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Don't Diet Change Your Lifestyle!
I never believe in diets. I went on a diet only once in my lifetime and that was during my modeling days when I was told I had to lose an inch off my hips. I was very shocked and stressed especially since I was on a gaining weight mission. Eating cerelac and drinking protein shakes before bedtime was my daily routine not knowing that I also had to incorporate some weight training exercises. In short, I never gained much weight. I was a size 10 and 5’11 inches tall. All I wanted was to be a size 12 at least. Everyone in my class at that time was endowed in all the right places while I was a skinny tall lanky girl without a butt. Life was tough. A year after when I had finally gained some weight, I auditioned for MNET Face Of Africa and was selected as one of the finalist BUT……. wait for this…………. I had to lose an inch off my butt. The butt that I worked so hard for had to go. To cut the story short, I joined a gym, went on a diet and lost the one-inch that took me ages to gain. I wasn’t happy.
The reasons why I felt I needed to write this article on maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight is because many people write to me asking for advice on what they need to do to lose weight. And a few days ago when I was a at a pharmacy, a lady walked in complaining that she eats too much without getting satisfied and needs something for it. You can guess what she wanted and what was prescribed to her. Yes diet pills. Diet pills do not work and can be harmful to your health. They might suppress your appetite but after you stop taking then, you gain weight almost immediately.There are many people who are not happy with their weight and try all kinds of things under the sun to lose weight. However, the only way you can lose weight and keep the weight off is through a lifestyle change, dedication and commitment. You must put in the work! You can take all kinds of diet pills but they never work. Diet pills if you ever noticed have a disclaimer in fine print that stresses the need to incorporate some kind of activity/exercise for it to be effective. This should raise some red flags.
So for those looking to lose some weight or maintain your current weight, I have a few tips for you. I have maintained my current weight for 10 years, but my body has changed especially you know where “winks”, thanks to weight training and squats. I never diet and I never take diet pills. I lead a healthy happy lifestyle.
I never skip meals – I must have 3 meals in a day without fail except for weekends when I wake up past breakfast time. I would then have only 2 meals but will snack in between.
I snack all the time – Healthy snacks such as nuts, fruits mainly apples and sometime Belvita or oat biscuits. At times I would eat a small piece of cake especially when my hormones are raging. Yes, blaming it on the hormones.
First thing after I wake up, I start the day with a glass of warm water and lemon or at times just warm water. I usually drink 2 to 3 glasses before I leave the house.
I juice every morning before I have my breakfast – I either have fresh juice or vegetable smoothies. It takes five to ten minutes of my time every day but it’s worth it. I drink around 750ml to I litre of Juice everyday. You must drink freshly made juice before eating anything so that the nutrients are absorbed immediately and directly into your system
I start my breakfast with a fruit – usually papaya or pineapple. Both very excellent in digestive enzymes. Papaya is excellent for digesting meals high in protein and pineapple is excellent for digesting meals high in fat.
I NEVER skip breakfast - I have oatmeal three times a week and on other days I either have French toast, pancake with flaxseed powder, brown toast with peanut butter or eggs
I drink plenty of water, at least two and a half litres a day when I’m not working out and three to four litres on days that I workout. During cold days I drink very warm since it’s very difficult to drink water during such days. Water is great for you because it flushes out toxins and also you tend to eat less. At times we mistake dehydration for hunger
I eat mostly grilled, stir-fried, stewed and baked foods. Once in a while fried foods but only when the hormones are raging again or when I have no choice especially when I’m at an event and dying of hunger. Yup, the hormones again!
I eat plenty of vegetables. My vegetable portion size is bigger than my protein and carbohydrates put together. I love broccoli, cabbage, green beans, sukumawiki ( kale), esuga and cornflower just to mention a few
I workout ( Weight Training to be specific) – both at home and at the gym. I’m currently doing plenty of bodyweight exercises, strength and weight training. I started Cross Fit sometime last year and that got me addicted to weight training. If you want to lose weight and look amazing, make sure you incorporate both cardio and weight training for faster weight loss. Trust me you won’t bulk up. You will lose and tone at the same time. ( I will write more about this on my next article)
I try to get eight hours of sleep everyday. If I don’t get enough sleep during the week, I make it up over the weekends. My friends and family can attest to that.
I limit my sugar intake - I rarely eat sugary stuff like chocolates and sweets. I usually crave for salty snack, which is still not a very good thing but only once in a while.
I NEVER drink soda. NEVER!
I drink a cup of green tea everyday – Great antioxidant and it also curbs your appetite. You can add a little honey if you like but I usually take mine without. It's also great as a pre-workout drink. If you are new to green tea try the flavored options.
I love my coffee but I’m trying to limit it to one cup a day. Not working at all! I’m a coffee addict all the way. And it's also a great pre-workout drink!
I take red wine occasionally – 1 to 2 glasses of wine is not bad if your trying to lose weight but don’t exceed 2 glasses. The anti-oxidants found in the red wine are a huge plus!
I rarely drink milk. I use oat milk or almond milk instead.
I use sea salt and brown sugar. Currently in search of coconut sugar.
All the Best!
B