Disclaimer: Everyone is different. We all have different body chemistries and different things work for different people. This is what worked for me and maybe it will work for you. I am also in no way saying you must lose weight, but if it’s something you want to do, but are struggling hopefully I can help. I feel like I also must mention that I am gluten-free and a pescatarian.
Something you need to remember is that this entire process is gradual. Nothing is going to change overnight. The first thing I did was to download the MyFitnessPal and Happy Scale. These are both free in the app store, but they helped me to stay on track. The first week you have MyFitnessPal does not diet at all, I know that sounds weird, but this app tracks your food choices. So that first week you want to track what you would eat normally to see what you eat a lot of and what you need to eat more of. Since weight loss is 20% exercise and 80% nutrition, this is a great way to see the areas you need to improve. Now you must be careful with this because strictly calorie counting and not taking into account that you are eating healthier calories can create an extremely toxic relationship with food and if that happens I recommend you see a professional. After that first week you have a good idea of how you can improve your food choices, I ate a lot of salt before this, so I knew sodium is one thing I needed to cut back on. After this first week eats clean, what I mean is to try to stay away from processed foods with so many bad things in it, and yes this includes McDonald’s. Treating yourself once in a while is good for the soul too. If you are constantly depriving yourself of foods you enjoy and following a super strict diet, you are bound to break. Remember there is a clean way to eat almost any meal, i.e. buffalo cauliflower or non-breaded wings when you want chicken wings. Choices like this will satisfy your craving and keep you eating clean. As a college student it’s really easy to go out and get food instead of going to the cafe or making it yourself if you have a kitchen, but I promise cooking for yourself can be so much better. Eating out once in a whale isn’t bad, but every night isn’t gonna help you reach your goal. I do recommend that you continue to log your food during the dieting because it helps with accountability, but don’t let it control your life. Next is every morning I run 3 miles on an empty stomach. If running isn’t your thing you can bike or do the elliptical at the gym, basically any amount of cardio on an empty stomach. We want to break a sweat here people and don’t worry if you can’t do 3 miles right off the bat, you can work your way up to it. I know I had to work up to it. Third, I start every morning with green tea. Green tea is supposed to boost your metabolism. IDK if it does, but I like green tea as a caffeine alternative to coffee. Other than green tea and the occasional protein shake, water was the only other drink I drank. Cut out all soda, sweet teas, processed juices, and other sugary drinks. I know this can be hard for some so I will say a great soda alternative is a seltzer brand called spindrift. This brand makes seltzer with a drop of all-natural fruit juices for flavor and it tastes great. I will say that I also drink lots of water throughout the day. Not only is it good for weight loss but it will help your skin and overall drinking more water made me just feel better daily. For most of the quarantine, I was drinking almost a gallon of water a day. This is something you can work up to as well because a gallon right off the bat is a lot of water and you may struggle since it is so much water. Yes, you will pee a lot, but it’s worth it. I’m not going to lie to you, a lot of this was a lot easier during quarantine because there wasn’t much else to do. Being back at school I have slipped up a little bit, but that is okay. I know I will reach my goal, even if it takes a little longer and so will you. Lastly, remember that you are human and you may need an off day or two. When that happens let it. If you are so strict with yourself you can end up doing more harm than good. Listen to your body. If anyone wants to reach out and ask questions do not hesitate, I would love to help you out!