Throughout my life, my weight has yo-yoed a lot: I weighed 2 lbs 6 oz when I was born , and over the summer this year, I realised I was at my heaviest weight. The day I realised was the 12th of August. I have always tried to eat as healthily as I could, but have always had a sweet tooth and I was a real chocoholic from when I was younger up until about four years ago. What stopped me eating chocolate? I went to my GP and he sent me for a blood test because I have always had heavy painful periods. That test confirmed two things: one, that I was anaemic, and two, what worried him more : that my triglyceride levels were up. To help bring them down again he gave me some tablets, and fortunately they worked. In fact, I practically stopped eating chocolate and sweet things after I went to see him about this. He advised me not to eat chocolate because of the fat and sugar it has it. I know people say that you can eat everything as long as you eat in moderation, but now I find that I don't have the desire to eat chocolate, or sweet things, so we do not have them in the house. More recently, I have reduced my salt intake, as Alfredo saw my feet get swollen in the summer . I really like food like pretzels, marshmallows and any type of chocolate, but I stopped eating those altogether. That itself seems to have made some difference, and also the fact that I don't have any sugar in my decaffeinated cappuccino when I drink it. I only drink drinks like Coke very rarely, and if I do buy them I drink the diet or 'zero sugar' variety. I have also talked to a nutritionist who gave me more advice about looking after my diet and body.
My partner Alfredo does my exercises on me. They are stretches and also I use an exercise elastic. I am unable to use or lift any type of weights as they are all too heavy for me, but the exercise regime I have has given me some results, and quicker than I thought, as since 12 August, I have lost 3 kg and 300g which is over half a stone.
I drink a lot of water, do not drink caffeine (doctor and neurologist's orders , as I get headaches anyway, and caffeine worsens these.). I do not drink alcohol. I don't smoke either, and never have done.. My advice to those of you wanting to do more exercise despite disability or illness is:
Before you start:
Look at a body mass indicator website, to see whether your current weight is within the normal range of not. If it is not for example if you are underweight overweight can you must do something about it if you want to be back within the range of your normal weight. After you have done this , I would suggest that you work out how much weight you need to lose to be near or at, your ideal weight. I did both of these things.
The next thing is to have somewhere you can write down, or record your weight and your progress. You could use a notebook, or your iPad, or whatever you find easiest .
If you have an iPad, I would really recommend having I like to see what calorie counter apps you can find. . There are plenty of calorie counter apps out at the moment. I downloaded one called My Fitness Pal. It is in the AppStore.
My Fitness Pal For iPad
I really like this app, as it has a huge database of foods drinks and snacks, so that you are incredibly likely to be able to select what you have eaten. It also has a barcode scanner, and can chart your progress while you lose weight. I use this app everyday now and it is a fun and easy way to keep track of what you eat and how much exercise you do.
These are my steps I suggest you follow whilst you are on a diet.
Choose a sport or activity that you enjoy.
Fibre is a great help: choose wholemeal bread, rice, pasta and cereals.
Choose foods that fill you up, but in a good way. So, instead of eating your favourite steak, eat lentils. They have the same amount of protein as a steak and are much healthier. Alfredo and I eat lentils in a tomato and herb sauce (he makes the sauce) and accompany it with a salad.
Drink more water. It doesn't have to be glasses of water, but can also be herbal teas and soups, but plain water is best.
Stay away from fried foods as much as possible, and even better, avoid them. The only fried food I eat is fried fish now and then, but not very often at all.
Eat more vegetables and salad. Raw vegetables such as carrot and cucumber are great for diets, and healthy eating in general. I eat spinach or lettuce leaves as well. If you like salad like me, have salad.
Identify the foods you love, and stop eating them so frequently or better still, taken out of your diet completely.
Next time you are in the supermarket, avoid buying the foods that you really like. They aren't in the house, then you won't have the urge to eat them and, if you are really serious about your diet, and wanting to lose weight, you will soon forget about those kinds of foods – trust me, this works!
Follow these steps and decide on your own way to lose weight, and I am sure you will be successful over time.
Good luck!
If you need advice, ask your doctor or therapist.
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