Since Niv shared her progress not too long ago, I figured I'd share my story too.
Change is paramount. A lifestyle change for the better, even more so. The single, most important change I made in my life was to consciously work on my food habits and exercise regime, and 1.5 years later, I am ~20 pounds lighter, stronger, and infinitely more confident. While I am one of a million successful women, my journey and the end result are still something I am proud of. So bear with me while I brag away.
The lifestyle change was not easy, of course, and it was triggered by a flood that displaced me, a bad breakup I couldn't make sense of, and a new habitat with no friends and a new found desire to try and fit in, and be impressive. Whatever my reasons were, I got lucky, for I could have easily fallen down the abysmal pit called binge-eating-getting-fat-self-loathing, but I didn't. And here's what worked for me-
1. Setting small, achievable goals
My greatest objective was, in the grand scheme of things, somewhat trivial.
All I ever wanted was to fit into pretty clothes and look good in them.
A wellness challenge at work helped. It was 3 months long, and I lost my first 7 pounds by the end of the challenge.
So keep in mind.. while a vision is important to have, always make small goals. Tell yourself you'll work out for X number of hours a day or you will walk X miles a week. Do it.
2. Finding a trainer
A trainer will monitor your activity.
They will teach you how to do things right, help you set goals and more importantly, support you when you're not doing particularly well.
Get a trainer. Don't worry about the cost. Because at the end of it all, you'd have made another friend.
3. Cardio
Targeted weight training didn't help me lose weight.
Starving didn't.
Getting my heart rate up did the trick, however.
It is true what they say about endogenous morphins. They make you happy. Walk, if you don't like running. Run, if you can do it. Biking is probably even better. Go swimming, go to the gym, but work incessantly, until you ache. Being sore from a good work out is a wonderful feeling.
4. Controlling food intake
Being lazy worked in my favor. I just wouldn't cook carb filled gene food. I'd eat salads instead, or fruit or yogurt. For a good few months (and I still do this on occasion), I substituted rice with green gram or some other lentil. Of course I didn't give up on food we all love to eat. I just ate less of it.
Oh, also, eating right at 5 PM really helped... or atleast, not eating 3 hours before going to bed did.
Today, I am 2 dress sizes smaller, 4 pant sizes smaller (I had a bigger bottom, okay?) and its feel fantastic, especially when people take notice, and when I am able to pull off clothes I'd shy away from. My favorite part of the journey was being able to get rib stomach and back tattoos, and as far as I can tell, they've not expanded yet. So yay.
Once the weight starts coming off, you will be inspired to set bigger goals and you WILL set out to achieve them. When you finally lose weight and get healthy, you can work on strengthening your core, building muscles, getting leaner, more active and agile and continue to lead a healthy lifestyle.
If you need recipes that work, please holler.
Good luck.
Change is paramount. A lifestyle change for the better, even more so. The single, most important change I made in my life was to consciously work on my food habits and exercise regime, and 1.5 years later, I am ~20 pounds lighter, stronger, and infinitely more confident. While I am one of a million successful women, my journey and the end result are still something I am proud of. So bear with me while I brag away.
The lifestyle change was not easy, of course, and it was triggered by a flood that displaced me, a bad breakup I couldn't make sense of, and a new habitat with no friends and a new found desire to try and fit in, and be impressive. Whatever my reasons were, I got lucky, for I could have easily fallen down the abysmal pit called binge-eating-getting-fat-self-loathing, but I didn't. And here's what worked for me-
1. Setting small, achievable goals
My greatest objective was, in the grand scheme of things, somewhat trivial.
All I ever wanted was to fit into pretty clothes and look good in them.
A wellness challenge at work helped. It was 3 months long, and I lost my first 7 pounds by the end of the challenge.
So keep in mind.. while a vision is important to have, always make small goals. Tell yourself you'll work out for X number of hours a day or you will walk X miles a week. Do it.
2. Finding a trainer
A trainer will monitor your activity.
They will teach you how to do things right, help you set goals and more importantly, support you when you're not doing particularly well.
Get a trainer. Don't worry about the cost. Because at the end of it all, you'd have made another friend.
3. Cardio
Targeted weight training didn't help me lose weight.
Starving didn't.
Getting my heart rate up did the trick, however.
It is true what they say about endogenous morphins. They make you happy. Walk, if you don't like running. Run, if you can do it. Biking is probably even better. Go swimming, go to the gym, but work incessantly, until you ache. Being sore from a good work out is a wonderful feeling.
4. Controlling food intake
Being lazy worked in my favor. I just wouldn't cook carb filled gene food. I'd eat salads instead, or fruit or yogurt. For a good few months (and I still do this on occasion), I substituted rice with green gram or some other lentil. Of course I didn't give up on food we all love to eat. I just ate less of it.
Oh, also, eating right at 5 PM really helped... or atleast, not eating 3 hours before going to bed did.
Today, I am 2 dress sizes smaller, 4 pant sizes smaller (I had a bigger bottom, okay?) and its feel fantastic, especially when people take notice, and when I am able to pull off clothes I'd shy away from. My favorite part of the journey was being able to get rib stomach and back tattoos, and as far as I can tell, they've not expanded yet. So yay.
Once the weight starts coming off, you will be inspired to set bigger goals and you WILL set out to achieve them. When you finally lose weight and get healthy, you can work on strengthening your core, building muscles, getting leaner, more active and agile and continue to lead a healthy lifestyle.
If you need recipes that work, please holler.
Good luck.
