In May 2016 I hit my 50 pound weight loss milestone. Last summer I jumped aboard the eat clean and workout train and there’s been no looking back.

I’m just kidding. There’s been so much looking back. You can’t lose a fourth of your body mass without a stop to remember your journey.

The 10 months were full of challenges. It is difficult to turn your life upside down and stick with it. People ask me what made the big difference this time around and here it is: ditching the d-word and sticking with it.

I made a decision to show up for myself every day. I remained consistent and the daily actions turned into habits and ultimately I made myself a major lifestyle change. Let me say again I was out to make a lifestyle change. I don't believe in diets.

I want to be clear and say I love pizza and red wine. I don’t feel guilty those nights I run out for ice-cream after a long day at work. I can’t think of a better ladies night than margaritas and seven-layer dip with a XL bag of tortilla chips (quantity: 2+).

That’s my second point. I am anti-diet. Diets force you to completely cut out your favorite foods and that’s a recipe (pun intended) for failure. I follow the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of the time I munch on my carrots and hummus and chug water. The other 20 percent of the time I order a pizza and pick up a bottle of wine for a Netflix night in.

You should love the life you create to take care of your body. That means don’t cut everything out. Those nights you run to the Mexican restaurant down the street for queso and a marg both taste especially good.

What’s more is you don’t hate yourself for it. You know the next morning you’re going to wake up and make a veggie omelet to go with your turkey bacon.

There you have it. That’s the meal plan I used to lose 50 pounds in less than a year. It helped me not just get results, but create a life I love with a more healthy skin that I'm now in.