When I was a kid, I longed to be thinner. I wasn't obese. I wasn't thin. I was a normal, active child that could possible be considered "chubby" in comparison to "skinny" people. I had a father that was preoccupied with the weight of his daughter and it was pointed out to me more then a few times I could "afford to lose" a few pounds.
Around the age of 12 or 13, I began to diet. I would be aware of what I was eating, sometimes even depriving myself of lunch at school. This, of course, backfired. I would allow myself to get too hungry and then overeat at my next meal. This very normal dieting cycle, eat less, feel deprived, eat more, continued for me until my late 20's.
Throughout high school and college, I would have done anything to be thin. Everything except what I needed to do. I needed to learn how to eat and have a healthy relationship with food. I needed to stop DIETING! Sounds weird I know, but it's true. Dieting made me fat. Once I stopped dieting and learned how to live, I found success.
So you are asking yourself now, "how did she do it? How did she stop dieting?" Well my program of choice was Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers was like school for me. I went to "class" once a week to earn my 3 credits in "Eating and Living Healthy". Some may call it a diet, I disagree it's a strategy for those of us who need to be taught how to eat. Those of us who need to learn how to have a healthy relationship with food.
Do you need to run out and join Weigh Watchers to find success? No I don't think so. It won't hurt but it can be done with a few simple strategies.
Include more healthy whole foods in your diet. Fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats. If you don't eat enough of them now start slowly. Replace a snack a day with a fruit. Add a side of veggies to your dinner plate. After a few weeks, you may start to surprise yourself and your tastes may change!
Learn what a portion is. I was shocked to see what one serving of pasta was! And I almost cried when I weighed out one serving of my favorite cereal. At first you may feel like it's not enough but again, if you listen to your body you may be surprised that one serving is more then enough to fill you up and fuel you until the next snack or meal.
Scrap the concept of 3 meals and day. I eat now when I'm hungry not because it's noon or 5PM. This has helped me learn about my body and really how to "fuel" it.
Get active. I didn't hit the gym hard to lose 65 pounds but I moved more. Daily walks with the family after dinner and shutting the TV off on weekends is a great start!
Get support any way you can. A walking buddy, an online message board, your significant other, anyone who will listen! Share your success and your failures. Weigh in with that person once a week to be accountable.
Keep a journal. Jot down what you eat during the day. Even writing out your thoughts at the end of the day will help you reflect and come up with a strategy for tomorrow.
Celebrate every good choice and learn from the bad ones. Just because you slipped doesn't mean you should scrap everything. Weight loss is a journey, a process. If you don't mess up how will you learn how to deal with everyday challenges? No matter what you do today tomorrow is coming so you might as well do what you can to better yourself. Don't give up just because you had a piece of cake after lunch just eat a little less at dinner to account for it!
Honestly, I did/do all those things. I didn't say it would be easy, did I? I still haven't mastered each once but I work on them daily. Now that I think about it, I don't think I'll ever master them all but just by trying I've come a long way.
ABOUT RONI'S WEIGH:
Roni is a Mom, full time blogger and Weight Watchers Lifetime member. She found weight loss success blogging about her daily struggles to lose 70lbs and now continues her quest for a healthier lifestyle. As a young women, Roni struggled with body image and weight. Reaching her goal weight has inspired her to help others realize that they too can live healthier lives. Roni has started BlogToLose.com, a supportive online community for those that want to use blogging as a tool on their weight loss journeys.
Visit Roni Blogs Daily:
http://www.Ronisweigh.com
Shares Her Light Recipe Ideas:
http://www.GreenLiteBites.com.
To learn more about weight management at EmpowHer, go to
https://www.empowher.com/conditions/weight-management