I am not an expert in weight loss, by any means, however I have lost almost 50 pounds in the past 4 months. With that being said, I felt I’d share a few things I’ve noticed along the way that have helped boost my weight loss. So here’s my first tib bit…water.

It’s no secret that water is extremely beneficial to the body. It is vital to our being, and aids in every bodily function. However, here are some things I’ve noticed with weight loss specifically.

Water can help fight off hunger and keep you full.  If I’m feeling hungry between meals, and I’m not sure if I should grab a snack, I always drink a whole bunch of water and then reassess.  Most of the time I was just thirsty and didn’t really need to eat.  I also drink lots of water after a meal to help give me that full feeling.

On average I drink between 4 and 5 litres of water a day, sometimes even more. I am a nursing mother so that accounts for a lot, and I am quite active. I also choose to drink water over any other drink (pop, juice, coffee, etc), so I find it relatively easy to drink this much a day.

I always try to get in at least one litre of water after my last snack of the night, before bed.  This is probably my most surprising aid to weight loss. Yes it does lead to frequent bathroom trips during the night, but I’ve found it’s worth it.  Every morning when I wake up I weigh myself, and I’ve noticed that the more water I get in at night the lighter I am the next morning.  You may be thinking this is because I pee so much during the night…and that’s probably true.  But, with each day that passes I’m consistently lower.  So one thought that comes to mind is that the water is helping to flush out more “waste” or fat from my body.  Who knows, maybe I was meant to lose that weight regardless, like I said I’m no expert. But, I’ve noticed a trend, and I am going to continue to do what works

Recently Kayla has been having some pretty severe bottom rashes. We know she is lactose intolerant, however we had become a bit slack with keeping all dairy out of her diet. In order to help combat the rash issues we’ve become extremely strict in making sure she consumes no dairy. This has led me on a search for new ideas on snacks for her because she was getting bored with our typical routine. I thought I’d share what I’ve come up with in case it’s of value to anyone else out there with lactose intolerant toddlers. So, here we go!

Kayla has been completely dairy free for 2 weeks now and we are unfortunately still having rash issues. Our doctor has finally agreed to allergy test her, but her appointment is not for 6 months. In an effort to figure this out ourselves we’ve decided to eliminate all gluten products and see if that makes any difference. So, if you have any gluten free toddler snack or meal ideas, please share!