A reader asked for actual tips of how I lost the weight and he/she is losing weight for health reasons and feels stuck. First let me say I am not a weight management guru or a doctor so the first place to start if you haven’t given much thought is with your doctor. For months I have been advocating for people to go and get a complete health check up. FYI what you don’t know can kill you literally. It’s not like mail that you pile up and leave alone you must inquire. The doctor can do a full work up and give you the information necessary to make your workout work for you. You can’t do what everyone does without knowing the battle. It’s your blueprint to being successful.
Whatever your doctor suggests that you eliminate do so. I have no gall bladder and when my health was declining regardless of what I was doing and my weight went up, I had to get serious. I want to be here for myself and my family. Take a notebook with you and if you can write down things you have noticed. Do NOT be ashamed of anything that is going on. Put pride to the side and ask questions. Take notes so you can refer back to them when you get home. If there is something you want to change in your diet, ask while there. Stay away from some of the fads until you get clearance. Not everyone can do Skinny Tea and be okay. Other factors play a huge factor in what you take in.
Game Plan
What do you want to achieve? Write it down. I would suggest a fitness planner. There are some free ones online or go to Etsy and download one there for less if you don’t want to go into the store and buy one. I have had both of them and they work. It allows you to hold yourself accountable for everything you eat. Weight loss is 80% food and 20% working out. So more than half of your issues comes from what you eat. Change it and do it slow and work your way up.
Food
Since food is important then lets talk about it. If you are eating processed foods, lets change it. Fresh fruit and veggies can be prepared a number of ways to make it easier for you to consume. Be aware that although things like juicing is great it takes away from the fruit you consume too. I used Weight Watchers to count my food in points. You can try it or you could write it down and see what you are consuming. For instance do you have enough protein or are you eating fatty foods that won’t help? Are you the type that goes to the fast food restaurants all the time because you don’t have time to eat? Meal prepping will be your friend. YES its work, but nothing in life is without work nor is it going to be easy. Pick a day to make your meals. You can make your lunches, dinner and even breakfasts too for the week. I would start off with a protein and bake that, with an assortment of veggies. That alone will help. Learn what snacks you should be eating and pack those. On Mondays I look like a bag lady trying to bring all this food in but its better to eat with a plan then visit the vending machine eating a bunch of junk. For meal prep ideas get on a Google search, Pintrest, or get a cookbook. There are whole books dedicated to healthy meal preparations. Don’t be afraid to try new meals and experiment. Use fresh ingredients and herbs. It makes cooking food fun and takes the sting of having to prepare boring food. Your food should be colorful and added with a lot of fruits and veggies. Find ways you like them and when you find something you like eat it in moderation.
Working Out
You are not going to jump into a workout plan and automatically love it. If you did you may not be in the shape you are in. Mix it up. The body gets used to workouts so change is good. I would say if you can’t fathom going to a class by yourself enlist the help of your friends. Take a class with someone you know. However often times many of us are not as close to people, moved to a new city, etc and will have to jump in alone. That is okay. Try taking one class a week and then doing a gym workout for another day that week. You may need to start off with 2 classes and work your way up. I would also suggest moving all day. Take the steps instead of riding the elevator. Get up from a desk job and move. Sitting is the new smoking and just because you sit doesn’t mean you have to be sedentary all day. Moving jumps your metabolism. Get moving. Also I have a lot of at home workout gear too. I would suggest even looking on YouTube for an exercise that you can do at home if you can’t afford gym memberships. You can go to a park, or outside and work out. You can get old school and get a jump rope and do some reps. Either way there is no reason as to why you can’t get active. You just have to make the decision to get out there and make it happen.
FitBit Life
Having a fit bit or something that records your steps and movement is super helpful. There are a lot of them on the market. You can find one for all budgets. I recommend an actual Fitbit. They are a little pricey but they last instead of an off brand one. They can help you with the APP to monitor sleep, food intake, water intake, and working out. It can be overwhelming in the beginning and these gadgets help you make sense of it all.
Sleep is your Friend
I know we all have busy lives. I am a wife, I work full-time, I blog, and I am a mom but let me tell you taking time to sleep verses being in front of the television helps. Turn off your television it is not taking sleep away from you. If you need notice then I would suggest getting one of those sleep noise gadgets that you put on that sound like water, etc to help you go and stay to sleep. I have a stress light that I turn on. I can leave it on one color or have it change ever so often. This light helps me go to sleep and stay asleep but television is a no-no in the room all the time. Sleep helps the body rebuild and renew. Do not count sleep out of your weight management program.
Water
You need water. You have to drink it. Sometimes when you think you are hungry you are actually thirsty. So drink up. I do not like water, well I used to not like water. Now I just switch up my cups or use a diffuser in the summer months and add fruit to make it taste better but I drink my water. I try to make it a game by drinking however many ounces a day. But get it in. The water will help you flush toxins out of your system. So drink up.
All in all understand to be patient. It will take time. However you need to be focused on lifetime fine instead of summer time fine. You want to be healthy all over. Getting in control of your weight and life will help you to be able to eliminate the medications you are on. Health is more important than looks but you will change the way you look and feel about yourself on the inside and the outside. It will change you. You have to be willing to take the first step. Know there will be a lot of setbacks and you will have times when you are frustrated, but STAY THE COURSE. You will see results! Keep on pushing! Take the next step to a better tomorrow! Start now. Please do not do the I am going to start tomorrow bit. Start now. Put the donut down, grab a piece of fruit, etc. Make small changes. You don’t need to carve out time the more you wait the less motivated you will be. Jump while the fire is hot.
