So I have been dieting off and on since the spring of 2011. I lost 30 lbs and was doing great...the along came baby I put the 30 back on and now that she is 3 months old I am seriously working on doing this again. I am down 4 lbs so, so far so good. But here is my thing....dieting needs to be revamped. I here this all the time you are dieting, no MacDonald's, no sweets, no this, that, or the other thing. Drink water till you can count the walk back and forth to the bathroom as a part of your workout and above all else cut your calorie intake so low you are almost burning more than you are eating. I heard all this mess for months when I first started that my ears were bleeding. STOP, seriously speaking dieting needs a reboot as bad as some of the 80's horror movies. So here is my thought on the whole dieting craze....
1. Be smart....It took a lot of time to put this weight on we are not gonna take it off in a matter of weeks. Cut your calories but make sure you are not going drastic with cutting. If it was taking well over 3000 calories a day to maintain your weight if you cut to 1500 right away you are gonna make yourself sick. Try cutting a 1000 at first give your body time to adjust to the shock that it will be getting more carrots then candy.
2. Every thing in moderation.... exercise included. The body is not used to doing the last chance workout so we need to work into it. If for the first few weeks all you can handle is 20 minutes do the 20 minutes and slowly increase how long you Zumba across the living room.
3. Food is not the enemy, not our friend, but not the enemy. So you had a rough day and broke down and had that candy bar. Not the end of the world. The key again goes back to number 2...moderation. If you had that one candy bar, okay tomorrow will be better but if you ate the box of costcosnickers bars maybe you are putting to much stress on your head about having to be skinny.
4. Surround yourself with people who are supportive and who will not sugar coat the whole trip you are taking. The ones that will tell you, yes you look great and you have been working hard at this but you still have some ways to go. Why you ask? They keep you motivated...I know in my case when people start noticing I have lost weight...shoot I am done. Not always the case...but now that people say I look good, my motivation starts wavering. Where as when I am around those that say you look great but I bet you will look better I strive for the better.
5. Get yourself a visual motivator.....I have a pair of Dahlia Flare leg Jeans that were given to me and they are where I want to put my butt...4 sizes smaller. They hang in the closet and I know one of these days I will get them on past my thighs. It doesn't have to be something expensive visit a thrift store and find something in the size you want to be and go for it.
Finally
6. This is your weight loss journey, not society's, not your family's, and definitely not your doctors. The only way this works is if you do this for you. Yeah the compliments from everyone are great, but losing weight for them just makes for an ingredient in a recipe of resentment. Like the newscaster said....I am not a number on a scale. Society does not know what we have been through to get to this point. My favorite thing to tell people who mention my weight....I was 389 lbs at 17. I took off 100 lbs and have kept it off for 15 years. I will lose this last 78 and be a very happy and healthy 200 lb woman. Yeah to some that is not ideal and I am still 60 lbs outside of the fancy chart the dr keeps, but my bone structure, muscle mass, and all around me would look sick any smaller then that. So remember this is your weight loss journey....do it your way on your time table, no one else.
Hope you enjoyed the read...
1. Be smart....It took a lot of time to put this weight on we are not gonna take it off in a matter of weeks. Cut your calories but make sure you are not going drastic with cutting. If it was taking well over 3000 calories a day to maintain your weight if you cut to 1500 right away you are gonna make yourself sick. Try cutting a 1000 at first give your body time to adjust to the shock that it will be getting more carrots then candy.
2. Every thing in moderation.... exercise included. The body is not used to doing the last chance workout so we need to work into it. If for the first few weeks all you can handle is 20 minutes do the 20 minutes and slowly increase how long you Zumba across the living room.
3. Food is not the enemy, not our friend, but not the enemy. So you had a rough day and broke down and had that candy bar. Not the end of the world. The key again goes back to number 2...moderation. If you had that one candy bar, okay tomorrow will be better but if you ate the box of costcosnickers bars maybe you are putting to much stress on your head about having to be skinny.
4. Surround yourself with people who are supportive and who will not sugar coat the whole trip you are taking. The ones that will tell you, yes you look great and you have been working hard at this but you still have some ways to go. Why you ask? They keep you motivated...I know in my case when people start noticing I have lost weight...shoot I am done. Not always the case...but now that people say I look good, my motivation starts wavering. Where as when I am around those that say you look great but I bet you will look better I strive for the better.
5. Get yourself a visual motivator.....I have a pair of Dahlia Flare leg Jeans that were given to me and they are where I want to put my butt...4 sizes smaller. They hang in the closet and I know one of these days I will get them on past my thighs. It doesn't have to be something expensive visit a thrift store and find something in the size you want to be and go for it.
Finally
6. This is your weight loss journey, not society's, not your family's, and definitely not your doctors. The only way this works is if you do this for you. Yeah the compliments from everyone are great, but losing weight for them just makes for an ingredient in a recipe of resentment. Like the newscaster said....I am not a number on a scale. Society does not know what we have been through to get to this point. My favorite thing to tell people who mention my weight....I was 389 lbs at 17. I took off 100 lbs and have kept it off for 15 years. I will lose this last 78 and be a very happy and healthy 200 lb woman. Yeah to some that is not ideal and I am still 60 lbs outside of the fancy chart the dr keeps, but my bone structure, muscle mass, and all around me would look sick any smaller then that. So remember this is your weight loss journey....do it your way on your time table, no one else.
Hope you enjoyed the read...
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