It's really easy to gain weight, why? Because it's fun to eat luscious foods. On the other hand, losing weight is one of the most difficult goal in life. Before I give you the tips, I'd like to share my story. Before I got pregnant, I used to weigh 130 lbs. I know that I was quite over weight, but it wasn't hard for me to lose weight. I had a cesarean delivery with my baby. After a few months, I shed a little weight. 173 was the lightest I got. In two years, I weighed 175, 178, 180 to 185 lbs, that's the time when I thought, I had to do something about it. All diet methods didn't work for me, pills, exercise, dancing, calorie count and etc... I just kept on gaining weight. As a home-based working mom, I sit for long hours and work day till night, so I can't find time to exercise.
If we're on the same both, these tips might help you. If it worked for me, it will probably work for you as well.
1. DISCIPLINE AND MOTIVATION
Why would you like to lose weight? In my case, I have a lovely little boy and a very handsome husband. I don't want others to think that I'm just a nanny when we go out for a family day. I have to look better. I also want to see my child grow up, finish school and have his own family in the future. Motivation and discipline are the keys to achieve any goals. Find the things that would keep you working hard and focus on that.
2. CHANGES AND ALTERNATIVES
You have to be ready for the changes and accept them. What are the things that I've changed?
coffee to tea
rice to corn
potato chips to real potatoes
unlimited beer to 3 bottles
fried foods to grilled and roasted
Ice cream to yogurt
White bread to Whole wheat
They are just a portion of foods that I've changed. Changing your eating habits will change everything. You will loose weight rapidly. You won't need to give up any meals. All you got to do is to find a healthier alternative. For instance, I used to eat 2pcs fried chicken in fast foods with rice, but now, I looked for fast foods that serve roasted or grilled chicken and order 1 pc. One of my favorites is Kenny Rogers Roasters. They serve a well balanced meal. I eat the side dishes first then the chicken. I just give the rice to my friend.
3. EATING HABITS
I used to eat as when I got hungry. I eat like every 3 hours a day. Which is by the way, we must follow. However, I used to eat high calorie foods like burgers or street foods. Now, I make sure to eat only fruits in snack time 1-2 bananas are enough. Do not starve yourself. It would make you crave for more food. Do not deprive yourself. Eat the things you like but in small portions. Have a cheat day, but do not over eat. Cheat day doesn't mean that you can eat a lot. It only means that you may eat the foods you like without over eating them. Don't get too excited on cheat days.
4. WATER AND TEA
Water is necessary for diet. It would make you full faster so you could eat less. Make sure to drink at least 1-2 glasses of water before meal time. Tea has a lot of anti- oxidants and it helps burn calories, especially green tea. Make sure to drink this 3 times a day an hour or two every after meals.
5. MYTH
Eating a full breakfast. No, no, no! Food intake should depend on the person's lifestyle. There are many things to consider before eating full meals. First, does your job require a lot of physical work? Or do you just sit in the office for 8 hours? You have to measure the food base on your daily activities. I am a home-based working mom, and I don't use a lot of energy, so I don't eat more than 1300 calories a day. The average calories that a person should take is upto 2000 calories but it still depends on your daily habits.
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6. LAXATIVE
Laxatives help me a lot. The best laxative that I've tried so far is, "Biguerlai". Laxatives are convenient and beneficial if you use them properly. Do not take laxatives everyday, it would make your body depend on it and you may get constipation when you don't take it anymore. The proper way to use them is to take them once every other day before bed time. I set a schedule like Monday-Wednesday-Friday and Sunday. When dieting, you eat less than your normal meals, this will make your bowl movement slower and sometimes not going to the toilet to release the excess foods that our body should excrete. Laxative helps us in that area.
7. VEGGIES
Although many people don't like veggies, they like salad. If you're one of those people, pick at least 3-4 veggies that you're capable of eating and include them on your regular meals. Weather you like it or not, veggies are the healthiest foods on Earth.
8. BE POSITIVE
A stress free person is the healthiest. Think about happiness and the things that enjoy you much. Dieting should include happy and positive thoughts.
9. COOK
Cook for yourself. Don't let your mom or grandma ruin your diet. Cooking your own food gives you an assurance how healthy your food is. You have the control over the oil, spices and other ingredients. You know exactly what's in your food. What I do, I prepare my meals for 2 days and just re-heat when I need them.
