How I lost 2 stone the healthy way!

Since I was about 17/18 I’ve always been a size 14 and sometimes a 16. My weight never really bothered me as I am quite tall. But my tummy has always been an issue for me.

This isn’t going to be a blog where I post before and after pictures as I am not fully confident in that way. And I don’t want it to appear as if “this is what you should look like” or somebody may think I was never big in the first place and it may question your body image then.

I just wanted to live a healthier lifestyle and I felt I could do with losing a bit of weight.

I would just like to state also I am by no means a health professional, nutritionist, dietician or personal trainer.

This is just how I did it and it has worked for me.

In June 2015 I had booked a holiday for September and decided it was time to start losing a bit of weight and tone up. I was determined!!

I started drinking at least 2-3 litres of water a day (sparkling and still). And I also started drinking herbal teas (green, peppermint, lemon & ginger etc…). You don’t need to spend a fortune on “diet teas”. The teas I drank and still drink are all from Lidl and Aldi.

Within the first week I had lost 5 pounds. I believe that was water retention. Losing that 5 pounds gave me the motivation to continue.

I cut out all fizzy drinks and dramatically reduced my sugar intake. Sugar is hidden in everything!!

I started looking at the labels of everything I picked up in the supermarket. If it had over 3g of sugar it was not going into the trolley!

No jars of sauce, no white pasta, no white bread.

My diet consisted of rice, brown pasta, wraps, sweet potato and brown bread.

And of course chicken, beef, minced beef etc…

I substituted jarred sauces with making my own sauces. Spices are your best friend when eating healthy! And the more fresh veg the better!!

Another thing to note is the sugar from fresh fruit does not count as “bad sugar”. I ate tonnes of fresh fruit.

I then started power walking 5 nights a week. Starting out with 2 kilometres and working my way up to 7 kilometres.

I used 2 iPhone apps. Walkmeter and Pacer.

These are both free downloads. Walkmeter is great for tracking your distance and speed when out doing your walk. And Pacer tracks your overall steps in a day. I always aimed to have at least 6000 steps a day.

I also began doing the Seven Minute Challenge App. Basically it was a seven minute high intensity workout that included jumping jacks, push ups, squats, the plank etc… It was very tough but was only seven minutes.

And I bought a kettlebell in Lidl. It came with a booklet on exercises to do with instructions. I loved using the kettlebell. There was so much you could do with it. I found lots of exercises on Pinterest. I would recommend really looking into how to properly use a kettlebell first as if not used correctly you can strain your back.

I found by the start of September I had really toned up and was feeling so confident. I went on holiday and felt comfortable enough to wear a bikini, I was delighted.

Since the holiday the exercise slowed down as the weather got a little worse and started getting darker earlier. I know the worst excuse ever!

I have maintained the healthy eating but with a few more cheat meals here and there.

I have fluctuated here and there a few pounds but I am fine with that. It just motivates me to eat healthier that week.

This was not a diet it was a lifestyle change and my plan is to stick to this for the rest of my life!

I need to get my butt into gear and start walking again 🙂

I would also like to note it took me about 7 months to lose 2 stone so it was a slow steady change.

Thank you for taking the time to read. I am hoping to do a more detailed blog on typical daily meals and snacks etc…

If you are interested in this please let me know ❤

Ciara ❤