For once in my life (maybe twice?) I've actually kept one of my new year's resolutions: lose some of that extra weight so I could be a healthier me. People have been asking me how I've done it, so I thought I'd share.
A while back I came to the realization that there's a difference between having a desire that's more like a wish that's never fulfilled (like wishing you could play the piano but never making the time to practice) and a true heart felt desire that leads you to do something. At the time, I felt I had so many desires or goals but I lacked the resolve to do something about them. I just wanted them to happen. So I needed to change. I needed to commit, to truly decide that I was going to change. Everything fell into place after that. Not to make it sound easy because it definitely takes work.
My general plan was this:
1. Exercise at least three times a week.
2. Give yourself a reasonable weight loss goal. Don't expect to lose it all at once.
3. Stop overeating.
4. Quit eating candy/desserts all the time.
Overeating and the fact that I wasn't really exercising at all were definitely my big problems. It's hard to make changes at first. I pretty much had to force myself to exercise because I really didn't want to do it. But I promise, the more you stick to it, the easier it becomes. It's about making new habits to replace the old ones. And I don't just eat things like oat bran in case you're thinking that's what's going to follow.
I started by weighing myself and writing that weight in a small day planner. I decided I was going to lose one pound a week. I didn't want to set myself up for failure, and I knew that one pound a week was good for me. You don't want to lose too much too quickly. I then wrote down on the consecutive weeks what my weight goal was for that week so I had a written record of where I wanted to be in a week. I would then weigh myself once a week (never in between weigh ins) on Friday morning before I'd eating anything. Every week, I would write my knew weight on that day in my day planner next to my weight goal number.
I exercise 3-5 times a week. My exercise of choice? Tae bo. I've been doing the same workout for approximately 30 weeks. That's crazy. But it's been effective. Sometimes I'll shake it up and go on a walk or something instead. It's probably better to mix up your work out. I just haven't.
As for actual diet changes, I added more fruit and vegetables into my diet. Does that mean loads? No. That just means I made sure I ate fruit or vegetables with at least one meal. Two is preferable, but for not getting as much as I need in the first place, I figured at least one serving a day was a good baby step. I allow myself to eat two desserts a week. Sometimes I'll eat three and then just remember that I can only have one the next week. Or sometimes I don't have any at all. Honestly, the more you don't have it, the less you crave it. When I want dessert now, I just want a bite. I don't want a whole dessert to myself. The important thing is I allow myself to have treats. You don't have to go completely cold turkey. That's what causes you to rebel I think. Also, one dessert doesn't mean 10 cookies in one sitting. You still have to moderate your desserts. It also doesn't mean all you can have is the tiniest of nibbles off the side of a cookie. You be the judge. Don't over do it. For me, I usually said one cookie and drew the line there because I know it's harder to stop after you've had two, three, six... Also, if you know you're going to a get together at some point in the week, keep that in mind and save a dessert for that time.
I also started eating more yogurt. Yogurt used to make me gag. Not all the time, but enough that I didn't want to have it all the time. I eat it a lot more now. Usually, I eat that for breakfast and if I get hungry between then and lunch, I'll eat a bit of fruit. I still eat cereal too.
Overeating is a little trickier, but I realized that I was getting full before sooner than I thought I was. A lot of times, I would eat to the point of stuffed rather than full. I learned to listen to my body. You don't have to cram everything in. There's absolutely nothing wrong with leftovers. Pay attention to your body as you eat. The moment you feel your body saying, "Okay, I've had enough, thank you," stop eating. You'll become more in tune with your body. Listen to it. It knows what it needs and when it's had enough calories to be satisfied.
One other thing. Keep a positive attitude. There were weeks where I thought for sure I wasn't going to meet my goal and that depressed me. So I turned right back around and said to myself, "You are going to be X amount of pounds this week." I focused on my goal for that week until my doubt lessened. There was only one week where I didn't make my goal, so I worked harder that next week and got up to where I was supposed to be based on the goal I'd set in the beginning. I truly believe that you can hold yourself back if you don't believe you can do it. trust yourself and your abilities and don't be harsh on yourself. Set a reasonable goal. Don't expect to lose five pounds a week. This is not just about losing weight, it's about being healthy.
That's pretty much the gist of my program. I know some people become discouraged because they they love food to much or they've never been able to reach their weight goal. I still get to eat the foods I love without having to pay someone to put meals together for me. I just make sure I don't overeat and that I try to get more fruits and vegetables and yogurt into my diet. Also, I could never reach my weight goals either. This is the first time that I've been able to lose the weight and reach the goal I never thought was possible to reach. Before, I didn't have a concrete plan. It was just exercise and weigh myself and run into disappointment until I gave up. This plan has really worked for me.
Will you lose 30 pounds in two weeks? No. But I'm convinced my way is better. I've created new habits that will help me stay healthier than where I was before. I've become stronger. It takes patience and work, but it's a good thing. So often we want change and we want it now, but things don't work that way. You have to commit and work at it and you will reach your goal. Writing down my progress really helped me stay on top of things too. And you'll have to make time to exercise. If you really want something, you really have to make an effort and sacrifice some things even if all you have to sacrifice is laziness (believe me when I say I'm plenty lazy).
You can do it. I believe in you. Believe in yourself.
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