Many times we feel lost when beginning a weight loss journey. We do not know where to begin, and it becomes overwhelming. I have been there many times. Understanding the process of how to start and making it a long-term success becomes so much easier.
This is why many people give up so quickly. They begin with cutting everything out and jumping into a rigorous program and give up.
If you are someone that has struggled with your weight for a long time and has tried everything, well, it is time you do it the right way.
When you work with a health coach, these are the steps they will have you take. Become your health coach and make your weight loss long-term. Make it a lifestyle!
Identify your WHY?
First and foremost write down WHY you want to begin this journey. What motivated you to begin? Identify the reason why you are starting will help you stay committed. Especially if you write it down where you can see it daily and remind yourself. Check out my article on Setting smart goals.
Analyze your food intake
You want to see where you stand, where to make the changes, and where you are falling short in your macronutrients.
- Write down everything you eat for 3- days – every snack, every bite, or every sip of anything you put in your mouth.
After the 3 days, look over what you ate. Here is what you are looking for:
- How many meals are you eating
- How many snacks
- Look at your protein, carbs, and fat intake. (Many times our protein intake is very low)
Identify your eating habits?
Track your feelings attached to the food you are eating.
Why track your feelings; here is why?
Some of our eating behaviors come from stress, depression, boredom, or deeper issues. I consider this step so vital to your weight loss. If you can get to the root of the issue, your weight loss becomes a long-term lifestyle.
A weight- loss should be in baby steps. The goal should always be long-term changes and not just a quick fix.
Removing temptation
Clean out your pantry and remove your temptations. You want to avoid falling into your trap. Keeping these items at home will make it easy for you to cheat when you are hungry and do not have food prepped.
I understand that some of the snacks are from our kids or significant others.
I get it, I have also had to live with a house full of snacks, but my goals became bigger than my excuses. Having the items in the house does not affect me anymore. I have self-control, but I have also learned to eat things in moderation.
Here is what you do:
Time to reorganize your kitchen cabinets. You want to make a separate space for your healthy items and then your families. Keeping things separate will help you not get tempted when you go to grab a snack for yourself.
Time to go shopping
Plan ahead. You want to know what you will be getting to avoid walking around the store and just picking up random items you do not need.
Avoid the middle aisles when shopping. Those aisles are where you find all the packaged food. You want to make sure you have options for yourself.
It also feels good knowing you have your own space with all the necessary items for yourself.
Here are my tops snacks I like keeping on hand.
- Berries
- Greek yogurt
- Cottage cheese
- Almonds
- Cheese sticks
- Whole wheat
- Avocados
- Rice cakes
You can download my Grocery list and take it to the grocery store to help you build your meals.
Let’s get started
I would suggest starting with tacking your food intake. Give yourself a week or two to get your food intake under control.
I never want you to feel overwhelmed and quit before you start.
Then you want to add some workouts. However, if you feel you can start both at the same time – go for it. Just don’t burn yourself out, or else you will quit.
Nutrition
Plan ahead. I would suggest using a journal/fitness – you can check out the one I created.
- Plan your meals and snacks
- Break your meals into 5 to 6 meals a day to help you being hungry
- Build your meal plan with protein, carb, and a healthy fat.
I would suggest looking at my article on how- to calculate your calories to see how many calories you need to lose weight.
Water
Drink plenty of water. I would suggest drinking a gallon of water. Drinking water will help you flush toxins out of your body and help you stay full. Hydrating yourself will help you avoid snacking.
Fitness
Try different workouts. Look for something you enjoy doing – you don’t want to do something that feels like a chore, or else you will not commit and make excuses not to show up.
There are so many workouts you can do. Do what feels right! If you are someone that has never worked out before: you should start slow. You can start with a 5-minute walk. Challenge yourself; you want to make sure you raise your heart rate. Just don’t quit! Make it enjoyable; not dreadful!
Commit to a schedule. You want to look at your schedule and make a realistic schedule you can commit. The goal should be to become active every day. You want to do an intense workout where your heart rate is up four days out of the week, and then the other days you want to do any active activity.
Track your progress. Take before photos, take measurements, and weigh yourself. I suggest doing all three of these because you cannot rely just on the scale. The scale is not always accurate. Especially for women, our weight will fluctuate throughout the month. You retain more water before and during your menstrual cycle.
Take weekly photos or every two weeks. You want to avoid getting discouraged for not seeing immediate results. A weight-loss journey is a process, not a quick solution. Allow your body to adapt to the new changes. Don’t quit and keep pushing through.
If this sounds too overwhelming, you can schedule a zoom call or send me an email at bgfitness20@gmail.com. I will be happy to help you get started.
