Losing weight and loving it
Sally before and after weight loss.
We have a special treat today! Sally Symonds, a healthy life mentor from Australia, is here to talk about losing weight and how to keep it off! I hope this encourages your journey to live healthy and look fabulous! Enjoy!
_____________Guest Post_____________
People are so used to hearing about how ‘difficult’ or even ‘impossible’ it is to lose weight and keep it off that they’re often surprised when I tell them that the opposite is true: losing weight isn’t just simple, it can also be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences you’ll ever have. And I can say this with absolute conviction, because I used to be morbidly obese!
Over 10 years ago, I weighed more than 100 kilos/234 pounds and paid someone to walk my dog. In 2006, I decided that something had to change, and I went on to lose more than 50 kilos/117 pounds—more than half my body weight—without using any plans or programs. Instead, I just started a step-by-step process to transforming my weight (and life) easily. In fact, I loved every second of my weight loss—one of the major reasons why I’ve managed to maintain the loss when studies show that 96% of people who lose weight regain it all again (and more) within two years.
I’m so convinced that healthy, sustainable weight loss is possible without resorting to a dispiriting diet or tiring 12-week program that I’ve gone on to publish three books on the subject: 50 Steps to Lose 50kg…And Keep it Off, 50+ Recipes to Lose 50+kg…And Keep it Off and 50 Ways to Weight Loss Motivation. I’ve also launched an innovative online weight loss system called Love Your Weight Loss that helps empower you to take your healthy life journey into your own hands and enjoy every minute—and all for less than the cost of a cup of coffee every day!
So what makes my approach different? Think of every weight loss rule you’ve ever come across—diets, 12-week exercise programs, calorie counting and ‘everything in moderation’—and forget them. Every single one. I did, and I’m living proof that breaking the rules is what gets you real results.
‘Diet’ is a four letter word
There’s a reason that the first three letters of ‘diet’ spell ‘die’. Diets all work in the same way: they restrict what you eat. That ultimately means you end up frustrated, miserable and hungry, and that can too easily lead to standing at the fridge after another unsatisfying starvation dinner, eating everything you can see and then hating yourself for it afterwards.
I don’t believe in diets. My weight loss system teaches you how to make your own healthy eating guidelines, meaning you’ll be much more likely to stick with them and find them fulfilling. My own experience has taught me that volume trumps calories, so you’ll never be hungry if you use my approach—it’s all about eating more of the right stuff, experimenting with new flavours and filling up on healthy, energy-dense foods such as lean proteins and vegetables.
Exercise isn’t a form of self-punishment
Getting fit doesn’t mean signing up to boot camp and loathing every painful push-up. It’s just about being more active and finding activities that you genuinely enjoy and are subsequently more likely to keep doing. You don’t even have to join a gym—when I started losing weight, walking my dog was all it took to start shedding the pounds and make me realise that physical exertion didn’t mean red-faced, sweaty, uncomfortable exhaustion.
Sure, exercise can be boring, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s only boring when you choose boring things to do. If you’re embarking on your healthy life journey, you’ll be trying new recipes in the kitchen and buying new clothes when your old ones are too big—so why not take the same approach with your exercise? Get creative and mix it up so you’ll never be bored again! I’ve got a fantastic range of ebooks and exercise videos introducing you to fun, effective exercise you can do at the office, at home, in the park and even in front of the TV!
It’s your body and your life
Diets and weight loss plans take control away from you. But there’s no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to weight loss—everyone is different, and what works for your best friend isn’t necessarily going to work for you. My strategies help you figure out exactly what works for you on a physical, psychological and practical level—they’re simple, engaging and effective and they put YOU in control of your health destiny.
Follow me on your weight loss journey, and you’ll never ‘fall off the wagon’—because there is no wagon. My approach is based on what works in real life, not what ‘should’ work according to the latest fad or fashion. The weight loss industry is built on failure—every plan or program ‘works’, until it doesn’t, and then you’re encouraged to try the next new thing that comes along.
I often become frustrated when I see so many people trying the same weight loss strategies time and time again and failing time and time again as a result. But that’s only because I’m actually frustrated at myself, because I wasted 10 years of my life being dangerously overweight and believing all the weight loss company crap. Of course they don’t want you to lose weight—if you did, they’d go out of business! That’s why I’ve made it my business to really help you. I can show you how to lose weight and keep it off. The only person who can do it is you, and you’re going to have an unbelievable journey.
