I was a busy child/teenager. I played softball for 9 years joined the track team in the seventh grade and in high school I did color guard. I would like to think these activities helped some, I don't know.
I joined the Weight Watchers program a total of three 3 times during my late teens and twenties and each time I lost weight. However when I stopped going I gained it all back plus some. I didn't have the money to keep it up but I loved the group support it offered me.
My breaking point was moving to a foreign country where fatness is looked at like a disease. Strangers would touch my belly, squeeze my arms, and look at me with crazy eyes. These things really didn't bother me much because I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin, but I wanted to change. I wanted to live a healthy lifestyle.
I started a Taekwondo group class that was for the teachers at the school I taught at. My first class was on my first full day in Korea and I loved it. Finally an exercise I liked doing... Kicking, punching and more kicking. Not to mention that it has a reward system. You work hard and you get to move to the next color belt. I started a new healthy habit, four days a week for one hour was my workout routine. Slowly but surely my body started to change. I had more energy, more stretchiness, and less fat.
My eating habits also changed, partly because American food was so expensive, and partly because Korean food is so healthy for you. At the supermarket meat (Beef) was expensive but the fresh fruits and vegetables were not. Our cooking in the home became a lot cleaner and we used a lot less fats. We ate a lot of rice, Mando (potsticker), chicken, and lots of fruits and veggies. Another thing that changed was our portion sizes. We didn't realize how big they were in the USA.
My eating habits also changed, partly because American food was so expensive, and partly because Korean food is so healthy for you. At the supermarket meat (Beef) was expensive but the fresh fruits and vegetables were not. Our cooking in the home became a lot cleaner and we used a lot less fats. We ate a lot of rice, Mando (potsticker), chicken, and lots of fruits and veggies. Another thing that changed was our portion sizes. We didn't realize how big they were in the USA.
The other teachers that I worked with were huge into fitness and losing weight. We did a lot of group weight loss competitions and worked out together in our Taekwondo group and at school. I was by far the heaviest person and I never won any of the competitions because my weight did not fall off that fast. They introduced me to MyFitnessPal and I was hooked. Instead of points I was counting calories and the phone app can scan barcodes. It was a life saver! When I started logging my food is when I really started losing weight.
In the two years living abroad I lost 70 pounds!
When we got home I was determined to keep going because I have goals and I wanted to prove to everyone that it wasn't because of the Korean food, or my awesome easy schedule. It was because I made time, I had motivation, and I had determination.
I got home late November 2014 and now six months later I have lost 15+ more pounds!
THAT'S A TOTAL OF 80+ of these....
In the two years living abroad I lost 70 pounds!
When we got home I was determined to keep going because I have goals and I wanted to prove to everyone that it wasn't because of the Korean food, or my awesome easy schedule. It was because I made time, I had motivation, and I had determination.
I got home late November 2014 and now six months later I have lost 15+ more pounds!
THAT'S A TOTAL OF 80+ of these....
The weight loss tips that worked for me.
#1 Find a group, a friend, some kind of support system
#2 Determination and motivation, you gotta have it if you want to lose the weight and then keep it off
#3 Find an exercise that you love
#4 Make exercise and living healthy your goal 7 days a week not just 5
#5 Make and set goals, Focus on small goals until you reach your main goal
#6 Take care of your skin.
#7 be careful and aware of self shaming
#8 Every bite/sip counts in the calorie world so count them
#9 Look up what your target heart rate is supposed to be, MONITOR IT when working out
#10 Find great shoes
#11 Ignore people that tell you, "oh it's your birthday," "It's a holiday"....... and so on. They have no idea how hard you've worked and how much of a set back eating horrible can cause.
#12 treat yourself from time to time.. I'm addicted to sweets! I don't deprive myself of them but I eat them sparingly
#13 Stop being lazy and walk as much as you can
#14 take the stairs (as much as I hate them)
#11 Ignore people that tell you, "oh it's your birthday," "It's a holiday"....... and so on. They have no idea how hard you've worked and how much of a set back eating horrible can cause.
#12 treat yourself from time to time.. I'm addicted to sweets! I don't deprive myself of them but I eat them sparingly
#13 Stop being lazy and walk as much as you can
#14 take the stairs (as much as I hate them)
I have not hit my ultimate weight loss goal yet so there is still work to be done. The current weight loss program I'm following is here. I'm at the gym everyday or I walk/Jog outdoors because the weather has been so nice lately.
What would you look like if you lost the extra weight you are carrying around.. Click here and find out.
Also this website is good because it's real people. http://www.mybodygallery.com/
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