How did I lose 14 lbs and still eat brownies?
My son just had his 15th birthday( what? 
) and he requested M&M brownies with a scoop of ice cream on top. There’s no way I was going to skip out on that birthday celebration with him.
Could I have told him I was on a diet and skipped it? Probably.
I’m learning how to make better choices. And that means that I can still celebrate with a brownie when my kid has a birthday.
What else does it mean?
Learning how to make better choices means I’ve set an exercise goal to run for 5 minutes on the treadmill everyday( I’m on day 93 by the way). Have I missed a couple of days? YES. Do I beat myself up for missing a day? NOPE.
It means I typically swap one of my meals for a shake( strawberry cheesecake is my favorite, followed closely by almond joy, and mint chocolate).
It means sometimes I use unsweetened almond milk in my shake instead of skim milk.
Learning how to make better choices means I’m taking advantage of recipes I learned in the Cake Challenge( Click HERE to learn more about it!). So now instead of actual cookie dough I was snacking on to kill those afternoon sugar cravings, I make HEALTHY cookie dough as a snack. I keep a ziplock bag in my fridge of Lemon Coconut Cake bites, and even some healthy no bake chocolate peanut butter cookies( you know, like your mom used to make!). I have a yummy brownie swap and a chocolate chip cookie swap so I CAN still have my sweets, just in a healthier way.
Did I lose 14 lbs in a month? No.
Did I lose it in 2 months? No.
But it’s coming off. As I learn how to eat better, and move my body more, I’m finding my way.
Do I still have a good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie or two if I make a batch? You bet, but maybe I took my son for a run in the jogging stroller after his morning nap and had a vanilla cake shake for breakfast.
Yes, it’s about balance. I’m learning that it’s better to make small changes I can be successful with than drastic ones I’m likely to give up on.
If you want to join the next Cake Challenge CLICK HERE and you can get all the shake recipes, dessert swaps and a boatload of support from tons of ladies making better choices in their own lives a little bit at a time 
I’m rooting for you!
