I want to start off by saying that I am not a nutritionist, dietary health obsessive, or work-out fanatic. I don't believe in avoiding GMOs at all cost, eating only organic, or vegan (we can talk about why in another article). I am not a jogger, runner, weight-lifter, etc... The gym is lucky to see me every three or so months. I do like to hike, avidly ride horses, and in the summers I've worked outside on a ranch. My version of lifting, is lifting a saddle onto a horse. My version of squats are squatting to wrap polos on my horse's legs. Needless to say, if I can lose 20 pounds over a three month period and maintain that weight to this day, so can you.

I wouldn't say that I was ever obese, but maybe slightly overweight. My sophomore year in college is where I gained the "freshmen 15" that everyone talks about, but mine was more of a "sophomore 10". If I was a bear, it would have totally been understandable and acceptable, I was just storing some extra fat for winter.

But I am not a bear... I had come to a point where my jeans weren't fitting right and I was just overall unhappy that I had gained a few pounds. I'm about 5'7 (5'8 on a good day), and this spring I weighed myself at 174 pounds. Now this may not seem like a lot, but I noticed that for the past 3-4 years I had gained an average of 10per year, and I was done with that trend. So I consulted one person who always helps me when it comes to staying healthy, my mom. Five months later, I am happily and easily maintaining 154 pounds and I'm still going down. So if you want to know how it's done, keep reading.

Before I tell you what I did, first you must understand the following:

1. Realize that this is NOT A DIET.

"Dieting" implies that you're going to do something for awhile and then stop once you've hit your goal. This is NO DIET. This is a LIFESTYLE.

2. This is NOT EASY to start.

When you first cut all the bad foods out of your diet, you're going to crave everything you can't have. It absolutely sucks. BUT, as time goes on, it gets easier. You won't crave the bad stuff as often and you won't want as much of it.

3. You will need a cheering squad and a scale.

You need someone to keep you honest. They don't need to nag you. You just need someone to tell your results to. Let that person know, they don't need to harp on you, you must learn self-discipline. They just need to congratulate you when you're doing well.

As for the scale, you will weigh yourself every day for at least three months. You can use the Health app on your iPhone to record your weight (or just a pen and paper). This will help you to understand how "cheating" affects your new lifestyle. You will cheat at some point, and that's okay, but this will motivate you to stay on track.

So here it is. This is all I did to lose 20 pounds-- and it's simple.

1. Cut out everything processed.

2. EAT: Meat, veggies, & fruit.

This is pretty much called the Paleo diet, but instead it's just a lifestyle change. Avoid the middle isles of the grocery store. If you really want to drop the weight fast, you can even cut out fruit for the first month. Nuts are a great snack and will help to satisfy that need for something crunchy. Avoid the seasoned nuts.

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3. Drink water.

Cut out all sugary and alcoholic beverages. If you can't live without coffee, drink it, just try to avoid all the cream and sugar.

4. Get some sort of exercise in.

Just take the dog on a walk around the block, or take the stairs instead of the elevator. Or be more proactive and actually go join a work-out class or just go to the gym.

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5. It's okay to graze.

Just eat a few small meals throughout the day, that's totally fine, as long as you try not to eat anything right before bed.

That's it. Keep it that simple. If you have to ask whether or not something is OK, it's probably not, so avoid it. Be strict at first and you'll find out what it was that was causing you to gain so much weight. As time goes on, you can slowly add in more of a variety of foods, but you'll have to monitor how they affect you.

I know it seems like a lot of work, but trust me, it will get easier.

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