Bad Habits for weight loss

To ensure that I do not go back entirely to the bad habits that make me to gain even more weight, I’m not perfect. I watch for the following:

1.     Drinks

I do not drink aimlessly now, actually I ensure that I save my calories for foods that will sustain me for longer. For example when I have my lunch I do not take juice or fizzy drink but instead water and I know for a 250 ml orange juice, I have saved about 111 calories and this is a commercial juice and not home-made. So I rather eat a full orange (45 calories) than its counterpart commercial juice. I enjoy taking coffee for its effects on me, it gives me more energy you know, that pick me up thing when feeling down and out without the added sugar "wink" because I take it with only a teaspoon of honey and sometimes a little milk just a little.

2.     Portion size

I'm so bad when it comes to portions, you know I will dish for myself and come back again and adjust the size of the starch so much that I have a kitchen scale for weighing my food because my eye cannot correspond with my hand, I know in my head the portion but my hand does not and my mouth does not, also my stomach does not so a scale works for me. I also used a smallest mug in the house before buying the scale that's just how bad in this I was but I found a way. Most of the time within a few weeks my hand adapts to the size and the stomach has to have what's there. If someone dishes for me I tell them what exactly to be on my plate or I will eat the whole thing eish what they taught me though is not good at all "finish your food!" 

3.     Limit processed foods

I cut back on processed foods like, slash! And eat them only on my cheat days, with time I have noticed I am not that into most processed foods. I think I forget about most of the processed foods I used to eat such as sweet, bubble gum, chips etc. But sometimes the craving hits in, like really hard especially for them chips whuuu lah-lah…

4. Weigh yourself

Do not be scared to weigh yourself especially if you know you have fallen off from the wagon, to give yourself a wakeup call I most definitely need that wakeup call all the time when I slack and the scale always freaks me out. And I over joy when I know I have been stuffing myself and not even exercising and found the scale exactly where it was when I last weighed myself. I even take the battery out and reset just in case I’m fooling myself and then take off where I have left and just pat myself at the back and say it was not bad at all after all what you were doing it’s only that I am more aware and alert of my eating habits and somehow exaggerate a little in my head.

5. The company I keep

Surround yourself with what motivates you on your journey. If you keep a company of emotional eaters soon you will eat like them and definitely be big like them, keep away from such they will even demotivate you right at your face and say “you are so obsessed about your weight you know” just enjoy life. How do you enjoy life when you cannot even run after your kids and have fun? Hooo let me leave it right here, gosh!!!…

6. Exercising

Yes, exercising! Whuuu I stop only for a week and then it’s so difficult to start again. I jog when I really want to kill it and when I have stopped jogging by some life things, you know. With exercise there is just something that distract me, ohhh season! You know when the season change I catch some flu and fever and then I have to slow down and stop entirely exercising until I’m good again and then I cannot because the laziness hit hard and, and, and. I purposely walk very fast on my way to work when I realise it’s so difficult to start where I have left of until I get my courage and strength phew. I promise you it is not easy, it takes a lot of determination and discipline whuuu…. I salute all the fitness babes out there, you do your thing hands up.

That’s what keeps me from finding myself appearing on TLC channel from that show “Over 600 pounds body” something like that… Sometimes I stand up while watching it and weigh myself and run on one spot just to make sure I am not as big in such a way that I am a risk to my own body. Advice from a big woman hahahaaa….

7. And lastly my Morning Routine, I mean THE JUST FOUND MORNING ROUTINE… the story for another day…

How to stop eating junk food?

When I started working I took it into my heart that I had to pay myself back and that was achieved through food, snacks anything that I can put in my mouth and somehow convinced is thee thing. In my mind having a slab of chocolate all the time in my bag was heaven together with bubble gum, not just one but a packet of them and will just pop at any time and chew away my hard work. as time goes on I noticed my teeth were sensitive especially after chewing the bubble gum. When my teeth became sensitive, I told myself I need to control the gum chewing habit as it became worse even when chewing my teeth will be aching.

Diet

Choose a diet that is strict and encourages you to eat more vegetables, more protein and more fruits but less starch and nothing processed for a specific period. That will encourages you as it will give quick results and encourages you to keep up the good work and therefore make it easy to keep eating clean and staying clear of junk food.

Make it difficult for you to have it

 I started by not having chocolate or gum at my arms rich, I only bought when I want them and only buy one at a time, it was not easy but I had to or I was going to lead an uncomfortable life of sensitive teeth that made it even difficult for me to laugh. My teeth were sensitive towards air that comes inside my mouth when I laugh or talk. before I know it I was lazy to just stand up and go to buy chewing gum as it was the one I had more challenge stopping eating it, bit by bit I stopped buying it. I only buy cinnamon chewing gum from Stimorol only if I am in a trip that is more than three hours away to my destination. why? I enjoy it but I cannot chew for long now because  my jaws get tired and when the sweetness is no more I throw it away but the cinnamon ones somehow they are sweet the longest.

I used the same strategy for the chocolate as well when I noticed that my weight was just increasing no matter what and soon found out that my pay me back method was firing back at me at a very unhealthy way. With chocolate because it comes at so many different varieties I had to ask myself which form I love the most and that will be the form I can have at least once a month or maybe once a week without feeling like I am putting my health at risk. So my favorite form of chocolate is moist gooey chocolate cake or muffin or cupcake let me say the combination of flour, sugar, butter and cocoa oh very nice. The cake must be really good or what ever combination must be really great or I will not fatten myself with some not so good dry cake and worst cheap ingredients. If the cake is not good I just taste and leave it, it's not worth it hahahaaaa... this works for me and I keep it that way.

Keep healthy snacks at hand

I try to have something healthy in my bag and it varies from season to season, now I am busy with loosing weight and then a snack that I eat or keep in my pocket is my kola nut. This thing takes away my cravings like a miracle and I like the bitterly after taste because it keeps me busy for a long time trying to get rid of the taste and it also curbs my appetite. I take this only if I feel like my cravings are everywhere, I feel like having chocolate before I know it, I feel like having chicken wings then I know this girl is about to binge! and take out my kola nut and chew vwa-lah craving gone!

                                                    Kola nut
Drink thy waters!

Since I started long time ago to start with 1 liters of water as the first thing I do when I wake up, I do not suffer from headaches anymore. Water is life to our bodies and also noticed that my choices of food changed, I think maybe is from knowing that I started by flushing my system with clean water so I cannot pollute it now for example I cannot start my day with a sweet, after drinking my water no, no, no, no at least in the afternoon not in the morning. I can say I am more aware of my body and listening to it and in general thinking for it you know and again not to go back to my old habits hey. I do not drink fizzy drinks as much as I used to I can go the whole month without even taking a sip but I still do sometimes, I've gotta "live" hahahaaaa.

Ohh I keep a food journal...

I keep a food journal when I start going back to my old ways, so is like you will pay big time you silly so start with that journal that you do not like. The moment I start the food journal also my counting calorie knowledge kicks in and start to be on healthy food track again. It's not easy to cut junk food, I need to lean on, time and again and when it feels like chaos I cry to my Helper to assist. I totally depend on God for everything I do, sometimes I start alone 'being human" and quickly remember when I just cannot do it that I am alone in this route and ask the Almighty to lead me and everything falls into place again. The weight challenge is a journey for me that I need not to travel alone because I just cannot, I just lose it when I do it alone.

I prepare meals...

As a mother I buy grocery and prepare food so most of the grocery list is more on the healthy side without boring everyone in the house and also sticking to the budget.

Limit going to restaurants or buying take away

When I go to the restaurant I make sure it's worth it and I enjoy myself so instead of saying choose your food wisely, what works for me is I choose the food that I  have been craving, that I love and enjoy the most even if is the worst dish ever. Because I felt if I am in a deprivation mode is difficult for me to wean myself from junk food but when I know is available to me only at the certain time I get the satisfaction and I can hold on until the next time and before I know it is not my go to food anymore and I do not know why it happens like that.

Do not try to do everything all at once do it step by step and start with the easiest for you, for me it was drinking water first thing in the morning and then I incorporated the other steps as I continue. I am not at my best but I am better than 6 months ago.