopped buying tempting junk foods.
Think about it, when you are lying on the couch watching TV at midnight, how likely are you going to grab a bag of potato chips on the nightstand versus how likely are you going to drive to the nearest store to buy a bag of potato chips?
If it’s not in the house, than you likely won’t eat it!
6 - Treat yourself
Everyday that you follow your own diet plan should be considered as a win!
And, if you want to reward yourself some time, do it.
Shawna has a “fat bomb” recipe to satisfy her need for something sweet. It is dark chocolate and good quality peanut butter and coconut oil made into a peanut butter bar.
Currently, after 2 years of following Keto diet, Shawna is pretty long winded and very passionate about the lifestyle changes she has made.
She just turned 40 in August and has never felt better.
I hope you guys will find changing your diet for a better and more quality life something worth pursuing.
And I hope the tips given by Shawna will make your journey easier, and will help you reach your life goal sooner.
Want Shawna’s help?
She currently has a limited number of openings for personal nutrition and lifestyle coaching.
You don’t need a better diet, you need better habits!
Read more about Shawna’s story or sign up for personal coaching.
