I want to share with you my experience of losing 5 pounds in 2 weeks. Here's how I did it.
In order to lose weight, we need to take in fewer calories than we use. The result will lead to a loss of overall weight. Pretty simple logic, and I am sure we all know this. There is of course more to it. For one thing, we can add exercise to this picture, which means more calories are burned and the weight loss comes sooner, at least in theory.
We need to keep in mind that a quick, temporary weight loss diet isn't necessary a good thing. We lose some weight, just to gain it back when the old bad habits creep back upon us. What we should aim for is a day-to-day habit of eating healthy food and not too much of it either. Cook your own food, use fresh ingredients, and get a little bit of everything. It's not rocket surgery - eat normal amounts of lean meat, carbs, fat, vegetables, fruit, nuts, bread, etc. Easier said than done?
So how did I suddenly lose weight, and why?
Well, I am a runner, and a few weeks before a marathon, I noticed I had actually gained some weight. Not a big problem; I am pretty lean overall, but I wanted to see if I could drop a little bit before the race. I don't recommend doing what I did, but here goes.
First of all, I cut down the size of my meals. My portions were about half the size of what they normally are. Naturally, this leads to cravings and feeling hungry all the time. I have realized that when I get hungry in the evenings, I often end up eating chips, cheese, cookies and other fattening stuff. Sounds familiar?
So, here's my secret - I curbed my cravings by eating apples, grapes and carrots. I ate half size lunch and supper meals. As well, I drank lots of water. That's it! Pretty simple, huh? As an afternoon or mid-morning snack, I would eat an apple or some grapes. Perhaps an orange or a pear for variation. These kinds of fruits have low amounts of calories.
Interestingly enough, I did not find this whole process as difficult as I had imagined. I had been worried about feeling starved. Well, for one thing, I was determined from the start, and I made a conscious decision to skip food with lots of calories and fat. As I ate smaller portions, I was just thinking, "I'll just drink lots of water and have some fruit later". And it worked! I was not feeling starved all the time.
For me, this was just a temporary experiment, so to speak. I am not overweight to start with. However, I learned some things from this too. I realized how easy it is to eat too much all the time, because I think it's in our nature to eat until we are really full.
The thing I will take with me from this experiment is that I will skip the unhealthy snacks in the evenings, and go for fruit and vegetables instead. Eating calorie-rich food during evenings has sometimes lead to sleeping difficulties for me, as I my stomach would be really busy during the night, and I often woke up as a result.
Eating less in the evenings, and eating low-calorie snacks if i do, means I can then eat regular size meals during the day and I will sleep better at night.
If you decide to try this, please don't go overboard, and think long-term. A quick loss of weight is usually not a good thing, and I do recommend developing good, healthy eating habits that will over time lead to a normal, healthy body weight.
If you want to get the best possible help and advice, here is a great resource called
Fat Loss For Idiots. Don't let the name throw you off - there is a lot very good information on this site.
By Robert Renman - www.dolphinstreet.com
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