People have asked what my “secrets” are to my weight loss. It’s sad to report, but honestly there are no secrets. I am not special, I have just been consistent. In the beginning it was a lot of trial and error. With that being said, I am always enthusiastic to share what I can because nothing makes me happier than to see other people succeed too. While those others are succeeding, they are more than likely inspiring someone else not even knowing it and it just becomes a chain reaction.
I don’t know what point in my life this year was the turning moment of where I wanted to change my life around. Was it really that my twin had lost weight and I was so enamored by his transformation? Or was it that my husband and I went through some hard times at the beginning of the year, almost ending in divorce, that made me WANT to love myself and him love me again? I don’t know but after multiple times of sitting in my closet and crying my eyes out, I realized that I needed this change and I hated the way I looked. It was embarrassing to me. That was a hard to take, but I welcomed the change. I was always that yo-yo dieter. I have tried every freaking diet plan out there. I have done Colonix, the Master Cleanse (lemonade diet), to practically starving myself on 1000 calories a day. I think I also blamed my hypothyroidism to my weight gain. I knew it would was a hindrance in trying to lose weight, but that wasn’t what made me gain. My gain came with me just being plain lazy. At one point, I even consulted my doctor to where we did an elimination diet and I became a vegetarian for almost 2 years thinking that my body was having a hard time processing meat. That wasn't the problem.
What the heck was I thinking? I knew what I had to do. I had to face the facts that there were no shortcuts and that fad diets were a waste of time and money. There were no more excuses!! The results weren’t going to come fast, it was going to be a huge lifestyle change and all I needed was to put the work in. So, I did my research and with some trial and error, I did the following:
1. Know your numbers and use them to your advantage: Get your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), know your maintenance numbers and how to calculate a deficit. You can find many handy on-line calculators to calculate it for you but knowing what goes into these numbers makes you more aware of what you're doing, plus, as your weight goes down, so does your BMR and so you need to adjust things accordingly. If you don’t have a HRM (heart rate monitor) while working out, get one!! While on this journey, it will be the best investment you ever made. You need to know how many calories your body is burning during your workouts. Know your numbers, people!!
2. Set goals you can control: Goals will make or break your progress. You have to have long term goals that can keep you going through any short term failures. For example “I blew it this weekend with my calories or it's my time of the month”. Scale only goals are not nearly as important as habit goals that will lead to those scale results you so desperately want. If you set up habit goals like “work out 5-6 days this week” or “no fast food this week” they are controllable beyond water weight fluctuations and will show up on the scale.
3. Drink MORE than 8 glasses of water a day: Just as much as 2,000 calories a day is not a one-size-fits-all solution, neither is 8 glasses of water. This is especially true if you are exercising. It’s best to use the 1 oz of water per pound of body weight up to 1 gallon of water. When you think about it, does it really make sense for a 120 pound lady and a 275 pound man to drink the same amount of water? Not really. Chug-a lug and get to drinking!!
I include green tea, herbal teas, vitamin water zero and Mio infused water in my count but I try to drink 18-20 glasses or more of water per day. You will always see me with a water bottle of some kind in hand. Hydration keeps you from retaining water and if at this time you’re thinking “I will be in the bathroom all the time!” your body will get used to it and you won’t go as much, but in the mean time think of it as extra exercise walking to and from.
4. Be Objective: There will be days when the scale disappoints. I have had many of those days. There will be days when you are not in the mood to exercise. Feelings will try to upset you and it will work if you let it. Believe me!! These are the times you have to talk yourself out of a bad mood and look at yourself and your situation objectively. You also have to be objective by being willing to see what you did wrong, know you are responsible and make a better choice next time. Do that and then move on.
5. Keep tabs on your sodium: Sodium is not your enemy. You need sodium but you don't need 3,000-4,000 mg per day. 1,500-2,500 mg is a much better target. You don't have to be overly concerned with it in terms of trying to cut it out completely because that can be really hard, but it can seriously mess with the water weight if you aren't even watching your intake. Restaurant meals and processed foods are the worst and can easily have an entire day's worth of sodium if you aren't paying attention.
6. A calorie is a calorie....BUT: While it's true that you can eat your calories any way you want, your body will be much more satisfied and able when your calories come from good whole foods instead of pre-packaged crap. Don’t get me wrong. I eat some bad things. I am not going to deprive myself of some of those bad things. If I want a cookie or a piece of cake, I will have it in moderation. I really hate that saying “All in moderation”, but its true. Cutting out all of the things you think are bad will lead you on your down days to binge on those trigger foods, then you and your body will pay for it the next day. Just be cognizant of what is going in your mouth. Calories in vs. Calories out, which leads me to my next point.
7. You can't out-train a bad diet. Seriously, it's not going to happen: You cannot work out for 1 hour one day, come home and eat a huge meal and think that you've earned that. What you really did was just reverse any gains you might have made in your weight loss journey. The next day when you step on the scale and convince yourself it's broken because it has not moved or went up, you remember that hard workout but forgot about the food that you inhaled right after that workout. Remember to be objective, if not, maybe you need to re-read #4.
8. Exercise is fun. (Yes, I said it): When you say you don't have time or I didn’t want to get out of bed, or when you say it's boring, it’s because you aren't giving it a chance to take hold as a habit. Coming from a girl who hated to exercise and made every excuse in the book, I can’t go a day without working out. Your body needs those rest days, which I hate taking, but I do! I workout 6 days a week. Exercise is for your mental health too and can be something that you look forward to. Just remember, it takes at least two weeks to form a habit. Working out can be an addictive habit!! You have to make it a part of your lifestyle. Working out doesn’t have to be in a gym. These last 4 months, I haven’t stepped foot in a gym at all. Find something you like to do. Find something you always wanted to do but never thought you could and then work towards it. Once you start you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.
I was so embarrassed when I started out doing Insanity. I didn’t know the moves and I thought I looked like and idiot. It eventually became easier for me and I enjoyed it. Same thing with kickboxing, I was this chunky girl, always out of breath and take rests, but I didn't give up. I just got better. I never beat up the bags like I could have. Now, I get in there and mean business. I almost get to the point where I come close to knocking this huge weight bag to the ground. It’s a great stress reliever. Get on a program and go with it!
9. Focus on Fat Loss rather than Weight Loss: You now know that focusing on fat loss is much more important than focusing on your weight. When you lose body fat, you're making permanent changes in your body, shifting your body makeup so that you have less fat and more muscle. When you just lose weight, you could be losing water or even muscle. It's impossible to know if you're seeing real results or just the product of your daily habits, hormonal shifts and changing hydration levels. Throw out that scale, especially in the beginning. Focus on how your clothes fit, and take measurements. This was hard for me, because I am obsessed with weighing in daily, but once the inches start coming off the weight will eventually follow.
10. Meal Planning: If you are a control freak planner like me, planning ahead will make you feel so in charge and so prepared that you are ready for whatever comes your way. What I do is plan for lower calories on my rest days, knowing that other days, if I have an event or date night with the hubby or are workout days, those days will be higher calorie days. You can do this by tracking your calorie intake and knowing your deficit weekly goal. I also take a little time at the beginning of the day (you could do this the night before or plan for a whole week if you want) to decide what I am going to have to eat, record it in my log so that the calories are already at my goal and then I only eat what I've already decided to eat.
There you go. No secrets, just lots of hard work and research. Just know that when you are motivated to change, nothing will stop you. When you are frustrated and feel like giving up, find external motivation from someone else who's achieved their goal. That may be through music or reading something, or just talking to that someone that will help you re-focus your energy. You can do this. Your body is already craving for it. Now all you have to do is convince your mind.