Big loser

About this time last year, I blogged about making a firm decision to be healthier.  I had started working out at home and I had weight loss goals set.  I'm pleased and proud to look back on those posts now.  I achieved my goals and I've gained so much more than just a smaller waist line.

How I did it

The biggest step was deciding that I was no longer happy being slightly over a healthy BMI.  I wanted to be awesome: a healthy active role model for my kids.  I had specific goals in my trapeze work and any excess weight would stop me progressing.

I started looking at my food choices.  My breakfast has always been a necessity for me but I must have been having about 100g of cereal instead of a 30g serving.  I had been eating pizza baguettes or cheesy paninis for lunch out of convenience.  Lots of restaurant meals in the evenings weren't going to help.  I started making adjustments and thinking more about my choices.

All of this would have helped a bit but I wouldn't have made the progress I did without My Fitness Pal - a free website that helps you log all your food and exercise and gives you information on how many calories you should have each day to achieve your goals.  I started logging my food out of a geeky curiosity.  I like numbers.  I was shocked to find out how many calories I was consuming each day.  After a few days of logging, I started to make changes.  Weighing my morning cereal to stop my greedy tendancies.  Seeking out delicious lunch alternatives with low calorie counts. 

Once I was logging my food steadily, I started noticing progress when I found my perfect lunch solution.  Innocent veg pots .  They were on offer in Tescos and the tastiest looking one was only 217 kcal!  A hot yummy meal, with enough calories left for bready/cakey/fruity treats.  Perfect!  They became my default lunch choice.

I got used to my daily calorie limit - to the point that I found it difficult to eat more food on days when I've got a class.  I've started to plan ahead now and have a bigger lunch on those days.  When I reached my goal weight, I increased my daily calorie limit to 'maintenance levels' and that was difficult to adjust to.

Then Christmas came along and I ate what I wanted - but I didn't want to binge on chocolates and eat massive portions of food.  I had reasonable amounts of what I like and moved on.  More chocolate that I'd normally have though, so in January I switched back to 'weight loss' calorie limits for a couple of weeks.  After having all those lovely snacks and treats, it was hard to go back to my healthy measured choices but it was the perfect way to deal with a week of indulgence.

Why it was worth it

I've dropped two dress sizes and I love my new shape.  This is the size I always thought I was in my head before I faced facts.

I can do pullups now.  I have 16kg less of me to lift up.  Pullups are cool.

I'm more confident on the trapeze.  Being able to lift your own body weight means being able to get yourself out of most trapeze predicaments you may find yourself in. I'm determined to learn things I've struggled with in the past and I have a whole load of new material I can work into future routines now.  I want to keep progressing and I've learned to believe in myself and not be scared to be rubbish at doing something because I'm learning or relearning how to do it properly.  A humiliating tiny correct movement is better than an impressive big wrong one.

I'm more confident off the trapeze. Women who are dancers tend to look amazing.  They look after themselves and their appearance.  I need to do this more. 

I'm happy and pleased that I was able to set goals and find a workable plan for reaching them.  "Healthy eating and exercise" can seem so vague when you try to implement it.  I'm really happy that I found something that worked for me and I stuck at it enough for it to deliver the results I wanted.  It's a fuzzy warm sense of achievement.


Weight loss recommendations

I'd recommend that anyone who is struggling with weight loss logs their food and exercise for a week.  For me, it was the eye-opener that made all the difference.  Even if you don't want to continue logging, it will give you a realistic view of how many calories you are consuming and you may find meals you can adjust, snacks you can change or cut out.

Don't go on a diet.  Become healthier.  This should be a lifestyle change, not a fad or phase.

Don't try to go too fast.  1-2 pounds of weight loss a week is good steady sustainable progress.


It's easier to lose weight if you exercise because you are "winning" more calories you can eat that day.  Try to find opportunities to be a bit more active.  I stopped using the lifts at work.

Be kind to yourself.  A day or week of cakes, chocolate or whatever your vice is will just be that: a day, a week.  Not ideal, but not the end to your weight loss plans.  Let yourself screw up from time to time, then get back to your healthy new you.