This post is not targeted towards people who have a medical issue with weight, it is targeting people who have the ability to lose weight but are simply not doing so. I am in no way a nutritionist nor do I claim to have any medical background where I am getting my information. I am merely pointing out some things that I have seen and dealt with over the years. Please do not expect me to be a size 0 model either. “And don’t forget… I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her”- Notting Hill.
When it comes to weight, we all have our ups and downs. It all starts when we are first introduced to the weighing scale. “Hello, I am here to make your life miserable.” We start counting calories, buying magazines that have different diets suitable for the growing teenage girl (or boy), sometimes go to drastic measures of living on tic-tac’s for a while and all for what? To stop a bulging belly which, in fact, is just baby fat.
It really doesn’t matter what body shape you are blessed with, all that matters is that you are healthy and capable of exercising. You see, this is where the magic starts. Once an exercise routine is put in place at a young age, it usually sticks for life.
Have you ever wondered why kids put on weight once they get to college? It’s not just the junk they are so happily gulping down, it is the fact that PE classes no longer exist. Waking up at 5 a.m. no longer exists and walking from class to class no longer exist. We turn lazy and love the fact that we can sleep late at night and no one would care to wake us up to go to school because our parents, of course, don’t know our schedules and expect that we are adults.
You see those golden years filled with pizza? This is when it all matters. This is when you should pay attention to your weight because it all goes downhill from here. I’m glad college athletes get to work out and exercise because many other nerds, I mean people, can’t seem to find the time, regardless of the reason.
Then guess what comes after college… life.
Work: a place where you sitting at a sedentary position for eight hours. It doesn’t stop here, the cycle continues. For women who get married, they can’t get into their wedding dress after a year of marriage and why is that? Because we choose to be lazy. Some stop making an effort and others are blessed with pregnancy and child birth. Of course with kids the excuse of no time comes to place, and the years go by and the kilos go on.
A friend of mine decided to lose weight a few months ago. She was trying her best, talking to me about how important it is to lose weight and what it would mean to her. I thought to myself that she must be working hard and her efforts are paying off, right?
Wrong. She always had a reason not to start. There was always an excuse, a time constraint, a something… and a caramel frappuccino. A daily double caramel frappuccino including the whipped cream, the caramel in the cup and over the top, the full fat milk, and the smile from the barista. You see, when that nice looking barista in Starbucks asks if you want to add a slice of chocolate-loving cake run: run far far away! Do you think she can’t say (small, medium, and large) when it comes to drink sizes? Why do you think she has to over complicate things by calling them tall, grande, and I don’t ever remember the 3rd size. It’s all in the training to make you (and me) buy the bigger size and gain weight. She’s in on the conspiracy to make us fat.
Didn’t you ever wonder why healthy restaurants never asked if you wanted to up-size your salad? Didn’t you ever wonder why they never tried to sell you an apple with your fresh orange juice? They want us all to get fat.
So what’s the plan? These are a few steps that could actually work:
1- DECIDE: Make the decision to lose weight TODAY. Decide and keep in your mind that you will no longer accept any excuse.
2- THROW AWAY THE JUNK: Give away all junk food you have around your house and DO NOT BUY MORE JUNK. If you don’t have a bag of crisps in the cupboard you will not eat it. Instead, you can substitute with healthy snacks such as dried fruits and popcorn which is actually good for your health and heart (thumbs up).
3- Exercise: There is no running away from this point. You cannot lose weight without burning it. Find something you like to do and do it. Find an exercise partner if you want or get some exercises done anywhere around the house. You don’t need to join the gym and you don’t need the top notch equipment. Surprise your body in the middle of the day and squat, for example. Use the stairs, park your car further than usual, dance with your children. In general, move your body and try to burn as many calories as you can.
4- Before you eat anything, THINK: Ask yourself, “am I hungry or am I just bored?” Do you know that many people eat because they are bored! Also, when you are face to face with your favorite dessert, be strong and say, ‘I am stronger than you.’
5- EAT HEALTHY: eat healthy foods. Add fruits and vegetables to your diet, have brown bread and rice instead of white, do not eat fried food, stay away from junk food.
6- LOOK INSIDE FOR MOTIVATION: You will not find someone who is cheering you on more than yourself. Don’t expect people to leave their life to cheer you on. This is on you and for you. Don’t look for quick fixes, there are none. Make sure that you will benefit first and foremost. Reward yourself.
In conclusion, if you want to lose weight, make sure that you understand that it’s hard work. It takes commitment and time. Don’t expect it to be an easy pill that you can take and have the weight shed off you over night (wouldn’t that be great, though). It takes persistence. It’s not easy, we are not in an age where our food gets burnt easily so bear with your body. You are working with your body to achieve a better you. Partner up with yourself, have small goals you want to achieve and reward yourself.
Stop eating junk and you will feel better. Stop adding salt and sugar recklessly to your meals and please, please, please, stop ordering caramel frappuccino.
Bedoor Bluemoon 