Ok, I'm a major junk food addict. But I'm also trying to lose 10-15 lbs by the end of the year (aka: in 2.5 months.). I've tried so many different things to encourage myself to lose the weight over the past 5 years or so and I only seem to be gaining weight. I've tried inspiration boards, buying myself a cute bikini to aspire to fit into one day (I even hung it up on my bedroom mirror as a reminder to eat right and exercise), attempting to set up regular hiking and running schedules with friends, filling my fridge with only healthy foods, getting a gym membership (at 3 different times!), signing myself up for expensive races, telling myself that I'll reward myself with a nice vacation or an expensive bag if I just make it to my goal weight.....Ok, I think you get the point. I was trying to find a way to make myself convinced that I wanted to lose the weight more than I wanted to keep living the way I've always lived (which was actually making me gain weight). But all attempts have failed. Each time I tried something new, I stuck with it for a short while in the beginning, and then resorted back to my bad habits of eating junk food and "forgetting" to exercise. The people around me kept encouraging me, as well, and even though my close friends and family were losing a lot of weight, getting fit, looking hot, and reaching their goals, I was steadily content with being "fat" and left behind them. Well, sort of. I didn't want to change the way I lived. I wanted to lose the weight, be healthy and have a body that really COULD rock a bikini in public, but I didn't want to change my lifestyle.
So with that, I decided to meet myself halfway. I'm accepting that I am not the super hero story of that woman who woke up one day, laced up her running shoes, and lost 100 lbs in 3 months. I'm not even the one who adopted a vegan diet to be healthy and lost the pounds by "eating clean with little to no exercise at all." Nope. I'm a junk food addict and, well, junk food and I have a special relationship. So instead of trying to conform to the proper ways of living, I've decided to take it slow. And to not feel guilty about it. I'm not eating fast food every day. That's already an improvement. And if I eat out, I try to get something healthy, like a Veggie Delight from Subway (but none of that plain, no cheese, no salt or mayo stuff. I get everything you can possibly fit into that veggie sandwich! But I only eat 6" per meal.). That has significantly reduced my calories. I don't drink soda, but I get Vitamin Zero flavored water, or Fruit Water, which is carbonated flavored water. I also pack a ton of snacks in my kitchen. I'm a huge snacker and I don't like to work for my food. I'm not a cook, and I hate being in the kitchen for more than 10 minutes. So I have nuts and fresh fruits, dried fruits, granola bars, etc. Easy grab and go stuff.
So that's my progress, my pat-on-the-back-you're-doing-something-good stuff, but that doesn't satisfy my need for all of my favorite junk foods. So this is what I've been doing lately and so far, I'm ok with it. I hope it lasts because, well, I'M ACTUALLY OK WITH IT! That's a big deal. I can't feel like I'm actually sacrificing a lot, otherwise, I give up. But so far so good.
1. I must have boba. I tried on many occasions to give it up. That never works. So I allow myself to have boba once a week: either on Thursday night during date night with my husband, or Saturday or Sunday (because Sunday is a slight cheat day for me). But only one drink a week.
2. I need fast food other than a boring salad or a veggie sandwich. So I have it once a week on Sundays (that's the cheating part). I try to limit myself to eating fast food during only one meal on Sundays, but I'll admit, I'll allow myself to have it during lunch AND dinner on Sundays. It's ok. I'm a work in progress and I'll make it to only once a week one of these days.
3. SNACKS! I bought these snacks below at Walmart for only about $1 each. Normally, this would be eaten in one or two sittings. But here's my trick: I read the back label to see how many calories there are in one serving and how many servings are in the bag. Then, I debate in my head before buying it whether or not it's worth the sacrifice. I am allowing myself ONE junk food snack a day, trying to stay within 100-200 calories each (maybe 300 at the MOST if I MUST have it). I picked these because I usually crave something sweet or something salty.
Best wishes to you all!
