Health Moments | Losing Weight 10 Simple Tips

Hi guys,

It's been a while since I've written anything here, so I was thinking today about what I could write about, and I decided to write about something that's really relevant to me right now, and that's losing weight.

For a while now I've been gaining weight, yo-yo dieting and generally feeling unhappy about how I look. When I was 17 I was a UK size 6-8, and at 5'2 that was my ideal weight/size. I was happy with the size I was. However, it didn't stay that way.

When I was 16 I was diagnosed with an illness called Postural Orthistatic Tachycardia Syndrome, and very quickly I went from being an active person, walking to and from college five days a week, to not being able to stand up without collapsing to the floor.

I got into treatment, and now my condition is controlled. I still collapse, a lot. I still have symptoms every day. I get tired easily, I get headaches, chest pain, dizzy spells, and collapse without any warning several times each week. However, I now have some good days as well. I can have a whole day when I don't collapse, it's just a really unpredictable illness. I may even write a blog post about it someday.

Long story short, though, is that since my diagnosis I started getting way less active. My heart rate goes fast, I get tired and I just stopped doing really any exercise, even though my doctors told me I should try and do some each week.

I started gaining weight, eating more junk food, and before I knew it, I'm now 22 and weighing in at 13st 3lbs (185lbs). I was wearing a size 16 and I was not happy at all with how I looked.

In the past, I've dipped in and out of different diets, but I always end up giving up pretty quickly. Back at the start of September, I decided that I wasn't going to keep on giving up. I was going to do it this time.

I started off by challenging myself to doing 30 Days of Fitness. For the whole of September I was going to eat better, drink more water and do more exercise. I stuck to my calorie goal everyday. I exercised as much as my health allowed me to. Then when the month was nearing an end, to stop myself from losing motivation, I joined weight watchers with my mum and sister.

Since the beginning of September, I've gone from 13st 3 lbs (185lbs) to 12st 1.5lbs (169.5lbs). I've lost 15.5lbs in less than two months! I've dropped a dress size, and I'm excited to keep going. 

So, I wanted to share what I've been doing, because dieting and losing weight can be confusing. Trying to work out what you should be doing, or what diet to follow can be tough, so I just wanted to share what's worked for me, because it really is simple.

Images from freedigitalphotos.net

1. Track what you eat (I use My Fitness Pal)
2. Make smart choices (eat healthier, brown rice instead of white, whole wheat pasta instead of white, lean cuts of meat).
3. Be aware of portion sizes! Don't guess, weigh what you eat and track it.
4. Don't go over your calorie allowance, but don't under eat either.
5. Snack less, and if you do need to snack, pick lower calorie options, or halve the portion size of something higher in calories. Really need a chocolate fix? Cut the bar in half, or better still, quarter it.
6. Move more. Try taking the stairs instead of the lift. Park further away from your destination. Jog on the spot during TV adverts.
7. Try and fit in a few workouts a week. (When my health allows, I try and do 3-4 30 minute workouts each week).
8. Weigh yourself each week. Whether you join a slimming club (like I have with weight watchers) or you're doing it alone. Weigh yourself in each week, and keep a check on it. On My Fitness Pal you can log your weight each week.
9. Reward yourself. Set goals and when you meet them, reward yourself. For every pound I lose, I save a pound in the bank. When I hit goal weight, I'm treating myself to a dress from ModCloth.
10. Lose with a friend. Having someone on the journey with you is great motivation. So don't do it alone, lose with a friend or family member, or connect with people trying to accomplish what you're trying to accomplish.

It's all simple stuff, but it's what's been working for me. I'm currently following the Healthy and Filling plan at weight watchers, and at the same time I track my calories so that I don't overdo the portion sizes, and it's working for me.

I'm not feeling hungry, I don't feel like I'm dieting, and I'm losing the weight at a good and healthy pace.

So there you have it, that's what I'm doing to lose weight. My goal is to get to 8st (112lbs) and back into a size 8. I have a long way to go, but I'm excited about getting there.