28/07/2020
I remember when I started my weight loss journey in 2011 and how difficult it was being exposed to junk food through advertising, colleagues bringing in treats at work and family gatherings. It was literally everywhere.
I started by mainly shopping on the outside aisles where the healthier foods are usually stocked, and when my TV broke I didn't replace it choosing instead YouTube and other streaming services with little or no advertising content and I didn't tell anyone at first about my weight loss journey preferring to avoid the curiosity/interrogation that inevitably flows when you make positive changes for yourself which upset the balance in terms of how others see you vis a vis themselves.
The first few weeks were hard but my determination gained traction. I began to see changes not just in terms of weight loss but in an increased sense of wellness and these changes reinforced my determination and helped me persist when my unhealthy eating habits became triggered.
I didn't diet or have an eating plan. I adopted healthy eating - lots of fruit and vegetables (more of the latter than the former), healthy fats - nuts, seeds, olive oil - fish and very little poultry (but others I'm sure will do well with more poultry and red meat).
I didn't obsessively count calories but was aware of my bmr and made sure to never go below that or above my daily calorie needs. My way of eating made sense to me, fitted in with my lifestyle and was therefore easily sustainable.
I also saved money by cooking food from scratch at home and bringing in left overs for work the next day.
Over time my palate changed too. I lost my craving for sugary foods and enjoyed the more subtle flavours of freshly prepared food.
It's a mind set and each person needs to find their own resolve whilst remembering it's a journey not a race and though you may slip up it doesn't mean you've failed or have to give up because all you need do to succeed is to get back on track and keep going.
Goal setting and keeping track of my progress underpinned my resolve. For me the key was to realise healthy eating was now a lifestyle choice that I was going to commit to permanently because I'd simply had enough after 30 years of yo-yo dieting.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10159378315421323&id=10513336322
We need to take on the food and weight-loss industries, says psychotherapist and social critic Susie Orbach
