In my youth, I was lucky and did not have to worry about my weight. My metabolism was in tiptop condition and I paid little attention to what I ate.
And then I turned 40!
After giving birth to two children in my late 30s, everything started to go downhill, or should I say, things expanded in areas not previously ventured.
Before I knew it, I was obese. Not only was I obese but also I was miserable and short tempered. I had become a different person. My metabolism was slow and sluggish and I had very little energy to do the most basic of day-to-day activities. I do not even know how I became obese, but the scales could not be ignored any longer. The elastic pants had to go and changes needed to be made. If you want to read a little about my journey click here.
Fast forward 10 years and I am a New Woman.
I am no longer obese.
Like an alcoholic who no longer drinks, I am a fat person who is now living in a thin body.
Do not get me wrong, I love my food and do not feel deprived at all, but I do have to watch what I eat. Keeping in shape does take effort for people like me.
People still ask me to this day how did I lose the weight and most importantly, how did I keep it off.
My Top Tips for maintaining a "Thin Body"
1. Stay Positive
There will be bad days as well as good.
When I decided that it was time to lose weight and no longer be trapped in the obese body I was encased in, the journey was not all smooth-sailing. There were times I would look at my husband with envy and anger. He is one of those rare people who actually have trouble gaining weight. He does not have to watch what he eats and never has to worry about his weight.
Being angry with him served me no purpose. It was only making me miserable. So I decided to concentrate on my own journey. When the weight started to go down, and clothes shopping became easier, the journey was that much sweeter because I had earned it.
2. Develop a Plan by Visualizing Your Goal
There are three steps that you must take if you want to achieve your plan. These are vision, goal and action.
1. Vision. This is self-explanatory. You want to visualize yourself as being slimmer than you are now. You can do it. You must create a vision about want you want to be able to do, not what you can do.
2. Goal. Whether it is an upcoming wedding or your own birthday party, having a goal to work towards is a great tool. For me, goals kept changing as I lost weight. At first, I thought it would be great to look good for an upcoming family reunion. I aimed to lose 5kg for that event that was one month away. Once I started losing the weight, I knew I could achieve even more.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would lose the 25kg that I did. Breaking it down into achievable goals allowed to me achieve what I originally thought was impossible.
3. Action. Vision without action will get you nowhere fast! This is where the hard work begins. The first step is the hardest. But once you have made the first step the journey becomes easier. There may be a few bumps along the way to keep you on top of your toes. This is where you have to find a program that suits your style and way of life.
Julie Dargan is a Nurse, Naturopath BHSc and has worked in the wellness industry for over 30 years. Julie's FREE 5 Day Kickstart Program is excellent to get you on the right track to help you lose weight and find hormonal harmony in the menopause. Sign up now and enjoy the free program in 2016. Julie recently released an exciting eBook that explores why diets do not work and how to get you in the correct mind frame to lose weight. Julie also has a Facebook page for women over 50 and looking for solutions to halt weight gain in the menopause.
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