How I Lost 45 Pounds in a Year
Every year for many, many years, I promised myself to lose weight. Sometimes I was able to get a little bit forward, but most of the time I didn’t. Then in 2017 it happened. Like most of the big changes, there were actually many small variations added to something big. This is how I did it.
Know why you want to lose weight
For a very long time, I did not understand at all that I wanted to lose weight. We receive so many confusing messages about how we should treat our body, both positive and negative. I kind of landed in an attempt to accept myself wherever I was, which was good, but that meant that I also felt awkward at times about wanting to change. It’s so personal, but I would say don’t make decisions about how to heal your body based on what other people expect from you. The fact is that my knees hurt, and I was often lethargic and sick. Since I started exercising, I have become more energetic, less depressed and less likely to get sick. The diet change cured my almost daily heartburn. Being thin is not the same as being healthy, but in my case, this weight loss undoubtedly benefited my health.
Do something within 30 days
In early 2017, I made Whole 30 . I am not promoting this diet on purpose. I originally intended to ditch dairy as a New Year’s solution, but found a large group of friends going on a trip for as many as 30 and wanted to do something with the buds (more on that later). In fact, the Whole 30 is not necessarily a diet that is even designed for weight loss. It excludes foods such as sugar, alcohol and dairy products, as well as many other delicious things. In the end, I lost weight, because many of the things on the no-no list are my favorite snacks, like cheese balls and ice cream, but they can easily put on weight. For example, neither potatoes nor bacon are outlawed. Anything that contains calories can lead to too many calories per day. But since I was so strict with the rules, I was very knowledgeable about my food choices; although I’ve always eaten enough to get enough, I would stop there. This was a big change because I love to overeat.
Weight loss issues aside, the Whole 30 is extreme, and I don’t necessarily recommend extreme diets. For the vast majority of people, they cannot be maintained for a long time, and most of them gain the lost weight. If you are not careful, you can get sick. For me at the time, it worked as a way to change my attitude towards food, but I think there are many easier ways to do the same. I recommend that you pick something and do it every day for 30 days.
In the past, I made decisions a lot and gave up too quickly. I would say, “It’s me now! I only eat vegetables and protein for dinner, forever! I train every day, forever! “But eternity lasted too long. It was like hard work that didn’t bring immediate results. When I was on A Whole 30, I knew it was only 30 days, so I saw it all the way – and it was a real turning point that I had never reached before. My pants fit looser. In the gym, I began to improve on things that seemed impossible before: I could jump rope for longer, do deeper lunges and do burpees for the first time. These small accomplishments made me want to stick with it even more.
Pick something. Push-up task, walking half an hour a day, changing diet. You probably know what needs to be changed. Sticking to something will show you what you are capable of and what the results might be. You will want to continue.
Do it with your friends
Making changes to the way you take care of your body can be very isolating because a lot of our social activities revolve around food. This feeling can be mitigated with a support network. That first month I was lucky because a group of friends were doing Whole 30 at the same time. We created a private Facebook group to support each other, complain, give advice and share recipes. It’s true that people who do fitness never shut up about it, so find a team of people you can chat with without shame. I’ve also done text-based conversations, email accountability checks, helpful brunches, and group meetings.
If you are not surrounded by people who are interested in sharing how many steps you took today, join other open groups on Facebook or in fitness centers. Most calorie counting apps have a social component where you can post pictures of food with other members or talk about your concerns. At first, this sounds corny, but it can save your relationship with people who can no longer hear about how awake you feel after quitting sugar.
Keep a food diary and count calories
Basically, my weight loss has occurred due to diet, but I was not so strict about how much I ate at the beginning, more than the fact that I ate. I found this to be the best way to think about it. I ended up switching to calorie counting in an app, specifically an app called Fat Secret. I realize this is a very crude name, but it helped me count the macros when I spent another month (30 days!) On the ketogenic diet .
The understanding of how you want to manage food is different for everyone; some people feel like they quickly become obsessed with counting calories and this becomes an unhealthy concentration. Some people find it tedious to write down what they eat and prefer to have general rules. You know you. But here’s what I got from both.
Writing down what I ate got me thinking a lot more about it. I spent my day thinking about what I ate and when, which then made me wonder if I was eating because I was hungry, nervous, sad, or simply because it was in front of my face. Analyzing these habits helped me better understand what I was doing, even if it didn’t necessarily stop me from eating the family bag of chips. By counting calories, I literally figured out how much I ate each day. That was a lot!
When I switched to keto for a month in early spring, I needed to count calories to keep track of my macros. Keto is very high in fat and low in carbohydrates. Macro consumption is basically how much fat, protein, and carbohydrates you are getting. Calorie counting is difficult enough, but it was too mathematical for my food. The app really helped, and it was a completely different perspective on food intake.
It also made me realize how many calories were in certain foods that I found healthy. Technically, they were still like this – replacing cookies with salad is probably much healthier for you in terms of nutrition, but if you keep adding additional foods, the calorie balance may end up being the same. You will most likely feel good, which is great, but you will not actually lose weight. Once I saw how many calories were added in the food I was eating, it became much easier to cut back on empty items in my meal plan, such as snacks made from nuts or dried fruit. This is fine in moderation, but there were times when I gave a lot of mango slices only to realize that I ate as many calories as I ate at lunch. Just make decisions based on information, not assumptions.
Don’t do what makes you unhappy.
So, diet is likely to help you lose weight. But you should still play sports because it makes you feel so damn great. Back to the 30-day style, exercising regularly and giving up after a week and a half meant you had to know what the exercise was doing, in addition to what was causing the soreness. It improved my mood, made me feel like I was eating healthier foods, and gave me energy throughout the day. And my thighs are also very toned.
Here’s a caveat: do something fun . There are many philosophies about what type of exercise is most effective in helping you lose weight or build muscle. I personally prefer lifting weights and combining cardio with HIIT when I’m trying to simplify. But your mind and emotions are part of the physical experience. If you are doing something that tires you or makes you anxious, you may not want to continue. Try different things. Groupon often has special deals, so you can try barre, Pilates or dance lessons. ClassPass is an option as well, and many studios offer discounted lessons for beginners. Try a bunch of different things until you find one that’s worth it.
Go somewhere near work or home for a workout
I just said to try a bunch of things that research implies. I endorse this as an introduction to getting your body moving again, but I found that having a gym that I could go to near my house made it a lot easier. It was a revelation. Sometimes on bad days I would say to myself, “Just go there. You don’t need to exercise, just go to the gym because it’s two blocks away. ” And then I went and inevitably practiced, at least a little. Avoiding exercise obstacles, such as a long subway ride, can help motivate you.
Complement your daily workout with special items
When I first started exercising regularly, I had a membership to a very cheap gym. They did special half hour one-to-one workouts, so I bought a package that probably added value to the more traditional gym. Having a trainer I saw regularly helped me focus on other workouts and ultimately pushed me to go to the gym on days I wasn’t exercising so I could keep up with him.
Having regular, cheaper workout options and the occasional expense of a coach or class can help you move to the next level and keep you motivated every day. Now I like to schedule workouts with friends as a special treat, or go to dance or spinning lessons for a change. Yes, I have become a person who considers cycling in the dark for an hour a “special pleasure.”
Don’t make hunger your diet plan
Getting too hungry will kill all your best intentions. Our minds get tired of making the “right” choices over and over again, and feeling like an empty bag is not the same as crafting a calorie-deficit diet for weight loss. Wear snacks. Throw some cashews into your bag and then into your mouth when you feel hungry. It will be cheaper than looking for something on the go, and you will be less likely to walk around and eat an ice cream burrito at midnight when you are exhausted and hungry.
On that note, apart from Whole 30 and Keto, I mostly didn’t stick to specific diets. Both were experiments for me to break old eating habits in my life and see if I could feel better doing something else. These are pretty simple things: I order less when I leave the house, then wait and see if I want more; if I’m stressed, I try to take a walk or call someone before I eat my feelings; I keep olives in my house, so when I have an insane craving for salt, I can eat a few instead of a packet of fries. In general, I think it’s a mistake to forever outlaw what you love to eat. This makes it taboo, which makes it much more seductive. But taking a break can be a good way to understand the difference between what you want and what you need.
I find that eating foods that are high in fat and low in carbohydrates makes me feel fuller, especially when it comes to protein and fibrous vegetables. If you don’t like dairy products, it might just be an oily dressing. Sometimes eating a salad is less exciting than a whole pizza, but if I say to myself, “Eat the salad first, then see if you want pizza,” I often don’t eat pizza. And I got my daily greens too.
Treat your body as if you love it now.
For a long time I wore pants that were too tight and shirts that were too big. Skinny pants reminded me that I was uncomfortable with my weight, big shirts would hide my figure. From time to time I panicked and tried to lose weight with intense measures that always failed. Then I would step back even further. The desire for something to change right away did not let me understand where I am, but this is all a process. You must be by your side every step of the way.
Building strength in the body and changing dietary habits takes time. Until then, try to think well of yourself. Find the right clothes that make you feel cute, including what you like to wear for your workouts. Taking care of your body is just part of taking care of yourself, so make sure you deserve that kind of care. You do.
Don’t think about your character
Similar to what is described above, it is important not to make it a moral issue. Is not. For years, if I was unable to stick to my decisions, I used that failure as a way to berate or shame myself. This made fitness a topic that I wanted to avoid because it generated a lot of negative emotions. We are shifting our energies to other priorities. When you’re ready to prioritize your fitness, you will. Maybe you only last two weeks out of 30 days, but if you keep trying for a year, those weeks will add up. Get into a good little habit right now and see how far it takes you.