As many women do, I slowly but surely gained weight over the years. It kind of creeps onto you so slow that you don’t really notice, right! I was close to reach the fat level on the BMI scale and my clothes were getting smaller and smaller. Or was it me getting bigger? Yes I believe it was, I was 87kg. All of a sudden my wardrobe was flooded by too small items. Perfectly good ones that I liked so did not throw them away. They just kept lying there – as a bad conscience for me and to my husband’s despair. I am a squirrel – he is not!
Anyway, in late August -15 I was planning my upcoming trip to USA. I was booked to speak at the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in San Fransisco and I was looking for clothes to wear at this occasion. That was a wakeup call for me! If I was to stand in front of the audience, I didn’t want to feel big and having to keep my belly in all the time. So I had to do something, right?
The problem was that I have never really been a fan of all those diets out there. They restrict you and complicate life more than they help. I have seen too many failures throughout my years in the Health Care Clinic. Also I love food!
What did I do instead? I did what I “preach”, I did inventory of what I eat during a week – everything! Scary, right?Actually I had a fairly good picture of what I put in my mouth BUT it is not so flattering to really see EVERYTHING. If you ever have done that you know what I mean, it IS scary! I looked at my food intake and my eating pattern and found 3 things I more easily could change. First, when I like the food I too often take 2 servings, or at least a little bit more. Secondly I am a cookie monster and have a tendency to take more than one cookie at coffee time. And third I tend to overeat on snacks on Friday evenings when we have relax time in front of the TV and I allow myself to be a couch potato for a few hours.
So here is what I did:
- Always only one normal size serving for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If there were leftover they were saved for later, in the freezer if possible, otherwise in the fridge. Often I later combined these smaller leftovers making new exciting dishes so nothing was wasted even if I didn’t put it into my mouth at the original meal.
- Coffee time snacks (in-between meal snacks) cut to half or less.
- Modesty at snack time Friday evenings (or other special snack occasions). I am still allowed some but it is rationed. When I have had my share it is over – no second serving!
This is all and I lost 4 kilograms in just 2 months. Can you imagine? My stomach does not dwell out as much and I can now use one of my old beloved pants that I haven’t been able to use for a couple of years. Happy!
2 months after the start of my weight loosing journey it was time for my trip. By then I had lost 4 kilograms, which is half a kilo each week – without really dieting. I was still eating the same food as before, having the same eating time structure. But putting less calories into my mouth.
The first four weeks I sometimes did feel a bit more hunger. But that feeling went away as my stomach size adjusted to more normal portions.
The food cravings also took a couple of months to master, or at least keep under control. The trip to do the speaking at SACC was part of a 2 week trip combining 4 different activities and I had a hard time keeping the food structure. It was a lot of airport and hotel food and choices are not always perfect. I did not eat more but I did eat the wrong foods and at no regular hours but I actually to my surprise lost another kilo during the trip, now down to 82kg. So this method does work during business trips too. You dont have to find special food, just eat whatever is served – with modesty.
This is very encouraging. No specific diet, just eating the same good old food as before but in smaller amounts. And now it has become a habit and no sacrifice at all. After all I can allow myself to have a treat every now and then – but not always.
I will continue to work this process until I reach my goal of 75 kg. I aim to lose another 2-3 kg up until Christmas and the rest until end February 2016.
I would love to hear your opinion on this! Is this way possible for anyone? I believe so! Have you tried something similar? Or something different that has worked for you? Give your comments below. And please stayed tuned for new reports from my journey.
To your Success and Keep Smiling!
