The word diet, has got to be one of the most hated four letter words on the planet. We’ve all used that word in our vocabulary at one time or the other. After a lifetime of using the word diet to describe one of the things I was currently doing in my life, I can finally put the word to bed. Here are tips on how I lost 55 lbs. five years ago and kept them off. The word diet for me has now changed into healthy lifestyle.
Healthy Lifestyle begins with You
I woke up one October morning five years ago and realized I could no longer be happy as a size 12-14. I had tried to talk myself into thinking that was the norm, but I couldn’t do it. At 6:30 a.m. that morning I walked down to the dusty treadmill in my basement and started walking. I had always been an athlete, even in high school when I weighed my heaviest 212lbs. I played field hockey, and loved gym. I kept on playing in college and took up swimming and softball. I had lost some weight after college, but after getting married and having two children my weight crept back up to 195 lbs. I worried about diabetes. It has been a factor in my Father’s death. I didn’t want that to happen to me. Something clicked that morning on the treadmill, I had to do this for me. I was the only one that was going to push myself to see this through. I would walk a half an hour every morning before the family got up. Soon I was running on the treadmill, and soon I was beginning to lose weight. I’ve kept up the exercise and have even joined a gym with my two teen sons to help us all keep moving.
Realize that you have to do this for yourself, not for an upcoming wedding, reunion, or vacation. You want it to be a permanent change for the better.
Diet Changes
I had read that in order to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume. Well I wasn’t about to starve myself. It had never worked before. I had tried Slim Fast, the cabbage soup diet, too many diets to name. I needed to learn portion control, and what I could eat that had few calories but would fill me up. At the same time I had a family to feed, and they were not keen on being part of my experiment. I had to make changes for myself without having to buy a whole new menu. I found cereal with skim milk fills me up until lunchtime. I try to stick to around 350 calories. I now skip orange juice and take vitamin c instead. I try to stay away from bread, bagels, and especially donuts. Try to find foods that you like that will satisfy your hunger. Read the labels to learn what a portion is. For lunch I try to eat dairy again, including 100 calorie yogurts, or cottage cheese. I have a sweet tooth still, but found I can satisfy that with a snack size 100 calorie chocolate cake or granola bar. I also incorporate some type of fruit into my lunch. Fresh fruit is always a favorite, but sometimes I find snack pack fruits just as filling. Use the ones with natural fruit, not syrup. A salad is always a good choice but remember not to load it with all the extras. I still use regular salad dressing but always get it on the side so I use only a little. Dinner is usually some type of protein, we are a meat loving family, but again I use portion control. I always eat a vegetable with dinner, many times salad, and I skip the starch when possible. If we eat pasta, I eat a small portion and a big salad. That fills me up. As a family we do not normally eat dessert, so that wasn’t hard for me to give up. If we do go to the ice cream stand I get a baby size scoop in a dish. That way I still get my treat, but not all the calories. A frozen banana is also a personal favorite. I have learned that alcohol contains a lot of unnecessary calories so I try to limit myself to one cocktail when dining out or at parties. I’d rather eat more low calorie shrimp, or veggies.
Instead of setting yourself up to fail with some crazy diet plan learn to eat smaller portions of what you like. But honestly we all know what is good for us and what we could really skip. Learn to eat when you are really hungry and not just eat because you are bored. That’s when your will power must take control, you have to tell yourself you just want to eat, you don’t need to eat. This was and still is the hardest part of conquering the diet word.
Take your time a Healthy Lifestyle doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of hard work and discipline. To help you with your endeavor to lose weight, you may also try taking lose weight supplement like leptoconnect. This brand is one of the trusted and reputable supplements that you can find in the market.
It took me eight months to lose 55lbs. but I have kept it off for five years. I knew in order to lose the weight successfully I couldn’t be in a rush. I have never seen anyone lose weight quickly and keep it off. Realize that the end result is worth all the work, and that skipping dessert or heavy meals isn’t a punishment, it’s just food. Learn to say no when someone offers you extras. If you are forced to take home the leftover cake or cookies throw them out when you get home. Yes, I said throw it out. That way it’s gone and you haven’t hurt the givers feelings. That has saved me a lot of time arguing with family. My reward for not arguing is that being a size 4 today is a whole lot better than being a size 12-14. It has also helped my sons see food as fuel and not just something to do. I still watch what I eat every day, and weigh myself every morning so I know if I have gained any weight. (Don’t do this if you are first starting out, weigh yourself twice a week, you’ll be happy every time you see the numbers going down.) For me it is a self check so I know to move more that day and get back on track.
Remember take your time, in the end it will be a healthy lifestyle change not a diet. If you slip up one day and have a heavy meal or don’t burn some calories by exercising and doing chores it’s not the end of the diet. It was just one day, think about your mistakes and let it go.
