Weight Loss Hacks

Get back on Track to Weight Loss!

/ Rachel H. / Leave a comment

I am not a doctor; I am just a normal person who is on a weight loss journey. I started July 2021 at 175 pounds, and I am currently at 157.6 pounds. I have lost a whopping 17 pounds in a year. I fell off track for a few months but after I made some life changes, I was able to regain my composure. How did I do it? You probably won’t like this answer but, in this post, I will share with you how I was able to get back on track and how I will get to my goal of 135 pounds. I cannot imagine hitting that goal, but I will aim for it! 

Last year I was enthusiastically losing and being healthy. When I was hit with massive work stress. It was horrible and through me off track. I had lost 20 pounds and I just slowly fell back to eating badly and gained 10 pounds back. When I fell off track it wasn’t just off track it was depression and lack of interest in getting back on track. The major change that I made that helped me to get back on track was stopping drinking coffee. Don’t stop reading. Maybe you don’t drink coffee? Maybe you drink soda? Maybe alcohol? For me it was coffee, and it wasn’t even the good kind! I would have coffee either black or with cream. I didn’t put sugar in my coffee. In May I decided I wanted to stop drinking coffee to see if it would help with anxiety, stress, red face, increased heart rate, and the last thing I thought it would help with was weight loss.

I drank 2-4 cups of coffee each day and I loved it. I thought I needed it. It was time consuming and expensive. I quit cold turkey and I was exhausted. I immersed myself in reading about why you should detox or quit coffee while I was quitting to help stay motivated. Here is the weird part by day four I was still tired, but I was feeling motivated to do better with myself and my life! To eat healthier. I decided to do daily weigh ins, count calories, and do weekly measurements to start keeping myself accountable. And here is the part I didn’t expect at all with quitting coffee, I used to suffer from decision making fatigue. At the end of the day I didn’t care, I was more impulsive! I would say whatever and have two pieces of pizza with onion rings. Because I deserved a treat. Now I feel clear in that that is not even a treat and will do me no good. That one piece is enough. My journey is not perfect, by any stretch. But this has helped me a lot. Are you drinking or eating something that might alter your brain chemistry and cause that fatigue? If I drink alcohol, I have the same decision fatigue.

With stopping coffee my heart rate is also much less per a minute. I was 58-65bpm and now I am at 49-55bpm! That blows my mind. And I feel like its only getting better seeing these changes from no longer drinking coffee. Maybe you have a habit you can kick and it will help you launch into other small healthful changes?

How to start a Diet!

/ Rachel H. / Leave a comment

Happy 2022! Another year has started, and you are still struggling with your weight. This article is about straightforward ways for you to get started with weight loss. Weight loss is a formula, you need to create a calorie deficit. It will take time and consistency but if you stay with this you will lose weight. So, before you run to the store to buy a diet book or special meals, stop, and consider this. You have all the tools you need right here. There is no magic or overnight pill. There is no special food plan. Today is the day and here is how: 

  • Day 1 do not eat at a calorie deficit; eat how you normally would eat but measure and record ALL your calories. Why? This will give you an idea of why you are gaining weight.  
  • Day 2 go to TDEE Calculator: Learn Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. Get the number of calories you should be eating to be at a calorie deficit. Try to implement this number eating your normal foods by using portion control.  

Not everyone can read a diet plan and dive 100% all in and lose weight. The reality is that this is a slow process and if you make an initial change that is small you will notice changes. I started out at 174 pounds; I am currently at 157 pounds. My goal is 140 pounds. Happy New Year let us do this together. It does not need to come off fast! You need only start making those healthier changes.  

2 Hacks to Lose Weight Faster

/ Rachel H. / Leave a comment

These two hacks are so easy and you’d be surprised what a difference they will make in your diet. If you are like me and your body is resistant losing weight try these hacks:

  1. HYDRATION! If you are dieting and the scale isn’t moving or its moving really slow and you are wonder what am I doing wrong? Why isn’t this working for me?? Make sure you are drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day. I didn’t think this mattered but it does! You will almost immediately see a difference in the scale.

    So oddly enough if you are not properly hydrated your body will retain water! What the heck right? It’s true. This actually happened to me and it made it slow for me to lose. If I drink tons of water, the weight comes off more easily. Its a challenge to drink it all but do your best. Your best is probably better than what you were doing!
  2. CALORIE DEFICIT! The best way to lose weight is a calorie deficit, while eating foods that are low calorie and high volume. Think of it as a journey of finding food options that you enjoy. There are tons of videos on Youtube with food ideas. I started using the number found here: tdeecalculator.net instead of the built in number that my food tracking app gave me. Two sub-bullets to this are:
    1. ZIGZAG! Two days a week I eat maintenance level calories. Its usually on the weekend but you can do whatever day you want. This helps with your metabolism so you won’t plateau. Typically I will eat cheat foods one meal that day and I still have calories left. When I started dieting I was plateaued right out of the gate, while doing 1200 calories a day. When I changed these items it made a big difference!
    2. FOOD TRACKER AND FIT TRACKER APPS! Don’t bother counting your calories burned! You can count them but don’t deduct them from your daily intake of calories unless you are losing weight too quickly. I haven’t experienced that but maybe you will? These numbers are not accurate and appear to be overinflated!