I have really been marveling at the fact that I was (for the first time ever) able to successfully commit to losing weight. I would say I don't want to toot my own horn, but (toot toot) I think it's something I should celebrate, considering it's been a work in progress for the last 4 months. To date, I have lost just over 25 pounds and maybe still counting. I made it to my goal weight, and I've been vacillating on whether I should go for 5 more or not. I've been grateful to have steadily decreased my weight over time with no setbacks, but I can attribute that to taking this seriously and also weighing myself once a week instead of obsessing about tiny fluctuations from weighing myself every day. I feel like I've learned a lot, so I figured maybe I would be able to share what has worked for me here (this also is great because I never know how much of my advice is solicited).
My first tip is move to England. I'm half joking, but I can't deny that limiting my access to my trigger foods and fast food has helped immensely. There is only a McDonald's and a KFC (becearf) in a 15 mile radius from where I live, so I set out to find decent things at McDonald's. From previous (failed due to laziness) dieting experience, I knew that I should aspire to have meals that hover somewhere around the 400 calorie range. I was able to find a spicy chili (as in the pepper) chicken wrap which alone is 460 calories. It was enough to fill me up, so I did not miss having fries, and not too much of a splurge outside of my 400 calorie goal. 6 Chicken nuggets and a side salad only set me back about 300 calories, so I had 2 perfectly reasonable "splurges" if I ever required them. These accompanied diet soda which I have learned to nearly enjoy as I can't be consuming 150-250 liquid calories along with every meal.
I was lucky to start my attempt at losing weight right after moving to England because I used the opportunity as a fresh start. It was reasonably easy to do because I had never tried any English food, so I never got the chance to fall in love with certain things and resent not eating them. I always tried to stick to things with small portions (even considering the overall smaller portions served here) like soup and bread or something light like that. For those of you who can’t pack up your lives and move to a brand new country with markedly healthier habits, I recommend avoiding fast food as a go-to option and instead using it as a few times a month splurge (and even then, keeping the calorie count reasonable). I’ve thought a lot about what I’m going to have to do to maintain my weight once I get back to the states, and I realized that all I have to do is to eat in moderation. One of the things I realized I did was reward myself with food. Any time I was tired, I’d get a blended coffee. Any time I had lady times, I got chocolate. Whenever I had a bad day, I’d grab fast food, and I used working out as an excuse to have whatever I wanted when I ate out at restaurants. When I started out trying to lose weight, I was fairly strict about my calorie intake, so there was no opportunity to reward myself with extra things. I found sugar free 20 calorie popsicles and those were dessert.
I read in a Time Magazine or something similar that diet is more important than exercise when it comes to losing weight. Vigorous exercise will burn off a few hundred calories, but if you take in several hundred extra, there’s no way you could burn it all off with exercising. I've also read that people significantly underestimate calories consumed and overestimate calories burned. This means that I did not use exercise as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted anymore, but instead, looked at it as a way to supercharge my weight loss. When I got here, I discovered there is a gorgeous wooded trail behind our house and I took to running it about 3 times a week. I tried to stick with the same route because then I could mark my progress more easily. I’m extremely fortunate to have an entire gym and fitness classes at my disposal. Cameron goes to PT 3 times a week (at 6am!) and I’ve made a commitment to go with him. Also: I would have a cup of chocolate milk after cardio, as it’s supposed to be a fantastic recovery drink.
Besides not rewarding myself with food, I also tried to consider what kind of calories I was putting into my body. This especially came into play with snacks and desserts. With the meals, it would kind of lend itself to healthier eating, because otherwise you would blow through your calories and still be hungry. But I tried to change what I thought of as a snack. Instead of having Cheetos or cookies, I bought tons of different kinds of trail mix and nuts. I had honey roasted peanuts, spicy cajun trail mix, butter toffee (powder, not glaze) almonds, jalapeno smokehouse almonds, walnuts that went into oatmeal or yogurt, etc. I tried to eat something that didn’t taste like a punishment, but would actually give me nutritional benefit and be filling at the same time. String cheese and hummus + carrots were other staple snacks. With desserts, I like to think I came up with an innovative way to reward myself. What I tried to do was avoid all store-bought sweets. I would eat home-made things only which meant that they were made with love, and my opportunity for having them was significantly restricted. Instead of the processed garbage you can get in the store which is full of preservatives, fillers and additives, I chose to eat homemade things which have a lot more integrity than Ho-ho’s or crappy Chips Ahoy. When I bake goodies myself, I pawn almost all of it off on others (and I don’t think they mind) so I am left with a serving or two. I basically looked at my calorie intake as a budget and wouldn't eat anything that wasn't worth its 'cost' in calories.
I could probably ramble on forever, but these are the main things that helped me get through my 4 month (and maybe counting?) marathon through weight loss. Keep thinking about the bigger picture…the fact that nothing you eat can taste as good as success: being healthier and feeling accomplished and proud of your achievements.
