“First the denial that you’re gaining weight wears off, then comes the feeling of helplessness. Then comes the panic that propels you to frantically spiral down the endless google searches on how to lose weight fast.”
After the photo that started it all, enough was enough. I needed to do something fast to fix this. So… the first thing I did was get on google and search how to lose 10 pounds in a month. The regular tips on how to lose weight popped up and of course I ignored them. I had tried those tips before. Whenever I would notice I was gaining weight I would go on a weight loss mission that would last all of a week.
I would jump on the scale and set an unrealistic goal for myself on how much weight I was going to lose. I would go grocery shopping or I would look through my pantry for low calorie foods. Then I would create meals that seemed healthy because they were “low in calories.”
Looking back on it now, I was unintentionally starving myself. I would download a calorie intake app to help me lose weight because that’s what I saw on these viral threads on how someone lost weight fast. When I constructed my meals I was barely making my 1200 calorie goals. It was nearly impossible to figure out what to eat and exhausting to track every food item.
I would hop on the scale everyday hoping to see progress and I would see some results! But then I would get tired of oatmeal with berries for breakfast, pita wraps and carrot sticks for lunch and broccoli, brown rice and chicken for dinner. While all these things are fine and dandy, I wanted variety, and the meals I was creating were for me were not sustainable at all.
The first suggestion I have for you, before you get started on losing weight is, find something that is Sustainable for you!
If you don’t like to eat broccoli and quinoa with chicken breast then do not eat those things. Eat things that you enjoy! Do not! I repeat do not starve yourself to lose weight. If this is in any weight loss plan that you have you need to get rid of it.
Above is an example of some of my meals on the plan that I am on now. Full of variety and full of things that I love and enjoy to eat.
*Disclaimer*
Now its important to note that I am just a regular couch potato who is not a professional dietitian. I can only speak from my experience. But what I do know is starving yourself is not a sustainable lifestyle for anyone. So please do not do that.
Cutting out all snacks and processed food cold turkey was not going to be sustainable for me. I would be miserable, and I would end up binge eating later on because it was too restrictive for me. You know you better than anyone, and because I know me I still choose to snack and to eat some processed foods. What I did was find healthier alternatives to my favorite foods and fit it into my lifestyle. But I didn’t get this idea by myself. I got some inspiration.
Here is where tip #2 and #3 on what you should consider before getting started on losing weight are sort of combined into one.
Tip # 2 is to have someone or something to reference, whether it be a person or a guide.
One of the biggest tools to my weight loss success so far is by finding Felicia Keathley or FeliciaFitnessHealth on instagram and youtube. After going down my internet spiral of google searches on how to lose weight fast. I happened to stumble across Felicia Keathleys weight loss youtube video. I watched several of her videos and followed her instagram where she had everything that she ate, her workouts and weight loss progress. On her page I didn’t see the typical weight loss meals that I would normally see and try that I would eventually stop eating. It looked sustainable for me. So I decided to give it a try and it worked for me.(I will make a post about my WW journey a little later)
Having someone or something to reference gave me inspiration and it gave me a blueprint. The blueprint that was laid out to me was one person’s personal story, everything was not going to apply to me or work for me. But I took from it what I could to get myself started. Find something to stick to that you think fits your current lifestyle the best.
Before, uneducated me, would make brown rice and chicken breast with so much butter, oil and salt to make it taste better that it stopped being healthy altogether. I cut out all sugar and snacks which I loved and were prevalent in my previous lifestyle and eventually I would crash and go on a sugar binge. After my sugar binge I would just brush it off and justify it by saying “I was good today or I deserve.” Both those things were true and having one or two sweet treats would have been fine. But I also needed to hold myself accountable.
Tip #3 on what to consider before you get started on losing weight, is to start tracking or to have some type of accountability with your system.
Whether you are on ww, keto, paleo or are strictly tracking your calories you have to have some accountability. Without accountability we are reckless! Also one of my favorite quotes says…
“We don’t plan to fail, we fail to plan.”
You have to have some sort of system in place that works as accountability for you. The plan that Felicia was on was WW(Weight Watchers). With this plan I learned how to portion out my food. This helped keep me accountable. I knew it was not sustainable for me to cut out snacks and chocolate and to eat quinoa for the rest of my life. So if I wanted a donut and ice cream I planned for it. This helped me feel as if I was not on a diet and instead I was making a lifestyle change.
Which brings me to my final tip on what to consider before you get started on losing weight.
What is your end goal? And do you want your weight loss journey to be a lifestyle change?
If you just want to lose 10lbs to fit into your bikini for the summer then you can still follow all of these tips and lose weight. But if you want to keep it off you are going to need a lifestyle change.
A lifestyle change will last a lifetime. Regardless of whether or not you gain weight or lose weight if your lifestyle changes your life will too. And that is the journey towards self love. Changing your lifestyles in small ways that makes you a better person.
Becoming Frenchfry 