How to lose weight permanently

This post is dedicated to those who want to lose weight permanently. Of course you need to be fat on the bigger side at present to be in a position to need to lose weight. Whether you want to be healthier or you want to look good - superficial or non-superficial reasons, I don't care.

I grew up fat, I was a fat child person. My dad and the mirror told me so. This is not about my Dad and what he said/says. He is my Dad, and he is forever my love, and he is not perfect, so please leave him (and his parenting techniques) out of this.

Oh, and if you are fat because of some other medical condition, then this post is definitely not for you.

So. How to lose weight.

(1) Eat lots of vegetables. Make sure that 70% of what you eat comprises vegetables of various colours. The rest is preferably protein and some fat. There is no dessert in this equation - and for a good reason: dessert is meant to be for special occasions, special as in once in a month kind of special, like celebrating a birthday kind of special - aka once a year kind of special.

If you are hungry, eat vegetables and some protein. You can eat fast, slow, whatever speed you want, I don't care. I try to eat slow because apparently that's better for me, but I think I eat fast, because I eat a lot. Like as in I am the last person in the table to finish eating, for almost every single meal I eat. I either eat a lot of food or my companions don't eat that much. Anyway.

Most of the time, you are not hungry when you eat dessert. Admit it! You just want to taste something sweet, something light, bla bla bla. Ok, I get it, sugar cravings, or whatever you want to call it. The rule is this: if you want to lose weight, you gotta make sacrifices. You either sacrifice your meal (vege and protein) or you sacrifice dessert. You need the nutrients in the meal more than you need the sugar hit of the dessert, so choose carefully. It's your choice, really.

(2) Move more than a dead person. The main reasons that the majority of people are fat are poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. I know I was fat because I did not know how to feed myself (le husb told me this - not the fat bit, but the other bit) and  I had quite an aversion to exercise. I have since started to exercise regularly and I like myself a lot more as a result of that. I guess this feeling can be called ... err... healthy feeling. Like you know when you feel 'bleagh' after you binge on some junk food, well, this feeling is the opposite of that, except, better.

As you all know, this is not just about exercising, it is about moving in general - like as in, you get up to get your own drink, or you walk instead of driving, etc. This is the best excuse to invest in really good shoes. Good shoes are necessities in life. You need at least a pair of shoes that are comfortable, stylish and make you feel like you can conquer the world, one step at a time.

You don't have to buy a pedometer, although you can if you want to. Some people are motivated by numbers, and if you are one of these people, then by all means, buy the pedometer and you can be motivated by the number that you see or don't see. I have never owned a pedometer, but had the pleasure of buying some for my dad and my uncle, who were (still are?) using them once upon a time. They are not fat, they are just number-curious people.

(3) Drink water - and just water. No soft drinks. No alcohol. Yes, no alcohol. If you are thirsty, drink water. What? You don't like the taste of water? Then you shall suffer in your thirst. Can't give up soft drinks and alcohol? That's fine - there is a very good chance that your weight loss journey is going to be unnecessarily longer and harder. Your choice.

I get that soft drinks and alcoholic beverages can be addictive, if not were designed to be addictive (these corporations like to make money, okay). I get that we are human and we succumb to temptation. The point is to not make a habit out of it. Or in other words, cultivate the good habit of drinking water.

(4) Say no to things you don't like. This doesn't just pertain to food or drinks, but to everything in your life. If there is something you don't like in your home, either toss or donate it (or give it to someone). If you don't like your hairstyle, change it. If you don't like your clothes, then change them. If you don't like where you live, then make plans to move to an area you actually like. If you don't like your financial position, then start budgeting. If you don't like your habits, then change them - replace the ones you don't like with the ones you like.

Why? Because the more you like your life, your surroundings, your look, etc, the better you feel about yourself. When you feel better about yourself, it is easier to give up dessert and eat vege and protein. It is also easier to exercise and move more. Really, trust me, it is easier to walk in a house that's not cluttered rather than a house that's cluttered to the roof. I know this because my imagination tells me so.

Once you've lost the weight you want to lose, then it is a matter of maintaining your weight. Maintaining your weight takes effort, okay. It pretty much means you gotta eat vegetables and protein and give up dessert most of the time, move more than a dead person everyday, and say no to the things you don't like everyday. But you can drink soft drinks and alcoholic beverages occasionally.

Good luck! 

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We gotta connect through twitter. Largely because I don't want to deal with spams in my comments, and because I am personally of view that in the world of social media, conversations (with strangers) are best conducted via twitter. If you want to look at some pictures, you can view my instagram and my other blog, where I talk about other things, with pictures. If you like full on writing, and only that, then just stay on this blog. If you want me to look at your blog, you can send me a twit - @drbelles, okay. If you don't have twitter, err... get one! It's free!