“Because weight loss is really a mind over matter thing.”

I was always the chubby and bubbly girl growing up. Always.

Ask any of my friends and they will say YES so fast its not even funny 🙂 And I loved being that way. I had fun eating what I wanted and being simply happy.

Tumultuous Times

But, all that happiness changed and took a nasty turn when I entered my teens. Suddenly, the cute chubby girl needed to become thin to fit in. I tried. I tried. And then I tried some more. I just couldn’t become thin and hence never fit in. Now, in this healed state, I know that’s a good thing. I know owning my Uniqueness is my happiness. But in that tumultuous teenage time, it was horror. I became SO conscious. Stopped being myself and did many awful things to fill that hole in my heart. Rest assured it never got full till I began to love myself when I discovered spirituality.

Owning my Unique Design

Through self love and spirituality, I realized, I am the way I am because this is MY unique design. That gave me solace. I rebuilt myself from the ground up and I look to those tumultuous days as a positive learning experience.

Today, I am still very happy with myself and my body image. I am still owning my unique design. Yet today, because of this body’s need to grow up(the polite way to say I’m getting older 😉 ), I started facing health issues. Since I have been blessed with heart problems and arthritis from my parents families, I have been conscious about my lifestyle, but still enjoy it. Needless to say, no matter what precautions you take, it does catch up with you.

That being said, the eternal positive thinker in me didn’t lose hope. I decided to take my health in my own hands more aggressively this time. I didn’t like living in pain. So I began thinking HEALTHY and getting healthy. Becoming lighter was a happy by product of that being healthy mindset. Yes, I lost 13 kgs in the three weeks since I began.

When I shared the status of this weight loss on facebook, I was flooded with messages, comments, texts and emails from all those on my lists as to how I was doing it. Losing the excess weight is a struggle for many many people. Getting Healthy and Light takes hard work, dedication and patience. But it’s doable and the rewards from it are priceless.

Its amazing how this shift in my mindset(to be healthy and pain free) has made it easier than any of the times I have tried to lose weight just to *fit in*.

So here is what I did to get healthy (happier and lighter too!) :-

Positive Weight-loss Tips from a Happier, Healthier and Lighter me

There are 3 key things I did to kick start this process.

1) Eliminate ~ 

When I say eliminate, I mean I completely removed any and all foods from my diet that contained the following:

*flour(all types): no breads, rotis, pastas, biscuits, cookies, cakes, pastries, pizzas..etc.

*rice: no rice preparations at all in any shape or form.

*sugar: no chocolates, ice creams, puddings etc. (Read the labels. You will be surprised how many store bought diet foods contain sugar!)

Essentially, because I know my body, I knew these were the triggers that were not allowing me to get healthy as fast as I wished to be. Although I had them in moderation before they were still hindering the process, hence complete elimination was required to kick start this healthy living.

2) Add ~

When I say Add, I mean I added foods to my diet that I was not normally having on a regular basis. Healthy alternatives to the above “eliminates”. This is what I added on a regular basis:

*Fresh fruits – atleast 3-4 full fruits in a day. Moderation on Banana cause its high on natural sugars and calories. Fruits are excellent to curb those sweet cravings.

* Salads/raw vegetables – every meal must contain a huge bowl of fresh cut salad. (cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, capsicum, mushrooms, beans, sprouts, spring onions etc.

* Soups – Every meals must have soups. (lentil soups ie.dals of all variants, tomato soup, vegetable soups, clear soups etc.) But no corn flour in any soup. Instead add oats which is good for heart health and low on the glycaemic index.

* Nuts and seeds – excellent source of vitamins and energy. Almonds and flax seeds are my go to energy supplements.

* Proteins – skimmed milk, curds, soy milk, cheese etc. for energy and balance. I love sipping on cool milk in between meals when I feel hungry.

Please Note:

~Because I am 95% vegetarian, I hardly add any non vegetarian protein to my diet. But you can add fish, chicken and egg whites to the above with great results.
~ Secondly, there is no starving required in this healthier living. All you need to do is have healthier options available at your disposal when you are hungry. Instead of the quick unhealthy choices. I keep fruits and nuts ready to snack on all day. 

3) Get Moving ~

Get moving means I literally whipped my ass into getting a move on from my chair! I used to do yoga thrice a week before…but now I go for a Power Walk every morning 45-50 minutes and 20 minutes every evening as well. The Yoga thrice a week continues. My morning walks rejuvenate me and give me happy ammunition to charge through my day positively. Such a happy feeling being in nature. Not to mention, makes me feel like I’m getting my sexy back 😉

And now the Guilt free Cheat Code 🙂

Alright, now that I am so determined to get healthy, truly nothing can stop me…right? NO!!! My own cravings are my biggest enemy. So instead of starving my cravings, I give them a bit of crazy carb goodness for one meal, once a week ONLY. No, that meal will still not include sugar, but yes I can indulge in a whole wheat base pizza once in a while. I really can’t completely divorce pizza 😉 I am thinking of a healthier than wholewheat pizza base alternative…and I ain’t giving up till I discover it. I want to be happy AND healthy. So fun, positive alternatives are obviously going to be created in my head. The foodie in me refuses to shut up 😉 I’ll share them with you guys as and when I get the perfect recipe. Healthy guilt free recipes coming up in the new year for sure.

Healthy Forever!

Its almost 4 weeks now that I embarked on my healthy and fun lifestyle. Its fun to feel healthier and lighter. I can jump higher and run quicker. I can enjoy fun outdoor activities more now. And most of all….I am completely pain free! Thinking of all these benefits…why on earth would I want to go back to my old ways?

Although I am far from my so called ideal weight…thats not my goal. My goal is a completely healthy me. So here’s to remaining healthy forever and enjoying the ride.

Have you been struggling to lose weight? Whats worked or is working for you? Now its your turn to share your healthy and fun weight loss tips in the comments below. Come on darlings enlighten me with your fun weight loss ways. I’m game to try them today! 

Thank you SO much for being here today! If you’re new here, please subscribe for free updates by email(with Positive Happiness Goodies). And, if this article touched your heart, please take a moment to share it on your favorite social networks. Every share, like or tweet makes me reach more people who need a positive healing nudge in their lives. I appreciate you!

For Online Counseling with me please CLICK HERE!

With Immense Love & Gratitude,
~Zeenat~

GET YOUR ‘POSITIVE HAPPINESS GOODIES’!!! Get the latest articles(FREE) as soon as they are published, by Email OR RSS.PLUS if you are an Email Subscriber, You get the Positive Living Handbook+My Ebook “The Best of Positive Provocations”+ “Your Self Healing Starter Kit”. Come Join the facebook community & follow me on Twitter and Google+ for Positive Provocations Everyday!

More Positive Articles you will love:

• The ONLY Two Promises you NEED to make(to yourself!) for A Positive New Year
• 6 Timeless and Positive Life Lessons from #RUMI
• 5 Positively Transformative Reasons to Write a Journal
• 4 Soul Nurturing ways to being Open to Wisdom Everyday
• Get out of Clue Clue Land and Decide to Be YOU