How I Lost 6kg in 10 weeks

About 3 years ago, I lost 15kg and I felt I was a little too skinny, so I decided to gain a bit of weight.
The idea was to gain a little bit of weight so I could be a UK size 12. I kept on ignoring the signs, the need for bigger sized shirts, the snug trousers, the larger pooch and the size 14 labels on my clothes.

I decided to weigh myself for the first time in 18 months and, lo and behold, the scale read 85kg and my BMI screamed obese with a BMI of 30.2. I wouldn't agree with my BMI characterising me as obese but I did believe I was overweight and I did not like it. I took a page of Jim Rohn's book, 'if you don't like how things are, change it you are not a tree'. So I decided to do something about my weight. I am one of those people who are always trying hoping to lose weight. However, this time, I decided to really focus and go for it. I wasn't sure if I would lose any weight but I developed a game plan.

Fitbit App:
I downloaded the Fitbit app. I used it to count my steps, input my calories and measure my outgoing calories. I love Fitbit because it counts calories lost based on your physical activity and bmr (amount of calories you lose just by being alive). As I did not do any other exercise apart from walking, the app was mainly instrumental in counting and recording my steps.

Calorie Counting:
Using my Fitbit App, I was able to monitor my calorie intake. I know it sounds exhausting but once I got the hang of it, I didn't need to do it all the time. I would input the calories in all my meals. I basically ate between 1200 to 1500 calories a day. Counting my calories was a big eye opener for me. l measured my food and I was shocked to see how much food I should actually be eating.

Healthier Eating:
With keeping my calories in check, I realised I had to eat healthier to reduce calorie intake without a constant hunger pang. I reduced the amount of oil - vegetable and palm oil - I consumed. I replaced vegetable oil with olive oil and fry light. I started eating vegetables, I was surprised to find I actually liked them. I filled half my plate with veggies sans the salad cream. I started eating wholewheat pasta and spaghetti; and they taste quite as good as their white counterparts.

Low Carbs:
When I started counting my calories, I realised how many calories were in my favourite carbohydrates - bread and rice. I was a big rice eater. I could eat rice for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack. For me, I realised I couldn't control my intake of rice and bread so I cut them out of my diet and replaced them with sweet potato, wholewheat pasta and wholewheat spaghetti.

Snacking:
I started keeping watch of what I was snacking on. I found that between my lunch at 12noon and dinner at about 6pm, I got hungry so I decided to be smart about my snacks. In the afternoon, I snacked on either mini breadsticks, carrots, fruits or a spinach and egg pot.

Meal Prep:
I think this is one of the biggest things that helped me lose weight. I started planning and packing my meals on the weekends because I found when I did not have food prepared, I ate whatever I found. I ate Golden Syrup Oats for breakfast everyday.

Water Intake:
Prior to my weight loss journey, I barely ever drank water. I took orange juice, ribena, all types of squash and different fizzy drinks but I almost never drank water. In tracking my calories, I realised how many empty calories I was consuming from all the sugary drinks I was taking. I decided to eliminate every sugary drink for water. I didn't just drink water, I took 2.5 - 3ltrs of water every day. Whenever I got bored of plain water, I added some 'no added sugar' squash to my water to give a bit of flavour.

10,000 steps:
I wanted to exercise, I told myself I'd workout every other day to Fitness Blender workout videos but I guess my willpower is not that strong so I decided to concede to what was in my power - walking. I used Fitbit app to monitor my steps and ensure that I took over 10,000 steps every day. I used every opportunity I got to walk and this helped me to burn calories.

Weekly weigh-ins:
I weighed myself every Monday about the same time on an empty stomach to make sure I was keeping myself in check. I lost between 1 and 2kg on most weeks.

Cheat days:
I enjoyed eating healthier and I did not miss rice as much as I thought I would have but the weekends were difficult for me to keep up with my diet. I think weekdays are easy for me because I have a clear structure of the day but the weekend can go any way so I decided to be flexible with myself. On the weekend, I did not maintain my water intake because all that water came with a lot of toilet breaks that I could not afford on the weekend. Basically Saturday and Sundays were cheat days but I was careful with cheating. I still only drank water and I was careful not to go overboard.

I started my weight loss journey on 6th July 2016 at 85kg, some weeks were better than others and by 12th September 2016, I weighed 78.9kg. After this, I was offered a new job, moved cities and started getting myself settled in a new city so I fell off weight loss wagon but I was careful not to gain more weight.

As at today, I weigh 77kg but I am getting back on the wagon as I my goal weight is 69kg. 69kg is just a guide, my actual goal is to be a size 12.

What are your best weight loss tips?