Advice.

I promise this blog is not going to be entirely about weight loss. Really. I mean I did lose weight, but there's much more than that that I'd like to write about too! That being said, I was inspired to write this post by a friend of mine who asked me, after seeing the rest of my blog, what advice I might have for her, as someone who would like to lose weight. I thought I'd try to make a blog post out of it, as there might be others wondering the same thing, or just wanting to know what's worked for me so far. So - without further ado - here's what I've got.*

(Note: This is a LONG entry. I started off thinking this would be a couple quick bullet points, and it's turned into something much, much more complex, personal, and elaborate... because there really isn't an easy answer to the question "What should I do to start losing weight?" or "What worked for you?")

To start off, the most important thing for me was being in the right mindset for losing weight. I finally admitted to myself that there was a problem with my relationship with food, and I was ready to fix it. At that point, I turned to Weight Watchers for the structure of what I needed to be eating to lose weight. It's so hard to describe what had to change in my mind for me to be in the right mindset to lose weight. Part of it, for me, was finding myself independent for the first time in my life, really feeling like I was an adult and ready to take responsibility for myself. I know that. It was also admitting to myself that there was a problem, and just being really tired of the binge and restrict cycles I'd go through with food. Thinking about food all the time - wanting it, restricting it - was so exhausting. But it's so hard to say what needs to change for someone else in order to be ready to lose weight. It's such a personal thing, with so many different complicating factors - health conditions, life situations, the list goes on. So, sorry I don't have any concrete advice on that one, but just know that this was where I had to start - I changed my mindset.

Second, I told people what I was doing. I felt like it was important to hold myself accountable. Sometimes I'd write on message boards where others shared their meal plans, other times, I'd tell my boyfriend to check with me the following day to make sure I got up to do a workout in the morning. Everyone's support really helps me through it. Now, I have a friend with whom I'm going to start e-mailing and texting to hold her accountable, and vice versa. We'll be telling each other our goals for the week and checking in to make sure we're on track - or if we have terrible weeks where we go completely off-track, we'll tell each other what is going on and be able to support each other to get back on track. I think that is going to be really helpful for me in continuing this journey, and I'm more than willing to help anyone else reading this as well with staying accountable!

So, in terms of actual advice for getting started and making changes in a diet and exercise routine, here are some of my less abstract suggestions.

1. Make small changes one at a time, and start small.

Make it concrete. For instance, "I will write down what I eat each day." Or, "I will go to the gym three times a week." Don't try to change everything all at once. Once you master something small, you can be proud of that small change and move on to another. It can give you motivation to continue making, and meeting, each goal. Putting too much on your plate at once can be really overwhelming.

2. It's all in the food!

I used to give myself permission to eat anything and everything on days in which I had done a tough workout. True, our bodies need more food after working out, but I realized an hour at the gym was not burning enough calories to justify eating, say, two cupcakes and tons of pizza. Weight loss is so reliant on how much you are eating, and at least for me, that has been key.

3. Notice what you're eating.

For me, one thing that was really great about starting Weight Watchers was that, as part of the program, you track your food. That means you write down everything you eat (I do it online or on an app on my iPhone) in order to stay within your daily limit. This really increased my awareness of how much food I needed or should be eating - portion sizes especially! I was definitely shocked when I measured out serving sizes of some foods that I had been eating waaaay bigger portions of previously.

4. Plan.

Planning ahead of time what I'm going to eat has been extremely helpful. I pack my lunch the night before for work every day. When I go out to eat, I really try to look at the menu of where I'm going and decide what will be the best option for me to get ahead of time. If that's not possible, I think about what kind of restaurant it is, what types of food they might have, and what kinds of choices will be best for me. I also cook one or two recipes on Saturdays and Sundays, and have those in my fridge and freezer for easy lunches and dinners throughout the week.

5. Keep the kitchen stocked... with the right things.

For me, this means always having healthy options available. Some of my fridge staples are fat free greek yogurt, a variety of fruits and veggies, low fat or part-skim cheese, hummus, cottage cheese or low fat ricotta, light butter, and whole wheat bread and tortillas. For the freezer, I often keep chicken breast, veggie/turkey/fish burgers or fillets, frozen fruits and vegetables, some lean cuisine-type freezer dinners, and frozen bananas. For pantry staples, I always keep beans, chili, peanut butter, and low cal soups. Most importantly, for me, it's what I DON'T have around. I know that personally, even when I have the best intentions of eating small portions of certain foods, if I buy an entire bag, I will eat it all in one sitting. These types of things for me include cookies, candy, chips/popcorn, ice cream, and other large containers of snacky items. These are things I need to buy in pre-portioned bags or boxes, like ice cream treats by Skinny Cow or 100-calorie packs of Cheez-Its. Even light ice cream and baked potato chips... I feel like these things are even more dangerous, since I start eating one portion, then think, wellllll, it's a healthy option, I can have more, right? Fast forward to me and an empty carton of Edy's Light. (It was S'mores flavor and delicious, but needless to say, I did not feel so wonderful afterwards.)

6. Find a workout that you love.

Try lots of things. Mix it up. I have grown to love running (most of the time) but I've also tried lots of different types of yoga classes, and bought a groupon for barre fitness classes, which I'll probably start next month. If you belong to a gym, try some new classes or new equipment! It's good to be excited about working out, and you're much more likely to do it if it's actually enjoyable to you.

Side note: If you're a non-runner and looking to start, a lot of people (myself included a few years ago!) have found success with the Couch to 5k program.

7. Anticipate your challenges.

If you know there is going to be a party with lots of unhealthy food options around, plan how you'll fight that - perhaps bring gum, plan to splurge on one or two items then try to find the vegetable tray, and try to drink lots of water or diet soda. Or plan a drink limit for yourself at happy hour, or bring a salad or healthy recipe to a potluck.

8. Splurge (in moderation).

For me, weight loss would not be possible to maintain if I cut everything I loved out of my diet. (And I love love LOVE my desserts.) I've found success having a few weekly treats in moderation, or one meal per week where I'm splurging. Moderation is key with treats - buy small portion sizes if you have trouble controlling that (like get a small ice cream at the ice cream store rather than getting a carton to keep at home, see #5 above!).

9. Fill up with fruits and vegetables.

They're awesome and filling. Eat them at snacks and meals! I always try to supplement lunch and dinner with lots of veggies, and have fruit at breakfast.

10. Drink lots of water throughout the day.

11. Hold yourself accountable.

This might be manifested in various ways, like joining a group or class that will get you to the gym, or weighing yourself weekly so that if you start to slip you will see it and be able to change things around, or telling others that you're trying to lose weight or maintain weight. Honestly, that's part of the purpose of this blog for me!

Another note: see above about the accountability buddy system. If ANY of you reading this need someone to check in with about weight loss, your goals, just for accountability, or more, I am MORE than happy to do so. Send me an e-mail or message and I am there! :)

12. Ask for help when you need it.


Okay... that's all I've got for now. I hope any small bit of that can be helpful. And really truly honestly - if I can do it, you can too.

Also, as a very very last note, as one of my friends who read my blog wrote to me, "You are beautiful inside and out (no matter your weight), but you look so happy and healthy now!" This whole journey has not just been about weight loss for me, it started as a way to repair an unhealthy relationship with food. I'm human and I still slip up and get stuck sometimes, but in general, I've been able to change a lot mentally as well as physically. I mean, I'm happier with the way I look now, true, and I'm much happier with the way I feel. But you don't need to lose weight or look a certain way at all to be happy or healthy. All that's important is that you are!


*Caveat: I am NOT a professional or in any sort of position to guide someone else's weight loss. All of this advice comes from personal experience and what has so far worked for me. Everyone is different, so take this all with a grain of salt!