Feeling Stylish

Things I’ve learned and noticed from this weight loss journey

By no means am I done with the weight loss. I’ve got over 50lbs to go and it is slowly and surely happening. Below you will find a list of things to motivate you, help you and spur you on. If you ever want to chat or need a diet buddy then I’m here for you.

Drinking eight glasses of water a day can help you shed the pounds – I did this without changing my diet or exercise regime. I lost six pounds. You may lose more, you may lose less. Either way, it is a good place to start.

Diet Pills are a waste of money – I’ve tried some. Generally they just make you feel too sick to eat and give you a headache.

Multi-vitamins are not a waste of money – A good multi-vitamin (I take Centrum) will ensure that you get enough essential vitamins that you might lose from not eating certain foods.

Eat less; move more – You can follow all the fad diets you want but eating less and moving more is what will make you lose weight.

Be sensible – don’t starve yourself. It’s likely that it won’t work and if it does you’ll put the weight straight back on. If you don’t know where to start then go and see your doctor.

Six small meals a day is a good idea – I’m rubbish at this, I’m a full regimented Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner girl. I just snack smart. Try it though, it keeps your metabolism going all day.

You probably do eat too many carbs – I’m not telling you to go on the Atkins but look at how much pasta, bread and rice you eat, try cutting down a little bit.

Packaged foods aren’t that healthy – Even healthy living meals that are low in calories could be full of salt, sugar and fat.

Cook your own food – if you cook all your food from scratch then you can be sure what is going into it.

You’ll begin to have more energy – as you lose weight you’ll find you eel more awake and have more energy. This is a brilliant feeling and certainly beats feeling lethargic all day.

Your partner won’t be able to keep their hands off you – this is certainly true of Ben. I won’t go into detail but he is always telling me how amazing my body is. It makes me feel amazing.

The feeling of putting on jeans that used to be too small is the best thing ever – recently I got into a pair of size 16 jeans I’ve had from when I was about sixteen. Getting into them and looking good was one of the best feelings ever.

You get even more excited about seeing people you haven’t seen in a while – they’ll notice your weight loss and will comment on it. I love that.

There’ll be a few people who have always been too truthful – sometimes overly truthful. My Grandmother has always be starkly honest with my weight. It used to upset me but now that I’m losing weight having her comment on how good I’m looking is one of my favourite things to hear.

Trying on something in your size – then you realise it is too big and you need a size down. That’s a good feeling.

Chafing – it begins to get less and then it stops. Welcome to comfort.

It’s easier to wear high heels – they hurt less because there is less pressure on the ball of your foot.

You can wear skinny jeans – proper skinnies (i.e. ones not from ‘larger person’ shops) would never go round my thighs. I’m currently sporting a pain of proper skinny jeans and I feel awesome.

You no longer fit into the larger ranges in shop – most highstreet stores have sections for larger people. Usually size 18+. However I saw a section that was 20+ and I thought to myself how good it felt to know that all the clothes in there would be too big for me.

You are healthier - fewer colds and sickness bugs because you are living a healthier more active lifestyle.

You’ll live longer - hate to say it but you know it’s true. People who are overweight or obese are more likely to have heart conditions and all that jazz. Get to a sensible weight and that risk goes down.

Fruit tastes good - don’t look at the bruised bananas you buy in Tesco or the yellowing broccoli they probably aren’t that great tasting. Try organic foods. I don’t care what people say they taste better.

Tesco organic cashew nuts – the organic ones are the same price as regular and they taste completely different. The normal ones have an odd plasticy taste. Not good. High in good fats, eat a small handful to get loads of awesome nutrients. However, don’t eat the whole bag, it sort of defeats the point.

You’ll need to buy a new belt – before you need to buy new jeans you’ll need a new belt because your current one doesn’t keep your trousers up. Belt shopping is good.

Moving is easier – you’ll find you naturally become more supple. You can move quicker, play with the dog and kids. Leap on your partner. Dance at parties and dress more easily.

Everyone is an expert – everyone who has lost weight, is thin or has tried losing weight will offer their two cents. I find it really annoying (yet I do it almost daily in this blog…) because everyone’s experience is different. A lot of people draw from what they’ve heard on TV or read in a newspaper. Other draw from experience and it is this advice that is probably most useful. Try not to confuse yourself, if something is working for you, keep doing it. Keep things simple then when you start to plateau you can pin point why.

Plateauing is annoying – of course it is but all you need to do is tweek your diet slightly. Do ten minutes more cardio a day or cut 200 calories out of your daily intake. Another thing to do to kick start your diet is to do a detox or juice diet. I won’t go into it here but it’s probably best to consult your doctor before trying anything drastic.

You’ll enjoy shopping more – I’m a huge shopper I’ve always loved it. Now it is 100 times better because I don’t have to pick and choose where I shop. Hello Topshop, hello Zara!

You’ll feel less fat – especially when shopping I used to try on clothes and want to cry. That is slowly happening less and less and I’m thinking ‘wow, I’m looking awesome.’

You’ll look amazing way before you hit your target – this is a brilliant feeling. You’ll look at yourself and think wow. You’ll then remember you still have three stone to lose.

You’ll appreciate chocolate a whole lot more – I really used to take chocolate for granted (especially when I worked at Adtrader where we had a vending machine about twenty steps away.) I used to feel like I wasn’t a big chocoholic. I never craved it because I was always eating it. Now the taste of chocolate is brilliant, it is a treat and I now view it that way.

You don’t need to cut out everything you love – I am never cutting roast potatoes out of my life. Ever. Or Aero bubbles (only for special movie watching occasions.) Or Homepride pasta bake with too much cheese (we used to have it weekly not it’s more like monthly.) I’d probably lose weight quicker if I cut out these things but I don’t want to. I’m happy.

Your joints hurt less – your knees, ankle and hips will thank you in later life.

You will enjoy dressing up – going out won’t be terrifying. You’ll find an outfit, wear it and will look brilliant.

You’ll find your style – your size may have restricted you from buying certain things. As you lose weight you can experiment with new styles that will suit your body shape. I’ve gained more definition and have discovered a rather small waist compared to the rest of me. This has led to my 50’s esque style – which it seems I’m becoming known for.

You’ll rediscover a style – when I was in my late teens I was obsessed with a rockstar type look. Even then when I was thinner (size 14/16) I couldn’t pull it off as well as I’d have liked to. But now with my new found sense of style and fashionista reputation I’m working that look again. Today, checked shirt, wasitcoast, skinny jeans and pointed Chelsea boots.

You have to go shopping – this might not be a bonus for everyone but it is for me. You will need new clothes. Please, please don’t just wear the same old shit from your fat days. Go shopping, splurge on Levi jeans, buy a new coat. Buy a whole new wardrobe and chuck out the old stuff.

You aren’t constantly worrying about your double chin in pictures – thinness opens up a whole new world of camera angles. You aren’t restricted to that one, super high, MySpace style shot to hide your chins.

“I can see it in your face” – When people see that you’ve lost weight through your face it sounds better than them seeing that you’ve lost weight generally. Lumps and bumps can be covered with clever clothing, your face can’t. It is a true indicator of your weight loss.

Cheekbones appear – I love cheekbones. I’m not quite into that territory yet but in certain lights I look like some sort of high cheek-boned vampire.

You’ll have more confidence – whether you need it for work, love or socialising it makes things much easier.

Start a blog – I’ve never had such a brilliant motivator. Even if no one reads it, even it is is simply your personal way of keeping track of what you are doing then do it. If you don’t want to be that public then get a diary – I love the Paperchase notebooks. I post to Facebook when I update and although I rarely get online comments from friends and family I am constantly having conversations with them about something I’ve referenced here.

I do want to say a huge thank you to those of you that read this blog. You are brilliant, fabulous and my biggest motivators. Even you lurkers who I have no idea about. I love you, all of you. x