This summer has been a huge turning point in my life. I discovered that I have a health issue that I will have for the rest of my life and the doctor gave me two options: Go on medication or control it with diet and exercise. A part of me wanted to take the easy way out and say, "Let's do the drugs" but another part of me knew that I needed to take control and lose the weight.
It's been an interesting journey with lots of ups and downs and I'm a little half ways done with reaching my goal. I'm at 21 pounds lost on my 30-pound weight loss goal. Here are a few things I've learned along the way:
1. Sugar is like crack to me and my weakness are carbs, especially different kinds of bread and pasta. Every time I go to the grocery store and pass by the bread aisle, I take a huge whiff of the smell but reality hits me when I remind myself how long I have to work out at the gym to burn those calories.
2. I've learned to read the nutrition labels and shopping at the store takes me a lot longer than expected. I like to see what my options are and I get happy when I substitute something unhealthy with a better choice for my body.
3. Portion control is definitely the key to weight loss! You can still eat the foods you love but stick to the recommended portions for a healthy diet.
4. Exercise is fun and I love to get a good sweat in before the day is over. I used to think that exercise was a crucial component to weight loss but the truth is, diet is definitely the answer. Exercise, in this case, is the force that unlocks your cells to allow the body's natural insulin to break down glucose. Exercise allows your cells to "open" for a full 24-hour period.
5. I made sure that I get my 8 hours of sleep per night because getting enough sleep is just as important as exercise and a healthy diet to lose weight.
6. I've had several setbacks during the past three months or so. One, I've hit three plateaus during this time, that I didn't allow them to discourage me from getting where I want to be. When this happened, I put the weight scale away and focused on my eating habits and other forms of exercise. I also didn't think about it and carried on. I think stressing about not losing weight only causes your body to hold onto the weight to get you discouraged. Another time I hit a plateau, I started eating smaller portions but more frequently... like every 2-3 hours.
7. I'm always hungry and when I do, I drink water before I actually eat something just to double check that it's not my body's way of tricking me that I'm actually dehydrated instead of hungry.
8. I've doubled my wardrobe. Clothes I have in the back of my closet are out of hiding now because I can fit in them again. Things I've only worn once or twice before fit me amazingly well and people think I've actually bought new clothes when in reality, it's from several years ago.
9. I can reach the top of the stairs without losing my breath and I can finally bend down to reach my toes without bending my knees! I don't ever remember being able to do that before.
10. I have more energy during the day. I make a more conscience effort to walk more when I'm at work. Instead of calling a coworker on the phone, I'll get up and walk over to them to speak face-to-face.
So far, it's been a challenge but the hard work, determination, and will power are paying off. I still have my weak moments where I have strong cravings for burgers, BBQ food, sushi, and sweets but I'm determined to live a
healthy lifestyle for my present and future self.
Thanks for reading,
Mayra :)
It's been an interesting journey with lots of ups and downs and I'm a little half ways done with reaching my goal. I'm at 21 pounds lost on my 30-pound weight loss goal. Here are a few things I've learned along the way:
1. Sugar is like crack to me and my weakness are carbs, especially different kinds of bread and pasta. Every time I go to the grocery store and pass by the bread aisle, I take a huge whiff of the smell but reality hits me when I remind myself how long I have to work out at the gym to burn those calories.2. I've learned to read the nutrition labels and shopping at the store takes me a lot longer than expected. I like to see what my options are and I get happy when I substitute something unhealthy with a better choice for my body.
3. Portion control is definitely the key to weight loss! You can still eat the foods you love but stick to the recommended portions for a healthy diet.
4. Exercise is fun and I love to get a good sweat in before the day is over. I used to think that exercise was a crucial component to weight loss but the truth is, diet is definitely the answer. Exercise, in this case, is the force that unlocks your cells to allow the body's natural insulin to break down glucose. Exercise allows your cells to "open" for a full 24-hour period.
5. I made sure that I get my 8 hours of sleep per night because getting enough sleep is just as important as exercise and a healthy diet to lose weight.
6. I've had several setbacks during the past three months or so. One, I've hit three plateaus during this time, that I didn't allow them to discourage me from getting where I want to be. When this happened, I put the weight scale away and focused on my eating habits and other forms of exercise. I also didn't think about it and carried on. I think stressing about not losing weight only causes your body to hold onto the weight to get you discouraged. Another time I hit a plateau, I started eating smaller portions but more frequently... like every 2-3 hours.
7. I'm always hungry and when I do, I drink water before I actually eat something just to double check that it's not my body's way of tricking me that I'm actually dehydrated instead of hungry.
8. I've doubled my wardrobe. Clothes I have in the back of my closet are out of hiding now because I can fit in them again. Things I've only worn once or twice before fit me amazingly well and people think I've actually bought new clothes when in reality, it's from several years ago.
9. I can reach the top of the stairs without losing my breath and I can finally bend down to reach my toes without bending my knees! I don't ever remember being able to do that before.
10. I have more energy during the day. I make a more conscience effort to walk more when I'm at work. Instead of calling a coworker on the phone, I'll get up and walk over to them to speak face-to-face.
So far, it's been a challenge but the hard work, determination, and will power are paying off. I still have my weak moments where I have strong cravings for burgers, BBQ food, sushi, and sweets but I'm determined to live a
healthy lifestyle for my present and future self.
Thanks for reading,
Mayra :)
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