Lose Weight So You Can Fit Into Your Clothes

Recently my friend told me about how she’s frustrated that half the clothes in her closet don’t fit. She has two wardrobes: one for her skinnier self and one for her heavier self. Losing weight is on her to do list, she tries to eat healthy, and she works out, but it just doesn’t seem to be happening. What’s she doing wrong?

Sugar Is Your #1 Frenemy

If you’re like most women, sugar is keeping you from getting the body you want. You know that sugar makes you fat, it makes you tired, and it makes you hangry all day. So why aren’t you doing anything about it? No matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to cut back on sugar.

I understand, I’ve struggled with it myself. And with all the sugary treats at the office and the “I’ll just have one bite of dessert, ok maybe I’ll just have the whole thing” splurges on the weekend, it can seem impossible.

How Can You Detox From Sugar?

So what can you do about it? You basically have 2 options. You could try quitting sugar cold turkey. I’ve actually tried this and felt like I was going through sugar withdrawal – hot flashes, mood swings, trouble sleeping, and more. I don’t recommend this if you have a job or friends or a life. You may not have any left by the time you’re done and also no ice cream sandwiches.

I recommend the 2nd option. Start by decreasing your sugar intake by roughly 10%, that’s what worked for me. Then reevaluate and see how you feel. If you feel awful, back up and just cut your sugar intake by 5%.

Do You Have to Use A Calorie Counter?

I know you hate calorie counters, I don’t know why. I love calorie counters and anything that involves numbers. But, if you hate calorie counters I’ll tell you what worked for me, so you don’t have to use one.

The easiest way to cut down on how much sugar you’re eating and not miss it is to start with making one small change to what you eat for breakfast Monday to Friday. If that’s too hard just start with one day, probably Friday, since you’ll have after work drinks with your coworkers and Sunday brunch with your friends to look forward to.

Change What You Eat for Breakfast

Breakfast during the week is usually the easiest meal to change because normally you’re in a hurry, so you’re less likely to miss what you don’t eat. Maybe right now you’re eating a banana because it’s easy to grab when you’re running late. Or maybe you’re eating oatmeal with a fruit topping because that seems healthy, right? But if you want to lose weight you’re going to have to push a little harder.

It’ll be worth it in the end because you’ll feel great and you’ll look Insta-worthy in every single picture! Ok, I can’t promise the last part, but you’ll definitely feel great and lose weight.

The Sugar Hiding in Plain Sight

The reason these aren’t the best options is because of the sugar. Fruit is healthy, but first thing in the morning it’s a lot of sugar too. Once you get your body used to the idea that it needs this much sugar, it’s going to crave sugar all day. You can try snacking on other things like a handful of almonds, but you can’t trick your body. It wants sugar.

So what should you do? Try my new Funfetti Cupcake Diet! Just kidding, there’s no Funfetti Cupcake Diet. I mean there is, but if it actually worked, you wouldn’t be reading this.

What Should You Eat For Breakfast?

So what should you really do? Well, you could eat oatmeal without any toppings on it, but why would you want to? I tried it, it tasted awful. Instead of making drastic changes that are going to be hard to maintain long term, start with small changes that you can realistically maintain.

For example, if you normally eat oatmeal with a banana and brown sugar on top, try putting in ½ the banana. See how it goes, see how you feel, and then go from there. Eventually, try to switch to a less sweet topping like walnuts or almonds.

Where’s the Fruit?

What about fruit? Aren’t you supposed to be eating fruit for [insert your favorite health and wellness words here]. Try moving fruit to later in the day, like for your afternoon snack or even better for your after dinner dessert instead of ice cream sandwiches.

What if you can’t miss your daily ice cream sandwich? Well then cut back on fruit short-term while you’re trying to lose weight. Eventually when you’re making continued progress towards your weight loss goals, then add fruit back in. The goal for adding fruit back in shouldn’t be 5 years from now. Set a short deadline, like 3 months, and then stick to it by telling someone you can count on to be your accountability partner about it.

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