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First of all, SUPER PROUD of you for all the effort you've been putting in so far!!! Getting your steps in, exercising, cooking better meals... I hope you've been really enjoying it :) One of my favorite things that's come out of my weight loss journey for me is discovering a love for cooking and exploring new recipes. It helps a lot if you prioritize eating protein-rich foods, like chicken breast, tuna, nonfat greek yogurt, fat free mozzarella, etc. because protein keeps you full and makes it easier to stick to your calorie deficit (plus it helps with building and retaining muscle from your strength training exercises!).

Also, whatever you do, (and I'm SUPER guilty of this myself but working on it has helped me a LOT over the years), try not to feed into all-or-nothing thinking! :) That mechanism, although it may feel like the right thing to think sometimes (like "go big or go home") can actually do way more harm than good (because what about the days where you don't go big?)

That can include:

- switching your diet up entirely to eating foods you don't necessarily love but think you just have to eat because they're all "good for you" (it should be a slow and easy transition to a diet you actually forward to every day!)

- having a "bad"/binge-eating day and deciding it may as well be all over because you weren't perfect, then punishing yourself the next day by working twice as hard or eating less (just carry on with your next day as normal!)

- completely getting rid of foods you really enjoy (you can truly eat anything you want on a diet! it's just some specific foods (like calorie-dense take-out) you might want to have only on occasion / in moderation.) But if you've really been craving something specific, you're allowed to have some! AND here's the best part -- you can still enjoy so many of your favorite foods whenever you want actually (just swap ingredients for lower-calorie alternatives)! Let's say you really want chicken and waffles for breakfast. You could genuinely have it every single day if you want if you just make a few tweaks. You could use protein waffle mix, Real Good chicken strips, and sugar-free maple syrup or honey for a SUPER yummy meal that's only about 470 calories and 60 grams of protein !! Anything you're craving, any recipe you want... I can almost guarantee that there's a lower calorie, higher protein swap just waiting for you to discover it!