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I don't know it all - I'm always learning!!! BUT - I have learned A LOT during this journey so I decided to give a short list of things I've learned to share with you guys what I've learned so far and if any of you have tips to share as well I'm all ears! <3
Keep in mind that these tips are mostly for low carbers because that's the eating method that works best for me I've learned through substantial trial and error.
1. Plan plan plan - "if you don't plan, you plan to fail". Your body is a hungry machine and you have to plan what you're going to eat BEFORE hunger strikes to ensure you're thinking clearly...hunger has a way of helping you make exceptions and justify. Have plenty of supplies around at all times, meal prep works best but I know not everyone wants to do this...but being able to weigh and measure everything and be consistently good really gives you amazing results! I used to make salads and other things but they used to gross me out towards the end of the week because they didn't taste fresh so now I make freezable meals so they stay fresh and don't gross me out! Also, keep plenty of indulgent healthy "cheat" things around for the days when you're feeling like you need some enjoyment (I have sugar free parfaits and sugar free chocolate and have one or two when I'm dying some days but try to keep them to a minimum and sunflower seeds in the shell).
2. KEEP IT SIMPLE! All those low carb fancy recipes are the bomb but all those extra ingredients add up in calories. What works best for me to give me the best results the fastest is protein and veggies, protein and veggies! A perfect combo of meat, veggies (for FIBER) and healthy fat is the miracle combo to combat hunger! I used to just try to eat meat and fat but that fiber is important!
3. You can NOT earn your weight loss in the gym!!! It truly is 80% diet and 20% exercise. I've even been known to say that I feel like it's more like 90% diet, 10% exercise!! And there's something liberating about getting your diet in check! At least it was for me...when my diet was in check exercise no longer felt like a chore that I had to suffer through for substantial amounts of time..it was more for just a tiny bit extra and to strengthen myself...it was no longer the absolute tool I used to lose...weight loss felt like WAY less work that way!
4. Caffeine helps me A LOT with my appetite. I know it's not going to be for everyone but for me it works wonders.
5. Log EVERYTHING every day!!! Log log log!!!! Any time I stop logging I don't lose as much - SO DO IT!
6. You are what you consistently do every day! If you are in a deficit with your calories you WILL lose weight - check your maintenance calories online, there are plenty of websites that have estimates...some people will lose faster, some people slower. Some people can eat more, some people have to eat less...it sucks but that's just the way things work. For me, I'm one of the people that has to eat less but that's that, whining about it doesn't help it change! Find how many calories are your maintenance and stick to the deficit that works for you and adjust as you lose.
7. Calories DO matter, even on low carb!!! The thing is that often low carbers don't have to worry about calories because you naturally wont eat as much so you'll lose even without counting calories. There's also a fascinating science to the thermal effect of whole foods...whole foods take more calories to process than processed foods so you are absorbing less calories naturally! And since your food is taking more calories to digest you actually DO get to eat more food on low carb than you would on a higher carb diet! (that's why low carb ROCKS!!!). As stated, most people wont even have to worry about calories on low carb...but I still tended to overdue it so adding calorie counting to low carb was my miracle combo :)
8. When you're having success don't stop or let up on your efforts or change anything you're doing...you're having success because of your efforts so if you let up or slow down so will your success! Don't get caught up in celebrating your short term success, keep your eyes on the prize! Short term goals and celebrations are good...little milestones...but again, keep on truckin!
9. Feel positive and encourage yourself at ANY changes you make...because any change, no matter how small, will get you some results and moving in the right direction!
10. AVERAGE calories for the week are what really matters...eat when you're hungry! Some days you'll be more hungry, some days you'll be less...just look at your averages :)
11. Don't beat yourself up if you slip up. If you're gonna cheat, enjoy it! Take it slow and savor it! Just make sure it doesn't happen too often! And if you eat something a lil bad do NOT throw the entire day out the window!!! And God forbid don't throw the entire week out the window either!!! Been there, done that! Just have that one treat, enjoy every second of it, hug yourself when you're done and jump right back up and eat good for the rest of the day!!! AND LOG IT!!! Also, try to keep that portion of your cheat small! Less work to burn off later :)
12. I'm listing LOG IT again because it's SO important! LOG LOG LOG!!! And the crazy part is...it's even more important to log your foods on a bad eating day! A. It lets you know how long you'll be working off that cheat (3,500 calories over your maintenance is a pound) B. It makes you more aware of the damage you've done, you have to actually SEE it...and just that action makes you want to do it less! AND it makes you more aware that it's not the end of the world so you aren't so hard on yourself...yes I've over eaten 3k before...yes I'm a lil piggy..lol...BUT I saw that 3k and saw it as just that...just 3k..not the end of the world and completely manageable and logging it helped me see the big picture and that what I did consistently mattered more than what I did bad one day!
13. GIVE UP THE BOOZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERY DROP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm excited to learn more during this journey and am happy with everything I've learned so far! And I'm so happy to have all of you to share this journey with and share our knowledge with one another and support each other :)
Good luck everybody, stay strong, stay positive, love YOU just the way you are and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! You're stronger than you think :)
Diet Calendar Entry for 06 September 2018:
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1464 kcal
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Fat: 85.46g | Prot: 118.29g | Carb: 58.51g.
Breakfast: Trader Joe's Half & Half, Food Club Large Egg. Lunch: Simply Lite Low Carb Dark Chocolate, Chicken Leg (Skin Not Eaten), Kirkland Signature Normandy-Style Vegetable Blend, American Heritage Cheddar Shredded Cheese. Dinner: Fresh & Easy Frozen Edamame, Smithfield Pork Shoulder Blade Roast. Snacks/Other: Russell Stover Sugar Free Coconut Candy, Russell Stover Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cups, Spitz Cracked Pepper Sunflower Seeds. more...
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