How I Lost 20 pounds in 3 Weeks!

I want to share the 5 things I did to start being more healthy. Much to my surprise, I lost 20lbs in about 3 weeks, and dropped several inches off my waistline. I wasn't trying to lose weight, but it happened. So I wanted to share this with someone else. Keep in mind that good health is SIMPLE!!!  Good health is not some complicated algorithm of complex philosophies that require motivational speeches and rocket-science-like information. You don't have to be a chemist or a nutritionist to know how to eat right. Keep it as simple as possible! Also, keep in mind that it starts in the kitchen, not in the gym! Most of why you feel how you feel and why your body feels like it's betraying you, is because of what you put in your mouth! There are 5 things on this list, and 4 of them have to do with what you decide to consume, while only 1 of them deal with exercise. 

1. I cut the meat out of my diet. No, seriously, no meat. No beef, no chicken, no pork, and only a tiny bit of wild caught salmon from time to time. But in the firs 3 weeks, I ate no meat. It's a myth that you need to get protein from meat. There are lobbyist for the beef industry, the fish industry, the pork industry, and the chicken industry, that pay tens of millions of dollars a year to market and promote meat, put legislation before congress, and work directly on behalf of getting the government to endorse and promote the consumption of meat. Meat is a $100 Billion dollar industry, and they work feverishly to sell you the lie that you need meat. If you eat the right balance of healthy plant based foods, you will get plenty of protein. Do the research. There are other benefits to eliminating meat from your diet. Just simply take your time doing it, if you have to. Some of the biggest and most powerful animals in the wild, are not meat eaters. Not to mention, there are hormones, drugs, and other chemicals in meat that you are completely unaware of. When you eat meat, you are consuming everything that animal was exposed to internally and externally while in their most desolate state. If you ever get an opportunity to witness the slaughter and filth involved with processing the meat that you consume, you may think twice. I'm not an animal rights activists. I'm just a regular guy who lost 20lbs in 3 weeks. Finally, the money you save on your grocery bill by not purchasing meat, will more than make up for the added cost of eating healthy. You will be shocked at how affordable it is to eat right when you aren't spending half your grocery money on meat!! Big bonus!
2. I dropped the dairy. Milk is for babies, and even then, the best milk for a baby is not the milk from a foreign animal, but the milk from the babies mother. Nothing that is living on the earth continues to drink the milk from another species as adults! Oddly, that is what we've been taught and conditioned to believe. Everything I said about meat above, also applies to milk. I was a serial cereal eater (pun intended) for many years. When I dropped the dairy, I felt like a new person. You don't need the butter, the cheese, or the pus that is present throughout the milk you consume. It's extremely unhealthy. Again, do the research. If you want to drink milk, for some reason, try coconut milk, almond milk or soy milk. I actually completely dropped milk for 3 weeks and it made a big difference. Be careful about the substitutes, they often contain sugars and other additives and preservatives that can be very unhealthy for you.
3. I ate a plant based diet consisting of a good portion of beans and lentils, brown rice (rinsed and soaked and cooked in 5 x's the water to dry rice ratio to remove the arsenic), fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, and whole grains, etc. This was a different way of eating and it took some time to get used to.  I didn't feel as bloated or full after a meal. I didn't go into a food coma and get sleepy after eating. It was great. I did begin taking a vegan non-gmo high priced men's 40+ supplement that included B12 because that is about the only thing you miss when you are on a plant based diet. Otherwise, natural eating that doesn't involve processed food is refreshing to your body and helps your body help itself.  This means I cut out the bread, cut out the honey buns, and cut out the processed foods loaded with flour, corn syrup, corn starch, and anything else manufactured by a man in a factory. Your body is a gift from God and it is designed to naturally heal itself, but you have to give it the right fuel to do what is in its nature to do! Again, do the research to find out more specifically the types of foods to consume on a healthy balanced plant based diet. Also, check into a healthy one-a-day vitamin that is non-gmo, plant-based, vegan, and has no additives. Read your labels. If you don't understand it, it's likely not something your body should be consuming!
4. I started drinking a gallon of water per day. Now, ideally this doesn't have to be a full gallon. Most experts say, at least half your body weight should be consumed each day to replenish lost fluids that occur naturally throughout the day. If you are 250lbs, drink a gallon a day (that is 128 ounces). If you are only 150lbs, drink about 75 ounces per day. It's not going to hurt you to drink an extra glass or two of water over half your weight. The point here is get plenty of the right fluids, and I mean PLENTY. More than what you are used to. If you drink 64 ounces per day, increase that by 2 or 3 glasses. Drink much more water than you are used to drinking per day. Most people are dehydrated. The first thing they do to you when you go to a hospital for any type of emergency is what? That's right, they fill you full of fluids. Well, you can and should do that naturally by drinking lots of water. Try spreading it out and drink just one glass an hour for 10 to 12 hours a day. Don't load up your water with sweeteners or enhancers, please. Remember, keep it simple. Your body doesn't need, nor benefit, from all of the excess stuff. You will immediately start feeling more alert, less tired, and sharper. It really works. 
5. Walking!! I started walking about 30 minutes to an hour every other day. The best exercise you could ever do. Make time for it. Get a gym membership, hit the trails, or go to your local high schools outdoor track. Get moving, get walking, and get it done. Set aside at least 30 minutes a day or an hour every other day, and work your way up from there. Maybe you can start out at 15 minutes a day. You start where YOU are comfortable at. You don't have to lift heavy weights, do grueling push ups, or do sit-ups for an hour. You just need to move. Be sure to bend, stretch, squat and loosen up your body, your bones, your tendons. Jump rope if you have knee problems. Jumping rope is a great substitute for walking, if for some reason, you can't walk for long periods of time, and its fantastic cardio. But simply walking is one of the absolute the best things you can do. Get moving. No excuses!

My energy went up, I felt better, I felt lighter on my feet, my sinuses cleared up, and was less tired and lethargic. Keep it simple and give it a shot, and be prepared to quickly lose a few sizes off your waistline! My challenge to you is give it 3 weeks. You will be shocked!!