Happy Saturday! My husband and I will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary in November. It's hard to believe that we have been married for almost 10 years! To celebrate, we're thinking of taking a cruise, or some other romantic trip. We both want to get healthy this year, and slim down. Hubby wants to lose a higher amount of weight. I don't need to lose a lot of weight, but I do want to try to lose 10-15 pounds and get rid of the rest of the pesky baby weight that has been hanging on. It's been so much harder to lose it this time around!

Right before I became pregnant with Baby S, hubby and I were on the South Beach Diet. It was really hard to completely cut carbs out of our lives. Hubby loves to live on bread, and I love my sweets. It was such hard work, but we both dropped a bunch of weight really quickly. Hubby lost almost 40 pounds in a two month span! I dropped down to a size 2 (smallest I have ever been in my life!), and wasn't really focused on my size, but on looking and feeling my best, not to mention healthy.

When you cut the carbs, sugar, and general junk out of your diet, the results are amazing. I found myself having much more energy, and just feeling healthier overall. The weight that I lost was a perk, for sure. Diet change alone made a big difference.

Summer 2015 - So healthy, so happy!

January 2017- 9 months after baby.

I gained about 50 pounds when I was pregnant with Baby S. I had such a hard and exhausting pregnancy, that I basically stopped working out, and heck if I have been working out since S was born. I want to work out- I enjoy it, and I have been missing it... but y'all, I have a million excuses as to why I haven't been doing it. It's time to kiss them goodbye, though. I am fed up enough to make some sacrifices and get back to where I want to be.

So why not just go back on the South Beach Diet? The main reason is that I am still breastfeeding S. I do need some carbs in my diet. Dieting and breastfeeding don't really mix. Healthy eating and exercise do, though. South Beach diet works (I can tell you this from our own experience with it), so if you want to go that route, check it out! Low carb eating is a commitment. Your grocery bill might be higher, because you'll be buying more proteins and veggies. Fresh and healthy foods have a higher price tag. You might be grocery shopping more often, to ensure you have the freshet ingredients possible. It takes planing, dedication and will power. 

The hardest thing for us? We have a growing six-year-old boy. We're not going to stop buying things he loves like peanut butter crackers and pasta noodles just because hubby and I are giving those things up. In reality- those sabotage foods are in my pantry. There's ice cream in my freezer, and those things stare me in the face every time I open up the doors. That's where the willpower comes in. Lord, give me strength!

There are so many delicious meals out that that you can enjoy on a low carb meal plan, though. Making a few subtitutions or tweeks to recipes you already love can make all the difference. Adding in 20-30 minutes of daily exercise will help you reach your goals, too. We have a long way to go, and have to face the reality that this type of eating is a lifestyle change... but it's one for the better. Can I still have desserts? YES! Can I have a cheat day every now and then? ABSOLUTELY. Finding the right balance is half the battle. Having a support system to keep you motivated and to hold you accountable makes a big difference, too!

Take a look at some of the meals we have enjoyed in the past week (all low carb)...