Monday, May 16

How to lose weight well

Hello lovelies,

A quick type into Google’s auto-predict search on ‘How to L’ brings up something interesting and wholly accepted in our society. The top 4 options, based on others search terms are:

How to lose weight
How to lose belly fat
How to lose weight quickly
How to lose weight well

Odd how that, with only one letter in ‘How to L’ the word ‘lose’ is brought up in every single case, quickly followed by the topic of weight.

Odd and sad really. As of course there are so many brilliant alternative words that begin with ‘L’... Love and like and look. But what about the word ‘learn’, that’s far more appropriate isn’t it?

You’ve stumbled across this post because it is about how I lost weight well. Don’t click out just yet!

However, I want to focus on what was and still is the most important aspect, really vital in my weight change, and that’s what I learned.



Learn to look after yourself


Let me take you back to nearly three years ago. A painfully bitter breakup, a forced move back to mum and dads and a flat purchase I’d saved for years to own falling through had me at breaking point. I didn’t eat for 4 days. A sentence that those who know me well would audibly gasp at. I’d always loved my food.

Yet through this turmoil I found a sweet revelation – self-analysis. Something we all think we do correctly but often confuse with self-criticism. Instead, I stepped back and looked at myself as I am. I reviewed what I liked about my mind, body and soul. I looked back and remembered moments when I was happiest and saddest and proudest. I allowed myself to love the great bits of me and I forgave myself for the bits that weren’t quite how I wanted them to be.

I realised my previous self-analysis was all external. What I had to achieve to be happy or worthy or better. And all the self-analysis I thought I was doing was pure self-criticism – I was bullying myself. How did I cope with this self-‘tough love’ as it were? I ate my way through it. I thought I was being kind to myself when I ‘treated’ myself to cheer myself up, to feel good or as a reward.

This revelation changed things. Learning to love and forgive and focus wholly on myself taught me to care for myself. It felt difficult and selfish. Woman are rarely taught to care for themselves but to focus on others care. Yet when I did it was freeing.

My painful truth was I was overweight, pitifully unfit and unhappy something that had continued for years as I self-criticised with tough love weight loss.

Yet when I finally allowed myself to care for my mental and physically health and wellbeing it was like I’d found the something that had been missing for too long.


How I lost over 2 stone


Two whole stone is a lot of weight. It holds you down and holds you back. It took me around 6 months to lose and maintain. When weight loss is not your only focus it is always easier. Weight gain for me is my minds sign that something is off-balance. That is generally the same for everyone right? A change in weight is a sign. A sign you’re ill, a sign you’re not happy. I lost that chunk of weight because I learned and listened to the root cause instead of just trying to battle the sign of it. Something I had done half-heartedly for many years previously.

If you have taken that time to explore your root cause and feel your weight is not who you are but how you’ve been feeling these are my tips for what I do to get back to a weight that sits well with me.

I’m a believer that mind and body are very much intertwined and to lose weight you must focus on both. Pick exercise, classes, sports you love. Try new things and exercise your mind just as much as your body.

Keep a life journal. This is something I do when things don’t feel quite right for me. A minute a day tracking how I nourished myself, how I moved, how I felt is incredibly insightful. It is particularly useful to look back upon.

Plan your meals. Prep, prep, prep! Write out a meal plan for the first few weeks to get you into the swing of things. Just make sure they are as equally delicious as they are healthy. Your mind needs the flavour and your body needs the nutrients. Fuel both.

A big part of my weight was down to my use of food as ‘treats’. Don’t ever stop treating yourself just change how. Go for a massage to treat yourself, and you’re aching muscles for going hard in spin class that week instead. 

Take a long look at yourself in the mirror. Every morning, just before I get dressed for the day I take time to look at myself. Some days I’m bloated, some days my face is puffy, some days I’m practically perfect in every way! Whatever it is, I acknowledge who I am. Exclusive Mirrors have the cutest designs.

Set mini goals but never an end date. You’ve changed your mind-set and your lifestyle. This isn’t a diet, there isn’t an end.

Set your sights to lose 2 pound a week. It may not seem quick but it’s healthy and achievable. After the first three weeks you’ll have lost enough to love your 2 pound plan.

Just one final note. I’m currently life journalling at the moment to lose the 7 pounds I put on recently. Check out A Food Lover's Journal currently at Paperchase. 

Life is set-back as well as success but learn how to look after yourself and even after countless slip-ups it will be something you can always go back to.

I would really really love to hear your experiences, please do comment below and I wish you the very best of luck in your own self-education. 

Love
LC

19 comments:

  1. That is sad that those search terms come up with just the L. And I think it's amazing how you pulled yourself up and lost that weight. These are great tips for someone going through the same situation. Great post!
    ~Lili
    www.thefashionsalt.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lili, I know I totally agree and thank you so much xxxx

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  2. I agree, what happened to learning? The biggest L of all, out of it comes everything else we need to know and do in life. Our society has become so spoon fed that the desire to learn has just been fading, very sad! On another note, I think it's incredible that you were able to take a difficult and challenging situation and turn it around into a positive and healthy one and girl, do you look amazing! We can certainly be our worst enemies and it's because of all the pressure that we feel we need to live up to created by society and the media. Sometimes, we do need to step back an analyze ourselves and work on the things that need to be changed and strengthen the great qualities! Thanks so much for sharing such an inspirational post and I hope you're having a great start to your Monday so far, beauty!

    XO,

    Jalisa
    www.thestylecontour.com

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for stopping by Jalisa and for some a lovely and powerful comment. I couldn't agree more :) xxxxx

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  3. These are all great tips
    xo
    www.laurajaneatelier.com

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  4. My pleasure, thank you for stopping by! x

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  5. Very true, I'm doing a nutrition course at the moment and looking after yourself and staying healthy is so important!
    Have a lovely day :)
    Rosanna x
    Rose's Rooftop

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  6. I totally agree with you, body and mind are connected and we have to look first inside in order to look good outside (I wrote 2 full articles about that). I think you took a great approach to losing weight. On top of all these great tips I would just add, the practise of meditation and enjoying life. I don't think it's bad to reward yourself with a piece of cake lol It's excess that it dangerous. Enjoying life, it's also enjoying food. So having a good relationship with food is important.
    Also going for medical check up can be crucial. Hormones, thyroid issues, depression... can affect our weight. I would go to a specialist like an Endocrinologist for hormones and thyroid and psychologist for depression etc... Sometimes we are not even aware we are depressed, inside first! It will save us so much time and pain.
    xx,

    Have a great week!
    Aurelie | http://www.surface85.com

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  7. These are great tips and a very inspirational post, thanks for sharing them with us! x

    Face to Curls | http://facetocurls.com

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  8. Keeping some kind of food journal is something I've always wanted to do, out of curiosity more than weight loss. Looking at maintaining a healthy, happy weight as a lifestyle is such an accurate way to put it, so thank you for that.

    -M
    The Life of Little Me

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  9. What a beautiful post! Im incredibly lucky that I have a high metabolism so Ive never struggled wth being overweight, being healthy is another thing all together though that I do find hard. My partner is currently trying to lose weight, and its so hard watching him struggle day to day with this fight, Im going to talk to him about this post and hopefully it may help him. Thanks hun xx

    themakeupartistschoice.com

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  10. such a beautiful post. I'm so impressed how you used that bad and sad situation and changed it into a good one, a good way for you and your body. It's so important to take care of ourselves. I gain weight quite easily, so I can really totally understand you. Have a wonderful weekend :)
    http://www.youtube.com/c/MissLovelyAttitude
    http://lovelyattitude.com

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  11. This is such a great post! Its fabulous how you say that looking after yourself is the most important thing. Well done for loosing all the weight :)


    Rachel xx
    http://www.thedailyluxe.net

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    Replies
    1. It took some hard work but I got there in the end :) Thanks Rachel xxx

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  12. This is such a great post, staying healthy is the most important thing. Have a nice Week dear :) x
    www.ambiinwonderland.com

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  13. Amazing post! I've had health problems recently that have caused me to gain weight but I plan to get healthy this summer so this has really inspired me!

    Laura x

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  14. I found it so sad that those were the first four options to come up! But these were such great tips and well done to your for losing that weight! :D

    Lizzie | lizziegines.co.uk

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