If you are subscribed to my YouTube channel, you may have seen my first video in several months was uploaded last week, with an introduction to my new healthier lifestyle. I then spectacularly failed at this when family visited unexpectedly and I ended up having several ‘cheat days’ in a row rather than sticking to the new plan.
I am a big believer in not beating yourself up about something like this, or dwelling on it so I enjoyed myself and the food and drink I consumed, knowing I could get back on the plan after they had gone back home. Here I am, at the start of a new week, ready to embark back onto a healthier lifestyle.
I am not going into this with the sole purpose of losing weight. I don’t believe I am classed as medically overweight based on my BMI, although I haven’t checked this in years, so I could be wrong. I also don’t tend to weigh myself much, as I prefer to judge my size on how well my clothes fit. Having said this, my clothes haven’t been fitting well for the past several months and I am finding myself feeling uncomfortable and wanting to work on my fitness levels and nutritional value of the food I am eating.
I have been feeling sluggish, bloated and generally not in the best of shape for a month or so, after a really positive start during lockdown, and I want to do something for myself, not for others. I have lost weight in the past, and toned up as well, by following a simple plan of eating healthy, smaller portions and limiting snacking, especially after 7pm, whilst allowing myself a ‘cheat’ or ‘treat’ day once a week, to avoid feeling deprived of certain food and drink entirely.
This is how I lost my baby weight after having my daughter, and it works well for me. I know it isn’t for everybody and I know the mindset of certain foods being ‘bad’ can be damaging to some people, especially those who have issues with food. I am not trained to give out health advice, I am purely sharing what I have done and plan to do again. If you are considering any kind of plan and are unsure if it will work for you, you should speak to a doctor or somebody trained in fitness and nutrition.
Fitness wise, I have been walking a lot more and I aim to workout, from home, 4-5 days a week, generally resting at the weekend (although this is when we usually go for a nice long walk, so I am still getting some exercise in). I workout for around 45 minutes to 1 hour in the morning, before having a shower and getting on with my day, and I find this really works well for me and gives me the motivation to continue making healthy choices throughout the day.
As I said, I will be having one day a week when I lift the restrictions I have put on myself, allowing myself to have whatever it is I have been craving, whether that is going for a meal out, indulging in a takeaway or having a couple of glasses of wine and a barbecue in the back garden. I know that if I don’t do this, I am more likely to cave and binge on the food I have been wanting, so it is much better for me to do it this way. I am also keeping a food and exercise diary, just jotting down what I eat throughout the day, as I do have a big issue with snacking and picking at food and not really realising how much I am eating. I also tend to snack late at night, eating chocolate, ice cream and sweets in bed, which is the worst way to do it, so I am putting a complete ban on snacks in bed to prevent this.
That’s about it really. I wanted to write a post to share what I am doing mainly to try and hold myself accountable and motivate me to keep it up. I have been trying on and off for the past few years to be healthier, to reduce the processed food I eat and to make better choices on a daily basis, so hopefully this will be the time I stick to it. It is not all about the weight loss, although I am heavier than I have been before, apart from when pregnant, it is about feeling healthier and more comfortable in my own skin.
If you have any tips, let me know. I am not into a lot of ‘health’ foods, so I am focusing on just keeping food as clean as possible, without relying on quick fixes, but I am more than happy to have support from others during this journey!
