Getting it off and keeping it off!

The funny thing about losing weight is that losing weight is the easy part compared with keeping the weight off and maintaining your healthy weight.  Trust me, I'm an experienced yo-yo dieter.

Once you start dieting and exercising and really getting into the groove of it, the weight will come off.  You have to be diligent and patient; it took a long time to gain the weight so it stands to reason that it will take a long time to come off.

It will come off, though.  Before you know it, you're a few clothing sizes smaller and it's time to go shopping.  Does this mean you can abandon your diet?  Stop exercising?  I'm afraid not. This may seem like common sense, but trust me, there are people out there who think that once they reach their goal weight, they can go back to their old habits. 

Maintaining a healthy weight means you have to change your lifestyle.  You may have to give up things you like but you can in turn develop new, healthier habits and start being more active which can be very rewarding.  I took up running which I now love.  I also hauled out my bicycle last spring which hadn't seen daylight in a shameful amount of time and instead of taking taxis to the next town over when I needed to go there, I cycled

You don't have to do those things; simply going for a walk a few times a week will be enough to get you started.  Once you get outside, it's hard to go back in.  Give it a try.  If you're interested in running, check your area for local runs, like charity runs or fun runs and sign up.  It will give you something to train for.

With regard to food, you can have a treat every once in a while; it won't do you any good to deny yourself something you really want if you're just going to be miserable.  If you want something, have it.  Just watch your portions.  After I had been dieting for about 5 or 6 months, I really wanted fish and chips one night, so I ordered it at a restaurant.  I LOVE fish and chips; it was always one of my favourite things to eat.  That night, however, I couldn't finish it.  It was suddenly too greasy for me and I instantly regretted ordering it.  You'll find that this might happen with you as well; something you loved may not taste as nice when you get used to eating healthy food.

I hope this has been helpful.  Feel free to email me if you have specific questions.

The Hard Way

I'm a woman in her 30s trying to lose weight. I think those of you in my position will agree that this is no easy task.

I've never been thin, but I was ok until I got married and let myself go!

I've tried many diets and I have to say that the one I like the best and the one I am sticking to (for the most part) is Weight Watchers. I say "for the most part" because I don't rigidly count points anymore. After a couple of years of doing it, I know how many points I can take in daily.

Anyway, I've started losing weight and have gone down a couple of sizes in clothes. When people ask me what I'm doing or what my secret is, I tell them I'm doing it "the hard way". I tell them I am eating less and exercising; I do three days a week at the gym and most weekends I am on my Wii Fit. Their faces fall and they say that they don't have time for that.

It seems everyone wants a quick way to lose weight. There certainly are quick ways; I know that firsthand; the problem with those diets is that you put the weight back on just as quickly as you lost it.

The best way is the hard way. Watch what you eat and get active! I currently have software that I use to track what I eat and how much I've exercised. It's very comprehensive and it tells me how many calories I'm eating as opposed to how much I'm burning. I'm proud to say that currently I burn more than I eat! I will weigh and measure myself this weekend to see how I've done for the week - the software tracks all of that as well.

I'll be updating this blog as often as I can. I'll be talking about challenges I face and how I've overcome them and I won't always talk about trying to lose weight!

Stay tuned!