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Everything in my being despises diets. The restrictions and resulting stress just counteract all the effort I put into trying to lose a little weight and make me miserable! My unhappiness and creeping weight gain started when I turned 40 a year and a half ago. I was in need a of a dramatic life change. I was stressed at work - on my way towards a burnout. Guilty at home for spending so much time at work. I reckon some hormonal changes were starting to take place and I just wasn’t coping. Over the next year I gained 10kgs and didn’t realise it until I stepped on a scale when I went Ziplining with my family in September. What???!!!? That can’t be right! I think your scale is broken. The scale was correct. I know myself and knew that my love of baking and carbs was at least a part of the problem and the Lockdown had been a huge contributor. No leaving the house to exercise, lots of baking to kill time and experimenting , lots of Netflix and very little moving. The crazy thing is that I do actually eat a balanced diet. We don’t eat piles of fast-food and pizza (well maybe twice a month). So I had to place the blame on the sugar and no exercise as the major contributors! I’ve always loved the outdoors and think I’m Allergic to the gym. The germophobe in me come to the fore. Yuck! Sweat on everything and that weird gym smell that every gym has. I just can’t do it. I’ve joined gyms about 4 or 5 times in the last 20 years and give up within a few months every time. I just can’t do it. But the outdoors always call my name - I think it’s so key to find what works for you and then go with it! Find a way to stick to it.
Walking is always my first go-to. Walking on the beach, walking in the mountains, walking through shopping malls if it’s raining (I also like shopping) and I think the competitive side of me just loves to see my Fitbit step count climbing for the day. But walking along wasn’t cutting it this time. My next step was intermittent fasting or IF! I downloaded the Fastic free app and the timer and advise the app gave were what I needed to get going. Basically I cut out breakfast and then only ate (still eat) during an 8 hour window. This gave me the freedom to eat whatever I wanted and not restricting my types of food - but the biggest thing that I realised was that it forced me to cut out THE SNACKING!!! The little bit here and little bit there had been my downfall!!! Walking continued and by Christmas I was down 4kgs (2 months) - it might not seem like much but by then I was feeling confident, happier and healthier. Christmas and January I managed to maintain and then in January I decided to kick my exercise up a gear and joined the Summer Squad! It’s a bootcamp that meets 3 mornings a week for an hour workout. I don’t think I’ve done this much consistent exercise since I was in High School. In the last month I have found that my weight has been consistent but my body shape is changing. Less flab and more fab! I’m feeling stronger and even with the Intermittent Fasting I feel energetic for my morning workouts. I’m slowly learning to stick with it and constantly make healthy choices, and at the same time don’t feel guilty about rewarding myself with pizza every now and then. I also decided to only bake when we have company so that there are no leftover!!! I think this is key. No bulk cooking or baking because I feel like it. I only make what we need.
**Tips that work for me:** Cut out the Sugar - especially refined sugar Cut out bread - I still have treats now and then Cut out the snacks - hallelujah!!! Keep portion sizes small - our bodies don’t need overloaded plates Keep moving I’m actually very comfortable at my current weight (by no means a string bean) and most of all IM HAPPY! Those happy hormones can only do us good if we use them to our advantage. During lockdown I was living to eat, but now I am eating to live. I’m always up to hearing your remedies and love trying new things to see what works for me. We are all so different. Celebrate your different self and love you for being you.
Originally posted here: https://hive.blog/hive-120078/@zo3d/healthy-lifestyle-vs-diet-confessions-of-a-midlife-mom
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