Are YOU a yoyo dieter? How to stay happy while getting slimmer

Todays post is one that comes from the heart & something thats been on my mind a lot lately. I recently started organising the files on my computer & deleting things that i no longer need. Whilst doing so i came across this picture.

Me June 2011

How do you lose weight & stay happy?

Now i'm not going to lie, this is a long way off how i look today! I spent a whole year at Slimming World to get to this stage & lost 4 stone in the process. The 4th stone was the hardest & i had to start power walking, then jogging until i was eventually running 2 miles 3 to 4 times a week. 

I really enjoyed the foods i ate & never felt like i was on a diet. Salads, pasta & vegetables were made more interesting by making clever low cal, low fat dressings, so meals like the one below became enjoyable & fatty foods didn't even cross my mind.

A typical summers day lunch

Staying active

By this i don't mean exercise like a loon, but it is important that you do something every day. 

• A walk to the park with the little one. 
• Borrow a dog to walk(your neighbour will thank you)
• Walk to the corner shop for a pint of milk
• Walk to the library & borrow some inspirational cook books

You get the gist. This isn't just for the sake of burning calories & fat, but also for your whole wellbeing. Have you ever heard of S.A.D? Our bodies need daylight & fresh air. You'll feel so much better for it as well.

Beverley to Market Weighton Rail Trail

Be Sociable

This is one thing i used to really struggle with, which had a knock on effect with everything else. Lets look back a few years & just say that 2012 wasn't a particularly good year personally for me. For starters it was the year that i let the 4 stone that i had lost plus another stone for good measure creep back on. YES, i can hear you saying WHAT! I can't believe it myself. I mean 5 stone in 1 year right?! Nobody has to tell me how bad that is because believe me, i have tortured myself enough about it(Which only makes things worse). Fast forward to today & I can tell you that slowly but surely from back then, I have become a lot more sociable. I joined a Slimming World group for starters, where I made lots of new friends. I make an effort to see my old friends more & meet for coffees & lunches which I really enjoy. I started up a YouTube channel last January to document my weight loss journey. Through this I have met subscribers in person & get letters from a few too, which I love replying to. Basically, I don't make excuses up anymore for not doing things, I find reasons that i should do them. Family days out & walking the dog I'm sad to say where one activity I made those excuses for, but now I do them I realise just how much I was missing out on.

Being Social

Don't compare yourself to others

Finally & I think the most important way to stay happy whilst trying to lose weight is not to compare yourself to others. We do this more than we think & in all aspects of our daily life. Just remember, it's not a competition! Age, genetic makeup, lifestyle & medical history can have so much to do with how much & how fast we lose weight. Also ask yourself, do you want to just lose weight or do you want to get healthy? Yes, there is a massive difference. So when you see that person dropping multiple lbs every week just remember that if you are doing it the right way, you too will eventually get there. Just know that the longer it takes you to get there, the more chance it has of becoming a true lifestyle change for both you & your family.

I hope that has been some help to anyone out there thinking about embarking on a healthier lifestyle, who has just started or indeed has been struggling after being on their journey for a while.  Let me know in the comments what your tips are for living a healthy & happy life & if you are looking for more weight loss inspiration then check out my YouTube channel HERE.

Be Happy x