@PioneerWoman @wakeupnshakeup I decided when I turned 50 I wanted my old body back. It took me about 7 months and I ended up losing 14kg and have kept this off. To some that may sound not much, to others a lot. We each have our own journey. The last 3kg for me were the hardest. But what I was DETERMINED to do was not fall into another diet. Four years later and I eat completely and utterly normally without ever thinking about weight.
I tried many different diets, but either got bored with them or they required me to eat things I just don’t like (eg I know kale is supposed to be good for you but it always makes me think I’m eating a hedge). Here's how I started:
I created (and still create) my own food protocol for each day. That’s the first thing to do. A protocol is simply a plan of what you will eat and when you will eat it. The really important thing is you have to decide this ahead of time. You cannot rely on making this choice for yourself in the moment. We make poor decisions in the moment. Without a plan and faced with a slice of carrot cake (my weakness) I would always say yes when I wanted to say no. It was like someone else's hand was reaching out for the cake when I knew I didn't want it.
A food protocol is not a diet. A diet is restrictive (it’s usually something you’re told to eat), whereas a food protocol is something YOU choose. You can put whatever you want on it.
This is the bit that made me feel good. I got to decide. I was in control. But the only rule I had to adhere to was this: I would follow my food protocol, no matter what. Because part of the food problem was not trusting myself to do what I said I would. If you have a tendency to give in, make your food protocol really easy in the beginning. Make it something you are WILLING to eat, even if it contains stuff on there that you think you shouldn’t eat. Then when you start to trust yourself to be able to commit to your decisions, you can start to adapt your protocol further to make better choices. In fact you’ll find you’ll want to.
Other than that the only guidelines for the food protocol I would offer are:
- No sugar or flour (because they are concentrated foods that mess with your body’s function and its ability to use fat from the fat stores). This is important because it stops over desire - which is a main cause behind overeating. You’ll feel in withdrawal for the first weeks (I felt discomfort) but after that you get more of a connection with your body - ie it’s much easier to know when you’re really hungry.
- Eat a maximum of 2 to 3 meals per day.
- No snacking. At all.
- Go as long as you can between dinner and your next meal to allow for insulin to drop.
This all sounds so obvious, and it is, but it’s managing your brain’s reaction to this that’s the hard bit. And learning to manage food cravings (mine were at 8pm when I knew I was not hungry, but still felt the desire to eat) without resisting.
I have some tips on that, too, but start by creating a protocol that you COMMIT WITH ALL YOUR HEART to sticking to. Make it very easy to start with if that feels helpful - do not jump to a protocol of lettuce and Ryvita if you’re used to eating pizza. It's your protocol.