As a mother of two, my weight has always been an up and down affair, despite all my efforts to keep it down! I can recall being conscious of my weight from as early as 13 years old, having to wear a swimsuit at our school swimming events and not having a towel big enough to hide my embarrassment.
Since then I have just about tried and tested every diet available. For instance the 'Low Diet' - there's a variety of different diets relating to this, whether they be low in carbs or low in fat - something has to pretty much be eliminated. I've also tried the 'High Diet' - aimed at leaving you feeling naturally energized by increasing your intake of protein. Yet another to add to my list is the 'Phase Diet' - where there's a series of 'phases' to the entire diet, for example detoxing, weight loss and weight maintenance.
Yes, some of them worked well and others, well they where just impossible to follow, but at the end of the day I have come to realise that with most diets, the quicker and easier it is to lose weight, the faster it comes back to haunt you, making sure that you are even bigger than what you were to start with! Also, if the diet/eating plan is boring or hard to follow from the start, then what makes you think you'll be sticking to it ten years from now?
It has taken me all this time, but only after the birth of my second child was I able to sift through all the many diets and eating plans available and identify from each what really works and what doesn't. After combining the 'rules' which worked for me together and applying them to my life on daily basis, I discovered that they really do work wonders and can be made into an easy to follow way of life. I have been practising these rules now for the last three years and have not only managed to lose all my excess weight, but also maintain my goal weight over this period.
In fact my family and friends tell me I have a better figure now than I had before my kids were even born!
I have outlined my 6 Easy To Follow Rules below:
1. WATER, WATER, WATER!
If you are not a big fan of water then you're not going to like hearing this, but if water is not your first option, then you need to learn to make it! I used to absolutely despise even the thought of water, contemplating the idea of drinking it even when I had no other option. However, by forcing myself to drink at least 6 glasses a day, I soon got used to it and actually learned to enjoy it. I also found that I was becoming thirstier far more frequently and that water was the only solution in quenching my thirst. The reason I emphasize water is because, apart from the fact that your body needs it, I have found that if I make a point of drinking the required amount per day, I seem to shed weight a lot faster.
2. FIVE SMALL MEALS PER DAY
I'm sure, like me, you've also been brought up on the 'three meals per day' theory. Well it's been proven that our bodies run far more efficiently on 5 small meals a day. By 'small' I mean the size of your clenched fist. By eating smaller portions more frequently throughout the day, this speeds up your metabolism which yes, is what you want in order to burn that unwanted fat.
You need to space these meals 2 to 3 hours apart to gain maximum results. Schedule them into your day however best suits you, therefor making sure you choose realistic times to ensure you take the time to stop and eat them. It is very important to also remember that you must never skip a meal. Even if you are not hungry, force yourself to eat them as if you don't, your body automatically starts storing up fat!! An example of my eating times to suit my day are as follows: 6am, 9, 12, 3, and 6pm. Believe me, it will not be long before you won't be watching the time to determine your next meal as your tummy will tell you when it's due pretty much on time, every time!
3. LAST MEAL OF THE DAY
Something I picked up from an Oprah show some time ago, have applied, and have found to work wonders is to ensure that you wait 2 to 3 hours after your last meal of the day before going to bed. This allows your food to digest properly before lying in that 'horizontal position', which obviously also contributes towards the efficient running of your 'new fat burning metabolism'.
4. CARBS AND PROTEINS
I'd say that this is probably the most important of each of the 'rules' I have learned to date!!
It's a fact that a carbohydrate and protein combined in a meal work together in maximising fat burning. Therefor I make my no. 1 aim to include a carb and protein in each and every meal of the day. Of course it's also essential to include fruits, vegetables and certain fats into your diet as well, but if you apply this rule to every meal you will see results a lot faster - and by that I mean in as little as one week!
Examples of carbohydrates may include bread, tortillas, pasta, rice and natural cereals like oats, wheat or bran. On this note, one other extremely important thing to keep in mind is to ensure that you use wholegrain/brown carbs and not white!!
Examples of proteins may include meat, eggs and cottage cheese. Here, the opposite applies -the whiter the meat, the better (ie. chicken and fish).
From the examples above, with a little thought and imagination, there are a number of different meals which you can prepare without ever getting bored of the foods.
5. EXERCISE
Like the first rule, most of us hate exercising but know that it is vital in speeding up the fat burning process as well as keeping us healthy and less tired. By persevering, one actually starts enjoying their workout which results in generally feeling better, therefor driving you to continue until you feel so energized that you become addicted, not wanting to miss out on even one day! Apart from bearing in mind that the recommended time frame for each workout needs to be no more/less than 20 minutes, there are also two secrets to help maximise the amount of fat you burn during your workout.
Firstly, it is essential that you not only base your exercise routine on just cardio workouts, but alternate your days with muscle toning as well. How I structure my week is by making Monday, Wednesday and Fridays cardio workouts, and then following through with muscle toning on the alternative days.
Secondly, if your cardio workout is going to include running, the most beneficial results will be evident if you break up your 20 minutes into 4 sets of 5 minutes.
In the first quarter you need to walk for 4 minutes (increasing your speed every minute of your entire 20 minute workout) and then run for 1 minute.
In the second quarter, walk for 3 minutes and run for 2 minutes.
In the third quarter, walk for 2 minutes and run for 3 minutes.
And then finally in the last quarter, walk for 1 minute and end off by running the last 4 minutes. It sounds complicated at first but within no time will require very little thinking.
When applying this '4 sets of 5 min' secret to my cardio workout I saw far better results literally over night.
6. DAY OF REST
I have saved the best rule for last. It is essential for both your body and mind that you allocate one day a week (whichever day suits you best) as a 'cheat' day! That's right, by this I mean you do not exercise and allow yourself to eat whatever and however much you want!! You may be thinking "well this just cancels out all my hard work". No, in fact not only does your body need this day off to physically rest, but by this stage your body will be in a 6 day per week fat burning routine. Therefor by 'pigging out' just one day a week, your metabolism overlooks this day and burns up all of this excess food within no time. I need to stress too that these cheat days are also important in keeping you mentally sane! By allocating this day every week to eating as you please, you are not only satisfying your past weeks cravings, but are also subconsciously sending your body a clear message that you are not depriving it of anything, which assists you in making this a way of life.
Well there it is. No frills or waste of time and money diets. Just 20 years of tried and tested dieting tips from my past experience, summarised into 6 easy to follow rules, which if applied simultaneously, will not only save you time and money, but results will be evident within your first week!
I have attached the links a few of the books I have read over the years which I highly recommend. They cover other great tips towards achieving even quicker long term results.
I sincerely hope this helps you in achieving your ultimate dream weight!
Good luck and please feel free to keep me posted - I would love to hear back from you with any feedback you may have.
