Body Positivity, Weight Loss and Dieting
Collaborative Post
Body positivity, weight loss, and dieting are intertwined somehow, yet completely different things. I have to admit I have been on my fair share of diets in the past, and quite honestly, I know how to lose weight effectively and adequately; I just can’t seem to maintain my momentum.
But I digress. What does body positivity mean to you, or how does it make you feel? To me, it feels like you can only be part of the body positivity movement if you are plus-size, which in itself seems wrong. I know that likely wasn’t the main aim of the movement, and the goal, I presume (I hope), is simply to allow everyone to feel comfortable in their bodies regardless of shape or size.
But on social media, at least, it seems to have taken a very toxic turn in places with so many people misinterpreting what body positivity means. It seems like wanting to lose weight or go on a diet is somewhat of a slap in the face to the body positivity movement, and honestly. At the same time, I do not agree with diet plans or many attitudes towards losing; you can still be body-positive and want to change your body, especially if it’s for health reasons.
Weight and Health
One angle I cannot get on board with is people automatically calling you unhealthy or saying you have diabetes simply because you’re carrying some weight. Weight and health do not always go hand in hand. And then, when you head out of the fitness stratosphere, larger bodies are shamed for not going to the gym, ashamed of going to the gym and generally ridiculed and bullied for sharing their fitness journey with people making massive assumptions from one short video clip.
It’s not hard to see why people are not only stressed but confused and genuinely scared to share themselves online when buckets full of vitriol and hatred are launched in their direction every day.
My Weight Loss Journey
And this brings me around to my own battles with weight and how I am approaching weight loss, being in my early 40s.
After becoming really ill with COVID-19 and suffering some extreme side effects from the medication I was on for my fibromyalgia, my weight ballooned, and since my 40th birthday, I have been on the higher end of the scales for my height.
Last year, I found an influencer online who runs coaching programmes aimed at helping people make more permanent life changes. I worked with him for almost six months alongside others in similar positions because I genuinely believe in his message. Out of all the people offering the same thing, he was the one I could relate to the most and felt was more understanding of my current situation; huge shout out and thanks to Ruairi Croskery.
Thanks to methods like changing my food choices, making more meals, not eating too many takeaways, increasing my daily steps, and getting back to the gym, I lost over 2.5 stone. But more than this, I made massive changes to my health. While I wasn’t even close to being pre-diabetic, I lowered my markers anyway; I also reversed my non-alcoholic fatty liver damage, which was in the early stages; I decreased my waist circumference, lost inches across my entire body, built strength and generally improved my health.
However, in the past months, I have slipped into bad habits, and I’m slowly working my way back to getting into a good routine with food.
However, I feel like this post is becoming more of a rambling narrative than anything else. I’m not the only one who feels this way.
My Weight Loss Tips
The key to losing weight is the why behind it. Your reason for doing it needs to be good enough to help you keep moving forward and stick with it even when you don’t want to.
Below are some things I found that helped me personally. I will implement these tips in my life to get things back on track.
Drink More Water
Staying hydrated is key, so I try to drink at least 2 litres of water per day. Since I can’t drink that much water constantly, I add no-added-sugar juice to my water to increase my likelihood of drinking enough daily.
More Steps
10,000 steps per day isn’t manageable or realistic for everyone. And while it’s a good round number, to me, simply increasing your steps by a few thousand more than you currently do will be just as beneficial. I aim for a minimum of 7,500 each day. Get a walking pad, join a walking workout online, or get out walking a dog for an extra walk per day. They love it, and you’ll get your steps in (unless you have a beagle, then it’s just a lot of standing around, trust me!).
More Protein
There’s a lot of conflicting evidence regarding protein; however, protein is more satiating and takes more calories to digest, meaning you burn more calories simply by eating more protein. For me to feel fully satiated, I need at least 30-40g of protein per meal and aim to have at least 150g per day. This is what works best for me, but incorporating more protein into your diet can help you feel fuller longer and reduce snacking.
Use Aids
This is important, but using whatever aids you can to assist you in your weight loss isn’t cheating; it’s simply a tool. You need to use tools to complete many things in life. You cannot build a house without tools, you cannot create a garden without tools, and you cannot lose weight without tools or aids to assist you. Don’t be ashamed to try weight loss injections like wegovy. Don’t be put off getting weight loss surgery if you feel you need it because some people think it’s a cheating way to lose weight. Use whatever tools you have at your disposal to make the changes you want to make.
Move More
Eating less and moving more is a rather simplistic way of telling someone to lose weight, and it’s not actually very helpful. But moving more in any way you can can be really beneficial to your health. Try adding in an extra 10 to 15 minutes of movement per day, be it going for a walk, doing a weight class online at home, practising yoga, or dancing; it doesn’t actually matter what matters if you move your body.
Exercise Helps
You cannot change your body by exercising alone. Sure, you will benefit from changing body composition naturally, but your exercise programme needs to be in conjunction with a balanced diet. And most importantly, it needs to be something you enjoy doing. I actually prefer strength training, so when I go to the gym, you will find me lifting weights because it’s something I enjoy doing, oddly enough. If you can add strength training to your week, even if it’s twice per week, it will help. But seriously, any type of exercise you can do, enjoy and stick with will help you out as part of an overall lifestyle change.
Sleep
I’m not the best sleeper, but prioritising sleep is a must for anyone wanting to lose weight or overhaul their life. If you don’t sleep well, your body won’t be able to perform well, your hunger signals will be messed up, and you will make things harder than they need to be. So put the phone down, go to bed at a reasonable hour, and work on your sleep to give you the best start.
Volume Eating
We’ve all seen the videos that tell you that for one doughnut, you have all of this broccoli, but in reality, who on earth is going to swap a doughnut for a massive mound of broccoli? Exactly. However, volume eating is a good thing to incorporate into your life.
Simply, it means bulking out your meals with low-calorie food options, such as salad and vegetables, so that you can eat more but for fewer calories. You can make caloric food swaps to bring your calories down, but the more you eat, the better you will feel.
Something that works well for me is making things like taco salad, which is a huge bowl of salad with 150g of chopped and roasted new potatoes and then 200g of seasoned 5% beef mince on the top. I add a squirt of lighter-than-light mayo and 15g of burger sauce, but the salad bulks the meal and takes longer to eat, meaning I am fuller. Another sweet treat tip is adding my favourite chocolate bar to 0% fat Greek yoghurt. 150g of Greek yoghurt, a 15g scoop of protein powder of choice, 10g squirt of honey and your chocolate bar broken up and mixed in (FYI, choc chips go further, and you still get the same hit).
Track
This is the point that gets me the most and where I struggle. Tracking everything. Food is in the MyFitnessPal app, so you know where you are. You need to measure and weigh everything to understand how much you’re eating and track it. You need to track your weight daily if you can to allow you to see how your body naturally fluctuates each day (i.e. holding weight for the start of your menstrual cycle, water weight from eating later the night before or eating a more salty meal or more carbs or how a lack of sleep impacts your ability to digest your meals from the day before). You should also track your progress by using a tape measure or taking pictures.
I think that’s it. When broken down like this, weight loss is really simple; when you are trying to make changes, it’s not so simple. Take your time, go easy, and remember there’s no falling off the wagon. There are pit stops and bumps in the road that can make your journey more challenging, but losing weight isn’t a linear process. Aim for constancy over perfection, and you can set yourself up for success.
