At 20++ years old, our metabolism is not as high as we were in our adolescent years.
This postulate explains why we tend to grow bulkier in our mid 20s even though our food intake remained the same all these years.
Then over the years, you might have been browsing the net to read articles regarding weight loss the easiest and most effective way. But every author says different or similar things. Then you try something out of curiosity, then you get impatient and stop doing whatever weight loss program you enrolled in.
The problem might not be your impatience. Rather, it could be that when you're overweight/obese/fat, instead of getting inspired, you get insecure. This negativity is the reason that often makes one stop to whatever he/she is doing. It is important therefore that, instead of focusing on the calorie intake, heartbeat rate, BMI, minutes of exercise per day, one should pay more attention on how to feel good about him/herself when body work is still in progress.
This article does not promise a fast way to lose weight. This article focuses on how to lose weight and maintain it, and most especially how to feel good about yourself when you're not yet there.
There are a lot of factors to consider to feel good about one's self. The environment, the lifestyle and the support.
How to lose weight
If you really want to lose weight, then all you need to do is select from the options below what is the most friendly and doable for you.
Option 1: The Cow
If you are a person who loves to eat many times in a day and loves to eat almost everything. Then, be a COW. A cow eats the entire day but in little amounts.
Now the question is, how little is little?
Little is when it is smaller than the size of your closed fist. Medium when it is the size of your closed fist. And large, when it is more than the size of your closed fist.
Hence, before you eat, make sure that everything that you're going to put in your stomach in a single meal, will NOT exceed your one closed fist.
For you to be a cow, follow these eight easy doable steps:
1) Eat three times a day, with amounts not larger than your closed fist. You can eat anything.
2) When your meal includes a bowl of soup, then don't include it in your one-closed-fist limit. But make sure you only eat one bowl of soup if it includes meat, and not exceeding 2 bowls if it is just plain soup.
3) SKIP the drinks. Soda, beer, juice. Drink water. But if you can't help it, then limit your self to just "ONE" glass (250 ML) of non-water beverages in a meal.
4) Drink 2 glasses of water before you eat. And another two glasses of water after you eat.
5) Snack but don't sneak. have a paper bag that could fit your two closed fists (this does not include sweets). You are going to call this you're snack pack. Then, everyday, think of one snack you wish to eat for that day. Then buy one package of it. Transfer the contents on your snack pack, which should not exceed two closed fists.
Then chomp on it the entire day. Just put it inside your bag, and if you feel like you're hungry, then just grab a few pieces from your bag. DO NOT get the entire snack pack out of your bag, as you might be tempted to finish all of it. Make sure that you do not buy another one if you already emptied you're snack pack. NO sneaking!
6) For you to follow tip number five, before you chomp on your snack, try to always drink even half glass of water first.
7) If you're the type of person that is not satisfied with just one kind of snack, then you can buy anything that you like. Don't think of the all the snacks you wish to eat for that day. instead, just bring along you snack bag. then, if within the day, you have a certain craving, go buy it. then transfer the contents to your snack pack. For you to have a provision for another snack (since you might have a craving anytime of the day), then do not fill your snack pack all the way up. just put about one-fourth to one-half of it. Find a strategy on how you could tear you're snack pack (since it is just a paper bag), so the next minute you think of another snack, you only have 3/4 or 1/2 the size of the original snack pack. If you wish to eat sweets (e.g. candies, chocolates), then see letter B of Option 2.
8) SHARE. If you want to lose weight, then make it a habit to share your food. To your friends, colleagues, a homeless person. So, if you have ordered a big mac, and it is larger that your fist, then cut it in half and either save it for later or give it to anybody.
Option 2. The Walker.
Some people gets scary when they hear of the word "walk". They always imagine walking as a type of sport, when you need to get into your walk/jog/run attire.
This is not so. Rather, this option are for people who, might not love to walk or is not a big fan of walking, BUT has the opportunity to walk.
This option is also recommended for people who loves to eat sweets.
How can you determine that you have an opportunity to walk? If you're school, workplace or friend's house is just a 15 minute ride from your place, yhen you have the opportunity to walk.
Walking is a sort of meditation. If you hate walking, the learn how to love it. Start by just strolling. While strolling, you could daydream, feel good about the things that you have, release you're anger, stress or other negativity.
Turn yourself into a walker. learn how to love to walk. Instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs. Instead of taking the shortcut, take the long way.
If you walk everyday, you must drink lots and lots of water. AND must not eat too much.
Your meals will depend on the type of food you prefer. You could also be a walking cow. Which means that you're food intake will be option 1. if not, then just remember the following tips:
a) If you're a fast food eater, then skip the soda and order just regular sized meals. DO NOT UPSIZE!
b) If you love sweets, just eat a little every after meal. Little is the size of your thumb. DO NOT EXCEED three-thumb size of sweets a day.
c) Stretch. Stretch for 15 minutes a day. If you can't do this, then you could always do 50 jumping jacks a day. This is to up you're metabolic rate and eventually will make your walking pace faster.
d) If you're going to be a walker. It is very tempting to just skip walking and catch a cab. hence, it is very important that you keep your energy up the entire day. When you're at school, office or whenever, every time you go to the bathroom, inside the cubicle, do the sit-and-stand in the toilet bowl. Put your hands on your hips and sit in the toilet bowl then stand-up. That easy! Do this 30 counts. you don't have to feel ashamed since your inside the cubicle and nobody could see you.
e). Wiggle wiggle. Move your body. Don't let your body stay in one position for too long. Learn to wiggle. Mover your arms, hips, whenever you deemed a chance to move a certain part of your body, do it! dance a little even when your sitting.
Option 3. The Cheater
This option are recommended for people who can live with vegetables and fruits.
If you're the type of person who eats vegetables, fruits, fish, the healthy stuff. then you could try option 3.
Eat only the healthy stuff 6 days a week then eat very junk food or craving you could think of once a week. Your one-day cheat day will fool your body into thinking that you're still eating the usual as before.
This option might sound very easy, but during the 6 day period, you might suffer a surge of cravings for a certain period in time, all you need to do is drink water and eat something sour or bitter to suppress the craving.
How to maintain weight:
There has been a lot of tips regarding maintaining weight. But it is too overwhelming for some, since they have achieved their ideal wight already. it is very much tempting to just do what they want.
Hence, it is much effective to just set rules instead of guide. Live by the rule!
If you have achieved you weight goal, then there is only TWO rules that you need to follow:
1) DO NOT OVEREAT. You know that you overate if you feel so full.
2) If you have eaten a lot this day, then eat very little tomorrow or none at all, just water.
How to feel good about yourself:
1) THROW your magazines. Stop reading and watching sexy models in their skimpy clothes if this just makes you feel insecure instead of inspired and motivated.
2) Have a makeover. Go to a salon (very far if you do not want to be seen) and have a make over. Make-up can do wonders!!! Do not take a picture of yourself. instead, keep your pretty face in mind. and every time you look in the mirror, think of that face if you do not still like what you see.
3) STARE. Stare at yourself in the mirror. Look for your strongest and most beautiful feature. Is it your eyes, chin, nose, lips? then concentrate on this, and when you go outside, make sure that you just think of that feature.
4) The world does not revolve around you. If one is insecure, tendency is, they think that people are talking about them. But you are wrong. Other people has important matters to attend to rather than take notice of you're current weight problem. If you think they are really talking about you, then take no notice of it, and just act like you don't give a damn in the world. Remember this quote:
"Most beautiful and largest minds talk about new ideas,
Medium minds, talk about other people's ideas,
While SMALL UGLY minds, talk about other people."
So, do you want to talk about new ideas? Or just talk about other people? So if you think (or might have proved) that other people really talk about you, then do not pay heed, as they are people with small ugly minds. Feel wonderful about yourself, and instead of thinking about what they might be saying about you, just think of new ideas!
Cherry Lyn Beldia, born in August 15, 1986 in roxas City, Capiz, Philippines. She is a graduate of Public Administration with a minor in BS Economics in the University of the Philippines-Diliman. She currently works as a Training Specialist for an Insurance Company.
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