Yeah, me too.
It’s a terrible feeling to feel bigger than you actually are. If you’re like me, you’ve read infinity plus one articles on “the key” to losing that weight. Well if that’s the case then there are a ridiculous amount of keys and I’m just not taking advantage of them. But after trial and error of every diet and workout plan, I’ve found the locksmith of them all. BRACE YOURSELVES readers, the ultimate solution is upon you! It is simple and it is the following…
Eat a whole lot less, workout a ton, and don’t drink alcohol.
Boom. 3 things. Easy right? Falsettoooooo. False McFalsies. But it’s doable! And you actually get results. It’s a dream, I know. Something that actually works.
Let me break each one down for you so you can see just exactly what I mean and how possible each one can be.
Eat a whole lot less.
Fun Size it! Cut your meals in half and still hit all the major food groups with protein dominating the rest!
If you’re at a healthy BMI, you probably eat decent sized meals 3 times a day with an occasion snack and maybe baby bites of a guilty pleasure dessert every now and then. And these meals are healthy aren’t they? You watch what you eat but you’re still eating the same amount. And that’s good! That’s healthy! But to lose weight, I’ve found you have to reduce the portion size substantially from each meal.
It’s about counting calories and hitting the right food groups. Protein is your new best friend. The more protein you eat and the less carbs, fruit, and even vegetables the more likely you are to kickstart your weight loss. This does help! Your carb intake must be itsy bitsy compared to your other food groups. You still need it to survive and be healthy and honestly, to not go insane but it should definitely be smaller than the others. Fruit is AWESOME. Fruit has a lot of sugar so that needs to be reduced but guess what you still need that too so you don’t have to cut it all out. Vegetables for the most part are pretty O.K. Medium portions will do, but any large amount will definitely set you off.
BUT THE BIGGEST PART OF ALL THESE FOOD SHENANIGANS is the portion size. You can eat super freaking healthy and eat the same size meals as you did before you committed to losing weight and it will take FOREVER to see results. Unless you already eat super unhealthy, you’re not going to see a huge difference. Maybe a few pounds (which is soooo awesome) but if you want to get going on a more drastic weight loss, you need to make everything small. Fun size it!
Work out a ton.
A ton, people. A ton. Regardless of where you’re starting from, you’re going to have to boost your physical activity like CRAY. If you’ve never gone on a run or “worked out” before, it’s going to be rough my young grasshopper. If you work out 4 to 6 times a week, you have to boost your routine to something out of this world.
Cardio meets strength. They fall in love. They have a child. Its name is Weight Loss. (They went with a double name… fancy parentals). This fam is a package deal. You can’t lose a substantial amount of weight without both cardio and strength. This took me forever to learn but I think I’m finally starting to get it. You can run 30 minutes a day every day and see some pounds start to peel off but you may plateau at some point. In the rare case, you’re a cross country runner or run over 5 miles a day. Then you’re probably very skinny and enjoy a bowl of ice cream every night and I envy you. But for the average young and middle aged woman, running that far every day is seriously very difficult. Trust me. One time, I ran 6 miles. One. Time. And dang did I feel like a million bucks. A million bucks whose legs feel like the classic 90’s jellies. And then I didn’t run for 3 days because I could barely walk.
So for us average folk, we need some way of working out that will work with our lifestyle and not make us feel like we finna pass. out. For me, I devote at least an hour to every workout. At least. Typically I stick with 45 minutes of cardio and 15 strength training. If you can, try to make 2 of those workouts a week an hour and a half – 1 hour cardio (30 one type, 30 another type), 20 strength training, 10 stretching. That to me is a solid workout. For the types of cardio, I recommend 30 minute run and a 30 minute machine. It seems pretty simple, but it’s hard. If you keep pushing yourself throughout the process and mentally keep track of the numbers, you will be done before you know it.
Also a 1 hour strength and cardio workout combined with a pilates or yoga class is AMAZING for weight loss. I find that working out in a group class setting pushes you towards excellence. It keeps your mind off the struggle because honestly most of the time, it’s all mental. Most of the time, you CAN run that extra mile.
Like I said, it’s a pretty big time commitment. If you want this weight loss enough, you can and will make the time for it. Also, enjoy yourself! Working out shouldn’t be painful all the time. That’s no way to live anyways. Do what you can with what you have and never ever underestimate your powers. Impossible. Is. Nothing. (not stealing this from you Adidas!)
Don’t drink alcohol.
Ugh but wine is soooo good. Wine is really, just really great. Here’s my thing: You have to drink responsibly. Sorry to use the quintessential alcohol brand’s go-to slogan, but it’s so true. If you drink responsibly, you will know how many calories are in what you’re drinking, how much is too much, and what mixers to just never ever touch. You can have fun and not gain weight! Woo! And if you’re not going out a whole lot, then you’ve already got a head start on this whole weight loss thing. Alcohol has a ton of calories. Vodka has about 64 calories in 1 fl oz. Awesome right? But everyone’s got to live a little. You don’t have to cut it out completely. Just be responsible and reduce the calories in everything you mix it with. Wine’s another thing. An average glass of Chardonnay has about 123 calories. This can be good though! If you want just a little something after work while you catch up on the news or watch the Bachelorette (guilty pleasure), a glass of wine isn’t going to hurt your weight loss plan. Too many restrictions on your path to weight loss will more than likely cause you to break it and break it baaaad. I’m talking bowls on bowls on bowls of that ice cream stuff. #notworthit #evencookiesandcream
I hope this was helpful for young women like me who are looking for weight loss answers! We are not alone in this and these lbs can be conquered! I preach it to the skies! WE CAN DO THIS.
CrayFoolery 