Body Confidence & Weight Loss
This is slightly different to my other blog posts, besides the fact that this is more of an advice post than anything, and it is designed to help you, regardless of the fact it will probably be filled with my own thoughts and experiences! I will be honest and try and give you as much useful advice as humanly possible. So, go and grab a big mug of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, whatever takes your fancy, snuggle down and enjoy :)
So, if you know me, or follow me on Instagram (which I'm guessing most of you do), then you will know that I managed to lose about 2 stone in 18 months, and to you, it sounds like slow progress, and it was, but the diet I was on required me to be safe and sensible with my eating habits. Around 2 years ago, I discovered a diet called 'The 5:2 Diet' (I will link the blog post I did explaining it all at the end of the post). You basically eat normally for 5 days a week, then eat less than 600 calories for 2 consecutive days. It sounds like an extreme/crash diet to some, and those who I explained it to said 'oh I couldn't manage that', or 'are you sure that's safe?', yes it is, completely safe. You can eat whatever you want, just as long as it comes under 600 calories. I found my self eating yogurts, granola, porridge etc which would fill me up and also energise me for the day.
Now, in June 2014, I am a size 12, back in 2012, I was a size 16. Not somewhere I wanted to be, especially at the young age of 16/17. So I decided to make a change and go on this specific diet. I feel so much better for it. But the one thing I would say to anyone wanting to lose weight, is that make sure it's something you want to do. I know I'm probably going to get comments telling me that it should be health and fitness that sways your decision to lose weight, and not what you look like on the outside. But if I told you that my health and fitness was my main incentive, I'd be lying to you. My main, and probably only motivation at that time, was getting my body somewhere near decent. I don't have a boyfriend or anything like that, so it wasn't really for anyone imparticular, it was more for my own self confidence. Not having to worry about what anyone else thought of how big I was getting. That's what I thought at the time, 'lose a couple of stone, and you'll be happy!'. I as wrong.
Now, you're probably thinking 'I'd be happy if I lost 2 stone'. Well, yes you probably would, but losing weight doesn't come without at least one con. The thing I found when I started losing weight, was that I would often look in the mirror a lot more, and whilst pick out things I liked about my body, I often found myself looking for the parts I didn't like, and that I felt needed to be improved. This can be the start of a very slippery slope. Don't worry, I am not going down that route, and I have stopped looking in the mirror at myself, trying to pick things out that need changing. I reality, everyone is different, every woman has a different shape and some parts of your body will never be how you want them to be, and you just have to accept that. No matter how many diets you go on, or how many hours you spend at the gym, there will always be parts you won't like, and its the same with everyone, whether you're male or female, a size 10 or a size 20. Once you start picking out faults, your perception of yourself will become clouded by judgement, and fear of what other people think.
I used to think the same. I'm not sitting here writing about how good it is for me, or that I never suffered from the same anxiety or self critique, because I did, and I think you'd be lying to yourself if you can sit there and not say the same thing. I believe we have also criticised ourselves in one way or another, whether it be about our academic abilities, our weight, fitness, motivation, anything. But it's natural for us to feel this way. It's part of shaping who we are as people. The only time this can become unhealthy or possibly dangerous is when we take those anxieties on board and do something extreme to change something about ourselves. This can be life threatening, especially when it comes down to weight. This is where it can get dangerous. I advise seeing a doctor first, just to check that you're body is physically able to go through such changes, and if so, then great, go for it! Just keep in mind that you are who you are and to be happy in your own skin. Keep in mind, also, the dangers of eating disorders. Yes, this is a totally different and serious topic, however I have neither the experience or knowledge to go into it further.
My next piece of advise is to not be a slave to the scales. Checking your weight on a set of scales can be just as psychologically damaging as staring in the mirror all day at all your imperfections. Just have fun and take pleasure from noticing the small changes in yourself, like getting into last years summer dress, or being able to sit down in your favourite pair of jeans without a muffin top. It sounds funny, but it really makes you feel good about yourself, instead of looking at what you could change about yourself next. I advise you don't do that, trust me, its a very, VERY slippery slope.
*SORRY ABOUT THE PROFANITY IN THE IMAGE LOCATED ABOVE. It summed up my feelings too well NOT to include it!
Now if you're the kind of person who is happy in the skin you're in, and don't feel like you have to or want to lose weight, then that's great. I am really happy that you have decided to make that decision. The whole point of this post is to help you guys feel more confident in yourself body wise. If you're a slightly larger lady, then try dressing in clothes tailored for the fuller figure, remember that curves can be very sexy when dressed right. You can look just as hot as a size 8 model that advertises M&S under wear! Don't be pressured by the media to lose any weight, and don't be pressured by friends who are trying to lose weight. They have their reasons, don't feel obliged to do I just because all your friends are doing it too. It's your body and that makes it your decision entirely. Don't let snide or hurtful comments impact your confidence! Again, I would be lying if I said I didn't let those kind of comments get to me, because they did, and they may not be direct comments at your weight, even something like 'did you know, cereal bars can be really fattening and bad for you?' WHILST you're eating a cereal bar! Yes, I'm sure we all know people like that! I don't know how true that is by the way, about the cereal bars! I don't really care either, haha. It's all about sensible eating at the end of the day :)
Anyway, I'm sure I have bored you long enough, and if you have made it this far, then you can just give yourself a massive pat on the back! If you have any other questions for me, you can reach me on Twitter @thesweetpeax or you can find me on Instagram @heartbritishthings. I will link my 5:2 Diet post below:
http://thesweetpeax.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/dieting-and-weight-loss-52-diet-is-best.html
Thanks for reading and I'll see you all very soon! Lorna X
So, if you know me, or follow me on Instagram (which I'm guessing most of you do), then you will know that I managed to lose about 2 stone in 18 months, and to you, it sounds like slow progress, and it was, but the diet I was on required me to be safe and sensible with my eating habits. Around 2 years ago, I discovered a diet called 'The 5:2 Diet' (I will link the blog post I did explaining it all at the end of the post). You basically eat normally for 5 days a week, then eat less than 600 calories for 2 consecutive days. It sounds like an extreme/crash diet to some, and those who I explained it to said 'oh I couldn't manage that', or 'are you sure that's safe?', yes it is, completely safe. You can eat whatever you want, just as long as it comes under 600 calories. I found my self eating yogurts, granola, porridge etc which would fill me up and also energise me for the day.
Now, in June 2014, I am a size 12, back in 2012, I was a size 16. Not somewhere I wanted to be, especially at the young age of 16/17. So I decided to make a change and go on this specific diet. I feel so much better for it. But the one thing I would say to anyone wanting to lose weight, is that make sure it's something you want to do. I know I'm probably going to get comments telling me that it should be health and fitness that sways your decision to lose weight, and not what you look like on the outside. But if I told you that my health and fitness was my main incentive, I'd be lying to you. My main, and probably only motivation at that time, was getting my body somewhere near decent. I don't have a boyfriend or anything like that, so it wasn't really for anyone imparticular, it was more for my own self confidence. Not having to worry about what anyone else thought of how big I was getting. That's what I thought at the time, 'lose a couple of stone, and you'll be happy!'. I as wrong.
Now, you're probably thinking 'I'd be happy if I lost 2 stone'. Well, yes you probably would, but losing weight doesn't come without at least one con. The thing I found when I started losing weight, was that I would often look in the mirror a lot more, and whilst pick out things I liked about my body, I often found myself looking for the parts I didn't like, and that I felt needed to be improved. This can be the start of a very slippery slope. Don't worry, I am not going down that route, and I have stopped looking in the mirror at myself, trying to pick things out that need changing. I reality, everyone is different, every woman has a different shape and some parts of your body will never be how you want them to be, and you just have to accept that. No matter how many diets you go on, or how many hours you spend at the gym, there will always be parts you won't like, and its the same with everyone, whether you're male or female, a size 10 or a size 20. Once you start picking out faults, your perception of yourself will become clouded by judgement, and fear of what other people think.
I used to think the same. I'm not sitting here writing about how good it is for me, or that I never suffered from the same anxiety or self critique, because I did, and I think you'd be lying to yourself if you can sit there and not say the same thing. I believe we have also criticised ourselves in one way or another, whether it be about our academic abilities, our weight, fitness, motivation, anything. But it's natural for us to feel this way. It's part of shaping who we are as people. The only time this can become unhealthy or possibly dangerous is when we take those anxieties on board and do something extreme to change something about ourselves. This can be life threatening, especially when it comes down to weight. This is where it can get dangerous. I advise seeing a doctor first, just to check that you're body is physically able to go through such changes, and if so, then great, go for it! Just keep in mind that you are who you are and to be happy in your own skin. Keep in mind, also, the dangers of eating disorders. Yes, this is a totally different and serious topic, however I have neither the experience or knowledge to go into it further.
My next piece of advise is to not be a slave to the scales. Checking your weight on a set of scales can be just as psychologically damaging as staring in the mirror all day at all your imperfections. Just have fun and take pleasure from noticing the small changes in yourself, like getting into last years summer dress, or being able to sit down in your favourite pair of jeans without a muffin top. It sounds funny, but it really makes you feel good about yourself, instead of looking at what you could change about yourself next. I advise you don't do that, trust me, its a very, VERY slippery slope.
Now if you're the kind of person who is happy in the skin you're in, and don't feel like you have to or want to lose weight, then that's great. I am really happy that you have decided to make that decision. The whole point of this post is to help you guys feel more confident in yourself body wise. If you're a slightly larger lady, then try dressing in clothes tailored for the fuller figure, remember that curves can be very sexy when dressed right. You can look just as hot as a size 8 model that advertises M&S under wear! Don't be pressured by the media to lose any weight, and don't be pressured by friends who are trying to lose weight. They have their reasons, don't feel obliged to do I just because all your friends are doing it too. It's your body and that makes it your decision entirely. Don't let snide or hurtful comments impact your confidence! Again, I would be lying if I said I didn't let those kind of comments get to me, because they did, and they may not be direct comments at your weight, even something like 'did you know, cereal bars can be really fattening and bad for you?' WHILST you're eating a cereal bar! Yes, I'm sure we all know people like that! I don't know how true that is by the way, about the cereal bars! I don't really care either, haha. It's all about sensible eating at the end of the day :)
Anyway, I'm sure I have bored you long enough, and if you have made it this far, then you can just give yourself a massive pat on the back! If you have any other questions for me, you can reach me on Twitter @thesweetpeax or you can find me on Instagram @heartbritishthings. I will link my 5:2 Diet post below:
http://thesweetpeax.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/dieting-and-weight-loss-52-diet-is-best.html
Thanks for reading and I'll see you all very soon! Lorna X
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