I've had quite a few people ask me how I got to the point where I am today. On top of that I see a constant flow of new threads on my regular forum about how to lose weight / get back in shape and what's a good diet for you. A lot of people seem to think that starving yourself is the way to go, but you couldn't be more wrong!! Losing weight is so incredibly simple in the end.

The very first thing I did was drop out the majority of junk food and started drinking more water. That alone flushed out 2.6kg worth of water and all sorts of gunk that had built up in my system over the years (eating high sodium foods leaves your body craving for water and retains fluids). After the first week the speed of weight loss does slow down dramatically as your body is now burning fat instead of getting rid of the water! I know it has discouraged a lot of people as you expect to lose fat at the same rate as the Biggest Loser contestants, but stick to it!


There's really no harm in reading a lot of articles and books about healthy living, nutrition and exercise. It will help you make better choices with your food and understand how everything in your body works. For example, you don't necessarily need exercise to lose weight. It is obviously recommended as you get stronger and you have increased rest burn when your muscles grow, but it's not something you should worry about when you start. Your body has a certain rest burn rate (your body needs a certain amount of energy to keep your body functioning) and simply eating to that limit will make you drop the weight.


My main form of exercise has been walking. I did also do Jillian Michaels' Body Revolution for a few months, but eventually the intensity of her workouts got far too much for my back and I had to stop. I keep thinking about starting BR again (and I don't even want to think about how many times I've mentioned it over here!) as right now it seems like the most cost efficient form of exercise for me, being a student and all. I had a look at my weight loss rate when I was working out with the program and it really did work, just proves that you don't need to get a gym membership to get started.

And the very last thing you need is a bit of self discipline and determination. I do still have my occasional takeaways and treats, but my overall diet is the way it should be so the occasional cheat meal won't ruin my progress (short term sure, as the amount of sodium in takeaways is usually really high). I absolutely love cooking healthy food and it does give me great satisfaction to know that I am giving my body a good source of energy. Cooking healthy food is far from bland and expensive (a great page about junk food vs fresh produce) so it shouldn't be an excuse to go for the ready meals or takeaways.

Believe in yourself. Just by getting up and doing something makes you a better person than you were yesterday.