I struggled with my weight ever since I was born, I come from an Italian family so we basically live to eat. My mom always said that I loved to eat so she always gave me food when I asked for it—which resulted in me growing up chubby.
I won’t go through all the times I gained and lost growing up. I will start from a more recent time.
Second year of college I realized I gained a bunch of weight. I decided to hit the gym and download a calorie counting app. It was a miserable experience. I felt so deprived. But I did lose weight. I stuck to it for a few months then got off of that routine. The minute I was off it’s like a caged animal was let free. I ate everything I wanted for the last few months. Of course, I gained it all back and MORE.
I reached a point where I was the heaviest I ever was. I ate what I wanted when I wanted, I wasn’t active at all and quite frankly didn’t care about my health. I reached a point where I didn’t recognize myself, I was exhausted all the time and was lazy AF. Luckily, after months of being that way, I said enough was enough I need to get my shit together.
I had gone to see a trainer. She gave me a meal plan according to my weight and goals. At that point I didn’t want to know my weight. She kept it in her notes and I told her I’d ask her once I lost the weight. I started her meal and workout plan and quickly realized that training at a gym wasn’t for me. I hated it and found it a drag. I stopped her plans but decide to still eat well and watch what I was eating. After a few months I saw small improvements and was so happy. That’s when I decided to join a bootcamp class with my friend- that’s when I realized I love group classes. The workouts were always different, it was like a community of women motivating each other, and it was so fun!
I stuck to eating balanced meals. I would always try to have my plate contain ½ plate filled with veggies, ¼ source of protein, ¼ starch/complex carb. I wasn’t restricting myself. If I was still hungry after my plate, I’ll have a little more. If I wanted something sweet after dinner I’d have fruit, dark chocolate or healthy dessert I made. I also tried to stay in tune with my cravings. If I was craving something I’d ask myself if it was a real craving or one out of boredom. So many of us boredom eat, so it’s important to stay mindful of that. That can cause weight gain. I also didn’t deprive myself. As I mentioned, I come from an Italian family, so our pasta Sundays are important to us. I never cut that out once during my weight loss journey. Also, if my friends went out on the weekend to a restaurant, I didn’t tell myself that I wasn’t allowed to go because the food wouldn’t be healthy. I would go and enjoy myself. If I wanted a pizza and dessert after, that’s what I had.
There’s no magic diet, or pill. I want to stress that it’s all about maintaining a healthy balance. 2-3 unhealthy meals a week will not destroy your progress of you eating well the rest of the week.
The key is to move, eat balanced meals, be mindful of your snacking, and let your body have what it wants (in moderation- of course). Oh and keep hydrated!
Don’t try to do the same thing as someone else. If it doesn’t resonate with you, it won’t be sustainable. You need to and will find a rhythm/balance that you love that can become your new lifestyle. It will make all of this so much simpler and enjoyable!
Remember, it’s not what you do sometimes, it’s what you do most of the time!
