As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, I have lost a lot of weight. It took me two years to get to a place that I am comfortable again. It took months of trying different strategies and adjustments before I hit my stride and the pounds started coming off.
In an earlier post I mentioned the top seven points to weight loss. Those are the most important things to do. This list of fifteen includes all of those, but also adds some other tips that are helpful. If you do nothing else, please do the seven points from my previous blog, if possible, add these other tips as you go along your weight loss journey.
Here are a few of the changes I made to achieve my goal. I hope they help you reach your goal, also. Getting healthy and losing the extra weight was the best thing I ever did for myself. I feel good now.
15 Quick and Easy Tips for Weight Loss:
1. Eat breakfast - it took a while before I realized that skipping breakfast only made me hungrier throughout the rest of the day. Once I started eating breakfast soon after I woke up, it made a world of difference. I have two main go-to breakfasts that I eat: 1 serving of Oatmeal with some type of fruit, like blueberries, blackberries, apple, grapes, etc. or I will have 1 egg (either a whole egg or egg whites) and two slices of turkey bacon or sausage. I prefer the oatmeal, only because it is easier and I can get it done fast. The egg and meat breakfast seems to hold my hunger off longer, but either one is good for you.
2. Eat a heavier lunch and a lighter dinner - I eat the bulk of my calories at lunch. I eat a light dinner and save space and calories for a bedtime snack. This one was tough to figure out. It's so subtle that you barely recognize that eating a heavy dinner is hurting your weight loss efforts. Trust me, this one is worth doing.
3. Eat slowly - chew your food, savor every bite, take your time, enjoy mealtime. Not only does it aid with digestion, it also calms you because food is a comfort. Yes, there are 'comfort foods', but food in general is a comfort to human beings. Don't rush through a meal.
4. Watch portions - If we are honest with ourselves, we know that the first bite of food is the one we taste the most and enjoy the most. So, when you are eating your favorite food, after the first few bites, you are only eating out of habit and want, not need. Eat reasonable portions. Fight the urge to eat until you are stuffed. Stop when you are 80% full. By doing this, you can actually enjoy your food and not feel guilty later.
5. Eat high protein and fiber rich foods.
6. No diet foods or fat free versions - no artificial sweeteners. Eat real food as close to its original form. Artificial sweeteners carry so many negatives for our health and they actually hurt our weight loss efforts because they confuse our body about sugar. Stevia is the only sweetener that does not confuse. While I haven't experience any negatives with Stevia, a few of my friends say it has an after taste. Most of those friends also stated that it went away after they stayed with it for a few days.
7. Eat fruit, but no more than 1 serving per day. Fruit is good for you, but it also high in sugar.
8. No white food - no flour, sugar, salt, potatoes, rice, etc. (Cauliflower is the exception.)
9. Drink lots of water - tea and plain coffee are okay, but no sodas, energy drinks, alcohol, beer, etc. It has been suggested that you should drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day. It has been suggested that for every 8 ounces of water less than half your body weight that you don't drink, your body retains half a pound of water and that shows up as water weight gain. Drink lots of water!
10. Increase vegetable consumption. Green leafy vegetables are excellent. Tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, onions, brussel sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, beets, pickled vegetables (okra, pickles, beets. Etc.) There are so many to choose from, there has to be some you will find that you really like.
11. Keep a journal - write or enter in an app what you eat, amount of daily exercise, sleep hours, etc. It can help you stay on track and also, show you what you need to change to lose more efficiently. It can also relieve stress if you write down what's on your mind, too.
12. Eat less red meat. Limit chicken and pork, and eat fish (all kinds, tuna, salmon, whitefish, flounder, shellfish, trout, sardines, etc.) Red meat is good in some ways but bad in most ways. You can get the same nutrients in other less harmful foods. That is just my opinion. Red meat once a week or twice a month is a good rule.
13. Walk at least 30 minutes everyday - it is better if it's all at one time. Walk on your lunch hour, before or after work, on weekends. If you are serious about losing weight, you will find 30 mins each day to walk. It is the single most important thing you can do for yourself.
14. Get good sleep - go to bed at a certain time, get up at a certain time. Try to get the most sleep between 10 pm and 2 am. I heard this and read this from many experts and I adapted it to my own life.
15. Develop positive self talk that will lift you out of an emotional hole. If someone says something catty or hateful, find those positive words you have pre-selected and repeat them to yourself. Repeat as many times as you need before you do anything else.
Losing weight is possible. You may or may not need gastric by-pass surgery. I did it on my own without meds or surgery. I did it this way, because I knew that if I didn't lose it by a method I could learn to live with, then I would never be able to keep it off. This is a decision you have to make for yourself.
Let me give you some of my observations on weight loss surgeries, lap bands, balloons, etc. Over the years, I have known many women who have done these things to lose weight and yes, they work. However, with the exception of a handful only, once the band or balloon is removed or the gastric by-pass is more than a couple of years down the road, they have a tendency to gain it back. Why? Because they failed to deal with the issue of why they gained the weight to begin with and they never broke the bad habits that created the problem.
I am not saying I will never gain the weight back, but at least I know how to eat and exercise now, my chances are better than using the other means to lose it. I am also not saying that no one should ever have a gastric by-pass, lap band, or balloon. There are some people where it is a matter of life or death and they need immediate help. I am only saying what worked for me and how I feel about it.
The important thing is, lose it!
Get it off!
You will feel better,
you will look better,
and you will be happy you did.
Healthy is always
better than sick.
Get healthy!
Do you have a weight loss story to share with us? Do you know a secret? Have you had a gastric by-pass, lap band, or balloon? Have you found it difficult to keep the weight off? Share your thoughts with the rest of us, you may help someone who is struggling with this issue or someone may be able to help you.
XOXO
In an earlier post I mentioned the top seven points to weight loss. Those are the most important things to do. This list of fifteen includes all of those, but also adds some other tips that are helpful. If you do nothing else, please do the seven points from my previous blog, if possible, add these other tips as you go along your weight loss journey.
Here are a few of the changes I made to achieve my goal. I hope they help you reach your goal, also. Getting healthy and losing the extra weight was the best thing I ever did for myself. I feel good now.
15 Quick and Easy Tips for Weight Loss:
1. Eat breakfast - it took a while before I realized that skipping breakfast only made me hungrier throughout the rest of the day. Once I started eating breakfast soon after I woke up, it made a world of difference. I have two main go-to breakfasts that I eat: 1 serving of Oatmeal with some type of fruit, like blueberries, blackberries, apple, grapes, etc. or I will have 1 egg (either a whole egg or egg whites) and two slices of turkey bacon or sausage. I prefer the oatmeal, only because it is easier and I can get it done fast. The egg and meat breakfast seems to hold my hunger off longer, but either one is good for you.
2. Eat a heavier lunch and a lighter dinner - I eat the bulk of my calories at lunch. I eat a light dinner and save space and calories for a bedtime snack. This one was tough to figure out. It's so subtle that you barely recognize that eating a heavy dinner is hurting your weight loss efforts. Trust me, this one is worth doing.
3. Eat slowly - chew your food, savor every bite, take your time, enjoy mealtime. Not only does it aid with digestion, it also calms you because food is a comfort. Yes, there are 'comfort foods', but food in general is a comfort to human beings. Don't rush through a meal.
4. Watch portions - If we are honest with ourselves, we know that the first bite of food is the one we taste the most and enjoy the most. So, when you are eating your favorite food, after the first few bites, you are only eating out of habit and want, not need. Eat reasonable portions. Fight the urge to eat until you are stuffed. Stop when you are 80% full. By doing this, you can actually enjoy your food and not feel guilty later.
5. Eat high protein and fiber rich foods.
6. No diet foods or fat free versions - no artificial sweeteners. Eat real food as close to its original form. Artificial sweeteners carry so many negatives for our health and they actually hurt our weight loss efforts because they confuse our body about sugar. Stevia is the only sweetener that does not confuse. While I haven't experience any negatives with Stevia, a few of my friends say it has an after taste. Most of those friends also stated that it went away after they stayed with it for a few days.
7. Eat fruit, but no more than 1 serving per day. Fruit is good for you, but it also high in sugar.
8. No white food - no flour, sugar, salt, potatoes, rice, etc. (Cauliflower is the exception.)
9. Drink lots of water - tea and plain coffee are okay, but no sodas, energy drinks, alcohol, beer, etc. It has been suggested that you should drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day. It has been suggested that for every 8 ounces of water less than half your body weight that you don't drink, your body retains half a pound of water and that shows up as water weight gain. Drink lots of water!
10. Increase vegetable consumption. Green leafy vegetables are excellent. Tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, onions, brussel sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, beets, pickled vegetables (okra, pickles, beets. Etc.) There are so many to choose from, there has to be some you will find that you really like.
11. Keep a journal - write or enter in an app what you eat, amount of daily exercise, sleep hours, etc. It can help you stay on track and also, show you what you need to change to lose more efficiently. It can also relieve stress if you write down what's on your mind, too.
12. Eat less red meat. Limit chicken and pork, and eat fish (all kinds, tuna, salmon, whitefish, flounder, shellfish, trout, sardines, etc.) Red meat is good in some ways but bad in most ways. You can get the same nutrients in other less harmful foods. That is just my opinion. Red meat once a week or twice a month is a good rule.
13. Walk at least 30 minutes everyday - it is better if it's all at one time. Walk on your lunch hour, before or after work, on weekends. If you are serious about losing weight, you will find 30 mins each day to walk. It is the single most important thing you can do for yourself.
14. Get good sleep - go to bed at a certain time, get up at a certain time. Try to get the most sleep between 10 pm and 2 am. I heard this and read this from many experts and I adapted it to my own life.
15. Develop positive self talk that will lift you out of an emotional hole. If someone says something catty or hateful, find those positive words you have pre-selected and repeat them to yourself. Repeat as many times as you need before you do anything else.
Losing weight is possible. You may or may not need gastric by-pass surgery. I did it on my own without meds or surgery. I did it this way, because I knew that if I didn't lose it by a method I could learn to live with, then I would never be able to keep it off. This is a decision you have to make for yourself.
Let me give you some of my observations on weight loss surgeries, lap bands, balloons, etc. Over the years, I have known many women who have done these things to lose weight and yes, they work. However, with the exception of a handful only, once the band or balloon is removed or the gastric by-pass is more than a couple of years down the road, they have a tendency to gain it back. Why? Because they failed to deal with the issue of why they gained the weight to begin with and they never broke the bad habits that created the problem.
I am not saying I will never gain the weight back, but at least I know how to eat and exercise now, my chances are better than using the other means to lose it. I am also not saying that no one should ever have a gastric by-pass, lap band, or balloon. There are some people where it is a matter of life or death and they need immediate help. I am only saying what worked for me and how I feel about it.
The important thing is, lose it!
Get it off!
You will feel better,
you will look better,
and you will be happy you did.
Healthy is always
better than sick.
Get healthy!
Do you have a weight loss story to share with us? Do you know a secret? Have you had a gastric by-pass, lap band, or balloon? Have you found it difficult to keep the weight off? Share your thoughts with the rest of us, you may help someone who is struggling with this issue or someone may be able to help you.
XOXO
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