Again, please remember that this is just what has worked for me! I don’t think that it is the “best”, “most healthy” way to lose weight, but right now, it is better than the doing nothing at all and it works :)
FAQ
Are you “naturally” skinny?
Nope (I don’t like those people either! JUST KIDDING- I know that can be a struggle in itself, too ), I’ve gained weight easily my whole life…during the off seasons of high school sports, when I went to college, and definitely when I started having kids.
What if you are going somewhere (like a Christmas party or buffet) where there is going to be a lot of food and you are hungry because you haven’t eaten since lunch?
There are occasions (like the ones mentioned above, or even going to the grocery store) where I definitely snack ahead of time. If I’m going somewhere with unlimited quantities of food, I generally have a snack in the car, something like nuts or cheese, so that I am not starving when I get there and can better control what I’m eating. (And other times I intentionally indulge, and purposefully enjoy it and get back on track the next day :)
Don’t you get hungry in between meals if you aren’t snacking?
Yes. Especially early on as my stomach was adjusting back to a normal size. To curb this I drink water and really try to eat filling foods when I do eat, foods high in protein or fat. (I think we all know by now that fat doesn’t make you fat?) I use avocados, olive oil, coconut milk, butter, cheese, all things that stick with you.
Wait, I thought snacking is encouraged when trying to lose weight?
It is, if you have healthy snacks and don’t eat too much at snack time. The problem I kept running into is that I didn’t have time to prepare healthy snacks, so I would end up eating junk in between meals and then I wasn’t super hungry at meal time, so I wouldn’t fill up (or was trying to eat less to make up for eating too much when I was snacking) and then would be hungry again an hour later. It seemed to be a vicious cycle of not ever filling up on good food and eating alot of junk in between meals.
Now instead, I enjoy two full meals a day…I try to include a good amount of protein along with enough fat to keep me full, and rarely feel deprived. If I start to feel hungry, I know a meal time isn’t too far away.
How often do you “cheat”?
Most of the weekend and at least one day during the week…again, we’re going for “better” here, not perfect. I aim for a 70% success rate and have had great results from it.
So, basically you’re starving yourself?
Nope, just reducing the amount of calories I consume each day.
So…how much should I eat in a day?
The great thing is that this isn’t about counting calories or keeping a food journal, those things aren’t bad, we just already determined that we don’t have time for that. Basically, use how much you normally eat in a day as your benchmark and work to reduce that amount each day.
What if I’m nursing?
This is where it gets a little tricky, you’ll like need to eat more often throughout the day, but probably you can still reduce the overall amount that you are eating (I know I could)…for me, though, I wasn’t able to lose the final 5 pounds until I was done nursing.
Have a question? Comment below! Or, head back to the main article, or visit the tips, tricks and little know facts page.
