How did you do it? with Amie

We are always asking the question of anyone who has had success in weight loss, "How did you do it?" So let's meet Amie from Running On Healthy, and find out how she did it.

Name: Amie
Blog/Website: Running On Healthy
Approximate Body Stats: 5'4, 127lb, 65+lb lost

Hi! I am Amie, the girl behind Running On Healthy, my personal weight loss and healthy lifestyle journey. At 191 pounds and only 5’4 I needed to make some serious changes not only for my health, but for my happiness. I hated who I was and took no pleasure in my life.

Tell us about your weight loss journey.

Not knowing how to make weight loss stick I started out (again.) with Weight Watchers and successfully lost 50 pounds. Slowly I started learning about what was good for my body, what was bad for my body, and how I actually wanted to live my life. A secret binge eater at McDonalds, my biggest change came when I made the choice to become a vegetarian. I later joined My Fitness Pal and lost an additional 20 pounds as well as fell in love with running. It took me 17 months, but in that time I have lost 65+ pounds. Every up, down, and maintain is chronicled through my honest and open blog posts. Writing about topics such as Love, Food, and Exercise has been a pinnacle in my weight loss journey. Somewhere along the way it went from weight loss to a lifestyle. Now, I am living, and loving life. Gaining self confidence, and falling in love with everything I have to offer the world, I have a completely new outlook on the relationship between food, activity, and lifestyle. I blog because I want others to know that with consistency and commitment, weight loss can be accomplished, exercise can be fun, and dessert can be eaten every day. As for weight loss, I strongly believe it is 80% diet, and 20% fitness. If you are just starting out with a weight loss plan, I recommend getting your diet under control before you tackle becoming physically fit. Make small changes like incorporating more vegetables and fruits, while reducing red meat and sugars. Never ever eat anything artificially sweetened. Cut back on dairy products like milk and cheese. Don’t eat any refined carbohydrates. Look for lots of protein and fiber. Be mindful at every meal. If it seems like a daunting task (which it is!) start by overhauling your breakfast. Once you have that down, move on to lunch, then supper, then snacks.

What got you motivated to start losing weight?

I was tired of feeling invisible to everyone. I felt like I wasn't reaching my full potential and that my body and weight was holding me back from happiness. I didn't want to feel like the "fat" friend anymore. I wanted to love myself and be happy with what I had to offer the world.

Who is your body idol?

Myself! I honestly can't look to anyone else to be an idol because I think that my body was made the way it is supposed to be. Do I think others have nicer bodies than I do? Absolutely. But I can only work with what I have got, and I try to make the best body possible for my body type.

Share with us your favorite healthy meal or snack.

I just discovered Plain Low Fat Greek Yogurt mixed with Peanut Butter or PB2. Holy smokes. It is just like Peanut Butter Cheescake without the pointless crust!

What is your favorite fat-shedding workout?

I love running, biking, walking, hiking, yoga-ing, anything that getting my body moving. Finding what you love makes exercise so much easier and so much fun!

Any helpful tips, tricks, or encouragement you’d like to share.

I think that consistency and commitment are the 2 most important words in the weight loss. Consistency with eating healthy. Commitment, life long. Once the weight is off, you have a whole new battle to face: maintenance. It is easy to lose weight and restrict calories. Figuring out how to eat just the right amount every day to not continue losing or start gaining is the hard part. Making small changes is the key to success. There is no way I could have lost the weight that I did if I had made all of my changes in one day because my new habits never would have stuck.