When starting to lose weight the first thing to remember is that you will probably never feel ready to do it. Just like having a baby, or bungee jumping, sometimes you just need to leap. So, after you’ve finished telling yourself off in the mirror, I say jump. You can do it, you just don’t realize that yet.
Bernadette Fisers
My name is Bernadette Fisers and I’m a working mum who had a massive weight problem. I was pre-diabetic, had high blood pressure and a host of other physical problems that all came about because of my unhealthy size. I managed to turn that around completely and I lost 30 kilos (66 lbs) in just 30 weeks, and in the process I regained my life and got my confidence back.
The second thing you may need to remember is to take one thing at a time and take it one day at a time. I know that you probably want the fat to be gone straight away. However, I find that if I overwhelm myself with too many things at once I give up pretty quickly.
Weight loss is about putting lots of little things into action and adopting those little things one at a time. I have listed 31 of these ‘rules’ in my book, The Little Book of Big Weightloss. Big weight loss is 90 per cent about food, but body and mind really do go hand-in-hand for sustainable weight loss. It’s impossible to lose weight successfully when your head is screaming with mutinous thoughts.
One of the hardest things I found was cutting back on my sugar intake. It took me a good week of saying no to sweet, sugary treats before my body even began to forget to crave them. Sweets and biscuits would positively holler my name from the pantry. I learned to ignore their seductive calls, and finally I didn’t hear them. Now that’s freedom.
An easier step for me was to avoid sugary or fizzy drinks. This is crucial as it is very easy to drink your way to fatness. Luckily for me, I was never a fizzy drink girl and making the swap to still or sparkling water was a no-brainer. The same goes for juices. I’d much rather eat my calories than drink them.
Another little but effective weight-loss technique is to change the tea you drink. Swap black tea to green tea. It’s really delicious and the EGCG in it helps with fat burning. Bonus! I also fast overnight. I stop eating at 7pm and don’t eat again until 10am. It is super-effective for weight loss and it gives me a well-needed break from eating while my body repairs itself. I feel so much better for doing this overnight fast, so much more in control. In fact, I would still do it even if I didn’t need to lose weight – and that’s saying something!
The last, but certainly not the least, of my 31 rules is to celebrate success. I do this by rewarding myself with anything except sweet, sugary food. I buy a new pair of smaller jeans – yay! Or perhaps some flowers for the house or some new earrings. Just a little treat to help to keep me motivated.
My method of weight loss is easy and sustainable. If you’ve got a weight issue, try putting yourself first and give it a go. I used to think I would never lose the weight, but I have and you can too. So go for it! I wish you the healthiest life possible.
Bernadette Fisers is the author of The Little Book of Big Weight Loss, published by Bantam Press on 13 July.