That’s me right now and I’m happy to say I’m achieving it!
As most of you would know this year has been a challenging one. Being diagnosed with Breast Cancer in February and going through all the hospital appointments and doing everything I can to make sure I beat this. Last week was the final stage in my journey, I was fortunate enough to have my Breast Reconstruction surgery after my mastectomy and finally I feel like I can move on…
Well kind off….
I’ve got a bit of recovery first and can’t lift anything heavy for quite some time.
In the past I’d really struggle with the idea of no exercise.
I relied on my exercise to improve my mood and like many others to help burn a few more calories.
What the last year has taught me is our mind is stronger than we think.
With the right mindset anything is possible.
Focus on what you can do.
So, in saying that I have been focussing on eating really well. I’ve always known that our diet has a bigger impact on weight loss but like many others loved my exercise.
Now, that I can’t exercise I’m forced to put more emphasis on my diet.
Today, I just wanted to share some tips with anyone else out there who want to lose a few kilos but might not be able to include any exercise.
- First up you need to be aware of how much you are truly eating. Did you know It’s REALLY common to completely underestimate how much you eat. I get my clients to keep a food diary and even then, I know not everything is getting recorded especially when they leave it to the end of the week to fill out ?. Being upfront with yourself about what you are eating is the first step.
- Realise it’s ok to feel a bit hungry. We are so used to feeling full, comfortable that the idea of being a bit hungry is very uncomfortable but TOTALLY FINE. It’s good for our bodies to have a break from digesting food and being constantly full isn’t a good thing.
- Include some intermittent fasting. Right now, I’m not very active at all so I’ve reduced my eating window. On most days I’ll have my last meal before 7pm and have my first meal around 10-11am. That gives my body 15-16 hours of fasting which has many health benefits. You’ll also find that reducing your eating window will stop a lot of the mindless snacking.
- Switch up your macronutrients. If you’re not exercising and don’t need instant energy following a diet higher in healthy fats, moderate protein and lots of fibrous veggies will get better results. Right now my diet is about 50-60% healthy Fats, 20-30% protein and the rest comes from carbohydrates which are all coming from vegetables. I feel WAY better eating like this and have MORE energy.
- Make sure you have enough fibre. If you want your body to function properly you need to make sure things are MOVING, if you know what I mean. This means having enough fibre in your diet. I like to aim for at least 30g and because I’m eating lower carbohydrate I have to be really conscious of what I include. Here are some of the foods I’ll include daily to increase my fibre intake – Chia Seeds, Flaxseed Meal, Avocado, Baby Spinach, Broccoli, Nuts/Seeds
If you’ve been struggling to get motivated as you can’t exercise don’t let that be an excuse. You can still make amazing changes with nutrition alone and it’s beneficial to put a focus on your nutrition before you start exercising anyway.
The key is to be HONEST with yourself about how much you eat, be ok with feeling a bit uncomfortable, plan ahead and be organised.
If you need a hand jump on board my 12 Week Body Transformation.
❤ Hilds