Ola my friend! As many of you already know, my vegan season is starting soon this month and I am so happy to share this undertaking with you. There’s a future post coming soon on my plan and ideas. But while planning, I began thinking about why I want to go vegan (for a season lol). One of my motivations is I want to scale my weight down a bit. I want to lose about 10 pounds. I know many of you are looking for weight loss hacks that actually work. Some of you want to know how to lose 20 pounds ASAP.
Well, I am going to share with you 11 weight loss hacks from my experience that will help you lose weight fast and keep the weight off. These hacks require some discipline for sure but it is so worth it. You can read 8 amazing things that happened when I went vegan here (dropping weight fast is on the list). Losing weight is one of my motivations this year but most importantly, I want to lead a healthier lifestyle and these hacks help me remain consistent.
It is my hope that all I share in this post helps you lose weight and be healthy. Be encouraged and inspired to stay committed to your eating healthy goals this year. You got this!
1. Intermittent Fasting
When I really get serious about eating healthier and losing weight, I don’t eat after 7 p.m. until 10 a.m or 11 a.m. the next day. I really believe this gives my body the time it needs to digest food I’ve eaten properly and fully reset. I’m not an expert on all of the science behind this but I do know from my experience that my body feels great as a result of doing this. I feel more energized for longer periods of time. There are many health benefits to intermittent fasting.
Ok, what if I get hungry after 7 p.m.? Great question. It is ok if you get hungry after 7 p.m. lol. First let me say that I eat a really good meal before 7 p.m. but yes sometimes you may want a snack later in the evening before bed. When this happens, I’ll drink plain water or water infused with lemons, limes, cucumbers, basil, mint, etc. I’ll also snack on something light like stovetop popcorn, fruits like grapes, tree nuts like pecans, seeds like sunflower or pepitas seeds. But even with these light snacks, you have to be careful because it takes your body time to digest everything that you eat regardless of how “light” it may be.
Also, I recommend intermittent fasting at least four times a week when you are working on losing weight.
2. Bedtime at 10 p.m.
I’ll never forget when I read about this in a book called, God’s Key to Health and Happiness by Elmer A. Josephson. Hack #2 goes hand in hand with Hack #1 – Intermittent fasting. The book talks about how your sleeping the four hours 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. is equivalent to 6 full hours midnight to 6 a.m. I’m not sure who the credit goes to but I remember reading or hearing on a podcast that our physical body’s peak healing hours are between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. and how it is best to not eat 3 hours before going to go bed. When I look this up on the internet I see this highly supported and I also learned that our psychological peak healing hours are between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.
From experience, this is so true. I feel adequately rested when I get sleep during these hours. I feel mentally sharper and more alert than when I oversleep or get too little sleep. Having a relaxing bed, sleeping in darkness, not drinking too much water before bed to point you have to frequently go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and limiting screen time all helps with getting quality sleep.
3. Eat a Salad to Break Fast
How you end any fast is extremely important. Fruits and vegetables like a small salad are the perfect way to end your intermittent fasting. I learned that it’s like a broom that sweeps any remaining toxins out of your body. Wait, what about breakfast food? Great question. Breakfast food like pancakes, grits, even oatmeal are all so delicious and you most likely will be fine however, to get the most out of intermittent fasting, eating vegetables and fruits gets the job done with excellence. Observe how your body responds after following my advice and let me know in the comments about your experience.
4. No Added Sugar
Avoid eating overly processed packaged foods when working to lose weight but especially the foods and drinks with added sugar. When it comes to drinks, I usually stick to water, infused fruit water, and green tea when I’m working on losing weight. But 100% fruit juice with no added sugar is ok when maintaining a healthy weight. When it comes to sweets, I don’t buy or use white sugar. Instead of sugar, I use 100% maple syrup, coconut sugar, or dates. I’ll be making date sugar in the future and will definitely keep you posted on how it turns out. I typically make my own sweets when I’m focused on losing weight.
5. Drink Water
Drink plenty of water. The type of water matters. If possible, drink distilled and/or spring water. The amount of water you drink daily matters but don’t force yourself to drink water. Grow your desire for water organically. Drink as much water as your body needs and wants. Pay attention to your body. If you are feeling hungry, drink a little water. If you are craving some juice, drink some water. Learn when your body is asking for water by drinking water and paying attention to the response.
Drinking water first thing when you wake up even when you are intermittent fasting, is so healthy for your body. It supports your digestive health significantly. Read what happens when you immediately drink water after waking up here.
6. Strategic Snacks
You have to get strategic with your snacks otherwise you will be making a beeline to your favorite store to buy some unhealthy chips and candy . . . or whatever snacks you love to get from the store. Keep fruit on hand. You will be surprise how easily it is to keep fruit on hand. Your local stores have great sales weekly. For example, I recently purchased an 8 pound bag of home grown navel oranges for $4.99. That’s $0.62 per lb. Not bad. And they were so sweet and delicious. Plus they will last me a good amount of time.
Fruit are so filling and fulfilling. Fruit pair well with seeds and nuts i.e. apples with peanuts and grapes with sunflowerseeds.
You can prep and keep homemade trail mix, smoothies, granola bars etc. on deck for those “I’m hungry NOW” emergencies.
The strategy is to be proactive and have a fun snack ready for when you feel like snacking. You have to keep the snacks attractive so that you do not get bored easily and start wishing for unhealthier snacks.
7. Visualize Your Success Story
Your mindset, attitude plays a key role in your eating healthy and weight loss journey. One thing you can do is visualize your success. If you are losing weight to do a birthday photoshoot or you are eating healthier to run a marathon later in the year then vividly visualizing how you want to be during this event is powerful.
I encourage to not only visualize the end goal but also the journey to reaching your goal. Visualize your incremental success along the way. For example, you may imagine you being able to zip up your boots because you lost weight in your calves. Success, great work. Or you may imagine how you choosing to have fruit over the donuts and cake you know your coworkers are going bring into the office for some celebration. Success, great work.
Remember, what you feed your mind is just as important as what you feed your body.
8. Look at Other Success Stories
Hearing someone else’s story bring motivation, inspiration, and builds your confidence to stay the course. There are many stories of people getting rid of ailments and illnesses by eating healthier. When I look for good stories, I pay attention (if possible) to what I see and not just what I hear. Yes, I am paying attention to their hair, skin, weight, energy levels through their eyes and/or body language. You can tell when someone is practicing what they preach. These are just some factors I take into consideration and refuse to ignore when listening to success stories.
9. Focus on What You Get to Eat
This is a good one. And I am learning to focus on what I get to eat and not what I can’t eat. If you focus on what you can’t eat then you may dread this entire process. But if you focus on what you get to eat then you are opening up yourself to so many creative ideas. I visited India one time and there are many people who are “veg”. Veg mean vegetarian. You will be surprise of the numerous of dishes and sweets one can make and the food is so delicious. I didn’t miss meat one second.
10. Get Food Inspiration
Look at what others are doing that may be on the same journey as you. Pinterest and Youtube have tons of ideas for healthier meals and snacks to eat. For example, since I’ll be starting my vegan season this month, I was inspired to try to make the Best Veggie Burger by I Cook and Paint. I look forward to trying it and leaving a review because when I went vegan in 2020, my veggie burgers didn’t turn out so great lol. But that’s ok. I’ll make a great veggie burger soon!
11. Cook Your Own Food
This is a big one. Cooking my own food gives me all the peace of mind I desire when it comes to how much sodium and sugar is in my food. I can pronounce all of the ingredients in my meals and prepare the dish exactly how I want to – both healthy and delicious. The food taste so fresh and wholesome. There are a lot of emotional and mental benefits to cooking your own food lol not to mention the physical benefits.
Until Next Time
Well, what do you think? Ready to take on your weight loss journey one day at a time with confidence? It takes courage but you got this. Please drop a comment below or email me. I would love to hear your feedback and/or stories of how your weight loss and eating healthy journey is going. If you’re interested in coming up with your own list of eating healthier guiding principles and want some thought starters then check out AdaezeEats Manifesto here.
Well, I will take my leave for now. I look forward to our time together again soon. Be inspired to have an appetite to Live and Live well.
Adaeze
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