Losing Weight And Staying Healthy

Are you trying to lose weight?

Lately I have been thinking more and more about my health and my weight. I want to lose a few pounds so that I can be a healthier me. I want my family to see me at my healthiest and be motivation for them to be their healthiest. When I was younger I did all the fad diets, lost a few pounds and usually gained back double what I lost. I didn’t want to continue that cycle and be on a weight loss roller coaster for the rest of my life.  So, I decided that if I was going to do something to lose some weight and get healthier, I needed to do it the right way. No fads, no quick fixes, I was going to do it this time!

Permanent changes lead to permanent change…

I had to learn some things about getting healthy first. I had to learn the ways to make a permanent change, not a temporary one. And boy, did I learn! The biggest thing that I have learned is that to make a permanent change in my weight, I have to make permanent changes in my life. Working out is not something you do when you are trying to lose weight. It’s something you should be doing at least 4 or 5 times a week if not more. I’m not talking about 6 hours in the gym, but 45 minutes to an  hour each day is a good amount of time. If you can’t find the time to schedule a complete hour, break the hour down throughout the day. This can be increments as little as 10 minutes 6 times a day. For some people this is much more manageable than finding one straight hour. 

I also learned that making gradual changes in my eating habits is better than trying to do something extreme like go Vegan overnight. I started with little things; no second helping of dessert, no extra drizzle in my frappe, salsa or guacamole with raw veggies instead of chips and dip and one of the most important changes, more water. These little changes become new habits and you keep adding them on. Before you know it, you are eating a whole lot better, feeling better and losing weight naturally. Paired with regular exercise, you will start to see changes in your body and the way you feel in general.

When you are trying to lose weight, you may be tempted to weigh in every day. For some people this may work, but for me the scale became the enemy and a constant source of stress. I figured out that I needed to pay attention to my non-scale victories instead of only the scale. I noticed that even though the number on the scale may not have went down, I was still making progress. My jeans felt looser, my face looked slimmer and I swear my butt looked a little perkier! I realized that the number on the scale didn’t count for everything and there were great changes happening to my body. 

One of the best lessons I learned is that having a weight loss buddy is a huge plus for me. I found that working out and sharing my journey with a friend helped me so much. She kept me motivated, pushed me when I was feeling lazy, talked me out of bad food decisions and gave me major props when I met a goal or she noticed that I was looking great. I honestly feel like I might have given in to temptation if I didn’t have my buddy to call on for advice, inspiration, motivation and even some tough love. 

Let’s begin this journey together…

This is the beginning of a healthier, better me! I hope you will join me along this journey and share it with me. Make time for daily exercise, begin with little changes in the way you eat, don’t become a slave to your scale and do it with a friend. These are my tips for losing weight and staying healthy. What are some of your tips to lose weight and just be a healthier person? I would love to hear your tips, please share with me in the comments below. 

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