I have been getting a ton of messages and comments on my Instagram (choose2lose_ww) lately asking me how I've been able to lose nearly 60lbs (59.0 to be exact!) - most of which in the last 9 months. I feel like I can never do justice to just how much I want to say in a comment or a limited-character message, so I thought I'd write a blog post and give you a breakdown of what has helped me to be successful. Here goes...
1. Start Small and Keep it Small. I can't emphasize this enough. Focus on one small thing you can do better than how you were doing it yesterday. Walk 1,000 more steps a day. Eat a salad for lunch instead of a burger. Make breakfast at home instead of hitting the drive-thru. Pick something that is attainable for you and build upon the success of making and sticking to one little adjustment. Whenever you want to make another change or add another goal to your routine, keep it small. Don't change everything all at once. You will set yourself up for failure.
2. Don't Expect Huge Results Overnight. I can not tell you how many times I have tried to lose weight with whatever latest and greatest diet was out there expecting to drop 10 lbs in one week. Not. Gonna. Happen. You might drop that 10lbs initially because you are starving yourself or only eating celery sticks and drinking lemon water, but it will NOT last. You don't start losing real weight (as in excess fat) for a few weeks into the journey. Everything you lose right away is water weight from your over fatty, over salty, just bad, bad eating habits. Fad diets help you lose that water weight quickly, but you often end up gaining it back when you go back to "normal" life. Losing a lot of weight and losing it for good is a lifestyle change and I know you've heard that 1,000 times before, but it's true. A lifestyle change doesn't happen overnight and neither will your results. Expect the weight to come off slowly and consistently (which is better for you anyway!). Additionally, don't put a timeframe on your weightloss. Don't tell yourself you'll lose 20lbs before that wedding. It never happens and then you feel sad and then you eat to feel better and then you gain 5lbs and then you are further behind from where you started (sound familiar??)
3. Celebrate Small Victories. This builds on my number 2. If you lose 0.2lbs, treat it like you lost 5lbs. If you ate an apple instead of cookie, treat it like you just ate perfectly for a week. You have to cut yourself a break and STOP focusing on all the things you didn't do...on all the things you could have done better, faster, more hardcore, because there is always something more you can convince yourself you should be doing. You will see people lose more weight than you. You will see people eat better than you. You'll see people walking, running, working out more often and faster than you. That's OK. You aren't them and they aren't you. Just focus on what you are doing right and KEEP DOING IT. Which brings me to number 4...
4. KEEP GOING. Don't give up. Seriously, just don't give up. If you miss a day (or a week...or a month) at the gym, don't give up. If you spend a week eating pizza, cheesecake, pie, burgers, and mac and cheese, don't give up. If you go on vacation and gain 6 lbs, don't give up. Every. Single. Meal is a chance to start over. Get back on wagon and keep going.
5. Your Diet is KEY. I lost 3/4 of my weight without any exercise (yes, you heard that right!). It really is all about the food. Most people think you can hit the gym and "burn off" the way you eat, but in my experience it's just not true. You don't have to step foot on a treadmill, in fact I'd prefer if you didn't (at least until you get comfortable with your new way of eating) and focused solely on changing your diet. You can't outrun your fork!
6. It Does Not Matter What Program You Follow. Most of you who closely follow my journey are probably wondering why I have yet to mention Weight Watchers! Yes, I am a Weight Watcher and yes, I'm fairly vocal about my love for the program, but Weight Watchers is in NO WAY the "right" or "only" way to lose weight. Weight Watchers didn't make me lose weight. I made me lose weight. You have to find what works for you. Maybe it is Weight Watchers, maybe it's tracking with My Fitness Pal, maybe it's tracking calories with pen and paper, maybe it's Whole 30, maybe it's low-carb. It really. Honestly. Does not matter. You know what matters? ACTUALLY DOING IT. Whatever way you chose to lose weight, you have to DO IT. Everyday. Over and over. All the reading and planning and shopping and workout calendars in the world mean nothing if you don't execute.
I by no means am a weightloss expert and I don't pretend to be, but I feel like I do have some real-life experience that can hopefully help others in some small way. Just remember that you can DO ANYTHING and you are capable of so much more than you think you are. Take it one day at a time and you've TOTALLY got this!
-Amanda
