Extra Weight, Weighs you Down
Weight’s been a problem for me most of my life. Too fat, too thin; I followed diets, created diets, borrowed diets from friends and neighbors and, by the time I was 32 years old, none of the diets had worked; I was in bad shape, and about, at least 20ks overweight – a little porky is how I referred to myself – and no-one stopped or corrected me – so it was true. Darn! So much for friendships and suck-ups!
Hear One, Slap One!
Then I met a young man in a bar who was quite a handsome stranger. He told me he would love to take me out and be much, much more than friends if only I’d lose some weight because he couldn’t have his friends seeing him walking out with me while I was so overweight. Wow! Really? I slapped his face so fast and so hard (with all my extra weight behand the slap) that his head nearly spun! So, I came in with a red face, but he walked out with one!
Laid Back Way of Losing Weight
I’d always been quite sporty, but I’ve never lost any weight through it. I was angry enough to decide that I was going to lose all this weight, and the only exercise I’d do would be lying down and raising my feet higher than my heart for half an hour every day—a relatively laid-back way of dropping weight.
Let him Feel Pain – Not Me
But I was outraged this time. How the heck could that pretty boy, make insulting comments like that to me, and expect me to roll over, obey, and kick my paws up in the air. I was taking his insults seriously, and I was going to make him regret those remarks.
Preparation
Firstly, I went around asking a few people about their diets that had failed and why, and I made notes of these reasons.
Next, I sat and, after careful consideration, I solemnly wrote some basic rules for myself to follow – which I knew I could keep to – if I wanted to.
Serious Point to Put into Action
- Chew Thoroughly and Slow Down. Your brain needs time to process that you’ve had enough to eat. …
On this subject, when I was a child and lived at home, my mother would make us children chew everything 32 times. I wouldn’t forget that number as it was my then-current age! Now I’m not asking you to do that. This list is for me. But I know for a fact I’ll chew everything at least 20/25 times. Firstly it’s in my nature, and secondly, medical science has proved that the more you chew, the better your face looks when you’re older, plus you release certain endorphins that make you feel and look better and feel happy. I can see the point of it – Who amongst us doesn’t want a better-looking face in exchange for a little more chewing action!
- Use Smaller Plates for Unhealthy Foods. …
Why would you eat unhealthy foods? Just use smaller plates automatically when you eat healthy food and don’t give a second thought to unhealthy foods.
- Eat Plenty of Protein. …
I’ll eat protein during the day as part of individual meals but in reasonably low quantities, or I’ll never lose weight.
- Store Unhealthy Foods out of Sight. …
Why are there any unhealthy foods in the flat? I live alone so no unhealthy
foods will enter my door, and those that already have moved in will now be thrown out – I’m starting out with as little temptation as possible.
- Eat Lots of Fiber-Rich Foods. …
The following are food rich in fiber
- Beans. Lentils and other legumes are an easy way to sneak fiber into your diet in soups, stews, and salads. …
- Broccoli. This veggie can get pigeonholed as the fiber vegetable. …
- Berries. Berries get a lot of attention for their antioxidants, but they’re full of fiber, too. …
- Avocados. …
- Popcorn. …
- Whole Grains. …
- Apples. …
- Dried Fruits.
I think that’s a no brainer because the foods in the above list are high value for a snack or a broccoli and bean salad or soup – homemade, of course.
- Drink Water Regularly. …
They say we should keep ourselves fully hydrated – about 2.5 to 3 liters a day of water. This is such a good thing to do, but also it keeps your stomach from feeling empty. For example, if you start your meal with soup, you’ll eat less of the following course because liquids make you feel full quickly.
- Serve Yourself Smaller Portions. …
Naturally, you’ll serve smaller portions, but you won’t make a thing about it.
Tell yourself that if you want to eat more in 20 minutes, then you can have more. Eat the food you’ve already served for yourself and eat it slowly. Take your time; chew each morsel for at least 20/25 times. Savor the food, think about how much freshness and health you’re bringing into your body.
- Eat Without Electronic Distractions
This tip is essential. You don’t want people coming in and out while you’re eating; in fact, you don’t wish to have distractions of any kind. This is your quiet time, and you should feel relaxed and at peace when you eat.
- You’ll Eat Like This for The Rest of Your Life – Don’t Think of This as a Diet
When people embark on diets, they usually wait till they get down to their required weight then they immediately stop and go back to their old unhealthy way of eating, and the pounds pile back on again!
This will a new way of eating for the rest of your life, so don’t think or speak of it as a diet or you won’t stay the course.
- Don’t Tell Anyone About It – Keep it a Secret!
Why? Have you ever noticed that if ever you tell anyone that you are on a diet, they immediately all offer you cake, crisps, sausage rolls, sweet sugary drinks, pies, pastries – why? They’ve never been that kind to you before, so why now? Obvious! They don’t want you to succeed on your diet – it’s a girl/woman thing called jealousy and spite. If you have to talk about it – and we all feel the need – then speak to your best friend – be it female, male, or gay – it doesn’t matter as long as they are supportive and understand you, and you must be able to trust them. Otherwise, if anyone talks to us about a diet, just shrug your shoulders and look blank and disinterested! It works!
Check with Your Doctor First
Once I’d done all this, I started my self-planned diet. At this point, I should tell you I took my planned diet to my doctor first, and he gave me the thumbs up.
Let’s Begin
In January, I began with a hardboiled egg for breakfast. Nothing else. That’s good substantial protein and kickstarts the body for the day ahead. You can change this sometimes with a bowl of cooked oatmeal and a handful of raisins. You can use honey for sweetening. As an alternative, you can even have I slice of toast with peanut butter if you like. I can’t eat it.
At lunch, I had either a raw carrot or a celery stick with a sprinkling of salt or large tomato, or naartjies, or a banana, or an apple or some grapes or, – you know what I mean – no cake, no bread or butter just what is written here.
Dinner was almost always the same, but it didn’t bother me;
Fish – Smoked Haddock
it was either 6-ounce piece of smoked haddock (wonderful flavor) poached in a clean frying in about half an inch or just a little more, of milk or water with a spot of butter when serving. Poach the fish till cooked and serve with a jacket potato (keep the skin on) and a handful of green beans. Finish by pouring that small amount of sauce on the plate on the food.
Chicken Breast
For your second alternative, you can alternate with the same size chicken breast – no bones, no skin – with a jacket potato and a handful of green beans or rice to replace the potato, and maybe peas or carrots to replace the green beans.
Beans – Maybe Curried
I don’t know if you like beans, but that would be your third alternative. When I say beans, I don’t mean open a can of baked beans in tomato sauce – that’s a no-no. You’re welcome to open a can of soya beans, butter beans, chickpeas, kidney bean, lima beans, black beans or whatever beans take your eye.
Why not open the can and make a mild curry with the beans to give them extra flavour. Rice of a jacket potato, a portion of frozen mixed veg or another veg to replace the green beans.
Beetroots
Your fourth alternative for dinner is to cook three or four small to medium-sized fresh beetroots in boiling water and easily slide the skin off. Serve them with natural Greek Yoghurt and season cracked black peppercorns. Add to this the green beans or some boiled Brussel sprouts, or broccoli or courgettes and a jacket potato, or boiled small new potatoes.
All Snacks
Snacks could be fresh raw carrots, celery sticks plus a sprinkling of salt, about ten raisins, or ten almonds, a handful of grapes, all fruit – small amounts of any fruits.
The above meals must be eaten at precisely the same time every part of the day. Your body is like a factory, and everything must happen at the same tie all the time. That way, things go more smoothly without mishap.
What you cannot have is anything that is not listed above. Say NO to those below:
Biscuits Bread rolls Bread & butter
Cakes, Pastries No Muffins
Sausage rolls wors Red meat
No other part of the chicken Thickened gravies Sugar
Sweets Chocolates Sugary fizzy drinks
Fried things Roasted things Battered, crumbed or Sandwiches Ice cream fried things
Keep all skins on vegetables and most of fruit you eat
Cheating is Cheating Yourself
I’m sure you get the drift. If you cheat – you’re cheating yourself.
Weigh at Same Time and Get Your Feet Up
Weigh yourself only once per week at precisely the same time of day and wearing the same clothes. Once a day, lie back with your feet higher than your heart for about 20 minutes. You will feel refreshed afterward.
Write Your Preferred Menus Ahead of Time
Why not write out your different menus for the days of each month. Afterall there’s not that much to choose from, so this should be a relatively easy task.
Recap
Let’s just quickly recap – this is the actual diet I used. I sometimes didn’t have breakfast and chowed a few more carrots at snack time. I only ever had the smoked haddock, which I ate every single day with no variations for many months.
Nine Months
I kept to the diet very well, and I was very strict with myself. It was hard, and sometimes I had to grit my teeth and bear but, I never, ever cheated during the nine months I dieted.
Success – Looking Hot
I started in January, and in September of that same year that I was 32 years old, and I had lost just over 20 kilograms! I was down four sizes and looking hot!
Revenge
I slipped quickly into my old skinny clothes, which I had kept because they weren’t that old. Took a chance – a longshot – and went back to that bar where I’d met the guy with the motor mouth. He was there. I was so excited. It wasn’t long before he strolled over to me and started to chat me up, and then suddenly, he recognized me, and Oh, the compliments came pouring out, and I was repulsed to the point where I couldn’t help myself, and I wanted to slap him again. Anyway, I stood up, draw myself up to my tallest, shook his hand, and thanked him instead – because after all, didn’t he make me cross enough to lose weight? So it was a favor!
Admirers Already
He got the message fast and sidled off into a corner, and a few moments after that there were three men who wanted my phone number, but I wasn’t in the right mood to even talk to them. I finished my drink and left, and one of the guys followed me and very respectfully asked to contact me in the future.
Perseverance and Endurance
The point is, it took me nine months of perseverance and endurance but absolutely no exercise, and I lost over 20 kilograms in a slow and healthy way. Those quick diets had never worked for me, and I realized this had been almost designed for my situation.
Be Sure
Please, if anyone at home is thinking of following this diet, please check with your doctor first, but I can tell you honestly it worked brilliantly for me. I was 32 years old so, if you’re older, it might take longer to work. If you take it seriously and if you have no chronic illness for which your medication might alter your metabolic rate.
Frankly, I think this dieting situation is all in the brain. Make the decision and stick to it. Nothing comes easy in life. We have the patience to pile on the pounds, but we don’t like the resulting task of cleaning up the mess and losing weight. You must be strong-willed and want to get rid of those extra kilos.
