Weight loss begins before you take your first exercise class or walk your first mile. Out with the old and in with the new. New goals. New perspective. New you!
I’m right there with you as I’m on day one of a hundred+ pound weight loss journey. Unfortunately it’s not my first time on this path, so I hope to find new strategies and accountability with you! It’s a long road, but starting off on the right foot sets yourself up for success!
These five steps to take BEFORE you begin your weight loss journey (whether it be long or short) will tilt the scales in your favor. (See what I did there? Eh? Eh?)
1. Purchase a food scale
In January of 2019 the New York Times ran an article by Jane E. Brody that examined the work of Dr. Lisa R. Young and her position on portion control’s role in diet.
Dr. Young’s emphasis is less on what you eat and more on how much you eat of any food, including those considered healthful.
Jane E. Brody ~ The New York Times
Her book is Finally Full, Finally Slim: 30 Days to Permanent Weight Loss One Portion at a Time and is available here. She has some great tips, but my biggest takeaway is the importance of the food scale. I think everyone that is truly committed to a diet would say it’s important to measure your food. But I don’t know about you… I can cram a whole lotta cheese in a quarter measuring cup. I’ve done tests and I can actually fit one and a half servings inside a measuring cup if I try hard enough. <applause> Thank you very much. Peanut butter? Two tablespoons slowly becomes closer to three and at some point you just stop trying. It’s harder to lie to a scale when you’re measuring to the gram.
Avoid the pitfall of eyeballing portions at home and get a simple food scale like this one that’s not even ten bucks.
2. Pick your diet plan carefully
I wish I could say that it was possible to drop weight just by working out a bit more. A great article from Women’s Health Magazine discusses the deficit that is needed between calories in and calories burned. The 80/20 rule is still essentially true.
The reason dieting is so much more effective than exercise is because it takes a ton of activity to create a 500 to 700 calorie deficit through working out. Essentially, you’d need to run seven to 10 miles a day to lose one pound a week, says Holly Lofton, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine and director of the weight management program at New York University’s Langone Medical Center.
Alexandria Gomez – Women’s Health Magazine
Holy smokes. I know for a fact I’m not going to be running 7-10 miles a day any time too soon. So it’s important to choose the diet plan you are going to follow carefully.
Things to consider when chooseing a diet plan:
- Lifestyle: Are you someone that enjoys eating out with friends? Are you okay with eating/cooking from a limited food list? Do you prefer cooking your own meals? There are diets out there that fit any lifestyle, but the best diet is the one that you can stick to. I lost 100 pounds on a strict low carb diet. I failed miserably when I moved closer to my circle of family and friends which brought with it more social eating and drinking and my willpower to eat low carb went out the window as Ketosis does not leave much room for “cheat days”. Weight Watchers, Paleo, Nutrisystem, Noom, Jenny Craig any of these will result in weight loss (some faster than others), but will only work long-term if you stick to it and change eating behaviors and relationship with food.
- Cost- You can download an app like MyFitnessPal for free and track your food, but you can also pay for many of the programs already listed for as little as a few dollars a month or a few hundred dollars a month for food delivery services. Pick what is sustainable within your budget.
- Sustainability- Have I said sustainability enough yet? I know that is where I made my mistake before so this time I am going with the Blue Plan with WW. I have an eating disorder and I’ve learned that being low carb just made it worse. I’m working with a doctor and a professional therapist to try to lose the weight in a healthier manner this time around. What diet plan are you considering? Comment below!
3. Take your measurements
Sometimes your wins won’t come on the scale and when you feel those tinglings of defeat have a list of measurements from day zero. HERE is a great FREE printable form from Wellness and Workouts.
4. Set mini-goals
When you have a large goal like I do (130 pounds) it is easy to get overwhelmed before you even begin. I’m already sweating a bit all over thinking about it to be honest. So, I must put on my blinders and focus on the first 5%. My 5% may be 15 pounds while yours may only be 6, but we each fight our battles in our own way, but we can fight them together (see #5).
5. Find your accountability system/partner
It’s exceedingly hard to lose weight (especially after 30). It feels downright impossible to do it alone. I have an incredibly supportive husband, but we’ve had to have very direct discussions about the kind of support I need. I don’t need someone shaming me if I eat a cookie, but I do need him to encourage activity and participate with me when he can. Your accountability partner(s) may be friends, family, a spouse, or a community board on WW or another diet platform. Or your accountability partner can be me! I need all the help I can get as this won’t be a short journey for me. What’s important is to plan for support.
Which step do you find the hardest? Which do you think is most important? Comment below!
xoxo
Jill