Here's to celebrate my 300 posts on this blog. As always, thanks for reading Simply Cintia. Here’s the secret to losing weight:
There’s no secret. It’s really a practical, simple thing. It’s about determination, focus, accepting failures and keeping the enjoyment alive. Here are 10 things I learned so far. They’re not a secret cause I’m telling you, my beloved reader.
#1. Find Something that Works for You. Counting points doesn’t work for everyone. Atkins doesn’t work for everyone neither does South Beach. Find out what works for YOU, not what worked for your friends. Remember that it might take you a few tries – it took me 10.
#2. Find out what it Takes. How much money is it going to take? Do I need to attend classes? What foods am I allowed to eat? Can I eat out? Ask lots of questions.
#3. Exercise. Exercise is a must. Again, find out what works for you. I started with what I call ‘the free exercise plan.’ It doesn’t take money people! You can walk for free as much you’d like. I didn’t have a pedometer when I started either.
#4. Not an Exact Science. I was told I would mess up when I started my journey. That helped me so much! I used to look at people who lost weight as perfect people. I recently learned that you simply learn to make fewer mistakes.
#5 Your Mouth Might be Against You. Watch what you say. God told me to stop calling myself fat in the beginning of my journey. If I kept saying that, I would have whatsoever I confessed. I now confess that I exercise often and I weight what God wants me to weight.
#6. Tell your Body what to do. I have to keep challenging myself. Walk further. Burn 100 more calories. Change my aerobics workout. Add new recipes to my menu. The last thing you need is to get bored. Oh, sometimes you have to scream at your body. Telling it might not be enough sometimes (LOL)
#7. Have Accountability. I had accountability weekly through a class, now I have it monthly with a health educator. I couldn’t find anyone to go in the journey with me so guess what? I pay someone to go with me! Sometimes your significant other will not be ready to go on the journey with you. Don’t get mad at them. If you do, get over it as soon as you can. Take any support they will give you and remember, you alone are accountable for your health.
#8 Stay Educated. My degree is not in nutrition but I make sure to read about different health subjects. I find no pleasure in being a walking calorie counter or a walking encyclopedia. What I do enjoy is reading about things that interest me the most. E.g., the relationship between stress and food, the mind and weight loss, women’s image in the media and self esteem. I recently got a tape called “The 12 reasons why people overeat” for $3 and I listen to it when I’m driving. I’ve been learning a lot!
#9 Encourage Someone Else. I try to find people to encourage. I give thumbs up to people walking around the same trail as I – if you are an introvert, this might not work for you. I encourage people in the gym telling them they’ll feel better at the end of the workout. I encourage friends who are in the beginning of their journey. Please, know that I don’t lie to people. There’s a difference between being fake because you know someone is on a diet and sincerely being happy for them. Let’s be real here ;)
#10 Keep God as your Source. God is the reason why I’m on this journey. I asked Him for help so I keep Him in the center of this journey. I can’t forget God because He cares for me completely. Believe it or not, what’s important to me is important to Him. He’s the one who tells me what to do and has given me the great opportunities I’ve had in this journey. I love the Lord and He gets ALL the credit for every pound and every trip to the gym at 6 a.m.
There’s no secret. It’s really a practical, simple thing. It’s about determination, focus, accepting failures and keeping the enjoyment alive. Here are 10 things I learned so far. They’re not a secret cause I’m telling you, my beloved reader.
#1. Find Something that Works for You. Counting points doesn’t work for everyone. Atkins doesn’t work for everyone neither does South Beach. Find out what works for YOU, not what worked for your friends. Remember that it might take you a few tries – it took me 10.
#2. Find out what it Takes. How much money is it going to take? Do I need to attend classes? What foods am I allowed to eat? Can I eat out? Ask lots of questions.
#3. Exercise. Exercise is a must. Again, find out what works for you. I started with what I call ‘the free exercise plan.’ It doesn’t take money people! You can walk for free as much you’d like. I didn’t have a pedometer when I started either.
#4. Not an Exact Science. I was told I would mess up when I started my journey. That helped me so much! I used to look at people who lost weight as perfect people. I recently learned that you simply learn to make fewer mistakes.
#5 Your Mouth Might be Against You. Watch what you say. God told me to stop calling myself fat in the beginning of my journey. If I kept saying that, I would have whatsoever I confessed. I now confess that I exercise often and I weight what God wants me to weight.
#6. Tell your Body what to do. I have to keep challenging myself. Walk further. Burn 100 more calories. Change my aerobics workout. Add new recipes to my menu. The last thing you need is to get bored. Oh, sometimes you have to scream at your body. Telling it might not be enough sometimes (LOL)
#7. Have Accountability. I had accountability weekly through a class, now I have it monthly with a health educator. I couldn’t find anyone to go in the journey with me so guess what? I pay someone to go with me! Sometimes your significant other will not be ready to go on the journey with you. Don’t get mad at them. If you do, get over it as soon as you can. Take any support they will give you and remember, you alone are accountable for your health.
#8 Stay Educated. My degree is not in nutrition but I make sure to read about different health subjects. I find no pleasure in being a walking calorie counter or a walking encyclopedia. What I do enjoy is reading about things that interest me the most. E.g., the relationship between stress and food, the mind and weight loss, women’s image in the media and self esteem. I recently got a tape called “The 12 reasons why people overeat” for $3 and I listen to it when I’m driving. I’ve been learning a lot!
#9 Encourage Someone Else. I try to find people to encourage. I give thumbs up to people walking around the same trail as I – if you are an introvert, this might not work for you. I encourage people in the gym telling them they’ll feel better at the end of the workout. I encourage friends who are in the beginning of their journey. Please, know that I don’t lie to people. There’s a difference between being fake because you know someone is on a diet and sincerely being happy for them. Let’s be real here ;)
#10 Keep God as your Source. God is the reason why I’m on this journey. I asked Him for help so I keep Him in the center of this journey. I can’t forget God because He cares for me completely. Believe it or not, what’s important to me is important to Him. He’s the one who tells me what to do and has given me the great opportunities I’ve had in this journey. I love the Lord and He gets ALL the credit for every pound and every trip to the gym at 6 a.m.