Wish I was skinny again

Wish I could loose 10kg, wish I was a size 10 again, wish I was thin again, I just need to lose a few kilos. How many times have you said that or heard your friends say it?

Admit it, most women have said it about themselves, I know I have. For me I feel like all I have done my whole life is live and breathe trying to lose weight and be skinny. I have been active my whole life but I have also eaten a lot of junk food and processed food. I’ve tried and tested many diets, shakes and pills in hope for the quick fix and of course nothing worked.

I became a personal trainer to learn more about my body to lose weight and help others do the same. I have learnt a lot and continue to learn more and more every day.

I now know that:

• Fad diets cause water loss not fat loss

• You need to do strength training as well as cardio

• Reduce or omit the treats (chocolate, alcohol etc)

• Eat fresh fruit and vegetables not processed food you buy in packets

• My stomach is the size of my fist and can expand to the size of a wine bottle

• Pills and shakes don’t work

• Fad diets are not sustainable in the long term

• Majority of diets omit much needed vitamins and minerals

• Diets make you think your missing out on something so you crave it more

• Pills, shakes, supplements and diets all slow your metabolism

From 30 years of age onwards our body and its metabolism no longer copes and look fabulous on the staple diets of Mc Donalds, 2-minute noodles, chocolate, alcohol and all night parties. The body after 30 years old begins to lose strength due to muscle deterioration, we have less stamina, less energy and our bones become less dense. For this reason we are constantly reminded to eat healthy and do regular exercise.

But don’t think that because you aren’t 30 years old yet that you’re exempt from difficulty losing weight. Other reasons for not losing weight:

• Hormonal changes

• Pregnancy

• Medication

• Diets

• Supplements

• Processed/Packaged food/shakes

• Sedentary lifestyle

• Sit down office job

• Stress

• Hereditary/Genetic (only slightly, not the main cause)

• Health issues

As we live each day, have babies, get older, eat the wrong food, our bodies and its metabolism change and slow. We need to accept and appreciate our bodies and treat them the best we can with fresh fruit and vegetables and cardio and strength exercise. We need to stop comparing ourselves to unrealistic body types. I will never look like a cat walk model or like Jennifer Anniston but I can look like a healthy fit me (or a body similar to the singer Pink).

I have come to the realisation that my body structure is large and not long and lean. And by large I don’t mean obese, I mean large boned. So now that I have come to terms with that, having kids and age, I have accepted that my body now looks very different to what it did back when I was 21 years old.

Food and lifestyle are still the main reasons for not losing weight and the main things to adjust your weight. Look at what you do and see where you can make sustainable healthy changes with exercise and healthy eating. All the best.