My Weight Loss Journey

Before I start this post I just want to say that I am in no way, shape or form an expert in diet or exercise. I am simply a young girl who has tried many a different diet over the past few years, who has constantly tried to lose a few extra pounds and would like to share a few of the tips and tricks that have helped me remain motivated. I've always had an hourglass figure, carrying extra weight on my thighs, bum and chest whilst remaining pretty small around my waist. A lot of people I spoke to would have said that I didn't need to lose weight at all but it was something that I wanted to do, it was something that would make me happier and healthier in myself. I don't think that anyone should lose weight if they don't want to, if you're happy in yourself then I think that's a wonderful thing. We all come in different shapes and sizes and we're all beautiful. We all deserve to be happy in ourselves but for me one way of doing that and regaining my confidence, was to lose a few pounds.

Through a combination of calorie counting using My Fitness Pal, healthy eating, portion control and daily exercise I managed to lose a stone over the course of a few months. I used to never have any will power when it came to diet and exercise, most of my diets would last about two weeks tops before I would fall back into my old habits but last Summer something in me clicked. I finally felt motivated to get off my ass and get into shape, I was tired of lacking confidence in myself and feeling frumpy next to my friends, so much so that I decided it was time to do something and stick to it. I still have a long way to go before I'm where I want to be but I feel so much happier in myself now. My confidence has been boosted, I feel less sluggish and more motivated and awake during the day. Even the little things like my jeans being a bit looser just help give me that boost of confidence I needed.

1. Do it for you. I think the most important thing to remember is that if you're wanting to lose weight or tone up you should do it for yourself and no one else. It's so important to love yourself and be happy within your own body and whether that's by staying exactly as you are or by changing yourself in some way, then that is perfectly fine. Whenever I've tried to lose weight before it was always for the wrong reasons, I wanted to be seen as more desirable or attractive to other people. This time, I'm doing it for me.

2. It's ok to treat yourself. It's so easy to think that when you're trying to lose weight and dieting that you shouldn't touch anything remotely unhealthy as it will be completely detrimental to your progress but I've found that this is simply not the case. Whether you treat yourself once a week, every fortnight, once a month or when you hit a milestone, I personally believe it helps with encouraging you to continue. If I go too long without something tasty or treating myself I get restless and find myself more likely to cave and binge on crap. And trust me, that takeaway tastes miles better when you've worked hard and waited for it.

3. Don't drop your calories through the floor. The most obvious thing to do when you want to lose weight is to instantly drop your calories through the floor and smash out some cardio. And while this will be effective at first, you're going to eventually hit a wall and have nowhere to go and no manoeuvrability with your food. Use an online calculator to find out how many calories someone of your age and height should be eating in a day and work from there, It's also important to not cut out anything completely. It was so tempting to stop eating carbs all together but this can cause problems if you then go to eat them again in the future as you may find your body has grown intolerant. Instead it's all about everything in moderation. I generally eat everything I ate before, it's just a lot more controlled, I have proper portion sizes and weight out everything I eat. That way it's easier to put into My Fitness Pal as well. Plus I find that when I cut my calories ridiculously I'm far more likely to snack throughout the day.

4. Start small and build it up. If like me you find it hard to fit exercise in to your day and find the motivation to do it, then start small. Even 20 minutes of exercise a day is going to make a massive difference and this can then be built up to fit you and your schedule. I tend to do anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour of exercise a day, leaving me feeling less sluggish and more motivated.

5. It's the small changes. Introducing the smallest changes such as taking the stairs instead of the lift, walking instead of taking the car and swapping in low calorie food options will help make a massive difference. You can still enjoy an indulgent hot chocolate in the evening while staying under your calorie limit. Options and Cadbury Highlights are great choices by the way.

6. Don't expect instant results. Losing weight and getting fit is a long and slow process. I've always found the first week I lose the most weight as it comes as a shock to the system. From then on I can lose anywhere from half a pound to one pound a week. It's also important to remember that your weight can fluctuate massively over the day, I weight a lot more at night than I do in the morning and due to this I make sure I weigh myself every week at the same time on the same day. Sometimes I'll even weigh every two weeks. Although it can be tempting, weighing yourself every day can be disheartening if you don't lose "enough" and can be bad for your motivation and progress.

7. Do what works for you. It can be really hard to fit a workout and healthy lifestyle around your day to day life so it's important to make it work for you. I absolutely hate gyms and working out in front of other people out of fear of being judged so I work out from home using DVDs or an exercise bike. I also hate running but love cycling so I lean more towards that as I know I'll actually do it.

8. Don't compare yourself to others. This sort of follows on from the last point really. Everyone is different. We all have different body types and lifestyles, different ways of losing weight and different builds. I'm naturally an hourglass figure, I have big boobs and a big bum with a smaller waist and no amount of dieting and working out will result in me looking like Taylor Swift. We're built entirely differently and that is what makes the world a wonderful place. Wouldn't it be boring if we all looked the same?