Keep Going.

A couple things happened last Friday that inspired this post. 1. My friend asked me for some suggestions on websites and books that have helped me work out and eat right and 2. I FINALLY BROKE MY WEIGHT-LOSS PLATEAU. It had been almost two months since I'd lost a pound. Finally. I was relieved and excited. I feel obligated to say (again) that if you feel stuck, JUST KEEP GOING. Your body is doing what it's doing for a reason. Keep working out, keep eating right, keep thinking positive thoughts. Forget about the scale and think about how good you will look in six months if you keep working out almost every day. You will eventually start losing weight again. And if you cave in and don't work out for three days or have a bag of chips or half of a pie or something ridiculous (we all do this) please remember that that does not mean that you should give up or that you've failed. JUST. KEEP. GOING.

Here is a list of things that have helped me:

• JillianMichaels.com. This is a pay-site. It's $52 per quarter which equals $4 per week. It has been outrageously helpful for me. When you first sign up, you personalize your profile by putting your weight, height, all the regular things and then they ask a few more questions about how your body reacts to what you eat, etc. This is so they can make a meal plan and exercise plan specific to you. While one "health food" may be good for your husband, it may not be good for you as far as losing weight goes. Two great (and FREE) websites simliar to this are Diet.com and Livestrong.com.
• The health and fitness board on Pinterest. If you want exercises to do in your living room, they're there. If you want meal ideas that aren't just healthy and simple but seriously delicious, they're there. If you want blogs upon blogs of inspirational people who have taken on getting healthy, they're there. If you just want some inspiration, it's there too. I start almost every day with a trip to the health and fitness board.
• Word of Wisdom Living is my favorite blog about eating clean and healthy.They also pepper in some workout ideas, too. What I like most about this website is that it is a realistic wealth of information. There are a million websites out there that will do nothing but discourage people because not all of us have every variety protein powder and fresh ginger in our cupboards. I don't understand why so many bloggers forget that most people aren't as entrenched in this lifestyle as they are yet, so they're not going to find complicated recipes and two-hour workouts helpful. I still don't know for sure how many people read this blog, but I try to remember EVERY SINGLE TIME I WRITE how helpless I felt when I read one of those complicated blogs. It was nothing short of overwhelming.
• Here's something I didn't do, but I wish I did. I wish I would have taken before pictures. The closest thing I have is a video of me playing with my baby in February. I saw it a couple months ago for the first time and COULD. NOT. BELIEVE how big I got and how much weight I've shed since then. I know it's painful, but take a before picture. It helps when you're plateauing to see where you've come from and to see that yes, you're building muscle and even though the number on the scale isn't changing, you still are changing.
• Four books. Eat This, Not That which is actually fun to read, interesting (if not shocking at times) and helpful. A book that has a similar title but no relation: Now Eat This by Rocco DiSpirito. It's a cookbook that I refer to pretty much every time I'm cooking. Not only does it have full meal recipes, but it has recipes for sauces, appetizers, desserts. It's great. And two books that will scare you (in a good way): The Blood Sugar Solution and Master Your Metabolism. They both explain why processed foods are BAD BAD BAD and they have some horrifying statistics but they've been so helpful to me.
• Another favorite of mine is SkinnyMs.com. I don't often actually have to visit their website because I liked their page on Facebook and multiple times a day, they post fitness tips and challenges, meal and snack ideas, and inspiration. But if you do go to their website, you'll find easy-to-navigate lists of food, workouts, and articles. You will also find links to other helpful websites.

There's just a few. I will try to start posting my "favorite stuff this week" again because I come across great stuff all of the time. But here's the thing. You can watch videos, read books, and click around on fitness blogs all day. But you won't lose a pound doing that, you won't get the exercise endorphins, and you won't feel great about yourself for the rest of the day. Here's the answer to the age-old question, "How do I lose weight?" Wake up. Eat clean things. Work out. Do NOT make excuses or lose sight of your goals. Go to bed. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.