Challenge is Over! Some Things I Learned About Eating Healthy!

Hi Everyone! Sorry I was MIA last week. Work was INSANE and I legit did not have a night to blog. I made all of my favorites that have helped me lose weight during this challenge like curried cauliflower soup,grilled chicken skewers, and quinoa cucumber-avocado salad!)And for good reason! In a month I lost 8 pounds! For a shorty like me that is like another person! And that was with working out the same amount as I have been ( 3-4 times per week.) Whoop!
Some things I discovered about myself this month. 
1. I can indeed survive without any alcohol. 
2. Yes, it sucks when everyone around you is drinking and you are not. You will survive. 
3. Drinking 80-100 oz of water a day makes you pee ALOT, but you feel full between meals and you it helps your body process food better. 
4. Loosing weight is 90% what you eat and 10% working out. And this coming from a person that regularly works out 3-4 times per week. For me counting calories ( not in a weird obsessive way) helped. I was eating lots of healthy things, just too much of them. For example, I cut down the 1/2 cup of quinoa I was eating and opted for a smaller 1/4 cup portion and added more veggies. Quinoa is one of my favorite foods, but you still need good portion size. 
5. Eat lots of protein! Especially after you exercise. Your body craves protein after exercise to help muscles heal. Do you like being sore the next day? Ya me either. Eat protein. 
6. Exercise, but in a fun way! I tried zumba ( which I suck at) and discovered rock climbing. Such a good time! The more I went, the more walls I could climb all the way to the top! You also use so many muscles! I rock climbed for 45 minutes and burned 300 calories. Now that is fun!
7. Losing weight is so much easier with a great support system. Thank God, my friends and husband did this challenge with me. We were encouraging each other every day, texting when someone next to us was having a cupcake and you wanted to punch them in the face and celebrating little victories like if a person at work asked if we had lost weight( don't you love that?)
8. And lastly, DO NOT go back to old habits. When this 30 day challenge was over did I have pizza? Yes. It was my celebration. Did I go back to eating healthy the next day? You bet I did! You can't just change your life for one month. You need to take what you learned and change your eating habits forever. Does that mean when I finally had a french fry after 34 days I hated it? Nope, it was amazing. But you know what? You really learn to savor that little fry when you only have one every two weeks. I could have been tasting liquid gold for I knew! 
Anyway, What I want to tell you all is that you can totally do this. Your will is stronger than you think. Now, get a support system in place and start on your own journey!