How to take control of your weight gain today!
"A master was once a beginner and a master has failed more times than the beginner as ever tried." -unknown
One day, the feeling hits you like a ton of bricks. The weight gain has gone too far. It seems like the pounds just keep adding up daily and you have no idea why. You take a deep breath in and let it out while telling yourself, "This is enough, I'm tired of feeling like this...something has to change."
You avoid the scale, because it makes you feel shame. You put the smaller clothes away somewhere in the closet where you can't see them so they can't remind you of how you lost control of your waistline. You avoid pictures as much as possible, because you no longer feel attractive and just seeing yourself reminds you of how much weight you have put on. I could go on, but if you are agreeing with all the above, please keep reading as I know exactly how you feel and I am going to tell you what I did when I was in your shoes.
Step 1: Realize there is a problem.
You have a caloric intake issue, aka: you are eating too much than your body needs. Are you willing to stay committed to solving this problem? If the answer is yes then keep reading. The first step to change is being realistic with yourself and understanding that the ball is in your court and you control the plays. You have allowed unhealthy habits to be apart of your daily life. You have the final "say so" on what you allow and what you don't. You are either agreeing to or denying who and what comes into your life. Negative people and unwise actions that you agree to will always bring bad consequences into your spirit and life. That being said, are you desperate enough to do whatever it takes to fix your negative habits with food? Are you ready to stand your ground when people try to discourage you with negative statements about your new lifestyle eating choices? Are you ready to incorporate more protein, vegetables, and fruit into your meals? Will you say no to trigger foods like fried foods and sugary desserts when someone offers them to you and/or will you avoid throwing them into your cart when you pass them in the grocery store? Will you fight back against your inner binge eating fat kid when you are stressed out or bored at home and want to mask your emotions with packing in the food? These are important questions you have to answer in order to be ready for this new lifestyle. Its hard. It's hard everyday to do what's right for your body and mind. The world is filled with convenience and when you step out into the world with a goal that goes against popular routine, you will meet resistance. I guarantee it, but keep faith, because I have conquered this process and I know you can too!
Step 2: What are you eating and how much are you eating?
The second step of taking back control of your weight loss is to start writing down what you are eating and drinking. I'm talking about getting down to the "nitty gritty" of your meal choices. All the ounces, cups and tablespoons need to be tracked. Why? Eating food without knowing the calories and serving size when you are overweight is like walking directly under a rain cloud without an umbrella and then being surprised when it rains. You can't really be shocked when you gain weight and you don't know what you are eating and it's nutritional value.
You have to realize that whatever you are doing right now ISN'T working. If your process isn't working then it's time to find a new strategy. Enter food logging! Right now, yes literally right this second, go download a food journal app on your phone/tablet/computer. Come back and finish reading this when you have done that! Great job! Now, every time you eat and drink log it all! Do this for a week. At the end of the week look over the days where you went over your caloric intake goal. On those days note the time of day where you spent "ate" most of your calories. How can you fix that? Whatever your answer is, start doing that daily. For example, if your dinner and dessert made you go over your daily calories, you will need to find lower calorie meals and desserts. Do this by searching for healthier dinner and dessert recipes. I like going on Pinterest for new food ideas. After the first week as you continue to log, you should see big improvements with your eating routine! Happy Logging!
Step 3: Know the calories of a meal BEFORE you eat.
I've helped many weight loss clients over the past couple of years and one common mistake they all were making was logging their food after they would eat. When you have a problem overeating, the last thing you want to do is ignore the nutritional value of food. You wouldn't go into a battle without a weapon so why would you go into a restaurant without a plan? Now a days, restaurants post their info on their websites and I bet money that you have a smartphone and are reading this from it right now... so I know you have the capability to search the web. (Okay, but don't hold me to actually paying you if you are a rare person still with a flip phone as I don't make money on these blogs yet ::laugh:: ) Searching for nutritional info on restaurant meals takes about 5 minutes. Also, the restaurant menus you look at when you sit down at a table usually have the calories written below the description of the menu items. My free advice, log the meal you are going to eat into your food log app and pretend that is what you are going to eat. If, you notice you are over your calories once you do that, you have two choices: Order the meal item anyway, then half the serving once the server brings you your food and save the rest for later, OR, order a healthier menu item.
I hope these methods bring some light into your path right now. These steps are the exact ones I used many moons ago to help me really learn my body and realize what habits I needed to change. Thank you for reading! Follow me on my social accounts for more awesome and valuable content! Stay blessed my friends :)
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