Since I keep getting asked, here are a few of my tricks or secrets. I do this through diet and exercise, and by diet I mean a lifelong change in how and what I eat, not a quick fix. First I signed up for myfitnesspal to keep track of my foods and relearn portion sizes, what is truly healthy/not healthy, and learn about the foods I eat. It is ok if you go over a lot at first, take it slow and hold yourself accountable for everything and every time you make a meal try to make 1 small change to make it a little healthier. You didnt get on this path overnight, you may not get off overnight either! Obviously you dont have to use myfitnesspal, but keeping a food journal and measuring out your food really and truly helps. DO NOT starve yourself! Biggest mistake you can make is thinking by eating less food you will lose weight. Any weight you do lose it is unhealthy weightloss and will come back when you start eating again! I did low carb Atkins however you can also try to get in at least 1200 calories a day or more. The higher your weight, the more you need to eat just to keep your body working. Sites like myfitnesspal will help you figure out what you need to eat, just adjust as you lose weight! Secondly I started reading labels and ingredients. I try to avoid processed foods, if it is a carb I try to make it whole grain, wheats, or fruits and veggies. If the ingredients start with enriched or anything that isnt whole wheat/grain, put it back or use it sparingly. Then I focused on the fats. Fat is bad right? No fat in your diet, right? WRONG! Fat is needed, just get the right fats and eliminate the wrong. Get your fats from lean meats (fish, chicken, turkey), vegetables, fruits, or good oils. Trans fats are never ok, and try to remove vegetable oil from your diet (or again VERY sparingly). Olive oil and coconut oil are my two go to oils and the only ones I buy. Dont be afraid of high fat healthy foods like avocado or almonds, just make sure it stays balanced. Protein, you really cant go wrong with protein unless you arent getting enough or if you arent paying attention to the full balance with the other things I have listed. Get the protein from lean meats, veggies, fruits, and nuts. Best bet is to get .6-.8 grams of protein per lb of weight you have. Its tough, but by changing to a healthy diet you can hit it (believe me, I was hitting it at 285 lbs, thats a lot of protein lol). Most importantly is WATER! Yes we all know it, and its a pain to make that switch cause if you are drinking sugary delicious drinks you probably hate water cause its boring. I get it, I have been there. Cutting those sugary drinks helps you enjoy the water more. And again, I know that stinks, I used to drink about 2 liters of soda a day, it was HARD to quit, but I did it and I dont miss it now! Pop Excedrin to help get you through the caffeine withdrawals, first 7 days are the hardest but push through. For amount of water you need drink 1/2 your body weight in oz of water everyday. Again I know thats so much! but I pushed through at 285 lbs, you can too. Drinking water is the easiest workout you can do, every time you potty you are peeing out just a little bit of fat, so remind yourself of that. Put some lemon in the water if you need some flavor. There are plenty more tips but I will stop here. Diet is #1 with losing weight, you can kill it at the gym but if you dont change your diet you wont get results. I know its a hard change, I know you will struggle and feel like a failure, but believe me, push through because it is worth it! And failure isnt struggling, it is quitting, so push through your lows, give it your best today, and try to do better tomorrow! Feel free to share this, I will make a Note with it later and will try to add more in there
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 16:42:32 +0000