ala speaks on: *sigh* losing weight đđżââď¸đĽ
Disclaimer: There is no shortcut. If you have more to lose you will have to change your lifestyle drastically. If you only need to lose a couple of pounds you will still need to make some changes. Unless you have a very fast metabolism (which, if you are actively trying to lose weight, you most likely donât) you will not lose 10 kg in 2 weeks. I am not creating this post as a weight loss programme, it is a guide to help you in making decisions on how you want to lose weight.You need to do this for yourself.
Bad Habits that Make You Put on Weight
Mindless snacking: if you are going to eat snacks take a look at the serving sizes and stick to that. If you have a bag of popcorn actually weigh out the stated portion size into a bowl and only eat that. If you are dieting I would suggest not snacking or sticking to one snack a day.
Low levels of activity, this is bad habit most people picked up during lockdown. People count steps for a reason - it is healthy to walk 10,000 steps a day and if you are trying to lose weight walking 10,000 - 15,000 will help a lot.
Takeaways. It is okay to get a fast food takeaway once or twice a week. A problem arises when people order takeaways almost everyday. I donât have to tell you why that is not healthy. If you seriously want to lose weight stick to one takeaway a week or none at all. If you do buy takeaway make sure to purchase from the childrenâs menu as the portion sizes are smaller.
Lack of sleep. I am the biggest culprit of this, but you must get at least 8 hours of sleep a day. The negative effects lack of sleep has on your body seep into every aspect of your life. Turn off your phone at 10 pm and get some quality sleep
Not drinking enough water. Anyone successful weight loss journey involves a person up-ing their water intake. You should be drinking a minimum (and I mean bare minimum) of 2 litres of water everyday but when I am losing weight I like to up my intake to 3 litres +. On the opposite end of the spectrum donât drink too much water (I know, contradictory right?). Drinking too much water is very dangerous so I would say slowly raise your uptake and never drink over 4 litres a day.
When dieting, of course, calorie control is a major factor but it has to be a healthy restriction. I would say never go below 1,500 calories. Highly restrictive diets (<1,500) are unsustainable, unhealthy, dangerous and just an overall bad idea.
Here are some of my diet âhacksâ that have helped me when losing weight:
Drink soups. Creamy, fibrous, vegetable-filled soups that are warm and full of nutrition (can you tell I love soup). Soups are great for diets because they are generally healthy, full of a lot of vitamins and nutrients and they are easier to digest. I find when I drink soups I have no bloating and I never get that overly-full feeling. Have it with a slice or two of French baguette for a light dinner.
Eat five mini-meals throughout the day. If you limit your calories to 1,500 you can eat five 300-calorie meals evenly spread throughout the day
If you stock up on vegetables and fruits you can eat more for less calories e.g. eat one 250-calorie muffin or a large banana, bowl of grapes and a box of raisins (230 calories)
Try and get your sources of nutrients from more low fat options. Instead of getting your calcium from full fat whole milk opt for skimmed milk, yogurts, sardines, beans and lentils
Cut down or carbs. Not completely but you should try not to eat more than 2 slices of bread a day. Try not to eat more than 2 bowls of rice a day (opt for brown rice it has more nutrition).
Cut out juices, fizzy drinks and other unnecessary sources of sugar
Meal-prep so you can make well thought-out decisions on what you want to eat
Here is an example of the way I ate during my diet:
6:00 - a large banana and oatmeal with soya milk
9:00 - a bowl of grapes and ½ a sardine sandwich (1 slice of brown bread)
12:00 - a bowl of white rice with stir-fry chicken breast and vegetables
15:00 - celery, cucumber and carrot sticks with hummus and grilled salmon
18:00 - carrot soup with coconut milk and a slice of French baguette
The bane of my existence. Sorry, Iâm not coming on here with gym tips and how to dead-lift your way to a six-pack. I donât know how. All I can say is if you want to lose weight cardio helps a lot (in my experience).
Plain and simple, get in some cardio everyday. Here are just a few examples:
Jumping rope (15 minutes)
Exercise bike (30 minutes)
Sprinting intervals (30 minutes)
HIIT, high-intensity interval training
The way I lost most of my weight is by jogging and rowing, I used to go on 30 to 60 minute-long jogs 3 times a week and go to rowing club twice a week. Remember everyoneâs weight loss journey and body are different. Find what works for you.
The key point is try and introduce cardio workouts for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week and if you can increase the frequency and length of workouts.
Like I said your journey is your journey. Donât compare your weight loss to others and donât try and rush the process.Â
Think of it as a lifestyle change. A way to reset all the unhealthy habits youâve built up since birth. Let that motivate you.
Buy a goal outfit you hope to fit in to and try it on periodically as you lose weight
This is going to be controversial. Weigh yourself once a month. Trust me. When you see that number drop after a month of hard work you will feel so much better. People who weigh themselves daily can end up basing their diet and emotions off of the number on the scale each day when weight loss is a combination of many days and weeks of concerted effort
Be easy on yourself; allow yourself to slip up and just start again. You need to give yourself love not hate and harsh words. Like you would tell a child who fell off of a bike that it is okay and to try again, you need to offer yourself that same grace and understanding
Join a weight loss support group or neighbourhood walking group - having support can be very encouraging and you can make some friends
Keep busy. When youâre busy you arenât snacking The way I maintain my weight loss and not slip into bad habits is by keeping busy. Horse-riding, ballet, reading, bowling, gardening, working. Do anything, just donât be idle and you will unconsciously increase your activity and not end up mindlessly eating
