Brace yourselves.. This is going to be a long post.
Quick weight loss solutions do not work. How many people do you know that are stuck inside this vicious cycle? Really, think about it, I used to be, and you may be as well.
Seriously, if you want something that lasts, the only way to do it is by building a solid foundation first.
This is true for basically everything in life.
How do you have a good relationship? By going slow and building trust.
How do you build a house that will last? By building a solid foundation.
Good things take time.
Yes it would be amazing to have your dream body overnight, but much like Rome, it can't be built in one day.
That being said, it's not going to be easy, but the best way to do it is to start slow and develop healthy habits.
Now, I'm by no means an expert, but I will share with you what has worked for me.
Keep in mind, everyone is different and everyone's body reacts in a different way, so these are just the things I found helped on my road to a healthy lifestyle.
First things first.. You have to change your mindset.
Like I said earlier, it's going to take time and patience. You cannot get upset when you don't immediately lose 10 pounds (etc.), because a healthy lifestyle is exactly that.. A LIFESTYLE. This means you will be living it forever. Not just WHAM 10 pounds down and DONE.
You must remember, you only get one body. Treat it well, fuel it right, and in return your body will reward you with feeling and looking amazing. Once you step away from the focus of the scale and "I must lose (insert weight here) by this date." Then the pounds will fall off themselves, as will the extra fat.
What most "lose weight fast!!!!" Scams forget to inform you is... Losing THAT much weight THAT fast is super UNHEALTHY!
Not only will you gain it all back (and probably more), but the majority of what you lost was probably water weight and not fat.
Which leads me to tip number 2.. Which is also one of the most important ones..
Drink more water!
I'm talking 1.5-3 litres a day.. Every day! I guarantee 2/3 of the world is chronically dehydrated.
Have a headache? You're dehydrated.
Feel tired? You're probably dehydrated.
Cranky? Dehydrated.
Dry mouth and bright yellow pee? YUP, you're dehydrated.
If you find it hard to drink that much water everyday, start off by adding some fruit or lemon to you water.. The taste will be much better and it will make it much easier until you're used to that many litres a day.
Which leads me to my next rant:
Pop.
Seriously.. Cut out the pop, you don't even need that extra sugar. And if you're one of those people sitting there saying "oh well I drink diet soda, soooo there's no sugar" I could smack you. Smarten up people, think of those nasty chemicals you're currently ingesting.
Also would just like to put this out there.. What the heck does pop even taste like? Nothing natural that's for sure.
Next topic..
Sleep.
Most of us aren't getting enough. I'm talking a solid 7-8 hours. If you're thinking.. I don't have enough time to sleep that much.. Well actually you do. If you get that much sleep every night, you will be WAY more productive during the day, and way more able to complete your necessary tasks, which means you will have more time for sleep.
More sleep = more focus and productivity.
Plus sleep has many benefits.. You burn fat while sleeping, and it's like a time machine to breakfast.
Breakfast is basically the best meal ever and brings me to our next topic..
Nutrition.
First off, go back to step one, and change your mindset. We must step away from the idea of being on a diet.
I do not diet.
Back when I was competing, I had such an intense focus on every single thing that I ever ate. It was such an unhealthy obsession with food, to the point where I would literally feel SO disappointed in myself if I even ate a bagel (for example) and would basically starve myself the next day.
I can't stress this enough, food is fuel.
I train hard and eat to fuel my body.
Calories are energy, carbs are glucose for energy and survival. And protein is the building blocks for muscle.
Another mini rant: stop. Counting. CALORIES. For the love of God people, calories ARE GOOD. Calories are the reason we walk, breathe, LIVE.
Of course you will lose weight on a 1200 calorie a day diet.. Because 1200 calories a day are recommended for a 4 year old child. You are a grown assed adult. Not a child. Eat 1800+ calories a day, even more if you're active. In fact, if you're active and burning around 6-800+ calories from activity, you should be eating 2000+ calories a day.
Trust me, calories do not make you fat.. Unless the calories are from junk. 100 calories from vegetables are completely different from 100 calories of chips.
Like I said, calories = energy. Google it if you don't believe me.
Ever wonder why when you don't eat for a while you get tired, slow, grumpy and light headed? Hm, maybe because you're not eating enough calories for energy. Okay end rant.
Moving on..
The best way to eat nutritious is to eat natural foods. Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, basically anything that's one ingredient.
Think about it.. If something can last 2 years on a shelf without expiring..
How long will that food stay inside your body?
Simple foods break down so much easier and are better digested, leading to a higher absorption of vitamins and minerals that are necessary for our bodies.
Here are some of the foods I typically eat: (again, everyone is DIFFERENT, these are my personal food choices)
Vegetables:
- peppers
- spinach, kale (BEST food EVER!), leafy greens of any kind really
- cucumber
- carrots
- celery
- sweet potato! (Basically every day.)
- zucchini (makes great shredded noodles)
- spaghetti squash (also great noodles)
- basically any vegetable.. Except broccoli.. I hate broccoli. Ha.
A salad a day keeps the diseases and obesity at bay ;)
Fruit:
- bananas (literally everyday)
- berries
- apples
- peaches
- any fruit.. Especially when in season.. And especially in a smoothie for breakfast everyday.
Grains
- whole grain sources..
- pasta
- quinoa, all the time
- crackers for snacks every so often with hummus or cheese
- not gonna lie I eat bagels often now. Have to make up for all that bagel deprivation from body building somehow ;)
Proteins:
First I must say this, I don't eat meat. Eggs and fish every so often, but animal meat makes me feel very unwell.
Listen to your body.
Pay attention to how you feel after eating certain foods. If you feel lethargic and sick, chances are your body can't handle that food. Here's what I typically include for my protein,
- chickpeas
I cook these into burger form, eat it as hummus, or basically everything and anything to do with them. So good.
- beans
Also great in burger form.. In fact, mix the chickpeas and beans together.. You won't regret it.
- nuts (especially on salads, or peanut butter form.. Just watch out for the brands that add a bunch of junk to the jar, go for whole organic peanut butter.. With one ingredient.. peanuts, DUH!)
- protein powders, I put a scoop in my breakfast smoothie (since I don't eat meat)
- cottage cheese
- eggs (every once in a while)
- fish (again, only every once in a while.. Because sushi is amazing.)
Reasons why I'm not officially "vegetarian", I chose to not eat the majority of meat because my body can't digest it.
I'll say it again, listen to your body.
"But where do you get your protein?!" Haha. Jokes.
Side note.. I cut out meat and lost 16 pounds in a month without even trying.. Obviously my body was trying to tell me something.. And was apparently holding onto ALOT of sodium and water. For me, meat = cramp and bloat city. Again, this may be different for you.
Dairy:
My body also cannot handle dairy products.. Lactose intolerant. However, cheese is fine for me every so often, along with Greek yogurt. (Fun fact.. Cheese has minimal lactose compared to milk.. The reason it doesn't bother my stomach as bad).
"But how do you get calcium?!" Well simple, it's in tons of vegetables anyways, and you don't see me with brittle bones, do you? Nope. (Also have weight training to thank for strong bones).
Now, back to the whole change your mind set thing.
Treat/cheat meals are not the devil.
This is a lifestyle. There are very few people I know that can maintain a strict diet every day. In order to make this work in the long term, you should treat yourself every once in a while.
In moderation though.
For example, one or two treat meals a week.
It will maintain your sanity, and help you keep on track. Trust me, one cookie or pizza for dinner once a week, isn't going to make you fat.
As long as you're not eating the entire box of cookies in one sitting..
Another important topic.. Alcohol. I'll keep this brief, moderation is key. Again, every once in a while as a treat it's fine, just don't let it ruin your progress.
Next and final topic.. Exercise.
I'm only mentioning it now because what you ingest is WAY more important.
You simply cannot out train a bad diet.
However, exercise compliments nutrition, and will help you reach your goals. They go hand in hand.
As much as I am bias about running, I know this is not possible for everyone.
So, back to tip 1 - change your mindset. If you want to maintain this lifestyle, forcing yourself to run or weight lift if you don't enjoy it.. Isn't sustainable. This is a lifestyle, and something you want to continue for the rest of your life. You can be expected to maintain something if you hate doing it everyday.
My tip here.. Find something active that you actually enjoy doing. This can be yoga, weight lifting, running, biking, walking, swimming, hiking, hell even if tennis is your thing, just get active everyday.
If it's fun for you and physically active, you're 10x more likely to keep doing it, and if your nutrition is on point, the weight will fall off. Don't listen to that friend saying "I lost weight by burning 1000 calories a day on the stair master!" Blachhh, who wants to climb stairs in a gym looking at a wall for 2 hours a day? Not me. (If that's your thing though.. All the power to you.)
Just get outside, get active, even bring a friend or family, and create a lifestyle you can maintain.
After all, being healthy is for life.
Now please remember, all of these tips are simply what works for me, take from it what you may, and hopefully it helps you in your journey to a fit and healthy life.
To summarize,
- change your mindset
- drink more water
- sleep!
- eat whole foods
- limit alcohol
- exercise
- smile!
You've got this!
The Rural Runner
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