This is one of the main questions I ask repeatedly asked myself at the beginning of my weight loss journey. Where do I start?
I turned to sections in magazines, and I would tear out pages from them; Slim Down for Summer! Lose 10lbs in 7 days.
Diet this and diet that, live like this and you won’t get fat.
Back then, I ripped out pages upon pages and tried my best to follow their guidelines. They never worked for me. That could be based on a variety of factors – But they contributed negatively in a major way.
Where do I start?
Step One
My advice is to start in your kitchen, remove all of the following products:
- Meat
- Dairy
- White carbs
- White sugar
I would never suggest throwing them away, and I would say donating to your local foodbank is better. Wouldn’t you agree?
Next, fill your kitchen with the following foods:
- Lentils
- Wholegrain rice
- Wholemeal pasta
- Seeds: Pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, flaxseed.
- Oats
- Plant-based milk (I use soya and oat.)
- Agave nectar
- Brown sugar (suitable for vegans)
- Plant-based cheese, yoghurt and butter.
- Olive oil, sesame oil and sunflower oil
- Plantbased crisps
- Vegan chocolate
I think you see where I’m going with this.
By removing temptation out of your kitchen, you won’t be snacking on junk food when you get cravings. And trust me, you will crave things that you’re used to!
Step Two
Increase your steps! Now you don’t need a gadget to track the number of steps you do. For example, if you usually take the lift up or the escalator down; why not take the stairs? It is something that you never do! This is an example of increasing your steps!
Step Three
Increase your water intake. This is quite key! Meaning you must drink more water to avoid becoming dehydrated and prevent unnecessary eating. The same alert you get for hunger is the same alert for thirst.
I like to add a few drops of lemon juice to the glasses of water I drink. Lemon adds a natural flavour and helps to clear your skin.
Step Four
Don’t tell anyone!
For me, whenever I told people ‘I’m on a diet’ or ‘I’ve joined a gym.’ They showered me with all this praise, and that’s when I zoned out. I was given the result; if I continue to diet and workout, this will be their reaction.
Now that I had it, there wasn’t any point. I understand that way of thinking was flawed, but my mind wasn’t filled with what I know now.
For most things I do now, I’m silent about it.
Our society is saturated with everyone wanting to reach the heights of Social Media fame. I’ve seen some Bloggers/Influencer go to the extreme to create content for the masses.
The only attention you need is your own.
If you mess up (as I did many times) only you know about it – And it’s fine to have setbacks, we learn and grow from them.
Step Five
Read widely!
At the start of my journey, I collected endless diets out of magazines that contained a plethora of skinny women – Nothing remotely similar to my body.
Today I read from many sources, other blogs here on WordPress and surely, books from the bookstore. However, the best element to read is yourself!
My body does not like meal replacement shakes or fad diets.
My body loves spinach and water. I feed it as I need to.
Listen to your body, as it speaks all day every day.
Start to lose weight healthily and gradually.
Unique Fatso
Unique Fatso 