Before I begin let me say I am not a trained fitness professional, nor am I suggesting that any particular body type, shape or weight is ideal. This story is about my post pregnancy weight loss and reaching a healthy weight without using any unhealthy or superficial methods.
I always wanted to fit into that dream dress. More than others calling me ‘fat’, I was unhappy about my extending waistline. Of course, I was also humiliated through body shaming. And yes, it’s a big deal for me to share this here, along with this image, but if it helps anyone, I will be really happy!
I managed to lose the weight in a safe and natural way that I know I can sustain for long. No dieting, no starving and no magic.
The ‘heavier’ me in the image is about two years back, when my second baby was about year old. I was under a lot of professional and personal stress and I was horrified at my growing weight and waist. I was 80 kg, 33 years old, 5”5 tall and had a waist size of 34”. I didn’t feel I would lose the weight.
The thinner me is now, a month-and-half-back. I’m 35 now, weigh 54 kg and my waist size is 28. My objective now is to maintain this weight.
Even though my tips may sound simple, trust me, it worked – the images are hundred percent genuine. So here’s what I did.
1. Cut off sugar: I don’t like sweets at all so it was a big help. I completely went off even tiny bits of very dark and bitter chocolate, no ice creams, no colas or sodas (my kids don’t have them either). I used to have one spoon of sugar in my tea (about twice a day). I completely cut out sugar-tea and though it tasted weird at first, now my taste buds cannot tolerate tea with sugar.
2. Less salt, less fried or oily foods, more fresh foods: I started adding less salt to the food I cook. I barely have oily or fried foods, maybe once a month. It’s difficult to give up at first but once you do, your body itself will shut out the junk and make you feel uncomfortable when you eat fried or oily food. I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and have almost cut down my intake of processed foods.
3. Lunch before 1 PM and dinner before 7 PM: I was used to having late lunches and dinners, but started having lunch by 12:30 pm and dinner around 6:30 pm. If I get late on the dinner time, I still finish by 8 pm at the latest. As I sleep very late I do feel hungry around midnight, so I have a mug of chamomile tea which helps relax your body and calms you down.
4. Regular Exercise: I don’t like gyms and love walking. I started out by walking 1 or 2 kilometres a day and have now reached a stage where I walk 10 kilometres a day, at least 4 or 5 times a week. You can start walking or running at a pace that’s comfortable for you.
Choose a form that you like and that you’d want to do every day. In addition, I do variations of crunches and plank exercises at home. You can easily install these apps on your smartphone or watch them online to learn. I live on the 16th floor and try to take the stairs up at least once a week, and the stairs down at least 3 to 4 times a week.
5. I drink about 6 to 8 litres of water a day: Thankfully, I’ve always been drinking a lot of water, so it helps. Plus I also have a lot of natural teas which adds to the liquid intake.
6. Smaller portions: I eat in a small plate and add very less amounts at first. I chew it properly and take my time to finish. Once I do, I take another helping if required, but in small portions. It helps to not waste food plus I can avoid overeating.
This is all I do and I definitely don’t starve myself. I eat almost everything but smartly. You can try these tips as they are very easy to follow even in the long run. And if you do try them out and it helps, do let me know for sure.🙂
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