How I Dropped 10 pounds in 10 weeks
Hello, everyone~
Yes, you read the title right: I dropped ten pounds in about 10 weeks. If you remember, I mentioned a couple months ago that I was trying to be healthier and take care of my body more. Before I go further, let me describe to you my body shape and type:
I am a conical shape: I have broad shoulders and almost no butt. I am about 5'1" and weighed about 125 pounds. My BMI was in the "higher" end of normal weight, but again, numbers are just numbers: I have a relatively muscular build, so that also adds on to my weight. Anyhow, I would call myself "pleasantly rounded", but I wouldn't say I'm fat.
It has always been hard for me to lose weight; I used to exercise fairly regularly, and until my recent job, I have always been fairly conscious of the things I eat. It is rather hard to buy food fresh while always being on the go, and harder still to figure out a goo time to prepare food. Having a routine exercising schedule is also much harder in an environment where time and schedule is not absolute.
I have found a great way that works for me in eating healthier. Again, weight loss has always been hard for me, because I don't tend to gorge on jun food, and I'm not a big fan of breads, pastas, and rice. There is only so much that I can do with my diet. Obviously, when I am travelling, or when I am visiting people, it isn't really ideal to go to a supermarket and cook in a hotel room, or insist on cooking dates. However, I can definitely control what I make myself, and what I choose to order.
For breakfast, I have been having oatmeal.
I boil water while I am drinking my daily 2 cups of cold water. I find that it helps me kickstart my breathing a bit, because my lungs are kind of dead. By the time I'm done drinking my water, the water should be pretty much boiled. I will pour out some oatmeal and add water. For sweetening, I usually add frozen fruit, but I ran out, so I am using 유자차. The hot water will melt the frozen fruit, and in this case, make the 유자차 easy to mix. Afterwards, I will pour some coconut milk to cool things down to an edible temperature.
Because of my schedule, I usually only get to eat lunch or dinner (rarely both). Again, I am saved by frozen veggies.
So firstly pictured is chicken. Chicken is relatively cheap to buy, and easy to cook. I have my chicken separated and frozen in bags, and then I just let it thaw out while I do errands. Once it has completely thawed, I scrub it with salt, let it sit, then rinse. Afterwards, I use a mix of pepper and pepper flakes as "marinate", and bake it at 350 for 20 minutes. After that, I pop in some frozen veggies, and keep it baking for another 10 to 15 minutes. Some of the oil and taste from the chicken will automatically seep into your veggies, so avoid extra seasoning. During this time, I am exercising while reading a book or watching videos.
Before eating, I will drink a cup of cold water, because I find that it helps me the most with having a refreshed tongue and happier meal. Plus, by this time, I would have been exercising for about 30 minutes, so I am parched.
In choosing foods to eat when I am out, I tend to avoid carbs (well, I kind of do this out of preference, anyways). I do not eat full portions, as usually full portions are several servings (it's crazy!). I let myself eat things that my friends are eating, but PORTION CONTROL. I am not going to be the party pooper who says "no" to getting ice cream when everyone is getting it. I am going to be the person who shares with someone who feels a bit full from dinner, and can't finish an entire ice cream.
So what exercises am I doing? I used to be a little Energizer Bunny. I would just run, and run, and run some more. Then, I would go on the eliptical, and maybe the bike if I was up for it. I'd stretch, and then go into dancing mode, which again, is cardio. I have been doing a variety of exercises. These include squats, isolations, burpees, and just regular stretching. I find that when I am distracting myself with reading or video watching, my exercising becomes a lot less strenuous, and a lot more fun.
I have worked out a system as to how I keep track of how many times I do something, because I suck at counting. I rotate myself. For example: Ten squats facing the front, then ten facing the right. Ten more to the back, and then ten more to the left. Finish off with one more set of ten facing the front. Counting to 10 is much easier than counting to 50, and this way, you keep track of how many you've done. This works best for when you are reading.
Sometimes, if I'm just trying to do something continuously and a numerical amount doesn't matter, I will pair it with watching a video. For example, if I am just stretching, and I want to hold a position as long as possible, I will just distract myself with a video. I will be able to hold it for longer, and get a deeper stretch this way. If I am trying to do as many toe points as I can, I will just distract myself with watching a video while I work my calves to death. It'll take them a little longer to die.
I find that not only did distracting myself from exercise help me exercise, but having variety to my exercises definitely helped. I started using my body as a weight for myself to lift, and when I began to use my body as an exercise equipment, things got easier. God didn't create us with a meaningless mold; He has made us beautiful. Beauty is not only skin deep, but lies in so many different factors. I think it is beautiful that the human body can help itself exercise, rest, and has the intellect to notify us when we are unhealthy. These are all things that God has woven us to be, when we were still in our mothers' womb. Isn't He great?
Everyone has a different body type, and while these simple changes helped me in feeling and looking healthier, it might not necessarily help YOU. The most important thing is recognizing what works with YOUR body, and what makes YOU feel good and healthier. I am simply sharing what has helped me, and I hope that if you have a similar body TYPE to me, that this will be helpful in making you lead a healthier lifestyle <3
Hope you have a great day!
Commentaires