I lost a gallon of whole milk

At the end of January - here are the results.  I officially weighed myself 4 weeks ago and since then, I have lost nine lbs.  All the weight I'm carrying around is now approximately a gallon of milk lighter.

This journey is not complete, but it just got a whole hell of a lot harder.  I'm starting a second job which means more working hours a week.  This means less time to work out and less motivation to plan good meals to eat.  Also - my plateau is going to start soon.  I have to be motivated to work through it.

Here are some simple rules I followed this month to lose instead of gain:

1. Limit processed foods.  Especially avoiding the "white" foods - white sugar, white flour, white rice, regular pasta, white bread, etc.  I didn't do perfectly, but I cut out a lot of the extra stuff I used to eat.  It helped me to remember that as soon as I ate this stuff, it would metabolize as sugar and be put directly into my midriff as fat.
2. Eat more veggies - and try new ones.  This month I introduces beets and rutabaga into my diet.  I also upped my intake of kale, carrots and sweet potatoes.  And I tried spaghetti squash!  Eating more veggies really does fill you up.
3. Avoid sugar 90% of the time.  Including alcohol.  This month I didn't drink at all, and I'm sure that contributed greatly to my weight loss.  Not only is alcohol empty calories with lots of sugar, it kills your metabolism.
4. Protein, protein, protein.  It's important to eat protein at each meal, especially in the morning.  It fills you up!  I started incorporating protein shakes into my diet after workouts when I knew I'd be hungry but wouldn't eat for awhile.  Or when I did a lot of lifting and needed protein within 30 minutes after my workout.  They are really filling and seriously cut down on cravings to eat poorly.  Also - it's chocolate!  It tastes delicious.  Muscle Milk Light - Chocolate is my favorite.
5. Work-out 5-6 days a week and on the rest day, move!

My workouts for the week look like this:

Monday - boot camp class (courtesy of my work - but I'm sure your gym has a bootcamp class to try!)

Tuesday - 45 minutes of cardio, lifting arms, thigh workout, mild core workout

Wednesday - boxing class

Thursday - boot camp class

Friday - rest (although I walk about 2 miles, to and from work)

Saturday - sparring, then boxing 

Sunday - rest (but I go to ju jitsu class for an hour)

For me, one of the most important things about losing weight is not losing motivation.  To get motivated, I follow @muffintopless and some of her friends on instagram and tublr.  Seeing positive reinforcement and getting tips everyday really helps me keep my goals in the front of my mind.

For February, the only "rule" I want to add for myself is to get my own protein and start making my own shakes.  I'm also going to focus heavily on planning meals as my schedule gets busier so I don't fall into stress eating brownies and french fries.

If I can do it, you can do it!!!  Here's to a loss of 15 lbs in February!