Hi all, I have taken a well needed and super deserved holiday. After dealing with a sudden loss – Im back with my latest blog post. . .
I want to start this weeks addition off by saying thank you for all the amazing support I am receiving for my blog. I have had some lovely compliments from all sorts of wonderful people. Some friends and family, but I’m especially amazed at the show of support from complete strangers who are also on their own (or thinking about starting their own) weight loss journey.
Some of the most common questions I am asked are . . . ‘how did you find the willpower to start’ and . . . ‘how did you keep it up’, . . . ‘what is the secret to losing and keeping the weight off’ and I’m afraid there are no quick fix miracles. You have to really dig deep. Losing 10 stone is one of, if not the biggest challenge I have ever faced. Below I try to answer as many of the general questions that I get. . . so here goes. . .
When I first started this journey I didn’t realise it was going to be quite as successful as it has been. I had always tried fad diets such as milkshake based options, juicing, the 5:2, the Atkins, the Cambridge diet. . . I even tried weight loss pills you can buy online . . . you name it I tried it. The problem with all of these things is, once I came off the shakes etc, I would just put the weight straight back on. I had a lot of weight to lose and the thought of 2 of my 3 meals a day being drinks made me super unhappy. I love food and this was just not sustainable for me. Hence why I could only ever keep it up for a short amount of time.
So when I stared this final weight loss journey, I knew it was now or never. I was only getting older and the longer I had the weight on me, the harder it would be to shift. So I leaped into it knowing that really, if I didn’t do it this time, I probably never would. I decided to try the one thing I hadn’t yet, and that was essentially a healthy yet balanced lifestyle. Simple, right? Not at first. Going into this head first on my own with no actual knowledge felt like I had been blindfolded and dropped off at the grand canyon and told to find my way. . . It was super scary and there were times that I felt myself quite alone with the feeling of the weight of the world on my shoulders.
I have talked about the support I get from the Fitbit community and My fitness pal. These were great for support and encouragement, but when it came to educating myself on nutrition, I didn’t know where to start. I read a lot of blogs and visited the NHS website for guidance. I educated myself on the likes of low-carb, high-protein, natural, clean diets. I stripped a lot of things from my diet initially, like carbs, wheat, sugar etc, and it was only much later on that I started to re-introduce myself to these things, only to find that I had completely changed my taste buds. I could taste things like never before, it was like a rainbow of explosion going off in my mouth and it was exciting. I also tried things again that I thought I didn’t like, for example – brussels sprouts, broccoli, quinoa, couscous, zucchini spaghetti, cauliflower rice etc. I loved it all and I really enjoyed discovering my new taste buds, and looking up recipes on Pinterest became a hobby. I would save recipe ideas in the week and then try making them at the weekends. It was so much fun. Without this, I think sticking to this would have been a lot harder. I enjoyed logging my calories and workouts and seeing how many extra calories I could burn and treating myself if I lost lbs. Not necessarily foodie treats but I would set goals, like if I lost 5 lbs I would treat myself to the new belt I had wanted for ages, or a night out with friends. Earning treats really was something that kept me going. If I didn’t earn the treat I would feel crappy but I was strict on myself. If I wasn’t, I would have given this up in the first month.
Another topic I would like to visit today is surgery. I get asked if I have had, or would consider surgery. So, I see this as the perfect platform to address a lot of rumors that flew around in my first year of losing. Apparently I had a gastric band, and apparently this was a ‘fact’ – WRONG (I particularly liked the bit where people said ‘don’t believe the gym selfies’ like I would join a gym and go simply to take selfies??) I also apparently had my stomach stapled – INCORRECT, I also had lipo – DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH. I know it seems hard to believe, but I did this ON MY OWN. YES! The once obese girl who would have tried any quick fix just to lose some lbs, actually did this on her own, through diet and fitness. Now, this doesn’t mean I wouldn’t consider skin removal surgery in the future. In fact, its something I think about often, but this kind of surgery is major and It requires a huge amount of recovery time. It would also take a minimum of 3 separate procedures and Im not sure I’m ready for that just yet. Needless to say it costs an absolute fortune and I can think of better ways to spend my money at this point in my life. A thought I shall save for a later date.
One final question for this week – ‘What does my workout routine look like now that I am at a size that I feel comfortable with’? Its not easy maintaining it, but it sure as hell is worth the effort. As I have mentioned before, I don’t weigh myself anymore – I simply go by how my clothes feel on me, and how I look in the mirror. I maintain my weight loss with cardio and I manage the lose skin with weights. A typical week of fitness for me these days looks a little like this:
Monday – Yoga + 12-15K run OR Spinning session (45 minutes)
Tuesday – 10K run + 60 minute weight session (see previous blog ‘The Dead weight’ for routine)
Wednesday – 10-12K run
Thursday – 12-15K run
Friday – 10K run +75 minute weight session (see previous blog ‘The Dead weight’ for routine)
Saturday – REST DAY – I might go for a walk if I haven’t met my minimum 10,000 step goal, but other than this I really try to rest my body
Sunday – BEAST DAY FULL BODY WORKOUT – 12-15K hill run + 75 minute weight session, yoga and Plates
So no, its not easy but definitely worth every single bead of sweat I go through. I love my new healthy lifestyle and I will always keep fitness as a Hobby.
Please feel free to either message me on here or DM me on my Instagram page (@marlihan) if you would like me to discuss certain subjects. I can’t promise I’ll be able to answer them immediately, But I will make sure I address as may questions asked as I possibly can.
Thanks all for tuning in again, until next week – Namaste.
MarliHan
XOXO
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