Hello There,
Welcome back to K&T blog, how are you doing?
How is the 4th month of weight loss going so far? by now we hope you have found a system that is working for you and that you are enjoying a good momentum and progress. Seeing some progress on your weight loss is exciting and encouraging, it gives you a sense of achievement and it builds up a sense of purpose. If you are winning at the moment please keep going, if you are not winning, hang in there and know that it is probably a matter of time before you find your strides. Sometimes it helps to pull yourself back and see the big picture of what you are trying to do, to remind yourself of your goals and the reasons you started this journey, this will clear your mind off your current failures , it will enable you to regroup and motivate you to go for it again.
“It’s hard to see things when you are too close. Take a step back and look.” – Bob Ross
It is the beginning of winter here in South Africa, this season always sneaks in, one day is nice and warm, the next day is very cold and stays that way forever 🙂 . But if you are in sync and pay attention to your body and environment, you start to notice the signs way before, the increased eating and snacking, the desire for warm food, the desire to do outdoor activities and socializing (before hibernation) , the struggle with waking up in the morning, the start of a somber mood (Seasonal affective disorder), earlier sunsets, loss of vibrancy for plant life.
When you are on a weight loss journey, all these signs are a reminder that a tough season to lose weight is here and it is time to prepare to fight for your goals. We turn to eat way more and move way less in winter, the body is trying to help us survive by conserving energy and providing insulation from the cold, which leads to weight gain. Last year we gave some tips to help with maneuvering winter when you are trying to lose weight, they are still relevant and beneficial. We share and summarize the tips below:
10. Review your diet and make necessary changes and swaps – You are likely to eat differently in winter, tweaks on your diet are necessary .
9.Prepare your meals in advance – It is always better to be prepared or you will eat whatever is available, you are not very strong willed when you are hungry.
8.Keep hydrated – Water is hard to drink in winter, and keeping hydrated is essential for weight loss. Try warm drinks such as tea to keep hydrated.
7.Keep moving – Our bodies naturally don’t want to move in winter, but we need to make some efforts if we want to lose weight.
6.Rearrange or change your gym area – make it fresh and easily accessible , it brings an element of newness and improves the chances of frequenting it.
5.Start a new workout regiment – Something new is interesting , motivating and improves consistency.
4.Track your weight – It is better to know how good or how badly you are doing and not to be surprised at the end of winter. Something in your mind is triggered to make a plan when you are conscious of what is happening.
3.Review your goals – Winter is a good time to refresh your goals, to make sure you are being realistic.
2.Be honest with yourself – Be clear and certain of what you want to see on the other side of winter, how badly do you want it?
1.Have a plan – This is very important, winter will always win when you don’t have a plan, our bodies are meant to gain weight during this time. Casually entering winter without a set action plan, diet and training schedule is a recipe for failure, winter is serious.
That’s it for this week, entering winter is like entering a weight loss war , you need to prepare and be ready, most importantly you need to have a strong desire to lose weight and believe that you can do it. On our side we are getting ourselves ready for winter, we are pumped to reach our goals on the other side, our key action points for this winter are to eliminate baked goods and walk at least 10 000 steps per day, let’s see how it goes. If you are also starting the season of Winter where you are, we hope you will prepare and make it count, remembering that summer bodies are made in winter :).
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it”- Douglas MacArthur
Until next week, Stay blessed.
Kat & Tshepi
Kat & Tshepi 