Hey y'all.

I've lost 40 pounds now. My pants are getting loose again. Hopefully I can drop another size soon.

How Michelle? Well, I'll tell ya.

1. I stopped drinking cokes in July. I'm southern. Wha-huh? Oh stop. You knew that already. When you're raised southern, Coca Cola is an essential part of your life. It's mixed with your baby rice cereal. And if you're truly southern, there are times when the milk is gone, but the coke isn't. So you try it on your Lucky Charms. I'm not saying it's GOOD, I'm just sayin'.

P.S. My mother did NOT EVER put coke in my baby cereal. She would want you to know that.

2. I substituted coffee for cokes. While I don't recommend this, I grew up being around and drinking coffee and it works for me for now. I will wean myself off eventually, but for now it works. I sweeten it with vanilla soy milk.

3. I stopped eating desserts. You are what you eat and I was tired of being a cookie. Or a donut. I don't mind being sweet and jelly filled, however, I do not want to look like it.

4. I take more walks/runs. It's harder when it's cold and snowy, but I do it anyway. Just layer up. It also feels amazing to be able to take those layers off when you get home. It's sort of like being able to peel off layers of body weight if you visual it just right. If you don't, then it just ends up feeling like some creepy B-movie removing your skin kind of thing. So do it right.

5. I eat smaller portions. This was difficult at first. But actually, I just realized that if I wanted to stop being twice normal size, I should eat half as much. So I would make a "normal" plate for myself and then put half of it back. Now my normal actually is normal. I also trade a little more veggies and a little less unhealthy choices.

6. I take herbs. I've always been interested in holistic choices. I use cayenne and ginger to kick start my metabolism in the morning. I take DHA, or omega 3, pills. Not all the time, just when I feel like it.

I've changed. I feel better. I look better. I have more energy. I don't feel like I need a nap all the time. I don't go to food as a stress release. I meditate instead. Just a few minutes at a time. Or I go do something else to make myself feel prettier. I go fix my hair, or put on some glittery lipgloss. It sounds simple, but it's really a psychological and philosophical change. It's good. Life is good.