New year, new you or is it? Ladies, we know we are always on this lose weight ting as soon as the first of January rolls around, but will we still be rolling, on the first of February lol. We ourselves have started many a diet:
Atkins aka stink breath diet
Protein aka no pooping
Soup diet aka I miss chewing
Slimming World - just too many ways to cheat
Weight Watchers - er why are they making it so complicated
And throughout them all, we have lost more money than pounds! So we thought we would come with a few tips and tricks to lose the physical pounds too.
Now we are not the lose weight gurus, heavens above not in our size range, but we can understand your challenges and encourage your journey. So here we go!
Mentality: The best advice I received for this and what made me lose and maintain my weight most consistently was; "eat what you like, when you like and when you think you're full, stop!" It sounds crazy but this actually feeds into so many areas of life and it will help you get to grips with portion control and exploring food rather than just eating it. Don't remove whole food groups unless it's medically beneficial for you and you're going to do it properly. If you're deciding you're going to try veganary (vegan January) make sure you are replacing your lost proteins and fibres (Ital is vital). Saying that, going meat free the week before your period is due can have really positive affects on your period, such as reduced flow, bleeding for less days and more consistent bowel movements.
Environment: Avoid shopping whilst hungry this makes you pick up things that are not long lasting or the best fit for your needs. Stay away from unnecessary aisles, if you're trying to snack less, then the last thing you need is the temptations of the biscuits and crisps aisle. Shop with a list and a budget, even if your choices on the day aren't the best, theres only so much you can spend! For a while we began shopping with cash (before the great downfall of 2020) and this was great because no one wants to be embarrassed at the till having to put things back, when you've only got £30 in your pocket you can not spend £35.
Support Network: Either someone who's kicking weights butt too or is just a great listener, get that support in place, you will need it for continued success. We call this person our accountability partner; they provide encouragement, maybe some personal perspective and wins of their own and they must be a safe space to discuss numbers, aka the ones on the scales.
You: Why are you doing it? Have a statement (your why) or a goal (that dress, the big occasion, that destination). Take pictures of your journey and truly see you body changing, don't forget to smile. Get yourself moving, I ain't no runner, jogger or jumper but I can walk a long way! Oh and don't beat yourself up on a bad day, instead big yourself up on all of the others. Small wins add up to big losses and in the case of weight, the bigger the loss, the better.
There are so many reasons why we want it, they don't have to be more than the reasons why we didn't achieve it before, but they do have to be different to achieve our desired goals!
Share your goals, wins, pics and more @onyx_yayas (Insta).