Weddingbee Blog

Miss Daisy wrote a great post on the diets that have worked for her, and kudos to her for the weight loss. Saying you want to lose weight is much easier than actually making the effort to shed those extra pounds.

I’ve struggled my entire life to be thin. The biggest problem wasn’t the weight - it was my mentality of wanting to be a certain size. If only I could be thinner, I could dress better, be more beautiful and ultimately be a happier person. So, I’ve always struggled with wanting to look better so that I could feel better. Despite all the positive support I may have, like Mr. Violet who thinks I am the most beautiful woman in the universe (even more gorgeous than his favorite actress, Angelina Jolie!), nothing matters as much as what goes on in my own head.

I forget when exactly, but a couple of years ago, I made a pact with myself to focus and lose weight - not so that I could be thinner and look better, but to be healthier and more agile. My goal was to be positive about my life rather than sulk over negative thoughts. I just wanted to flush all the negative out and create a better me. (Ok, I lie, it wouldn’t hurt to look good too! Ha..)

So this is what worked for me. I never dieted. I cringe whenever my sister tells me that she’s found another diet to try. I don’t like dieting, you know why? Dieting is restrictive - it restricts you from eating certain foods you want and I don’t want to spend any time of my life doing that. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, but in moderation. This includes plenty of pasta (which I love to make), burgers, pizza, rice and dessert (especially chocolate).

My trick, however, was learning how to balance my daily food intake. For example, I started making my own salads for lunch at work. I saved money this way and I felt less guilty later that night when I dove into a huge bowl of spaghetti with meatballs, penne alla vodka or chicken marsala. I stayed away from fried foods or anything processed. I stuck to fresh fruits and veggies. I don’t believe in frozen (except for spinach & peas) even though they say it has the same nutritional value. I make 3-4 meals a week at home and I splurge a little on other nights.

Dieting alone will not get you far. Excercise, excercise, excercise. I used to go to the gym once a week, maybe even once a month! What a waste! When I finally started to focus, I was at the gym at least 4 days a week doing 30-45 minutes of cardio each day.

I’ve lost 15 lbs in the past year. I’m sure I could have lost more, if I stuck to a stricter diet, but I didn’t want to do it. Diets are not for me. Then again, my wedding is coming up, so I think I need to bump up my routine a bit. Although diets do work, it’s not the only method. The traditional route works too… Best of luck!