Losing weight sucks. Bottom line, no sugar coating it (literally). After gaining the freshman-fifteen, which is nearly impossible to run away from, I decided to change the way I eat. I still eat pizza and drink coffee every day, but I realized that small changes really do affect weight loss. Here are some ways that I lost weight.
Week 1
The first few days are the hardest. Changing the way you eat is all about the facts and what good for you and what isn’t. Things such as cheese, protein bars and even rice…turns out all that stuff isn’t as great as it seems. The best things to eat are foods with one simple ingredient. Chicken, apples, carrots and even things like nuts are okay for you in moderation. Anything that has two ingredients, even salt, can have added substances that can keep you from losing weight. During this first week I woke up and drank a meal replacement shake in the morning. Waiting five hours in between meals, I then ate lunch which consisted of a lean meat the size of my palm, vegetables of my choice (at least a quarter of the plate) and a complex carb (oatmeal, quinoa, potatoes, etc.) the size of my fist. I waited five hours again giving myself two snacks a day and ate the same meal for dinner.
Okay, so I know what you’re thinking. That’s hard. I can’t do that everyday. Well, you don’t have to! If you do your best to have a meat and vegetables for lunch and dinner, you’re doing great. The best thing for you is vegetables, so when you’re hungry eat those veggies…preferably not with a gallon of ranch!
Week 3
Now to the worst part of losing weight…the working out! No one likes going to the gym for hours upon hours, and if you do, you need to find more fun things to do! Unfortunately, working out is a key part to losing weight and the best time to go is in the morning before you eat. When you get up and go to the gym, not only are you starting your day early, but your body feeds off the food that you ate the day before compared to that day. Therefore, you lose weight before even eating that day!
If you’re like me and hate going to the gym, I suggest trying to go at least three times a week and working out for a minimum of 30 minutes. You can always build your way up to longer! Do at least 30 minutes of cardio and always try to fit in some strength building. However, if you’re only planning on going a few times a week, you most likely won’t be working every part of your body by just lifting. Start with cardio and work your way up to cardio and lifting!
Week 5
What can you eat you may be wondering? Technically anything, but in moderation.
Think of it as a scale. If I have chips as a side for lunch, I need to make sure I have a very lean meat as my other food for that meal. If I have ice cream as a snack, I’m going to make sure I follow the diet for the rest of the day. Start with one “bad” food a day. As time goes on, cut out all bad food for one day and another…add on until you leave yourself with one day to cheat.
Next time you go to the store, check out the calories/fat calories/sugar in each product just to make yourself realize what really is good for you and not! Overall, the biggest thing to cut out is sugary drinks. Most frequent soda drinkers lose weight just by switching to only water.
Coffee drinkers, I can relate with you. Coffee is my weakness. However, I found I can still drink coffee everyday if I just get black coffee and use one teaspoon of creamer. Is it as good as a mocha latte? Ha, no! But it gives you your caffeine fix and that’s what’s important! Same goes with alcohol. Let’s be real, a vodka lemonade is just not worth the sugar in the lemonade as well as the 97 calories included in the shot…and we all know you’re adding at least two shots in one vodka lemonade! Everything is good in moderation, which goes for both food and drink. Use your one cheat day to give you one bad drink and one bad food!
Week 7
Overall, weight loss isn’t about looking great, it’s about feeling great. There is no better feeling then putting on your jeans and having them fit again and being able to say, “Wow, I did it.” Every time I felt like giving up or eating that Halo Top (yes, it still isn’t good for you), I thought to myself, is it worth it? Picture what you want to look like and don’t give up!!
Week 8
Drink coffee, but keep it black with one teaspoon of cream. Eat pizza but only once a week. Eat three meals a day with a main dish and two small sides. Work your way into healthy choices, and check out the calories on everything next time you go grocery shopping. These easy steps can result in easy weight loss! It was a terrible feeling putting on my jean shorts at the beginning of summer only to find that none of them fit. However, it was the best feeling in the world than putting my jeans eight weeks later to find that every pair fit again.
Overall Transformation
To this!