My Life Changing Year & My Year to Come

January 30th of last year I decided it was time to change. I wanted to start living a healthier, happier life and I did just that!

Many things happened this year that made this the best year of my life. I'll start with the most exciting thing.

I GOT ENGAGED! The big day is June 14th of this year and we couldn't be more excited.

The rest of the things that happened in my life this year are the things that have completely changed my life. I decided that I was going to change my entire lifestyle and stick with it. I had to dig down deep to really learn that weight loss and healthy living is not just a quick fix. I had to teach myself that to be the healthy person I wanted to be I not only had to eat better but also exercise. I started with small but big changes and I stuck with them. Healthy living has truly become a passion of mine and I can't believe how different I feel and think now that I have changed. This year I have become the happiest I can be. I have learned to love myself from the inside out. I believe in myself and know that with hard work I can accomplish anything. It might have taken 27 years to get where I am now but I thank God that I made it.

Here are some things that have changed my life.

 I began working out weekly and I made a goal to run my first 5k. I have never been a runner and never thought I would enjoy it. With every workout I learned to love it and loved how much better I felt. It is the best way to start my day.

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The next thing is really my passion. I have always enjoyed cooking but my recipes have never been very healthy. This year I have learned to enjoy the foods I love by just substituting ingredients to make healthier versions.

My favorite thing to make is soups. They are great for my weekly lunches and nothing beats a nice big bowl of soup, especially in the winter.

Now if you know me you know I love pizza but I had to find a healthier way to make it. The cauliflower crust pizza changed my life. IT IS AMAZING!! Every time I crave pizza I just make me a good ole cauliflower pizza and it hits the spot.

Another thing that I loved but had to give up to become a healthier person is french fries and hot dogs. I then introduced myself to sweet potato fries and turkey dogs. They are great for all those summer cookouts.

I also learned all the different ways you can cook a sweet potato. I love stuffed sweet potatoes.

Now to the sweets. I have always had a sweet tooth. As a little girl at Christmas I was more interested in all the candy then my presents. But lets face it sugar can lead to many health issues if you have too much of it. So I said goodbye to all the candy and started trying out healthy dessert recipes. My favorite thing I ever made were my pumpkin muffins. I couldn't believe how tasty and healthy they were.

I also was introduced to flaxseed. You can substitute this stuff for so many things. I put it in smoothies, used it for crust on casseroles and my favorite thing I used it for was mozzarella sticks and onion rings. So tasty!

With learning how to change some things with all my recipes I made before my lifestyle change I have managed to lose about 30 pounds this year. For the first time in my life I am so proud that I stuck with something that really has changed everything about me. I learned that happiness doesn't come from being skinny but eating healthy and getting exercise does create happiness.

Now that it is a new year I can't wait to see what my future holds. I have a new list of goals and I know that I can reach them. So here are the major goals that I will reach in 2014!!

1. Give up all soda for the entire year
2. Run my first half marathon
3. Go to the gym at least 3 times a week
4. Continue to make healthy recipes
5. Smile everyday!

So cheers to life because if you love yourself it is pretty grand! HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!

Day 3, Operation I'm getting marrrried!

Lunch; grilled chicken salad

Dinner: crab meat

Day 4, Operation I'm getting marrrried!

Breakfast: Egg and spinach omlet with a little bit of cheese on top

Snack:2 tbsp of pb

Lunch: grilled chicken salad

Snack: frozeen yogurt

Dinner: crab meat and low cal taco soup. Tried a few of my new almonds

Day 4 no soda

163 days till final goal and getting hitched