#31Days – the Finale

Well, it’s not REALLY the finale, it’s just the end of the ACTUAL #31Days that I’ve been eating Lean Cuisine’s and Skinny Cow ice cream treats in an attempt to learn new eating habits, get healthier, and make some lifestyle changes this 2011.

I began my challenge weighing in at a whopping 145lbs. WAY too much for  my just over 5′ tall body. What I did was to make simple changes.

1. I didn’t skip breakfast – instead I’d have yogurt & a hot cereal like oatmeal. This gave me the fiber that I need (my doctor had been telling me to get more fiber to help my cholesterol) and protein to keep me going.

2. I replaced my usual lunch (sandwich and something on the side) with a Lean Cuisine frozen dinner. This helped me to learn better portion control and I could control the calories, fat and fiber that I was taking in (all are listed on the outside of each Lean Cuisine box).


3. The diet soda was replaced with flavored waters. I’d been reading about how diet soda, while having NO calories – can be extremely unhealthy. Not only are the chemicals in the sweeteners they use BAD, but they trigger something that keeps you from losing weight.


4. My chocolate addiction was switched up a little. I tossed out my chocolate candy and replaced it with Skinny Cow Ice Cream treats. Not only did I not notice any difference (since I was still indulging), but in terms of VOLUME, I was enjoying even MORE than what I had before.

5. Dinner was an interesting problem. On some evenings I would pop another Lean Cuisine into the microwave for myself, but most evenings this just wasn’t practical, mostly because I was cooking anyway. Since I had learned what a proper portion of food was, using the Lean Cuisine, I just cut down the amount of food I took in each night. This allowed me to go grab take out at Chipotle each week. I ordered the salad with free-range chicken, black beans, salsa and a little bit of guacamole (while guacamole is high in fat, avocados are also one of the healthiest foods on earth, and actually aids in weight control).


6. My bane was always mindless munching in the evening. I saved a 2nd Skinny Cow for when I was ready to attack the goodies. Again, because of the size of the Skinny Cow treats, I was able to completely stop eating other JUNK foods while relaxing each night.

7. I found that by keeping track of what I ate and my exercise, that it was easier. I could visualize just what I could eat later on in the day when I wrote it down in a journal.

I still have a long way to go. For my height I probably should lose another 25 lbs. and even MORE importantly, I need to start exercising more. I fell OFF of the wagon a few times during my travel to Duluth, for the dog sled race and again earlier when I met up with friends in Fort Lauderdale, and figured it was a lisence to go crazy. Still, I’ve learned a lot about what to eat and what not to eat, and it was just the catalyst that I needed to begin.. While the OFFICIAL #31Days challenge is over, my personal challenge will continue throughout the next year.

If you’d like to join in and challenge YOURSELF to better eating habits, click below to print up a coupon for your buy 4, get one free Lean Cuisine Coupon and start on the road to a better 2011.

I wrote this as a result of being an influencer in the #31Days campaign. I was compensated by Collective Bias, however as you can see by the results – all opinions are MINE!