It’s not easy to lose weight these days. Thanks to the ever-growing appetite for fast food and the changing lifestyle of the average 21st century person, keeping weight off becomes even more challenging.
If you’re struggling to achieve your desired weight, you’re in the right place. Here, we’ll discuss how Susan Page, an average American woman, lost 125 pounds and how you, too, can follow her lead.
Changing Lives One Meal At A Time
At 5’3″ and having always been a skinny girl, Susan was satisfied with her weight. However, after giving birth to her daughter, Emily, she realized that she needed to make some changes. She tried the conventional route and went on a diet. Unfortunately, within weeks of starting she had already plateaued on the weight scale and then began to gain weight again. At that point, she decided that enough was enough and did something different.
Instead of worrying about losing weight, Susan decided to focus on eating healthy and giving her body a chance to adjust to its new size. She took it easy the first few weeks after Emily’s birth, and instead of going for a jog or trying to fit in a workout, she spent her time cooking healthy meals for her family, working out a schedule, and planning out her weekly menus.
This is key: Even if you’re struggling with your weight, instead of dieting or focusing on reducing calories, make the choice to change the way you eat.
By doing this, you’ll ensure that you burn fat and build muscle, which will make you look and feel better. Plus, you’ll avoid the common pitfalls that most dieters fall into.
A Balanced Approach
Another key to Susan’s weight loss success is her approach to dieting and exercise. Rather than focusing on a restrictive diet, Susan adopted a more moderate one and worked her way up to it. Moreover, she made sure to include both aerobic and anaerobic activities in her routine so that she did not lose all of her muscle while losing weight. As a result, Susan was able to keep her muscle and continue to burn calories, even while losing weight.
Muscle burns calories even when it’s not active, so this is key to both keeping weight off and continuing to burn calories. Remember, if you burn more calories than you eat, you’ll lose weight, and that’s what happened here.
Prioritizing Sleep And Stress Reduction
To say that Susan has become a wellness-oriented eater would be a major understatement. As a result of her changes and decisions, Susan now views food as fuel rather than as a treat, and she makes sure to eat healthy throughout the day, packing her lunch to ensure that she has some healthy options when she gets bored or hungry at work.
To further ensure that she stays lean, Susan makes sure to get at least seven hours of sleep each night and exercises regularly, staying mindful of her stress levels.
These habits have not only helped Susan lose weight, but they’ve also helped her maintain her new size. As a result of these changes, Emily’s birthweight was a notable 37 pounds, and while this may not sound like a lot, it’s a big change for the family. It’s also helped Susan get back to her pre-pregnancy weight, and she’s now able to work out some kinks in her diet that she had in previous pregnancies. Moreover, thanks to her newfound wellness orientation, Susan has become an advocate for healthy living and has even helped others follow her lead, not only on her social media channels, but also via her blog, How to Lose Weight and Keep it Off. This post was originally published in June 2019 and has been updated.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to lose weight, how to keep it off, or just want to be inspired, check out How to Lose Weight and Keep it Off.