What a cutie! |
First of all, don't look for a magic pill. It's simple enough as it is: diet and exercise. That's all you need to focus on: two things. And I've read, more than once, that diet is more important than exercise when it comes to losing and maintaining weight. It's like that line in that Nickelback song, "We'll all stay skinny cause we just won't eat." I believe that's how many people stay slim; they don't eat that much: just what they need.
I call this The Farmer's Diet, because I think this is how farmers eat. Begin the day, whether you're hungry for it or not, with your largest, and most nutritious, meal of the day. There's a catch though. The other two meals you eat during the day should both be small ones. What's the point of eating your largest meal just before you go to bed anyway? It's just going to turn to fat while you're sleeping. Start off the day with your largest meal and you'll be burning off the calories throughout the day: especially when you exercise. I think this is the way everyone used to eat before people began to work in offices and before we had all the modern conveniences that we have now. They began the day with their largest meal because they needed the calories and energy it would provide.
I exercise four times a week, but I'm pretty sure that about an hour a day, five days a week, is what's recommended for good heart health. I have quite a bit of discipline when it comes to eating, and I also happen to be vegan, which I'm sure helps.
So, summing up, it's very simple. Begin the day with your biggest and most nutritious meal of the day. The meals I begin each day with are so nutritious that the subsequent two only exist to satisfy hunger. That brings me to another point; don't stuff yourself. I never stuff myself, and I never want to. I don't even necessarily eat till I'm full. I think the right word is content. Eat till you're not hungry anymore, not till you're bursting at the seams. Back to the plan: exercise. People either do it or they don't. They either do it or they make excuses why they don't. It's up to you which type of person you'll be. Of course, as I mentioned, the less you eat, the less you need to exercise (to a degree). Most people are aware that exercise is important when it comes to maintaining weight and physical health, but it's also good for mental health. For instance, anyone who has depression, that doesn't exercise, really should start.
I don't know much about women's clothes sizes, so I don't expect this to mean much to women who don't know anything about men's clothes sizes, but, nevertheless, I went from size 42 waist pants (I wasn't exercising at the time.), to size 36 waist pants (I was exercising, but not eating like a farmer.), to comfortably fitting into size 30 waist pants, like I presently do. I lost so much weight from my ass. It essentially became deflated. The first time I went from sitting in my soft microfiber chair to a rigid New York City subway seat, I really felt the difference. With much less fat padding my ass, I was hurtin' for certain. I was shifting and squirming in the seat in a vain attempt to get comfortable. Of course, being comfy on a subway seat isn't a very good reason to carry a fat ass around with you. If you needed to, you could carry a cushion around with you; it's better than having a fat ass.