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How to lose weight for beginners!⬇️
10 Easy Habits That Helped Me To Completely Change My Life
I’m going to be honest, it takes a lot of effort to lose 100 pounds. Regardless of what some people might say or what you might read, there is no shortcut or easy, magical way to lose a lot of weight. Large weight loss takes effort, perseverance, self-reflection, and a change of habits. To be honest, for the longest time, I didn’t want to do any of those things. And I didn’t believe that I could. I had this idea that I wasn’t capable, that I was unworthy, and that a healthy lifestyle wasn’t for people “like me”. It took a lot of self-reflection to finally change that narrative that I had, and reach a point where I was able to love myself enough to work on myself.
When I finally told myself, that enough was enough, and that I deserved all my goals and dreams, I realized that I needed to make some serious changes in my life! I eventually realized that the reason I hadn’t been able to lose weight (and keep it off) was that I hadn’t been willing to change some of my core habits. Or more honestly, I was scared to make some huge changes. Change can be scary. I mean, what if I didn’t like who I became? But, thankfully, I decided that working towards the highest version of myself could only work out in my favor.
When I paused and did some serious self-reflection I was able to identify which of my core habits I needed to change in order to achieve my goals. I committed to making little tweaks here and there, and I focused only on the positive aspects of my journey! When I decided that I was worth it and committed to making my mind, body, and spirit healthy, I was able to lose over 100 pounds. And I’ve maintained that 100-pound weight loss years later!
Keep in mind while reading this post that these are things that worked for me! They may not necessarily work for everyone. However, I do recommend giving everything a try, it might just change your life!
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10 Habits That Helped Me Lose 100 Pounds:
Drink at least a 1/2 gallon of water daily.
One of the best things you can do to help yourself lose weight and maintain weight loss is to significantly increase your water intake. There are lots of different ways to drink more water. Remember that tea and coffee also count as water intake. The myth that tea and coffee lead to dehydration has long since been debunked. Another easy way to drink more water is to carry a water bottle with you throughout your day. Or to set phone alarms to remind yourself when to take a sip (or chug lol).
Increase Your Body Movement.
Most experts agree that the average person should be burning about 200-300 calories due to body movement daily. I know this sounds like a lot, but it is absolutely doable! For example, walking at a brisk pace is a great way to exercise. Especially if you don’t have the time to do a full aerobic or strength training workout. Something as simple as a 20-minute walk on your lunch break, or a short but fast 15-minute walk before dinner can really make a difference in helping you reach your health goals.
Early in my weight loss, most days I did a walk with my dog plus a workout. And over time, this just led to a habit of walking daily. Those daily walks turned into light jogs and eventually led to me running my first half-marathon less than two years later. I can’t stress enough how walking is a great gateway to a fitness lifestyle!
Don’t eat after 8 pm.
If you’re wondering which habit is the easiest to adopt, this habit is it. Challenge yourself to stop eating before 8 pm, and then don’t resume eating until the morning time. Most often, calories eaten after 8 pm are calories we do not need. So ditch the late-night snack!
Regularly practice intermittent fasting.
I’ve mentioned in this a few times that I am a huge fan of intermittent fasting. I truly credit this style of eating for completely changing my relationship with food and for helping me to lose a large amount of weight.
Intermittent Fasting cycles between periods of planned eating and fasting. The most common method is the 16:8. The 16:8 method requires fasting for 16 hours (half of these are sleeping hours) and eating during an 8-hour window. Intermittent fasting works because you are never restricting what you can eat, simply when you can eat. And the reason it works for weight loss is because short-term fasting has been shown to increase your metabolic rate which will have you moving quickly towards your goals!
I still regularly practice intermittent fasting as a means of maintaining my weight loss. Generally, I intermittent fast 3-4 days a week. I like the freedom of not having to restrict what I eat, as I enjoy eating food. For me personally, I’d rather have to only worry about when I’m eating. It just feels more manageable. And I’ve been able to comfortably eat this way for a long period of time.
Body Movement 4-5 times a week.
People don’t like to hear that body movement is an important part of losing and maintaining weight loss. But the truth is, exercising 4-5 times a week is the number one factor in my weight loss. I would never have been able to lose 100 pounds naturally if it hadn’t been for home fitness programs and training for my 10km race and half-marathon. Nutrition alone may help you to lose a significant amount of weight but if you truly want to be heart-healthy, and keep the weight off then you need to be regularly moving your body. Here are some of my favorite home fitness programs that I’ve tried:
- 80 Day Obsession
- P90X
- 21 Day Fix
- Transform: 20
- Barre Blend
- 9 Week Control Freak
- Liift4
Healthy Snack First.
Emotional eating is by far my biggest struggle when it comes to maintaining my weight loss. Thankfully, I’ve come up with little tricks over the past couple of years to help in this area! But the easiest trick is to allow yourself to indulge in a treat only after you have eaten a healthy snack first. Nine times out of ten I get full from my healthy snack and abandon my desire for the treat. It works because you don’t feel like you’re depriving yourself of anything, you’re simply telling yourself that you can eat it later. A delay of gratification is another way of practicing and strengthening your willpower which will make food choices easier over time.
Plant-based Foods.
I’ve been eating a plant-based diet for 7 years now. For me, this means I avoid consuming meat and eggs, and I eat very limited amounts of cow dairy. Instead, I eat tons of legumes, beans, tofu, tempeh, lentils, plant-based dairy, nuts, etc. Personally, my body has reacted extremely well to a plant-based diet. I’ve been able to reach and maintain my health goals, and my body feels really healthy and energetic most of the time!
Eating plant-based also addressed a few health issues I was previously having (like IBS, heartburn, and really uncomfortable bloating) and I no longer deal with those issues.
A plant-based diet isn’t for everyone, I totally understand that. But I absolutely have to mention it on a list of habits that changed my life.
Want to give it a try?
An easy way to dip your toes into this style of clean eating is to adopt Meatless Monday. Challenge yourself to try new recipes, vegetables, legumes, fruits, etc to fill yourself up!
Reduce or eliminate alcohol.
I talk about not drinking your calories in another post but I’m going to take it one step further and suggest reducing your alcohol intake. During 2018, I committed to drinking little to no alcohol and it is unbelievable the difference it played in my health. Considering even a light beer is still almost 100 calories, even a couple of drinks adds up really quickly. And if you’re drinking mixed beverages, then you’re looking at some serious calories!
One of the easiest ways to make an immediate difference in your health is to look at your alcohol consumption.
Nowadays, I allow myself to have the occasional drink each month. However, I still commit to keeping my alcohol intake low. Overall, I’ve noticed a huge difference in my skin complexion and less bloating! Those are two great reasons that help me stay away from overindulging in alcohol.
Embrace natural sugars.
Personally, eliminating sugar from my diet is just not realistic! I’ve tried many times and have failed miserably. I now believe that sugar has a place in my healthy lifestyle. The key for me was changing what type of sugars I was consuming. When I started to substitute white, processed sugars for more natural sugars like honey, maple syrup, agave, etc, it completely changed my health journey! Even though I was still eating sugar, I wasn’t gaining weight like I was in the past. Now, I’m not saying go overboard on the sugar because it’s from a natural source, but you can consume it more confidently!
When I’m craving sugar, I try to eat fruit first. Fruit is a great natural sugar. Personally, oftentimes an apple with some peanut butter will satisfy an initial sugar craving. And like I said above, eating a healthy snack first makes you less likely to have an unhealthy snack later.
Practice daily self-care.
Strangely enough, it wasn’t until I had embraced my body for what it was (at my initial 249 pounds) that I was able to move significantly towards my health goals and lose 100 pounds. I had spent decades hating my body. I was always looking at myself and seeing everything I wasn’t. But the day I chose to accept my body for what it was, and what it could do (my body birthed twins for crying out loud!) I felt a complete shift. All of a sudden, I felt confident enough to try a fitness program. It didn’t matter how overweight I was, I knew my body could do hard things.
From then on, I’ve treated my body with much more respect. I practice daily self-care, and I take care of my body inside and out. It’s true what they say, love your body and your body will love you back.
It’s time to adopt a healthy lifestyle you actually enjoy and hit your weight loss goals. Click here to learn more or visit my Instagram to connect.
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Want another perspective? Check out my brother who lost 90 pounds and his journey!
- The Unique Differences Between Healthy Active Living And Weight Loss - 12/07/2022
- Why You Need To Develop Body Intuition - 04/05/2022
- Life Update: 100 Pound Weight Loss 4-Years Later - 31/01/2022
I loved your story. I am also a mom of twins they will be 10 in a few Days and I Feel ashamed that i am still fat. I weigh 275 lbs and would love to lose just the 75!! I am pretty tall 5’9’ and id be completely comfortable with that. I am an emo eater and have teied every diet And have failed every one. I am going to take what ive read tonight and apply it to my life. Ive always want to rat a plant based diet but i abs hate to cook. MosTly the time it takes tomprepare a meal for my family then vlean it all up. Im inspired. Thank you
I’m so happy you found my posts useful. You can totally do this!
Hi im 80kg and im desperate to lose some weight i have started walking and planning to be more positivé god bless you
You can do it!! You are so worthy of doing this for yourself. Believe in yourself and never stop moving forward! Best wishes for your journey!
Why would you feel ashamed? You have fought for life and won! You have beautiful children. Your body is doing what it does normally. It has only been in recent history (since corsets) that size matters! It is crazy that women feel peer pressure to look a certain way. Or tgat we are told we can only be happy if we weigh in a certain range.
I Weigh over 220IlbS Your story is very insPiring. I too have Twins And a 2 year olD. I just want to sto enotional eating And get back to me. Im also a full time school student. So thanks for sharing your story.
MY biggest issue is overabundance of what I eat. I eat well, just too much! Thank you for sharing your story and recommendations. I think it is super important in today’s society to show other woman…that they can do it too! Many BLESSINGS!
you can do it girl! I believe! thank you for reading 🙂
I loved your article! You didnt sugar it up saying how the weight just fell off. My largest struggle by far is my job! I drive across the country delivering travel trailers. Eating on the road can be a nightmare.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting! Eating while traveling is hard, for sure! As best you can, try to add veggies to every meal, if you can make half your meal veggies, even better. Adding vegetables to most meals will make a big difference to your health journey 🙂
I lost 65 lbs last year (over half-way to my goal of 100!) and am finding myself slipping back into old habits. thanks for the kick I needed to help get back on board. I am adopting the healthy snack first idea, along with the no eating after 8 idea to try as well. Thank you for your story, it was very motivating 🙂
Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate it so much 🙂 Best wishes for your journey!
I like your amazin story, i dont know how you did that, but you Are looking amazin!!
I need to loss 40 Pounds, but i really cant start, I do not ho To stop to eat desserts.
thank you so much for reading 🙂
You can do it! All you need to do is follow a plan and trust the process, yes it might take a while, but you will get there! Believe girl!
Hello I’m 260 lbs and 5’7″ I e been fluctuating with my weight for the past 3 years I’ll lose 20lbs and gain it back after a few months. Hearing your story has inspired me to try these methods and love myself a bit more. Thank you for sharing your story.
You can do it! When you love yourself, you treat yourself differently. When I eat, I think about all the healthy and nourishing things I am giving my body rather than when I used to diet where I would focus on what I wasn’t eating and restriction. When I exercise, I think of how I like feeling strong and how good I feel about myself after because I accomplished something hard. When I think like that exercise doesn’t feel like a chore, it feels like a gift. When I love myself I take care of my mental health. When it all comes together at the same time, real and lasting weight loss happens.
Go for it girl! I believe in you.
❤️❤️❤️ I’m a mom of twins, and plant based, too! I love what you said about self care.
thank you! and thank you so much for reading 🙂
Hi,
I am Ayesha
I am really really impressed by your journey
I am 20 years old but my weight is 80
I need some suggestions and also much much motivation
Is 30 to 45 walk two times a day helps in weight loss 4 to 5 Kgs in a month???
Hi Ayesha! Thanks for reading! To be honest, 4-5kgs in one month is a lot to lose in a healthy way but over two months I think is very realistic. Walking at a brisk pace for 45 minutes plus some strength training (using 3-5kg weights) and I think you’ll notice a big difference in your health 🙂
I think your fitness tips sound great! Something important to me is having my workouts planned out in advance! My gym really helps with that!
I LOVED this! you are amazing!
I would love to Receive your newsletter.
Tracey
Thank you so much for reading Tracey! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Hi. I am so proud of your willpower and can sym with the emot eating as i am guilty of that.
thank you so much for reading <3
You look fantastic!! I became ill 7 1/2 years ago with chronic pain and I gained 75 pounds. My problem is they still don’t have my pain under control to where I can exercise and be able to get out of bed the next day. You, however, have inspired me to try some new things to drop the weight. I would love to get your newsletter! Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us!
I love your weightlOss story. It has made me love my body in the here and now, and take more pride in how I look and feel.
I noticed an error and wanted to point it out. You are incorrect in saying that coffee does not cause dehydration. There are two beverages that trick your body into thinking that you are well hydrated when you may not be, and that is alcoHol and caffEine. These beverages kind of literally open the fLood gates in your kidneys, allowing water to be released unnecessarily. Specifically is causes the hormone ADH to be released, which acts on the collecting ducts in the nephron that sends Aquaporins to open up to release water to the bladder. This same mechanism is similar when someone is well hydrated.
I am just beGinning my weight loss journey – five children, five stone to lose!!! I found your story really inspiring, thank you for your tips, i will definitely be using them. From your photos it looks as though you lost weight without lots of excess skin too, which gives me hope!
Always have hope! You can do it!
I’m 56 kg (about 123 lbs) and have been kinda sorta maintaining, even though my natural set point is just 59 kg (that’s when I eat intuitively). I want to first get down to 55 which is easy, but 50 (110) is a challenge. For some reference I’m like 168-169 cm (5’6″ I think). I feel more confident in my body after losing weight but I can also feel my brain starting to shut down (some would call it brain fog) :/
GReat tips! I follow many of these as middle age has creapt up and created its own set of WEIGHT-LOSS challenges. IntermittenT fasting, walking my dog and the gym (pre covid) aRe wHat Have really saved me from packing on the poUnds during This phase Of my life. I love sugar, Coke zero and any baked good, so telling myself i can bake and eat treaTs oN the weekend had hElped. As you Said, saying ‘later’ not ‘never’ is a huge help To curb cravings. I will say one other tiP thaT hElps is, watCh what you are drinking. I drink a ton Of crystal LiGht, and if i’m drinKing lemonAde i am less likely to want chOcolate, whereas if i’m drinKiNg my onCe a day coke zero, i will Not only eat Until my driNk is finished, but i crave more sugar whIle drinKing it.
Thanks so much for reading! And best wishes for your health journey!
Thank you for this post! It’s motivated me to keep doing what i’m doing and tO keep pushing myself to be more active. Ive been doing intermittent fasting and walking/hiking at least 10 miles a week since May 2020 and have lost 25 pounds so far. I stopped drinking alcohol and have Been eating mostly plant-based for the past month. It’s been a little harder than i thought it wOuld be to cut meat and White sugar, bUt i can tell a difference already. Just needed that nudge to keep on. Now to find an exercise program that i enjoy – that’s what has been most difficult for me.
Do you think this would work for someone over 50 struggling with the up and down diet roller coaster and weight for years?? If so, how do I contact you for training?
I loved your story… i would love to receive news letters from you, i have diabetes and have sucH a hard time followIng a program cause i
cOok for my family and
for myself so i cook two meals. Thanks for sharIng.
Hi Tammy! Thank you so much for reading! I will sign you up for my newsletter 🙂
Hi. I just read all your tips. Im REALLY wanTing to lose 50-60 poundS. Im just getting started.
I have faith in you! Focus on the lifestyle and you will reach your goals!
Love this! I drink a gallon of water a day and eat healthy most of the time. Because of seizures, I’m not allowed to drive so I walk everywhere. I try to do between 3-6 miles a day. But when I’m super stressed I go to wine and ice cream. I’m fasting wine for a month. So hard. And I’m trying to find recipes for healthy ice cream to help with those cravings. I started all this in January and haven’t lost anything while some people loose just by cutting out SODA. Maybe stress plays into it???
Stress absolutely plays a role. But if possible, I would try mixing up your fitness, maybe add in a little strength training? Your body may have adjusted to the 3-6 miles and needs things shaken up. Also, I always recommend seeing your health care provider when you’re starting a weight loss journey, its always good to know if there might be anything that could make the journey a little more challenging. I also recommend bringing some meditation into your world if you haven’t already. While meditation doesn’t make stress go away, it changes how my body and mind react to stress. Just 5 minutes a few times a week goes a long way 🙂
Wow! Your journey is TRULY INSPIRING! I’ve recently choice to put myself first and embark on the wonderfuL weight loss journey. My PERSONAL goal is also 100 pounds. thank you for showing us that the climb is possible!
SO happy to hear that you’re putting yourself first! It is life-changing! Keep your eyes forward, never look back and you will get to where you want to be 🙂
Shannon!! Reading your post almost brought me to tears because I’ve been struggling so much! I’m from trinidad but I lived france for 2 years and lost almost 60lbs there. I was so confident and happy. i moved back home about 6 years ago and in that time, gained 103lbs. i had a baby, battled postpartum depression and then the pandemic hit. this year, I lost my aunt (who i was very close to, to AML) and shortly after, my family and I fought for our lives after testing positive for coronavirus. I work form home and barely leave the house, because every time I get dressed, I’m disgusted with my body and the fact that my clothes look weird and my hair is falling out. I woke up this morning so discouraged but i decided to go to pinterest and look for (the 100th time) for weight loss tips. I typed in “How to lose 100 pounds in a year (it felt realistic enough) and there were many results but something led me to click your image, which led me here. By the time i got to the end and wrote every step on 10 post-its for my mirror, I was in tears. I am so Encouraged!!! my birthday was exactly one month ago this date is perfect for me to start because on my birthday next year, i get to look back at my progress and it is definitely something to look forward to. I trust your advice because I’m starting at the same weight you started and though I know our bodies and lives are different, I know for certain that your story is one i can definitely relate to. Thank you for this and for putting a joy in my heart to finally do this! God bless you.
Hi Kia! Thank you so much for reading! Oh my goodness, it sounds like it’s been beyond a tough year for you and your family. The fact that you’ve made it through all that shows just how strong you are. Girl, you need to believe in your strength. You survived so much so that you can LIVE. So believe in yourself, and go for it! If I can do it, so can you, 100%. I just put one foot in front of the other each day and vowed to never, ever stop no matter what. You can do that too, I believe in you!
I am so proud of you. What a wonderful story. I found it my first day if the rest if my lIfe. My journey if lIfe change began 1-1-2022. I feel as though finding your story is an Omen. We Have the same beginning weight. I am wanting to lise 65 pounds. Thank you for being so courageous.
Thank you so much for reading and for your kind words! Best wishes for your journey, you can absolutely do it!
Just discoVered yOur blog and podcasT on PINTEREST. Your philosophy on weight loss and loving yourself where your at speaks to me.
Thank you so much for reading my blog and listening to my podcast! I’m so happy it resonates with you <3
You are an insPiration!
I have 100lbs to lose too. I have always ate RELATIVELY healthy, just too much, couldnt figure out why i wasnt losig weight though. It never OCCURRED to me that it was possible to over eat healthy meals too. It seems too, that people who lose large amounts of weight permanently do it by gradually making small changes that they can live with forever. So many doet plans are all or nothing and we basically jump into the deep end without learning how to swim first, thinking thats going to get us to the goal. But thats not the case!
I hesitated to comment because i feel like every tIme i have ever tried somethinG, i go right back to my old habits of carbs and sugar. I have 4 little ones 11 down to 3. I have not been able to lose the weight i put on from my 11 year old and that just built up on me. We are on a budget in our home and i have homeschooled since the pandemic started. I am the Heaviest i have ever Been in my life and i hate the way i look. I emotional eat but i also just love food in general. I realized just the other day that i sImply just eat because it gives me pleasure. Its so hard for me because everyone in my Family loves my baking and comfort food but then i eat it too. I listened to your podcast and Thought it was very inspiriNg. But again, i lack motivation and am just so discouraged because every time i staRt, i get bored and go back to my old ways. Thanks foR the tips. I hope i can start and try to shed these pounds that cause me to lack so much self esteeM.
I like your amazin story, i dont know how you did that, but you Are looking amazin!!