Today on our 31 Days of Latinas Losing Weight challenge I have one of the simplest tips. No, really! Tip #18 is something that helped me, almost effortlessly, lose 2 pounds in the past week. I'm SHOCKED at how this tiny change made a difference.
Read more ¿Qué más? 31 Days of Latinas losing weight: Tip #17
So what's this magic trick that worked wonders for me? Well, I cleaned up my eating!
Of course, I've been eating healthy with all of the other tips we've been providing you for the past few weeks, but eating a completely "clean diet" has actually kick-started my weight loss a little more.
What exactly IS clean eating, you ask? I went to Jared Koch, fellow graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and founder of the Clean Plates healthy restaurant guides, for some tips.
1. Eat more veggies: Well, we've got that one down!.
2. Beware of packages: This is the #1 thing I did the past week–gave up ANYTHING that came in a package, including cereals and supposedly healthy snacks.
3. Get less sugary: Only once a week do I allow myself to split dessert with friends, as you already know!
4. Choose better meats: This is the other new biggie. If you're not eating vegetarian (well, except for on Mondays, of course), then aim to buy hormone-free and grass-fed beef.
5. Test yourself: Thanks to journaling, you should be able to figure out which foods make you feel good (yay!) and which ones make you feel not-so-hot, so that you can stay away from them.
6. Go easy on yourself: This is my favorite rule I follow all the time: Go easy on yourself by eating clean (and healthy!) 80 percent of the time and forgive yourself the other 20 percent of the time.
I've been following these tips for the past week and they have DEFINITELY helped me tons. I've also made an effort to eat more organic food. I know it's pricier, but it's been great because it helps to get rid of some of those pesticides that I don't love. To be honest, I've considered that part of the no-more-packaged-foods rule.
Eating cleaner, for me, has meant snacking more on fruits and vegetables and just adding healthier meats to my diet. Apparently it's made quite the difference, though, and I hope it will do the same for you! Plus, don't forget to tune in tomorrow for Tip #19!
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