How'd you do it?

I can't tell you how many times in the last month Brandon and I've been asked the question...

So, how'd you lose the weight?

What they want to hear is an easy, clear cut, 5 step plan to drop the weight...What they don't want to hear, is that there's no magic bullet...no easy peasey plan that requires little or no discipline or sacrifice. I don't mean to sound harsh, but the fact is...it's hard work, it requires A LOT of discipline and it's going to take time...months.

Ok, now that I've totally discouraged you...I'll go ahead and tell you a little more about what we've been doing over the last few months. It's nothing amazing, but if it helps you the way it's helped Bran and I...

My big #1 - Don't drink your calories. I mean it...if your drink has more than 5 calories in it...DON'T DRINK IT! Ever! Did you know that one gallon of Red Diamond Sweet Tea has almost 5,000 calories in it? That's more calories than the average person should have in 2 days! There was a time...in a 24 hour stretch...when I would've polished off a gallon myself.

Now I'll be honest, I HATE water, so drinking water is never something I want to do. But...since water is so important to healthy weight loss, I've been able to do it with the help of things like Crystal Light green tea.

If your fan of Sonic sweet tea...try asking for un-sweet and then adding 1 lemon wedge for every 2 sweet-n-lows you add. It takes the edge off of the sweetener and makes it taste like sweet tea with lemon. When I order, I ask for a large un-sweet tea, with 3 lemon wedges and 4 sweet-n-low...and being Sonic...it's always right. Of course I have to squeeze my lemons and add the sweetener...but for a sweet tea drinker like myself...it's a lifesaver.

If you just have to have a soda now and then...

#2 - If you don't keep it around, and it's not quick and easy...chances are...you won't stick with it. I'll admit, the last few months in the Champagne house have not been very exciting when it comes to dinner. Since our diet has been limited primarily to protein and veggies...well, it's just not that exciting.

Get over it! Food is for nourishment...yes, we want it to taste good, and yes, we want to actually WANT to eat it! But the fact of the matter is this...food can be good and still be healthy. It just takes a little more work.

These foil packets have been a staple for us the last few months. You can fill them with just about anything...and if you put in a little prep time...dinner can go from fridge to plate in just about 45 minutes (35 minutes of that is cooking time!). Since I know I won't always have time to chop veggies and such every night, I like to cut squash, mushrooms, bell pepper and onion up ahead of time. I also buy my chicken breast fresh, trim it and freeze each piece in a separate baggie.

SO...now we come to Monday night...it's time to put dinner on the table....

Rip off the number of foil pieces you need for the fam.

Pull your defrosted chicken, fish, tenderloin, shrimp, whatever...out of the fridge.

Rub a few teaspoons of olive oil and balsamic on the meat.

Place the meat in the middle of each piece of foil and top with your choice of previously chopped veggies.

Add a little more, olive oil, balsamic, some salt and peppa.

At this point you can add a sauce of your choice too. Buffalo Sauce, reduced sugar BBQ sauce, or our family favorite...Firehouse Sub's Chili Sauce. (not too much...just enough)

Fold the top and crinkle the sides...bake on a cookie sheet for about 30 to 35 minutes.

That's it. A super fast, super healthy, custom made meal for everyone in your family.

BTW - Don't drain the juice...that's the best part!

What I'm trying to say is this...if you keep it simple, eat on it for at least 2 meals, and keep the good stuff on hand...it's just not that hard. There are a ton of great ideas out there! Pick 3 or 4, make them and eat them till your tired of them. Find a few more...repeat...go back to the oldies...repeat.

#3 - Eat breakfast EVERY SINGLE DAY! Bran and I do a protein shake or bar like Special K or Adkins, but if you have to have more...make it a high protein meal. Kashi cereal is high in protein and fiber, but low in sugar. Or a couple of boiled eggs and a piece of whole grain toast with a little Promise butter is a great option too. The main thing to remember at breakfast is PROTEIN...NOT empty carbs like donuts, muffins, sugar cereal and even yogurt. You will be shocked how far a breakfast high in protein but low in sugar and fat will take you.

One other breakfast note...your metabolism won't kick on until you eat...so eat early if you can!

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#4 - Snacking CAN be a good thing...if you let it. It can also de-rail a diet faster than anything else you do. Usually around 10ish I like to eat a small snack. I may not even be hungry for it, but I'm trying to think forward...in about 2 hours I'll be hitting noon and lunch time will be upon me. I can tell you this for sure...eating a small snack helps me go into the lunch hour with a lot more self-control than without one.

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Now, I'm not a big fan of the whole pre-packaged snack idea, but in some cases it's just the best option. If you have amazing self control...by all means do it yourself...but if your like me, you need a stopping point. There is nothing like the bottom of the package to tell me to stop! And funny thing is...when I finish that 100 calorie bag of almonds...it's a lot fewer than I would have liked had I opened a big tin of nuts.

Any snack will do really, as long as it's protein or a fresh fruit and around 100 calories or less. NO grain or suger snacks allowed!

String cheese, nuts, an apple, a Special K snack bar (a sugar and carb exception because of the high protein and fiber content), even a boiled egg. All good options.

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#5 - A small amount of protein about 30 minutes before bed will keep your body working all night. And by working I mean...if it has to work to digest the protein...it has to pull energy from somewhere. Your body will keep burning fat well into the night if you give it something to do.

For this snack I usually pick something sweet. I usually choose a Adkins protein bar, because it's sugar free, but once again...any kind of protein will do. Just make sure it's around 12 to 15 grams. A good dose of fiber in the mix will just help your body work that much longer!

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I keep mentioning "sugar-free"...which brings me to another subject...Sugar alcohols. As dandy as they are at making sugar free products taste like the real deal...they will reak havoc on your digestive system. Now, at least for me, if they are served up with protein and fiber...no problem...but take these oh so awesome Dove candies...there is just no really nice way to say it...they cause really bad gas. And from what I can tell, this is the case across the board...I have yet to find someone who's not effected that way. So...eat at your own risk...and don't say I didn't warn you!

#6 - Subway - I know, I know..."Jared's diet" but let me tell you something. My husband has lost 53 pounds eating a 6 inch cold cut combo almost every day for months. I eat them a lot too... I may be going a lot slower than him (curse his skinny butt) but I'm not gaining either!

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A 6" cold cut combo with lots of veggies and light mayo on wheat is only 460 calories. That may sound like a lot, but when you put it against a small fry, and cheeseburger (with no drink) at 870 calories...what's to say? Now for me, it's a veggie with only a dab of light mayo and vinegar and oil...320 calories. No chips and un-sweet tea makes Subway a pretty good choice.

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#7 - OPEN YOUR EYES...look at the scale, at the nutritional facts, at your body...it's all there...you just have to be willing to look at it. Nothing keeps me in line more than stepping on the scale every morning. You may lie about your weight on your drivers license...but you can't lie to the scale. Check out the nutritional facts before you eat ANYTHING! I can promise you, most of the time you will put it down and walk away. When you realize that a handful of Fritos has more calories and fat than a 6 inch sub...it's not rocket science people!

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#8 - Count calories...I don't mean you have to weigh your food every time you eat...just keep a tally in your head (an honest one) or with an app. My goal is 1,200 a day. The thing is, once you get used to keeping it under control...you won't have to bother counting...you just know.

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Last but not least...try to remember, it's a life long journey. If you fall off the wagon today, get back on tomorrow. Don't get discouraged! Some days eating good just won't happen, but if you get back on track the next day...you've only lost a day...and really, what's one day in the rest of your life? As long as you DO get back on!

I don't know if any of this will be helpful, but I do hope you find the motivation to make the change! Good luck.