I'm not a preacher and don't claim to offer advice based on scientific knowledge or the latest research into fat production. I am a normal 23 year old who has aspirations to eat healthy and keep my weight at what I deem to be an attractive level without taking part in any fads or spending money on bogus remedies!
Millions of women are fooled every day into thinking the latest fat burning accessory or diet pills will turn them into super models - but seriously how often does that work? It's to extreme and advertisers are just feeding on your paranoia and making millions of pounds out of it!
Its infuriating - and I am just as guilty of it. You see a popular magazine on the shelf citing "How to lose 14 pounds in 14 days" and then the one next to it "Get that bikini body you've always dreamed of' and then a week later the same magazines are releasing similar articles on the same issue - but you always buy it because somehow you've forgotten that last weeks issue was rubbish and no help at all and think this week is going to be different!
Now, I consider myself to be pretty switched on and clued up where common sense is involved and I am officially making a stand against all weight-related articles and their amazing "must-read" info. They are a waste of money, time and effort. By now I like to think I have a pretty good idea as to what constitutes good food and what should be avoided and how I choose to approach that is my prerogative. I am also aware of the different exercises I can do to help lose weight. After all these years of reading the same articles worded in a slightly different manner, I'd be stupid to not realize that sit-ups tone up stomach, running is good for cardio blah, blah, blah.
So, rant over.
By the way, I feel obliged to say something along the lines of - consult your doctor before changing anything about your lifestyle. I'm not sure why but I always see that written somewhere within an article about weight loss so I'm following convention. I am however, pretty sure that my following advice isn't really something you need to consult your doctor about as the whole point is that it's not a dramatic change, its just a normal woman talking rationally, anyway I digress…..
Food Diary
Ok, so right now you're probably thinking "bah, I"ve already heard this one' BUT I really think this is the way forward and easy to do. If it's done properly it can really make you evaluate your tendencies towards food and what makes you reach for the chocolate…..
Get a normal diary or book or whatever and seriously record everything you eat over 2 weeks - the time you eat it as well. No need to cheat - you're the only one going to read it so what's the point?
Right, at the end of this 2 weeks sit down and seriously analyze what your eating habits are, what time of day you head for the fridge, what time of day you binge and just generally how your diet goes. The results will probably shock you - I used to think I was an all-rounder. I was sure I used to eat chocolate a couple of times a week at most but still ate pretty healthy overall. I was so kidding myself.
So, once you've done that, map out your next 2 weeks with a diet that is suitable for you. Only you know your tolerance levels and what your going to stick to - so don't change your nightly mars bar for a carrot stick if you know it won't happen, do something like allow yourself a mars bar twice a week - or buy the "fun-size" ones instead of the big ones.
Tailor the programme to suit your needs. I think there are two types of people. Those who "live to eat" and those who "eat to live". This works exceptionally well for those of us (yes, me included) who "live to eat" because instead of brooding over how miserable and hungry you are who can focus on the next treat. Here's how one of my typical days looked before...
Monday (Before)
8:45 Starbucks Latte
1000 Apple
1230 White bread, ham, pickle (2 slices bread)
Ready salted crisps
1445 Double Decker chocolate bar
1830 Spaghetti Bolognese (with cheese on top) & garlic bread
2300 Milky Coffee
See! Now I really didn't think I was that bad but there were a couple of days like this one, and I had to ask myself - where's my five a day!?! But on the same note, I did have a couple of good days with salmon and new potatoes and no chocolate, but it certainly did make me realize that I'm not as good as I thought I was….. Anyway, moving on, I am rubbish with discipline when it comes to food - so I really didn't change that much - just added more fruit and took out a lot of rubbish that I ate through boredom. It was actually great to see my whole week in front of me and what my plan was, so I knew what to take into work with me and what I was preparing at home well in advance. Even on the weekend I had different scenarios written, in case I made an impromptu visit to the cinema or something, like having bottle of flavored water instead of coke. Here's a typical example of what I changed it to…….
Monday (After)
8:45 Starbucks Skinny Latte + banana
1030 Apple
1300 Brown bread Tuna + light mayo with cucumber (3 slices bread)
1500 Go ahead snack bar
1815 Spaghetti Bolognese (no cheese or garlic bread!!)
2320 Milky coffee
So, you see? I can't tell you how many calories I went down to, or promise you that you'll lose weight within days but - I think its just as important to make a conscious effort to eat a little better for your over all well-being as it is to lose weight. And I know that this diet would probably be frowned upon by hundreds of dietitians and health-freaks but I DON'T CARE.
I personally have lost four pounds by making these small changes for 2 weeks and my trousers feel a little looser, it does also help that I have been walking my dog religiously for at least 20 minutes every day - instead of a quick 5 minutes around the block - but still these are all changes that I made without even noticing, AND I did it without some self-righteous health freak telling me what to do!!
