The Ten Things I Did to take control of my weight
1) Sign up for a calorie counting app or website. I used my fitness pal. Which was highly recommended by some of my friends who have already lost weight. I downloaded the app into my phone as well. When you start you set a goal weight and how much you plan to exercise. This will determine how much calories per day you can have for food. I used this every single day and its like a journal. You become more aware of the foods you eat and maybe it helps you think twice about the choices you make. It is really important to be aware of what you eat because if you spend hours in the gym but later just fill up with junk then it's just a waste.
2) Drink green tea. I drink 100% green tea everyday if possible. Read the benefits of green tea here towards weight loss. If I can't drink the tea, I drink lots of water. If I'm hungry, I drink a glass of tea or water first and wait to see if I'm still hungry. I drink 2 cups before I eat my meals so I reach my water/tea consumption daily.
3) Stay active. I am a busy stay at home/work at home mom so I had to figure out a way to fit in some sort of work out into my daily life. Signing up for the gym was out of the question because I wouldn't be able to go at night and plus I'm so frugal I couldn't imagine paying monthly and not going everyday. So since we had a Nintendo Wii and I really enjoy Zumba, we bought the Zumba game and later Zumba core. All it takes is 20 measly minutes daily and you did your work out for the day. I used to wake up an hour before everyone else did and worked out in the morning. It was invigorating and it set the pace for the rest of the day.
When the weather got warmer, I went biking in the many trails around my area. I also took my kids to the zoo and pushed 50 pounds for a good 2 hours around the zoo while at the same time enjoying the animals. When we went to the park, I dribbled the ball around in laps or kicked the ball back and forth with the kids. I brought skipping ropes and we would skip for 5-10 minutes and then play tag. When the opportunity came, I took my daughter swimming and I would do a couple of laps. And on boring days, I'd jumped on the elliptical machine for a good 20 minutes.
Later this year, I started adding circuit training after my zumba routine. You can look at pinterest for tons of daily training that targets different parts of your body. What I love about this is that you are using your body to train. No need for expensive machines. I did buy a resistance band but that was so cheap and useful.
So if you have 20 minutes, you can definitely keep active.
4) Eat breakfast. This should be a cardinal rule. Thou shall not skip breakfast. I always enjoyed breakfast so for me it wasn't such a difficult thing to change. But a lot of people skip breakfast saying that they are not hungry or there's no time. Well here are some super easy breakfast ideas. It is really important to keep your sugar levels stable and it jump starts your body for the day. I used to have a midnight snack because I just felt like I needed something before going to bed but I eliminated this and it helped me eat better in the morning.
5) Snack well. It is key in weight loss to snack regularly to maintain sugar levels and snack wisely. I really planned what I was going to snack throughout the day. Mainly it was fruits, yogurt and or nuts. I try to stay in the 100 calorie snack range and tried to always have protein in the snacks. On my counter top there are lots of fruits and nuts, so if I was hungry at least I would reach out for something healthy.
6) Clean out your closet. As I started shedding the pounds, I cleaned out my closet of the clothing that was too big. It just meant no turning back. If you keep the clothes, then it turns into an excuse to go back and gain the weight. I felt really guilty for all the dresses I wore once or jeans with tags still intact but I donated them to women who needed the clothing as they were losing weight as well. So it made me feel a little better. As for new clothes, who knew losing weight can cost money. Well I happily accepted clothing from friends, shopped at thrift stores and did spend some money on a new jacket and some jeans. It made me feel good to be able to fit into these clothes. It builds your self esteem so indulge a little.
7) Eat your super foods. Chia seeds, quinoa, spinach, salmon, greek yogurt to name a few. Include them in your diet and you will reap the benefits.
8) Set a simple goal every week. It's something achievable and it will make you feel good when you accomplish it. Mine included go for a 5k bike ride twice or skip dessert or eat all your spinach. Write it down and motivate yourself to get it done.
9) Fill up on veggies. I eat salad all the time. I eat it before a meal. I add nuts for protein and a little bit of dressing so it taste good. What's the point of a salad if it doesn't taste good. If there are veggies, I like mine stir fried with a dash of soy sauce or sesame oil. Just don't add so much sodium or fat into your veggies cause that defeats the purpose. Create delicious salads so you will be excited to eat it first and maybe it will become a meal in itself.
10) Be positive. You didn't gain weight over night so it will take time to lose the weight. Do not weigh yourself all the time because you might not be losing the weight but losing inches and gaining muscle which happens to be heavier than fat. Surround yourself with positive people and don't beat yourself if you can't work out or eat an entire bag of chips. Slip ups happen but it's how you recover from it that counts.
I hope that my list helps others. As you can see, majority of it revolves around food. I could have lost the weight and not worked out at all but I want to be stronger and working out will further help me maintain my weight.
