With only a month left in 2015, let`s look at my New Years resolutions I made back in January. Guess what? Unlike most people, I lost weight. I will show you what techniques worked and did not work to get me fit. Including some helpful tips if you expect on adding weight loss to this year resolution list. But my goal of loosing weight was just a petty dream that would never come true, or at least I believed.
Today most people will ask me "Did you have a specific routine?" No, because keeping the same routine becomes boring and annoying. So what I did was workout for exactly one hour and a half every day to limit myself and still enjoy life. The things I did though changed daily so I could be surprised to know what I am randomly going to do next. Some activities would include walking, running, climbing, swimming, playing the extravagant Wii Fit, etc. For example, one day I would walk 1 mile on a trail, the next I would swim 50 laps at my local pool or the beach. Other days I would go rock climbing or a 1/2 mile walk up a mountain path. I always managed to track my calories with a calorie counting watch that can be found in the exercise section at your local department store. I would burn any where from 300 to 800 calories a day. It is said that there is 3500 calories in every pound, so every couple of days I managed to loose a pound. After gaining momentum from running I decided to join a running club which led me to successfully completing a 5K one month later. One thing that didn`t work for me was over doing it or in other words working out to much. It did not work because it left me super tired and out of energy to go on throughout my day. My new saying is that if you exercise daily you can live a healthy happy life. This rained true because it Lead me to my grand total of loosing 53 lbs.
Now with every great weight loss, comes a special and nutritious diet. For me I had to first cut out all sweet snacks because of the processed ingredients that lead to fat build up from excess sugar. I consumed Quaker bars, fruit pops, Jello, and fruit for snacks that would quickly digest instead of turning into pure fat. Also, I had to make sure I was restoring my nutrients after workouts so I made little ham sandwiches with whole wheat bread or have a lite snack never more than 200 calories. For primary meals, I retreated from fried or greasy foods that cause harm like clogged arteries. Instead, I would enjoy turkey burgers, grilled chicken, eggs, and other healthy substances. (Mainly Jenny O products). Another key for me was to eat slowly so my own body would tell me when I was full. This can keep yourself from feeling over indulged and over eating. As your day goes on make sure to keep a log that has the daily percentages of what you have consumed. This is important to do so you know you had you recommended daily amount of vitamins and other nutrients. Also remember your daily value of calories should not be over 2000. Starvation is one thing that really did not work overall because it might have made me loose the pounds but it sucked up all my energy making me malnourished which resulted in illness. (NOTE: This can cause death!)
Now has come the time to tell you about the top 3 worst "bumps in the road" I encountered since starting my weight loss journey.
1) The Sweets
These little treats may be tasty but don`t be fooled they are calorie packed sugar bombs adding fat to you in every bite. It is very hard to avoid these for instance while I was still on my diet and weight loss training I went to the beach one day not knowing that a brand new ice cream bar opened. So I checked it out and it ended with me buying a 900 calorie ice cream cone. This is an example of giving in. But what I did to over come this was buying healthy Weight Watchers ice cream bars. What I am trying to say is that there is always a healthy version of every bad food item.
2) Vacation
Fast food is an almost irresistible because it is cheap and everywhere but just because your hungry does not mean you have to eat a million calories. So what I did to over come this was pre-packing before going on a trip with foods such as healthy sandwiches and granola bars.
3) Work Without The Workout
Working is the number one cause why most people can`t loose any weight because it takes time away from you to get in your routine. Which can automatically result in you actually gaining weight. The way I avoided this was waking up early in the morning before work and taking a short walk or vise versa if you get off from work late.
So ultimately if you work out every day you can get in shape just with in a year of your resolutions. So if you have not started your mission to be fit add weight loss to your 2011 list. As for me I am doing amazing with the weight I lost.