:waving: Hello everyone!
I would like to share how I effectively lost weight during the last year.
So, to begin with, I was 200lbs last year and was a size 14-16 (depending on the brand). I have been a big girl ever since I was 11 years old (when I started puberty) and ever since then I have been trying my best to lose weight. But it was like the gods of slimming down frowned upon me.
So anyway, it was difficult and I suffered from low self-esteem and I really like cute clothes but I couldn't wear them because none of them fit me. And then when I turned 20, I became frightened for my health. After all, excess weight can cause all sorts of diseases in later life. I didn't want to have diabetes or high blood pressure when I'm in my prime much like some of my relatives and other adults. I mean, I'd rather enjoy life with my future husband and children, go on trips with them and go hiking, etc. So for the sake of my future, last year I told myself, I AM GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT!
I also didn't like to lose weight through diet pills or extreme diets because I was worried about what their long term effects might be for my health so I just stuck to natural remedies and organic stuff.
So, I'm happy with the results of the things that I did (and still doing) and I shall share with all of you exactly what they are.
MY PROGRAM FOR LOSING WEIGHT:
1.
Cut out pork and beef from your diet. The human body is just not made for that. Meat, in general, specifically pork, turns the body acidic. An acidic environment breeds diseases. Hence, when you’re in your thirties or forties, you get all these nasty diseases like heart problems or even cancer. You are what you eat, as the saying goes. You feed your body junk and you end up cutting your lifespan shorter.
The great thing about cutting out pork and beef from your diet is that it greatly reduces the amount of processed foods you eat or rather, can eat. Plus, you won’t feel heavy and sluggish anymore.
2.
Drink a lot of water. I drink probably around 3 liters a day only because I don't drink any other beverages like soda or coffee. You must always keep your body hydrated. If you're well-hydrated, your metabolism works better.
3.
Drink a health tonic/natural detox. So, I was doing all these things but I noticed that my weight loss was slow and at about 7-8 months in, I started to plateau. I felt like I wasn't losing any more weight and instead was gaining back some.
I was starting to panic. I browsed the internet for another remedy but all I found were things I've already tried. I then looked at some book websites (I've always found the most interesting things in tiny places. Like special stuff in small boutiques that I'd never find in a large department store) and then found
"Drink to Shrink" at
TheWallofBooks.com (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to place links or something so you'll just have to search for it there). The e-book was about this natural and organic 'fat loss health tonic' according to the author. So, I was like, what the heck, the cover's cute and the book's really cheap too, who knows, it might be the answer to my prayers. Turns out I was right. After I drank it for like 1-2 weeks, I started losing major lbs. Everyone was like, "Did you lose weight?" Hehe. Ahh... That felt so good.
4.
Eat more protein, less carbs. What protein does in the body is that it triggers the release of glucose (which is stored in your cells as fat) into the bloodstream so that your body can burn it up for energy. Vice versa, eating a lot of high-carbs trigger the release of insulin which actually causes your cells to store the sugar in your food which in turn becomes, you guessed it, fat. You can get your protein from chicken and fish and some protein-rich veggies like beans, asparagus and spinach. You can eat carbs but make sure they’re healthy carbs like vegetables and fruit or the occasional bread and pasta. Also, protein builds up muscle (they don't make you bulky or anything, so long as you don't do 'bodybuilding' exercises) and so, more muscles=less fat.
I'm also not picky about how my food is cooked as long as I...
5.
Eat smaller servings. Let me tell you, I like to eat and I can’t be bothered to count calories. I still eat and have eaten a lot of crap (cakes, doughnuts, ice cream—it was my birthday, gimme a break!). But I still shrink in size because I eat in moderation as well as drink that health tonic.
I limit myself to just one serving of anything unhealthy that I want to eat or drink once a day. Say today I feel like eating one small bowl of ice cream for snacks or one piece of pizza for dinner. I eat/drink something unhealthy once a day only. The rest of the day, I eat healthy foods. That way, I’m not depriving myself but not going overboard either.
When you start eating cleaner, your body re-calibrates itself to like healthier food and you'll just start naturally eating less (especially because the protein will keep you fuller).
6.
Incorporate exercise into your daily life. I'm really busy so I don't have the time to follow an exercise routine. So what I do is, for example, I take the stairs instead of the elevator. I walk the few blocks to my house. I do a lot of housework. Dance, play with my cat, doing random jumping jacks just because. Without me realizing it, I have already had plenty of physical activity by the end of the day and it's much more fun like this.
7.
Get 7 hours of sleep every night or sleep early. You know what? Just sleep. Get as much rest as you can. Interestingly too, the brain is more active during REM sleep (which is when you're dreaming) so you burn more energy during sleep. And as a result, you burn more fat. The best time to sleep would be at 9pm.
Hmm... what else...
8.
Do not weigh yourself. Weighing yourself is an inaccurate method of knowing your progress. The numbers reflected on the scale don’t necessarily translate to how much fat you’ve lost because what it measures is your total weight and that includes: water weight, bone mass, muscle mass, fat mass, etc. Thus, I don’t weigh myself.
And some people when they check the scales and find that they didn't 'lose' a lb, their tendency is to become depressed and they end up eating comfort food and feel hopeless. So it's better not to weigh yourself. Instead, I measure my progress by the clothes I wear. I mean, obviously, if you can now wear that dress you had when you were slimmer or wished you could wear then of course you’ve lost a lot of fat already.
For me, I kept this pair of pants my parents bought me way back in high school which I’ve never been able to wear (I couldn’t fit into it—the thing wouldn’t even go past my knees then!). I made it my goal to fit into it one day. And then when I started to really lose fat, it became the only pair I could wear because the rest were too big already and I had to give them away because they were cluttering up my dresser. And now, I don’t wear it as much because it’s gotten too big on me already but I’d like to keep it though—sentimental value and all that. The first proof of my weight loss. *sigh*
So yeah... That was all I did. Here are some pics of me so you can see my progress:
So in summary:
1. Cut out pork and beef from your diet.
2. Drink a lot of water.
3. Drink a health tonic/natural detox.
4. Eat more protein, less carbs.
5. Eat smaller servings.
6. Incorporate exercise into your daily life.
7. Get 7 hours of sleep every night or sleep early.
8. Do not weigh yourself.
Final thoughts:
Everything I wrote here really helped me. They might seem basic but honestly, the simpler something is, the better. Anyway, the fat loss health tonic that I mentioned was the one that really moved along my weight loss progress. I literally had to buy a new pair of pants after drinking it for like, 2 weeks. I wish I knew about it sooner.
So yeah, thanks for reading my very long post and I dearly hope that I am able to help you in your weight loss/fat loss journey with this.
