For as long as I can remember, I have been overweight.

In Summer 2016, my weight grew to it's highest and I decided that I needed to change. I was not active and I felt ill from the junk food that I was consuming. My BMI classification had me entering the "obese" category, and I was putting myself at-risk of developing a range of weight-related conditions, including diabetes. Not to mention, the mental affect of having such low self-confidence. Since then, I have managed to lose almost four stone, and I have dropped five UK dress sizes. I wanted to share a few tips on how I manage to shed the pounds.

Quick disclaimer: I am not a dietician and I do not think these tips will work for anyone or everyone. I am just sharing my experiences and they are lifestyle changes that I swear by. I am also not insinuating that being classified as overweight is bad. However, I had to make a change as my weight was negatively impacting my health.

Reach Out

As a teenager, I had a negative relationship with food. Whenever a school peer would comment on my size, I would buy a bar of chocolate. If I was stressed over school-work, I would grab a bag of sweets. I felt out of control over the food I was eating and food quickly turned into a way of coping. My life became a viscous cycle of feeling depressed over my appearance and binging on sugar-y foods to cope with the stressors in my life.

Binge-eating is an eating disorder, which can cause you to feel embarrassed and ashamed. But, it is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. If you can relate to what I have written above, I would urge you to have a read of *this* website, which gives you information on this disorder. The second thing that I ask; is to reach out to someone that you trust and confide in them. Having the support of those around me, made everything a little easier. I knew that I always had someone to speak to, if I ever felt out-of-control. Reaching out really is the first step.

#WeightsOverCardio
In 2016, I dropped my first fourteen pounds by running on a treadmill every day. Quickly, I became extremely bored and I was keen to find something different. I wanted to try aerobics on YouTube, but I ended up stumbling across FitnessBlender's youtube channel. It's a channel ran by Daniel and Kelli, offering hundreds of different workouts which include High Intensity Interval Training. Discovering FitnessBlender's workout truly kickstarted my weight-loss, as I realised that exercise could actually be fun! Instead of running on a boring treadmill, I could challenge myself with high intensity workouts, that did not need to last hours.


Through Fitnessblender, I discovered strength training. Over the past year, I have become obsessed with incorporating weight-training into my HIIT workout. Please note, that lifting weights is *not* going to make you look bulky, as women have a harder time at building muscle than men. However, weight-lifting really did dramatically change my body for the better, proving that you do not need to do hours of cardio to lose weight.


Exercise to Feel Good
By completely FitnessBlender's workouts, I fell in love with exercise. I fell in love with the feeling of hearing the words "this workout is complete". I fell in love with the rush of endorphins that you feel after a challenging workout. I fell in love with trying new moves and pushing my body to it's limit. Daniel and Kelli encourage you to exercise for the "feel good" affect. Looking good is just a plus side!

I find that when I exercise, I have an up-lifted mood and I feel genuinely happier, through-out the day. I also sleep well at night, which is something that I used to struggle with as a teenager. Whenever I feel de-motivated, I remind myself of the benefits that exercise has given me.

Stop Counting
In the first few months of my weight-loss, I aimed for a calorie in-take of less than 1200 calories. When you're exercising for an hour every day, this is a very strict in-take. Having such a strict in-take was not sustainable, and my body craved the nutrients that it was not getting. I would always end up going over my daily "target", and I would feel so guilty that I had not met this "target" number.


My advice? STOP COUNTING NUMBERS.

Apps such as MyFitnessPal are fantastic for being loosely aware of your calorie in-take, as they make you realise what kind of macro-nutrients you are lacking. However, obsessing over your in-take can have a serious impact on your mental health, taking you into eating disorder territory. If you know that you have tendencies to obsess over the numbers; chuck the scale out, delete the apps and definitely ditch the numbers!

99% Water
If you're a lover of fizzy drinks, you'll know that they contain high volumes of sugar or sweeteners, which make you crave more sugar-y foods. If you want to ditch the weight fast, swap high-sugar drinks for water. The NHS recommends drinking six to eight glasses of water a day, which is equivalent to two litres, which is perfectly achievable. These days I take a bottle of water with me wherever I go, as it keeps me feeling awake, hydrated and more energised. Like I have said previously, if you do want a fizzy drink go ahead have one... Do not restrict yourself!


I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope that these tips are helpful for some. Weight-loss is incredibly personalised and I recognised that people have different ways to change their lifestyle. Let me know if you have any tips to lead a healthier lifestyle!

XO Zoe