As many of you know I have removed meat from my diet completely and have done so now for the last 3 months or so and I have never felt better.

I don't crave it at all and I've incorporated foods in my diet that satisfy me and that are yummy as well. I still eat eggs and fish though but have eliminated pork, beef and chicken. This was a decision that I made to see first if I can handle it but also because of the benefits of not eating so much meat. 

Often times I see people eating meat and rice, meat and rice but never any vegetables and that is not the proper way to eat especially if you want to be healthy. Since I haven't been eating meat I have been eating less which is a good thing as long as I'm still getting the proper nutrition and I feel satisfied.

I still eat a hearty breakfast as I still believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but for lunch I have found myself sticking to salad with salmon and for dinner eating just 1/2 cup of brown rice with vegetables or sometimes I'll even have whole grain pasta with my vegetables. I do try to include my two snacks in the morning and in the afternoon and it's usually fruit or nuts. 

On the days that I do workout though I of course tweak what I eat as I know I need to be fully energized so usually I'll drink a protein shake in the morning and definitely make sure I eat some carbs for lunch as I workout in the morning as opposed to the evening time. 

So basically my whole point to this is that you need to tweak and change your meal plans to something that will suit you and what you want to achieve. As long as you know the core benefits of the right types of foods to eat then you will have a lifelong understanding of what is good for you and will continue on that path to a healthier and leaner you:)

Hi Belles, I've been having internet and computer problems at home so that is why I haven't posted in a while but I am good to go now.

I've been getting a lot of people asking me what has inspired me to take action and lose the weight that I have achieved and most importantly keep it off and maintain it.

A lot of people know that losing weight can be the hardest part and the biggest hurdle to overcome but in fact the hardest part is actually keeping it off and maintaining it. It is not easy but it can be done if you follow with the right meal plans and exercise consistently.

For me I have not only reduced my belly fat which is the main reason that I wanted to lose weight but I have been able to maintain it. The key is that I have spent a lot of time initially researching about certain foods and the effects that it can have on my body. I believe this is the most important thing and the foundation for really losing the weight that you want. If it wasn't for knowing about certain foods I would've just eaten what someone else told me to eat without knowing why and once I lost the weight would go back to eating the regular foods I ate. You see a lot of us go off of what other people are eating through foods at the grocery store that we find that are so called "low fat" or even things that we find on the internet that tell us this particular food is good to eat when you are on a diet but unless you really know what the benefits are it's hard to just stick to it.

What prompted me to do my research is in fact the best resource that I have found on losing weight and most importantly maintaining it and it's through an ebook that I found at www.BlastBulgingBelly.com. The information provided is very valuable and again information in which you can understand and apply to not only lose weight temporarily but live a healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life.

I feel so very passionate about this topic that I even started a blog about it at www.BlastBulginBelly.Blogspot.com. So many people that I know are struggling with this problem and I figured I'd start this blog to share information and resources to help them with gaining knowledge and applying it.

The most important thing though is to remember that you can have all the knowledge about eating healthy and losing that belly but unless you apply what you have learned it means nothing so please go out there and take action NOW!!

As many of you know I continually strive to educate myself about different types of foods and the affects that it can have on your body and in your body.

Well I have found some information about corn that may be a shocker to you as it was for me. I myself have always loved to eat corn. Growing up it was always a staple in our house but I knew there was just not something right about it every time I would use the restroom and see it the toilet!! I'm sorry to get so technical here but that's the truth. To be honest I haven't eaten the actual physical corn for a long time, as I said before it didn't feel right in my stomach but after reading the information about corn it can come from a whole lot of other sources. A lot of people assume it's a vegetable so it must be good for you right? Wrong!!

There are actually a couple of ways that it is bad for you. For one we already know that cattle are designed by nature to eat grass and other forage... their stomachs were not designed to handle eating large amounts of corn.

But because of not so good farming practices which originate solely from the economics of cheap corn and factory farming, the vast majority of our beef comes from factory farmed cattle that were force-fed corn for their entire existance, instead of being allowed to eat their natural food, grass.

Since their stomachs were not designed to properly digest corn, their digestive system essentially gets sick, and this allows dangerous bugs such as E-COLI to proliferate.

When cattle are allowed to eat grass and other forage, E-COLI issues are almost non-existant.

People DIE every year (particularly children and elderly are at most risk) from E-COLI poisoning.  And even when the sicknesses and/or death from E-coli occur from vegetables, this is usually caused by runoff from a factory corn-fed beef farm that contaminated produce at a downstream farm.

Next corn is prevalent in almost all of our processed foods.

1. Corn-fed beef produces lower nutrition levels in beef, lower healthful omega-3 fats, and a 10-20x higher level of inflammatory omega-6 fats. The more corn fed beef you eat, the more you're blasting your body with more inflammation by throwing omega-6 to omega-3 ratios out of whack.

Chronic inflammation leads to eventual heart disease and possible death.

Once again... CORN KILLS.

2. Corn Oil is in a huge quantity of processed foods. Not only is this heavily refined oil unhealthy in many other ways, but once again, it throws that natural balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids out of whack inside your body. Once again, chronic inflammation can result.

3. High fructose corn syrup -- this has become a major ingredient in almost ALL processed foods over the last couple decades. It is so prevalent in processed foods, that it's almost impossible to avoid. Even breads, cereals, and ketchup have HFCS now.

Knowing how lethal this "corny" syrup is to our health, I'm amazed it's not illegal... of course, that would never happen because of the economics involved in corn.

Long term use of HFCS can not only cause obesity, but also diabetes, premature aging, and a host of other health issues.

Obesity and diabetes can eventually cause death.

Once again... CORN KILLS.

As I mentioned above this information about corn came as shocker to me especially with respect to corn being the basis of our food supply, but it's about time people start understanding what's in our food supply and how it affects their health and their family's health.

Unfortunately, the majority of people don't value their health until they've lost it. That's a sad fact that will probably always be part of human nature.

What can you do?

The best thing you can do is to CONTINUALLY educate yourself and your family on nutrition. Study everything you can get your hands on about nutrition. Read and understand labels. Choose organic. Choose all unprocessed foods at least 95% of the time.

Hope this has been an eye opener for you and that you can start to really watch what you eat at all times:)

I went to get a medical and drug test at the LTO today for a drivers license.

As many of you know I do not have a scale at my house to weigh myself. This is the reason why I hardly ever update my weight graph on this site. When I moved here I never invested in one plus I didn't want to be paranoid and be one of those people that get on the scale everyday or more than once a day for that matter. Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with doing that and if you are one of those people that do that and are reading this right now please do not be offended. I just don't like to do it because I'd rather see the results on my body as opposed to on a scale.

Anyway, when I went to take the test they also weighed me. I got on the scale and it said 50 kgs. I'm still not keen to the different measurements that they use here as I always go by pounds. I didn't ask the doctor onsite what the conversion to pounds was but I made a note of it in my head and when I returned home I looked online to do the conversion.

To my surprise I am 110.23 lbs. to be exact!!! That's down from 117 lbs. in which I weighed last November. Wow, 7 lbs.!!!! I definitely noticed the results on my body as many of you have seen through my pictures but it's great to also see the actual number. 7 lbs. for my body type and size is ideal as I wouldn't want to be skinnier. I've been 100 lbs. before in my high school days but after two kids and definite change in my body 110 is good for me. Plus I actually have more muscle which I like, thanks to my kettlebell for weight lifting. Now like I always say it's all about maintaining it and being consistent which I will definitely do!!

I may change my mind about buying a scale after all

I'm catching up on this forum as I've not been on for the last couple of weeks. With good reason though as my husband is here and I am spending all my time with him and the kids. We've had lots of fun and have enjoyed each others company.

I will be back regularly though. I am replying to a lot of messages and blog comments late so forgive me.

Take care Belles and Happy Valentine's Day