My secret to losing nearly 100lbs...Actually, there is no secret. There is, however, a key:
don't give up. Sometimes we over-indulge, under-eat or just have a super lazy weekend. It happens. Just this month I had to log a weight gain after eating a whole lot of cake at my wedding and then spending my 2 week honeymoon lazing around and having afternoon naps.
Did I take this gain as a sign I should give up? Hell, no! Don't give up just because of a little blip. Have faith in yourself and keep trying!
Beyond that, you just have to find what works for you. Exploring different ways of improving your health is half the fun of the journey. Just remember that if you try something and it doesn't work for you, that's ok. Just try something else :)
Here are a few ideas that have worked for me that you might want to try...
What I do- Eat a strict vegetarian diet (ovo-lacto).
- Shop at the farmers' market.
- Eat little and often.
- Make an effort to move every day.
- Count calories.
- Weigh myself every morning.
- Cook almost all my food from scratch.
- Let my body tell me what I am hungry for.
- Go to the gym & swim regularly.
- Measure my food & log it before I eat it.
- Drink lots of water.
- Take a home-made lunch to work every day.
- Read about health and nutrition.
- Make lasting lifestyle changes.
- Answer questions about my weight loss openly and honestly.
- Set fitness goals and train to achieve them.
- Follow health blogs & connect with others on similar journeys.
- Eat a variety of whole foods.
- Use technology to help me (like Fatsecret, or phone apps).
- Show myself love and respect.
- Share ideas with friends and family.
- Make the best of what I've got.
What I don't do- Worry about macro-nutrients.
- Deny myself my favourite foods or activities.
- Eat ready meals.
- Follow a "diet" plan.
- Eat foods with ingredients I can't pronounce.
- Consume soft drinks.
- Drink alcohol.
- Smoke cigarettes.
- Feel guilty about my body/weight (being overweight doesn't make you a bad person!).
- Worry about weight fluctuations.
- Order take away food on a regular basis.
- Try to be perfect or aim for a "perfect" body.
- Eat until I'm too full.
- Under-eat (i.e. a calorie deficit of over 500 cal).
- Shop at a supermarket.
- Keep my weight loss a secret.
- Attend weight loss support groups like Weight-Watchers.
- Get gastric bypass surgery.
Your path may be different to mine, but hopefully this answers the question of my own journey so far and how I got where I am. However, the most important thing is to
never give up.
I continue to learn as I go, but if anyone wants an explanation on any of the above point or more detail please ask!
ALTERNATIVELY...you can always follow my new facebook page where I share my recipes and lifestyle changes:
Real Food Recipes :)