Day 13 - Barriers - locate them and break them down...

In the 21st century we have so many gadgets and tools to make life easier, yet we still seem to find ways to busy our lives with more and more ‘stuff’. Unfortunately the more things we have to make our lives easier the less time we actually have to ourselves. This in itself is a barrier. 

I am a bit of a gadget girl and I love anything that will make my life more organised, but in the past, this has made my life busier and I have found myself with less time for myself than I had without all the ‘so called’ helpful gadgets. 

A lot of the ‘things’ that we use to make our lives easier are often the very things that create barriers for more important things that we should be doing! 

My tip would be... Sit done and have a think about all the barriers that could possibly inhibit you from reaching goal. Eliminating barriers is necessary for success. This is true in anything that we do in life. Keeping junk food in your pantry, keeping food in your car, spending hours on social media, finding excuses not to do things. These are all barriers and if you let them, they can sabotage your progress. 

What are your barriers? What steps can you take to eliminate them? 

Today,

I wish you...

Honesty, honesty to look at the possible barriers in your life which are not going to help you get to goal and inhibit a successful journey ahead. 

Day 12 - Weight loss toolkit - the recap of the last 11 Posts

It is always good to reflect on your journey and in this instance it is good to do a stocktake of all the new tools that you have in your weight loss toolkit. It doesn’t take long to build up a strong kit of handy tips and tricks to help you get to goal and stay at goal. 

Getting started / setting your first goal - you have taken the first steps in your weight loss journey and you have set your first small goal that you are working towards achieving within a realistic time frame.  

Building your support network / Attending meetings - you have started building your support network of positive ‘like minded’ people. People who have your best interests at heart. If you are a Weight Watchers member you will have attended a couple of meetings and you will have a wonderful support network in your group meetings.

Tracking your food - You may have downloaded an app or bought a journal to track everything that you eat and drink. Tracking food should have become second nature and you will be getting a good idea of the value of points or calories. 

Taking measurements - You should be starting to see some small results with your measurements. Use those small achievements as motivation to see more results in the coming weeks.

Planning and preparation - Planning and preparation will be making your life easier and you should be feeling more in control of what you are eating and when you are eating. 

Exercise - You should start to feel the benefits of regular exercise. It should be helping your fitness and the results at the scales.

Weighing in - You should have had another weight in day... How did it go? how do you feel? This is the time to celebrate your success at the scales or re-evaluate if you have had a gain or no loss.

Making time - You should be feeling more in control of your daily life and finding time to do the things that will help you get to goal. 

Change - by now, some of the small changes that you have made will be making a big change to your health and well-being. 

Hydrate - Drinking water should now be second nature and you should be feeling the benefits of being fully hydrated throughout each day.

Feelings and emotions - your journey is going to be one of many highs and some lows, but remember that each feeling will pass with time and if you are feeling low today, tomorrow is another day. 

Today,

I wish you...

The time to sit and reflect on the last few days and and all the small changes you have made to help your weight loss journey a head.

Day 11 - Feelings and Emotions...

Oh my gosh, when it comes to feelings and emotions, you certainly walk the gamut of both of these during your weight loss journey. For me my journey was filled with incredible highs and some pretty deep lows in terms of feelings and emotions. The highs always outweighed the lows and the lows, looking back, were very short lived. But I think some of that success came from building the best support network (that I could) around me to help with the dull days. It is only natural to have the dull days. the days where you think, “Oh my gosh, is this day ever going to end?” For me they were often the days where I was hungry or couldn’t exercise because I felt unwell and was craving comfort food. Early in my weight loss journey I read a great quote in a magazine... 

“There is always a rainbow at the end of every rain storm, its up to you to look for it!” 

I still hold that quote close to my heart. 

It helped me remember that nothing stays the same, especially not emotions. Rather than tucking into comfort/junk food and sabotaging my results. I would think about that quote and I would distract myself with other things. I loved the Weight Watchers meetings that discussed this topic and it was comforting to know that I was not alone with these thoughts and feelings. They were a natural part of the process. I would always come away from any meeting feeling great and ready for the next week, because I knew how I was feeling was natural. 

The flip side of the low feelings are the feelings of elation and satisfaction for a job well done. Each week - especially on the days that I had a good loss at the scales. I would be feeling great and that motivation just kept me rolling in the right direction. I would use those feelings to keep going and escalate my results. 

My tip would be, prepare yourself for the good and not so good days and keep building your support network around you. If you are a Weight Watchers member, your meetings, your leader and the other members will be a remarkable support for your weight loss journey and together you will share, laugh, cry but most of all you will celebrate. 

Today,

I wish you...

the ability to handle the different feelings and emotions that you will have to endure, both good and not so good throughout the journey ahead. 

Day 10 - Hydrate to lose weight...

Water, water , water

One thing that I was never good at doing prior to starting my weight loss journey, was keeping hydrated. I would go for hours without proper hydration and if I am perfectly honest, the only reason I would remember to drink water, would have been when I was so thirsty I would have to chug water. What I hadn’t realised was that I needed to be sipping water consistently throughout the day, rather than bingeing on water when I was desperate and parched. When I started drinking lots of water, I noticed improved skin tone as I lost weight, I noticed my body was more energised and I didn’t feel as hungry.

The problem with not hydrating properly is you run the risk of water being stored. What happens is the body stores water, because it thinks it is under a threat of survival. Stored water can make us weigh heavier on the scales. Another really important thing to remember is... thirst can often be misinterpreted as hunger!! That is the last thing we want as we are trying to keep our hunger at bay.

The internet is a wash with articles about drinking water and the benefits of drinking water for your daily health, but also to help your weight loss journey. So have a read, and do some research, so you can have all the facts about the benefits and importance of drinking water regularly.

One really great tip and trick I learnt for gaging exactly how much water YOUR body size will need is this - Drink as much water as it takes for your ‘wee’ to run clear when you go to the toilet. If you have clear ‘wee’ then you are hydrated. I thought that was the best hydrating tip ever. My body was so clever that it even had a hydration mechanism. On the contrary if you go to the bathroom and your ‘wee’ is glowing in the toilet bowl or cloudy, then you definitely need to be chugging some water. 

My tip for you is to start hydrating now and continue to make hydration just as important as eating a healthy diet. 

Today, 

I wish you...

Lots of water for a healthier and more hydrated body, as you travel YOUR weight loss journey. 

Day 9 - Change - it is important for success...

Nothing ever stays the same...

Changing your mindset with positive thoughts about your journey ahead, will definitely change your life. I knew that in order for me to get to goal, I would have to make a lot of small incremental changes. I started looking at change as essential for success. Changing and adjusting your old thought patterns to accept new thought patterns is not always easy. In fact, it can be very challenging at times. But if you tackle re-defining yourself as a series of small changes. You will find that, in time, you have made some incredibly big changes to help your health and well-being. 

My tip would be... Make one small change each week that is going to get you to goal. It might be clearing out your pantry of all the foods that you find hard to resist or foods that will sabotage your journey. It might be changing the frequency with which you buy sugar loaded coffees and lattes throughout the week. It could be deciding to sit and eat at the table to eat mindfully each night. It might even be deciding to walk to work a few times a week rather than taking a short drive (if it is possible). The changes you make to get you to goal are endless and as you get further into your weight loss journey, you will find that making changes becomes easier and second nature. 

You will feel amazing for changing your thought process for the better. You will find that all the little changes will amount to a stronger mind, which you will feel you have more control over. 

Today,

I wish you... 

Strength to change your old thought processes about food and exercise to more positive thoughts about your journey ahead and your end goal.

Day - 8 Making Time...

“But I’m too busy, I don’t have time!”

I know that mantra all to well, I used it as my defense mechanism, prior to starting my weight loss journey. But when you really have to do something important, you will always find the time, even on your busiest of days. 

I had to have a good stern talk to myself about making time. At the start of my journey I thought I was a very busy person. I was very busy at work yes, and as a mum yes. But in actual fact, if I was really honest with myself. I was very busy keeping up with social media, watching TV, and ‘faffing’ around with unimportant chores that didn’t add any value to my life! 

We are often really busy doing ‘busy work’ that is not adding any value to our lives. 

I realised very early on in my weight loss journey that you have to make and create the time to do the things that are truly important for change. You have make the time to go to meetings, or debrief your week with a friend, or plan your week, shop for food, prepare your food and yourself for the coming week. You also have to make time to exercise. All these things seem insurmountable when you first start your journey. But change one thing each week and add a new tool to your armory each week and you will be well on your way to thinner, stronger and fitter you!! 

My tip today would be - sit down at the end of each week and schedule some time to fit in another thing that will help you get to goal. It might be, planning your food, portioning your food, exercising with a friend, going to your Weight Watchers meeting or any other great idea that will help your overall success. 

Just one change each week will add up to many little changes, that will become apart of your regular daily / weekly routine. 

Today,

My wish for you is...

You will find plenty of time in your daily life to make small changes that will amount to big changes for your health and well-being, as you get further into you weight loss journey.

Day 7 - Weigh-in Day...

Weigh in days at my local Weight Watchers meeting were always filled with excitement and apprehension. I would stand in line waiting for my turn to hop on the scales and find out if the numbers had dropped and if all my hard work and persistence had paid off for yet another week. 

My best tip for weigh in day would be. Wear the same clothes & shoes at each weigh in (if it is possible of course). The reason for this is, you will have a more accurate idea of your weight loss each week. 

I had 3 sets of weigh-in clothes... I had a pair of size 18 loose lightweight pants and a tank top, Plus a pair of lightweight flats - they served me well until I got to a size 14. However, those clothes became ridiculously loose, so I had another outfit from size 14 - 10 and now I have my size 8 clothes. 

Shoes are very important. A pair of boots can weigh up to 1 kg, some jandals can weigh 500 - 600 grams and jeans can also give you an extra 800gm - 1 kg of clothing weight. Now imagine weighing-in in clothes that may weigh about 600 grams in total and then the next week you turn up in jeans, boots and a heavy woolen jumper - that is a 2 - 3 kg clothing weight gain right there! You will never get a fair representation of your constant weight loss if you are wearing different clothing every week.

Something to think about...

Your clothes may be giving you misleading results. If you think you are putting on a few grams each week for a few weeks. That can lead to you feeling like you are not getting anywhere. When in actual fact you are just wearing the extra weight at the scales. Another thing to be careful of is your jewellery. Jewellery, as lovely at it is, can clock up the grams at the scales as well. 

My tip and trick is to find some comfortable weigh in clothes that will last you for a few dress size drops. Plus, a lightweight pair of shoes and don’t forget to strip your jackets, jumpers and jewellery off before hopping on the scales. 

Today,

I wish you... 

Success at the scales this week and every week ahead, as you travel YOUR weight loss journey. 

Day 6 - Exercise... Move your body to shift the weight...

Start where you are, 
Use what you have,
Do what you can! 

The day I walked through the doors of my local Weight Watchers meeting was also the first day that I started to exercise again.  I have always enjoyed exercise and I played many sports as a child. Exercise wasn’t foreign to me. I have been blessed to have known people, in my life, who are experts in the exercise industry. I had always enjoyed exercise in the past. Why had I stopped? Good question? I think I just thought I didn’t have time. But you will be surprised how you can make time when you don’t have any other option. 

My initial exercise was just using my own bodyweight as well as walking. Every few weeks I would increase my exercise and my reps at home. Funny story... I remember looking up some, 'at home' exercise lists, on Pinterest. I was ready and excited about having all these workouts online that I could do at home and that other people had written. So, I start working my way through the list. Which, from memory, started with 10 jumping jacks. I got through those and thought... Wow that was hard, then I had to move on to 5 squats, and 10 sit ups and 5 lunges on each leg etc... but at the bottom after about 12 other exercises it had one burpee. One burpee I thought, why just one? Well, I did that 1 burpee and thought to myself... that’s not happening again! lol However, I had forgotten to read all the way to the bottom before embarking on what I thought was a very ambitious group of exercises, especially for someone starting out after a long sabbatical. What it said was... repeat 4 times!! I thought, bugger that! But I did the for sets and felt really exhausted, but great that I had started. 

We have absolutely no excuse not to exercise in this day and age. We have exercise resources at our finger tips 24/7 - we have gyms popping up on every street corner, there is a plethora of articles out there supporting the argument that exercise is good for you. 

What is stopping us? Well, we are stopping us. What you have to do is shift your mindset and make exercise a priority in your daily life. Even if it is just a 20 minute stroll around the block. I know I did many 20 minute strolls around the block to keep active and moving. 

The best tip I would give you here is... Start moving, and walking is a pretty good start - if you don’t like walking alone. Find a friend, or a number of friends who can walk with you on different days. This is a good option for many reason. Four of which a pretty convincing, 1) you will not want to let your friend down, so you will have to go, 2) safety in numbers, especially if you like to walk later in the evening like I do, 3) it will definitely help your weight loss and overall well-being, 4) it’s a lot cheaper to debrief and discuss life with your best walking buddies, than it is to pay a professional to listen to your problems...lol 

I started with walking a few kilometers and that gradually increased over a short period of time to 10kms 4 - 5 times a week. I started out with a brisk yet comfortable walk, that very soon turned into a very brisk, sense of urgency, type of walk. We timed our walks and compared previous results. What we were doing without realising, was this, we were constantly shifting the goal posts and challenging our previous abilities. Furthermore, more often than  not, it was showing up on the scale as a good loss.

I have always used a walking tracker too. Pedometer - GPS+ and MapMyRun - these are great apps to use because you can enter all your details into the tracker and it will tell you how many calories you have burned and how far you have walked. It even gives you a kilometer by kilometer run down of how far you have walked etc. It will total up your week, month and year!! 

Something to think about...

My goal weight was always in sight. I was always finding new ways to get me to goal. Little things that would amount to greater success. I was consistent with my exercise and I made the time to workout. We are so worth it and finding 20 - 30 mins a day to exercise for our health and well-being, is not a lot to ask. So strap on your walking shoes and start your walking journey. 

Today, 

My wish for you is...

A good pair of walking shoes and to be blessed with a few good walking buddies, to help keep you company on the footpaths, as your walk your way to a fitter slimmer you.

Day 5 - Plan Plan Plan, Shop, Shop, Shop, Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!! Planning & Preparation will be your friend...

Planning is a crucial part of staying on track with your weight loss journey. It will stop you from binge eating, it will stop you from reaching for the keys to drive to the local take away place, it will stop you from reaching for the biscuit tin/packet and it will stop you from ruining all your previous hard work. 

Planning my food was a wonderful tip/trick. It allowed me to pro-point (Weight Watchers) and sort my portion sizes out for the coming week. I would decide what I was going to eat, pro-point it then organise the portion sizes. Sometimes that is not possible, but I made sure that I had enough to last me until next shopping day. I had my breakfast, lunch and dinner planned, I had my snacks planned and sometimes portioned out. I didn’t want to be in a situation where I would have to choose an option that was NOT going to get me to goal. I was fairly strict on planning my breakfast or what I was going to take to work, but I would sometimes not be able to eat the same food as my sons because I was so busy. So, I would plan a quick and simple dinner that took minimal time to prepare and tasted great. 

My fast food was a mountain bread wrap. I could make it in less than 2 minutes... It was mountain bread, approx 1 tsp of cranberry sauce, 1 tomato sliced, 1/4 of an avocado and 5 slices of 98% fat free ham or 1/4 cup of chicken breast. It came in at 6 - 7 pro points and it was delicious!! I didn’t have to stand in a queue to get it and I didn’t have to drive anywhere to find a place to make it. 

Planning for your coming week is definitely a great time saver and it will help to keep you honest with your food. It will be easier to track your food if you are well planned. On the days where you think you are going to have a busy day and you will find it hard to fit in eating breaks. Having pre prepared food will save you time and anxiety. 

If you plan and prepare you will always feel in control of your eating, because you will be nourishing your body with the best food possible and the correct portion sizes to support your weight loss. 

Today...

I wish you,

The ability to organise, plan, prepare and feel a great sense of control of your portion sizes and food choices for your coming journey and beyond. 

Day 4 - Take Measurements and Progress Photos Weekly...

Another great tip I added to my armory in my weight loss journey is this...

I read about this tip in a magazine and then it was reinforced at one of my early Weight Watchers meetings. It was to measure myself at the beginning of the weight loss journey and continue to re-measure throughout the journey. 

I took my measurements each week and entered it into a progress journal and online at my WW profile site. It was something I looked forward to doing, because as the weight came down on the scales it was great to see the cm’s drop from around my body. 

Another awesome idea that I found in a magazine was to get some string and use it to measure each area - bust, waist, hips, butt, thighs, arms and cut and label each. It becomes a constant record of where you started and as you get further into your journey... It’s a fantastic reminder of how far you have come! It is the most amazing feeling to see the pieces of string get looser and looser from your measurement spots, all over your body. 

Taking photos is great for us visual people. Make sure you take photos of your front, side and back. It is a very good way to see immediately how fast you body will change. 

I took weekly photos in the same bikini - Yes bikini!! It was super hard to do when you are 25kgs overweight, but it became very addictive and I made sure that I would take the photos on a particular day every week. After four weeks I could already see a big difference and after 10 weeks I was starting to look like a completely different person. As hard as it was to look at my ‘first’ photos. They have become a great reminder of where I was and how I felt at that time. I know I don’t want to go back there. So they remind me that I have to do everything in my power to keep my body in good healthy working order. 

Why is it important to take measurements? It has been well documented that when we embark on a lifestyle change and we start losing fat and exercising (which helps to build muscle). We sometimes have the odd occasion where we will plateau. Spending time at a particular weight when you are doing everything possible to loose that weight, can be very frustrating. There are various things that might be causing the plateau. Some of which could be, not eating enough, perhaps underestimating calories consumed, not drinking enough water, or not increasing your exercise to a point where you are challenging your body. When this happens, measurements will often tell a completely different story. You will  notice that the cm’s are dropping even if your weight on the scales isn’t. The measuring tape will be your friend and ally during this time. 

Click this link to learn how to take measurements effectively

Make sure you record your measurements weekly (if you can), I promise you, you wont regret it.

Today,

I wish you...

lots of bravery and courage to take measurements and progress photos to help document your coming journey.

Day 3 - Track your food... Lick it, Bite it, Eat it, Drink it, Taste it, WRITE IT...!

At one of my first meetings, I met an awesome WW member called Lisa. Lisa had already lost around 17 kgs and was over half way to goal. She had some great tips and tricks for keeping on track and keeping the end result in mind. One of the best bits of advice Lisa and my leader, at the time had said on that night, was to track everything that I ate or drank. I started on that very first day. With the Weight Watchers programme, it was very simple to do. I’m a bit of a technology lover and being able to use my phone to record and track my food/points was easy and hassle free. I have also used a Food Journal which I like, as it fuels my tactile side too. 

But whether you are a Weight Watchers member or not. Tracking your food is very important for successful weight loss. When you write down what you have eaten, you are constantly holding yourself accountable for the amount of food as well as the type of food you are putting into your body. 

It has been well researched and there are solid findings, that people on a weight loss journey, who track their food daily, will lose twice as much weight than those who do not track every day. So, invest in a note book/journal,or  download an app for your smart phone and start recording what you eat and drink. 

I tracked everything that I ate and drank. Every sip, lick, taste, and bite. It was one of the most important tools in my weight-loss armory. It meant I was now in control of my food/eating rather than my eating/food controlling me. That is a great place to be, it is very empowering. 

Furthermore, there are various reasons why it is important to track your food. The obvious is, you will get a clear overview of how much or how little you are eating. But there are other benefits to tracking your food. For me, I found out that my body reacted to certain foods differently. These were foods I once ate all the time. Its a great feeling when your digestive system is calm and in good working order. On the weeks where you don’t lose as much weight, you will have a record of what you ate and you can re-evaluate, reset and plan for the next week. 

Another important thing is... make sure you track your fluids as well. Especially how much water you are drinking. Because if you don’t drink enough throughout the week, there is a high possibility you may weigh heavier at your next weigh in. If your body is not hydrated regularly, it starts to store any fluids it gets and this can amount to a lot of water weight come weigh in day.

Our bodies are complicated, yet amazing machines and in order for them to work at their optimal level, we need to fuel them with good nourishing food and water regularly. 

Today,

I wish you...

The ability to take back the control of your eating and to hold onto that for the rest of your journey and beyond. 

Day 2 - Meetings - Sharing with 'like minded' people

For me, going to my regular Wednesday night Weight Watchers meeting was an integral part of my success. It was part of my weekly routine and it became as important to me as payday. It was the day where I was in a room with "like minded' people, I had to weigh in and be accountable for my previous weeks eating and exercise.  I was in a room with people who had had similar successes and similar struggles throughout the week. I loved the sharing, support and I met some really inspiring people who became my weight loss buddies. Furthermore, as I lost weight, it was nice to be the person who was inspiring others. It helped to keep me motivated and on track.

Some of you reading this may not be attending Weight Watchers meetings or meetings of other kinds.  What I would say in this instance is, surround yourself with positive and inspiring people. Find a friend who is also on a weight loss journey or who has recently lost weight and together share your successes and struggles. They say, a problem shared is a problem halved. I think if we don't keep ourselves accountable during those times, we may feel alone in a journey that can be filled with difficult times as well as wonderful successes.

Meetings or friends are great for inspiration and motivation. Create a support network around you. Find people who will always support you in both good and bad times. Sharing is caring, so share away and create a routine where you will always be accountable for your weight loss journey. However, big or small.

Today,

I wish you...

lots of support, motivation and inspiration for the coming journey

Day 1 - Getting Started - Set your first goal..

Getting started is not easy, I know. But the best thing I did for myself and my weight loss journey, was to walk through the doors of my local Weight Watchers meeting. It was both extremely difficult, but also very exciting to know I wasn't going to be alone in my journey. 

Now that I had made a choice to lose weight and get my health and life back on track. I knew that the changes I was going to make had to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed carefully. From there, I knew it was important to focus on my first goal. 

My first goal was to lose the first 5% of weight within 6 weeks. I worked out how much that was in total (4.25kg)and how many grams per week I had to aim for (700grams). Then I set about working out all the positive changes I could make to my diet and what type of exercise I would need to do to achieve my goal within the timeframe that I had given myself. 

I surprised myself and actually achieved that goal within 4 weeks and in the coming days I will share with you how I did it...

I know that some of you may be embarking on your own weight loss journey and may not be part of the Weight Watchers family. Weight loss, is weight loss and well done you for getting started. This journey will be one of highs and lows but most of all it will be worth it!! Because we owe it to ourselves to be the best self we can be. That means being healthy, stronger in both body and mind and at a weight that is comfortable for us to live with each day. 

S.M.A.R.T Goal

How to create a SMART Goal... 

Click the link above to help you design a smart goal

Your goal may have a different time frame and be completely different, but it is vitally important to set small, specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic goals that have time frames that suit you and your lifestyle.

Today,
I wish you...

lots of determination and persistence for the coming journey.