The Right Approach to Weight Loss

Yes, you can! You can lose weight and focus on what matters and living your life.

While weight loss is not the key to your happiness and the answer to many life’s problems, it will definitely help with living a meaningful life, a life worth living as you define it.

I want to introduce you to a different way of thinking about your weight and what you eat. It is about eating real foods and not food products. It is about eating without painfully counting calories and measuring food portions. 

It is about knowing that losing weight can be done without feeling hungry. Hunger is the biggest pothole on the road of successful weight loss, and any approach that results in hunger will never be successful. 

The right approach to weight loss is not about using external measures such as exercise to control weight.

If you have struggled with weight issues or you have grown frustrated with your inability to control weight gain, you can take a look at what worked for me.

I share my real food strategy, the “non-diet” approach, as some call it, and what has worked for me on this blog and on the ilostweightyoucantoo.com website.

Made healthy choice when eating out today

Dining out can always be a challenge for me, because meals at restaurants are not healthy.

When ordering food at a restaurant I force myself to think whether I decide to stick to my eating plan or I choose to sabotage it.

Most of the time, but not always, I try to eat as close to Eat Like Me eating plan when I eat at the restaurant.

Today I found it was possible even at Chinese food restaurant.

From All-You-Can-Eat buffet I selected baked salmon, grilled chicken breast and lots of greens beans. 

Another success factor that worked for me this time. Making healthy choices when eating out is possible.

Gained weight

Yep. That's true. 

I didn't want to be hypocritical and stopped posting for a while. 

Now it's time to go back to making better food choices at every meal. While most of the days, I eat a combination of lean protein, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats most of the time.

Unfortunately in my weak movements, I eat processed foods and it kills my efforts. I feel terrible about being out of control, but I do it anyway. I think it is my arrogance - I know how to lose weight so I can allow myself a little - that allows me to make pure food choices more often than I used to.

Smart food buying habits

We have the power of choice to decide which foods to buy at the grocery store. The key to success is planning ahead. 

Planning ahead can improve your food choices. Healthy decisions start at home. 

Start by streamlining your food shopping to one or two days each week. Fewer trips to supermarket mean fewer opportunities to buy the wrong types of food.

I do it once a week on weekend when I am not hungry or rushed for time. I plan what food I need to buy and stick to my shopping list. By taking the hurry and unpredictability out of food shopping I buy and stock up foods that are building block for healthy meals. 

Healthy choices can make a healthy you.

Eating healthy when away from home is possible

While eating healthy when away from home could be difficult, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Two days ago I was hungry after a few hours of driving and almost went to fast food restaurant near the hotel.

Found motivation to go to the supermarket, bought vegetables and turkey breast and came back to the hotel.

Felt good. I needed positive experience, because it doesn’t always end up that way for me when I travel. I found it that it was possible. When I was weak and contemplating eating at the fast food restaurant I asked myself what was more important to me.  

Eating healthy does not mean eating foods that you do not like

For me eating healthy means eating natural, unprocessed foods. Eating real foods, not food products.

Many people mistakenly think that foods that are healthy must necessarily be unsatisfying or taste bad. Of course, that isn’t so. 

To lose weight and keep it off, it is important to change your perception that healthy foods will not satisfy you as much as your favorite dishes.

Eating healthy does not mean eating foods that you do not like. It is about getting away from fake foods and embracing real ones. 

It means giving your body what it needs to thrive. 

Eliminating or at least limiting processed foods is an important element of healthy eating.

Eating healthy will also ensure that you stay healthy while using weight.

Made Better Choice Today

Real example of making better choice while eating out. Two photos are from the same place. 

I am posting them to show what worked for me at lunch time today. See the difference? 

The person I had lunch with made the choice in the upper photo and drank soda. 

I made the choice in the lower photo and drank water. We both were happy with our choices.

Remembering why we want to lose weight or maintain it, if you are already there, helps when ordering in restaurants. 

Planning what to eat and where makes it easier for me.