I lost 7 pounds and 12 inches. Here’s how I did it.

I just finished my 8 week Food Lover Fitness challenge and I’m feeling pretty good about myself. My goal was to start a fitness routine, change my eating habits and lose 5 pounds and 2 inches. Well, I’m happy to report that I did all of that and more!

How much I lost

Last week:         2.4 lbs and 0.5 inch

Total:                 7.6 lbs and 12.5 inches

What I ate

The plan was to make healthy (and delicious) food at home and still try everything when I go out to eat. I stuck to that through the 8 weeks and experimented with Middle Eastern flavors in the kitchen. Last week, I made Market Hall Foods’ Spiced Chickpeas with Yogurt and Dukkah for breakfast, and it was hearty and flavorful and surprisingly filling. Cooking dishes like this makes it easy for me to eat healthy every day.

I also made Farro and Lentil Salad and Sloppy Joe Baked Sweet Potatoes, so almost all of my meals were healthy last week.  They balanced out the night I went out to dinner and ate charcuterie, wine, cheese and lots of other bites.

How I worked out

Doing resistance workouts at home worked for me when I could wake up early. And when I didn’t feel like it, I went on an afternoon walk and still felt like I was making progress.

What I learned

• I need to go to sleep early so I can workout in the morning.
• Healthy food can be really delicious.
• It’s important to change up the flavors to keep food interesting.

Next week

Even though Food Lover Fitness is technically over, I plan to keep up my new cooking and fitness routines. This challenge made me realize how easy it is to be healthy and still eat delicious food without feeling deprived.

Thanks to Market Hall Foods for having artisanal ingredients in the store and a blog that explains how to use those ingredients in delicious ways.

And special thanks to YOU for following my journey!

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Christina Mitchell

Christina is the founder of East Bay Dish. Her writing has also been featured in East Bay Express, Berkeleyside, Oakland Magazine and Edible East Bay.

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