First, my credentials. I was fat for many years until my early 20s, occasionally yo-yoing, but for the most part, remaining chubby at best. Then, beginning in my early 20s, I lost 40 pounds over several years, consistently either keeping the weight off or losing more weight until my mid-to-late 20s. Then I started to gain some back, and now I can’t seem lose it. I think that’s partially due to my old age (I’m approaching 30 at an alarming rate), and also I probably don’t exercise as much as I used to. I probably should exercise even more than I used to because of the old age I just told you about. Anyhoo, my tips might only apply to people in their early-to-mid 20s, and people who exercise sufficiently.
How It Began
I’ll begin my tips with how I lost the initial 15 pounds that got me started on losing weight. I got very sick, with some kind of cold-like thing that lasted for a month one summer. I think it resulted from switching from an oral steroid for some crazy asthma issues I had to an inhaled steroid, which apparently left my body less able to fight infections (I learned that from a Flovent commercial several months after I recovered).
During my month-long cold, I had no appetite, so I only ate to survive. So I lost 15 pounds by eating very little.
As I recovered and my appetite began to return, I decided to take the opportunity my sickness had given me to change my eating habits.
I think a big problem people (well, I) had with losing weight is changing life-long bad habits. My month-long sickness forced me to temporarily change those habits, so as I recovered, rather than lapsing back into my old habits, it was just as easy to create new, better habits.
I’m not suggesting that people become sick to lose weight; I am suggesting that you take or make opportunities you might come across to help you change your bad habits if you have any. Or just use your will power to change your habits the old-fashioned way.
Getting back to my weight loss success story…
I had previously been quite the piggish one; I would eat lots of junk food and other fatty foods frequently. I also drank a lot of soda, and generally didn’t have a healthy diet.
I consciously decided that I would only eat when I was hungry, and I would stop eating when I was full. I learned while doing this that I had to be sure to eat enough food during the day, because I found that I wasn’t always hungry when I should have been, and I didn’t want to become anorexic.
Don't become anorexic. Seriously, be careful, because as strange as that might sound, I really think insufficient eating can occur if you're not careful. Perhaps it might help if you decide how many meals is right for you, and make sure you eat those meals each day. I used to forget to eat all day because I wouldn't be hungry, and I would wonder why I became grumpy and headachy; both symptoms would miraculously disappear when I would finally eat. Just make sure you eat enough to be healthy.
No Deprivation -- Eat Anything You Want
I could eat anything I wanted to, as long as I only ate while hungry. No food was off limits; it was only excessive eating and eating that resulted from boredom or attempts to fill some other void that were to be avoided. This method of weight loss was perfect for me, since I’m incapable of sticking to an actual diet, because I can’t handle being deprived of anything; the second that I can’t have it, I want it desperately. This was a change of habit, a lifestyle change; but there was no deprivation of anything at all.
Exercise
I also started exercising more. I began walking for the sake of exercising. To fulfill my PE requirement in college, I took the easiest PE course available, Walking for Fitness, where I was required to walk two miles two mornings per week. After I completed the two-semester requirement, I took the course again, and I think I ended up taking that course every semester until I graduated. It was the easiest course I ever took, and it had an enormous impact on my life, by getting me to exercise in what for most people is the easiest way possible: walking.
Anyway, after I started walking for the sake of exercising, I lost the next 15 pounds within a year, or maybe a few months (I really don’t remember how long it took). And it only required that I be consciously aware of whether I was hungry and Walking for Fitness.
Maintaining My New, Healthier Lifestyle
After that, I maintained the lifestyle of eating when I was hungry, not eating when I wasn’t hungry, stop eating when full, and eating enough to not be anorexic. I also exercised a bit more, adding crunches to my walking, and also I think I was walking more than I had been previously. Over the next year or years, I lost another 10 pounds.
I would occasionally gain a bit of weight back, and when that would happen, I would evaluate what I was doing, and what kinds of habits I had formed or reformed. I would always find something I was doing wrong: eating even if I wasn’t hungry, continuing to eat when I wasn’t hungry anymore (this has been my biggest weakness), eating s’mores everyday just because I had all the ingredients, drinking too much soda just because it was there, etc. So I would simply stop whatever it was, and go back to the mantra of eat when hungry etc. It was surprisingly easy to go back to that and to stop the new or re-emerged bad habit.
Some Other Little Tips
Eat what you crave, but only real cravings. I learned this from some friends who had joined WeightWatchers™. If you don’t eat what you’re craving, you will eat everything else until you eventually end up eating what you craved anyway. So just eat what you’re craving, but not a massive amount of it. Also (and this is coming from my experience), make sure it’s a real craving. It should be something you’re craving for a long time, not just on a whim that might pass, or something you saw one the TV that looked tasty (though that can become a real craving, in my experience).
Analyze your cravings. Sometimes, I crave extremely fattening food, but if I think about it, I’m not really craving the specific food, but rather a quality of that food. For example, I might crave greasy potato chips, but what I really want is something salty, or something crunchy or crispy. Some baked chips, toasted pita, or a few thin crackers might satisfy that craving for crunch, and an extra shake of salt on healthy food, some olives, some hummus, or a pickle might satisfy the salty craving (unless you have high blood pressure or other reasons to avoid salt). Another example is cheese; in my experience, a cheese craving might really be a calcium craving, a salt craving, a protein craving, or a fat craving. This might be satisfied with a calcium supplement, some low-fat yogurt, a few nuts, or some olives. Bear in mind that nuts and olives are also fattening obviously, though the unsaturated fats are better for you than the saturated ones. Of course, I usually just eat some cheese to fill a cheese craving.
Eat chocolate. Yeah, you heard me. This goes along with eating what you crave, so if you don’t crave or like chocolate, then don’t eat it. However, if you’re like me, and love chocolate and can’t live without it, have fun-sized or other small chocolates available at all times, and have one or two little pieces whenever you crave it. I find that if I don’t have chocolate constantly available, when I finally get my hands on it, I end up eating way too much of it. However, when I have it available, that doesn’t happen; it becomes very easy to only eat the one or two pieces that I’m actually craving and then stop.
Drink lots of water, but don’t drown yourself from the inside out. People always say you should drink lots of water, which seems reasonable. If it doesn’t help you lose weight or eat less, your organs will still thank you.
Moderation is the key. Don’t over-do anything -- don’t completely cut out anything. As Rachael Ray
always says, "Everything in moderation."One bite might be enough. I learned that somewhere on the TV and subsequently realized the truth of this in my own experience. The first bite of many tasty foods is often the best bite, and often the only bite that really gives you that “OMG this is so unbelievably yummy” feeling. When this is the case, the rest of the bites try desperately to match that first bite but never do. If you’re eating something that is not healthy or that is overly fattening, don’t bother continuing to eat after the intense yumminess is gone; it won’t come back until the next time you eat it. This is particularly true of most steaks and most cakes, in my experience. Of course, sometimes things are yummy the whole way through, but you’ll know when that’s the case.
Eat consciously. I learned this from the TV as well. According to the TV, if you eat mindlessly, for example while watching the TV, you end up eating a lot more than you would if you would pay attention to what you’re eating. In other words, you wouldn’t be aware of whether you’re not hungry anymore.
Pay attention to what you’re eating, and ask yourself these questions while you eat: Am I hungry? Is this delicious? Is each bite still delicious? If it’s not delicious, is it some nutritious thing that I should keep eating anyway (for example if you hate vegetables)? Am I eating enough to be healthy and not anorexic? If you need to, write these things down every time you eat; that is, keep a journal of when and why you eat, and whether you’re hungry or not when you eat. If you’re eating for non-hunger reasons, such as boredom, depression, happiness, not wanting to waste food, etc, stop eating and try to fix whatever needs fixing. For example, if it’s depression that‘s causing your non-hungry eating, seek some therapy and/or exercise – the serotonin and endorphins might boost your mood. Remember to always seek medical advice from health care professionals, and not from blogs, for blogs, particularly this one, are not your doctor. If you weren't sure of that, my disclaimer on the right tells you that.
I hope these tips and suggestions will help you in your weight loss or healthy eating endeavors! There are more tips on eating less without being hungry at this future blog posting. Don’t forget to consult your health care provider before doing anything!
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