How to Lose Weight For Real!

Hello.  My name is Danielle. This is my blog about how I lost 30 pounds after COVID and in total 76 pounds.  My site is not so flashy and modern, as Google blogs are very bare bones.  But don't be fooled. The information here can turn your weight loss journey into success.  My weight has been between 150-155 pounds up and down for 5 years and counting.

 A miracle happened in my life that helped me lose the pounds.  When COVID hit, everyone told us to stay inside the house.  Because of this, everything I ate was what I could find in the kitchen.  I then noticed that I had lost some weight.  When I told someone, they said, they gained weight during COVID.  They told me they got a lot of food delivered to their home. No wonder!  I lost weight and I want to give everyone this opportunity that God placed in my lap.  

My highest weight was 228 pounds. For most of my adult life I was 185 lbs. My normal weight now is 155 and lower. 

No GLP-1 drugs!

I gave you the true answer already!  You can lose weight just by eating most of your meals at home.  However, you may need some tips to keep it off in the Real World.

The rest of this blog is an online weight loss program that helps you lose weight and keep it off.  If you do try this, you have to follow all of the rules.  If you don't do everything together, you may not lose weight.  I've been on my plan for about 5 years.  If you follow all of the plan, mainly on this current blog post, it will work better.

 

1.      So, a few years ago during COVID, I did not know I was losing weight.  I mainly ate food from what was in the kitchen.  I was not on a diet.  Whatever I found in the cabinets and refrigerator, I created meals. I realized I was losing weight by eating at home.

 

Now I say, stop ordering delivery.  What you should do is order takeout. Call the restaurant or order inside, and take it to go.

 

2.       When I say eat food, I mean all food, except FAST FOOD.  No, Taco Bell, McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King, Carl's Jr. etc.  You can still eat at restaurants for breakfast, for Waba Grill (California), pizza, Chinese food, and donuts etc...  I also eat at restaurants like WingStop because it is not fast food. It takes a while for them to make it. You can eat at Applebee’s, Chili’s, Olive Garden, etc. for dine-in or take-out only.  The one food you may miss, are hamburgers.  You should only eat hamburgers once a month, but not the ones at fast food restaurants.  You should eat the burger at a casual or dine-in restaurants like Chili’s, Applebee’s, etc.

 

 

3.       This is the BEST exercise for weight loss at home.  For exercise, I do 20 Jumping Jacks a day.  You can start low, and do more over time.   I don’t do any other exercises, because it’s mainly all about the food, but it works!  To help you breathe, count each jump and say the number you are on.  This is the only exercise you need to lose weight and keep it OFF! You Will be sore in the morning, but it goes away.  Remember, that means it's working!

 

 

4.       Now, what can I eat?!  Anything in the kitchen is fair game.  Go stock up at the grocery store.  Cook for yourself or have someone do it for you.  Heat up something, microwave it, deep fry it or air fry it (p.s., air fryers are great to eat already frozen fried french fries, chicken strips, tater tots, etc.)  

 

 

     I personally don’t cook well, and sometimes for dinner, you don’t know what to eat.  Do not sleep on microwave TV dinners.  The first thing people say about them, is “oh, the sodium is high.”  Think about it.  If you eat fast food, the sodium is through the roof!  They may seem a little expensive, but all you do at night is follow the directions and microwave it for 10 minutes or less.  The average calories of TV dinners are about 350 calories, which is almost nothing.  Try some out and see how you like it when there’s nothing for dinner.  

 

 

    Also, at dinner, eat some vegetables.  TV dinners have a few vegetables.  I like pears, bananas, and any fruit with  Tajin on it (except grapes...not good with Tajin.) But of course, you can eat what you want.  I suggest you go to the grocery store with a list (so you won't overspend).  Get whatever you want.   The bible says God blesses those who eat a lot of food and those who eat a little amount of food the same. 

  

5.       The schedule:  I eat breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack, dinner, dessert, and a snack before I go to bed.  For working people, you will have to do this at certain specific hours.  My schedule is based on time.   You will never be hungry.

 

11:30 am – Breakfast     1:00 pm – snack    

 2:30 pm – Lunch     

 

4:00 pm -snack       5:30 pm - Dinner and dessert  

 8:30 pm - snack

I made an example for a work schedule under "Some Tips on How to Lose Weight for My Program".

 

6.       I know you have heard this before…The only way to lose weight is to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and change your lifestyle.  I don’t agree! I believe that method will Ruin Your Life! That is not the only way to lose weight.  When I hear people say that, my heart drops a little.

 

7.       Remember – everything in moderation.  Don’t eat out every day, even if you have the money.  Snacks – to keep you from eating the whole bag put some in a paper towel or a sandwich bag. You can also have a cheat day to eat some fast food if you want.

 

8.       RECENT UPDATE – After I lost the weight, I had a great body, but about after 3 years, my body skin started to not be tight.  I’m still at my low weight.   I found out that if you lose weight quickly, your skin will get a little loose.  Of course I was upset.  I believe in the future, I may try to get my extra skin to be removed by minimally invasive surgery.

 

    That is all folks.  You can read my post about Stretches not Exercising, but lose weight first.  It happened to me after 3 years.  I listed some stretches and tips.  If you have any questions or want some clarity, how it works...just leave a comment.

 

 There are 5 posts about weight loss on this blog.  Just press 'Older Posts' below.  

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So, What Can I Eat! Almost Anything!

    Hey, All!  So you know from prior posts, I tell you that eating this way, you will never be hungry.  It's true!

Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?  Lets hear the bad news first. You still cannot eat fast food.  Whatever you cook at home will be less fattening and without all the chemicals. You can only eat a hamburger once a month, at a casual restaurant (dine-in or take-out).  ALSO, after a few weeks or months, you can have a cheat day and eat fast food! 

OK, the good news!  Eat anything else!   I eat whatever is cooked at home by me or someone else:  Spaghetti, mac and cheese, casserole, enchiladas, etc.  Anything you get at the grocery store is fine. I suggest you make a list so you do not spend too much money. 

On the other posts, I eat on a schedule.  Snacks are important between meals so that you never feel hungry.  I will tell you what I eat everyday, but remember, I'm always home.  You will have to find a way to do this according to your work schedule.

11:30 am is breakfast -  I usually have the option of:  Cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios with walnuts, raisins, and sliced bananas), frozen croissant sandwich with sausage and egg, breakfast rice, oatmeal, frozen or homemade waffles, pancakes, hash brown patties, etc....

1:00 pm - Snack - bag of chips, Cheez-its, cookies, bars, candy, chocolate etc...

2:30 pm - Lunch - sandwiches (lunch meat, peanut butter and jelly), leftovers, salad, frozen food (air fryer is tastier and less time to make than in an oven), etc...

4:00 pm - Snack - same

5:30 pm or later - Dinner - dine at a restaurant, you cook or whoever cooks, you can eat - Roast, fried chicken, rice, pizza, mac and cheese, TV dinners, take-out, etc...

Dessert - brownies, ice cream, drumsticks, cookies, candy, rice crispy treat, etc...

8:30 pm - Snack - same

Remember:  Eat everything in moderation. For snacks, I put them in a sandwich bag or paper towel.  Eat only 1 snack per time and 1 meal per time.

My Weight Loss Plan - The Method Behind the Madness

    Hey, All!  Now that you have read my first blog post, "How to Lose Weight for Real", and you may say, can I really lose weight doing this?  I would say yup, it worked for me!  I am going to tell you what is really happening when you lose weight according to my plan.  

 

    Stop ordering delivery - Do take-out or dine-in.  Delivery gets you food quick and easy, making it seem like a good choice.  But that just packs on the pounds quickly.  If you order take-out, it's not delivery, yaaay.  I don't even get pizza delivered, we have to go to Domino's and pick it up (carry-out).

 

    Fast food will pack on the pounds.  OK.  If I eat the Big Mac burger, its only 560 calories but most of the good tasting burgers are 1,000 plus calories.  Burgers are somewhat the enemy.  When I was bigger, I use to eat burgers everyday, I really don't know how much weight I gained, but I knew better.  One thing, you also can eat one that is home-made, but it replaces your monthly burger.  The beef patty is fattening any way you make it.  Remember, eat one only once a month.

Update: Turkey burgers are OK! Just no beef patties.

 

    Restaurants know the phrase "Fat equals flavor".  They need to put fat into the food to make it melt in your mouth.  The chemicals in the burger are also bad news.  With my plan, you eat one once a month from a sit-down or take-out restaurant.  Like, Chili's...etc.  You can eat that 1,000 calorie burger and still be on the right track. No fast food burgers, please, unless you have not had one in 2-3 months.

    For exercise:  Do up to 20 jumping jacks or less a day.  If you can't do 1 or 2 yet, just jump in place.  This is the secret exercise that has helped me lose all the weight.  It gets your heart pumping and tones you up.  Every time I go to the doctor, the nurse asks me am I doing any exercise.  I say I do 20 jumping jacks a day and they are pleased and say that I'm getting good cardio.  I don't do any other exercises.  I abhor the gym.  It's a tricky place.  You go and exercise all day, yet the pounds don't come off.  

    At the gym, you grow muscle, but muscle makes you weigh more.  I was the one with my family and I, going to the gym at 12 am in the morning, working out till we are pooped, and getting McDonald's french fries on the way back home.  Even without McDonald's, I rarely lost any weight. Remember this phrase, "It's all about the food".  All the exercises may not make you lose pounds.

 

       With eating on my plan, you can eat about anything except fast food (get a free day once in a while). Fast food can make you big really quickly.  When eating at home, you can eat almost anything.  If you know how to cook, great!  If not, someone else is probably cooking. The reason you are so free to eat, is because probably nothing in your kitchen will have as much calories in it as something from a fast food restaurant. 

Here are some more tips about why you can eat like this:

 

Breakfast - eat breakfasty food unless you don't have any.  I listed some foods on another post, like cereal. 

 

Snacks - I eat a bag of chips (individuals), cookies, a candy bar (yes, even Snickers), bagged snacks...etc.  Eat one snack at one time.   If chips or Cheez-its are in a large box, put your portion in a sandwich bag or paper towel.  This will give you a pick me up and it will keep you full.

Lunch - Try not to eat dinner for lunch, unless it is something that is lighter than a dinner meal.  The list is on my other post.  Sandwiches and chips, air fryed food, hot dogs, go to a casual sit-in or take-out restaurant.  You may not want to eat dinner for lunch because it is a heavy meal and you'll be too full to eat dinner later. 

Snack - same

Dinner - eat what you want that is take-out, dine-in or made at home.  

Dessert - of course!  Pies, cakes, ice-cream, Twinkies etc.  You can eat it because it gives you a treat after dinner.  You can get them from anywhere.

 

Snacks - I eat a snack before I go to bed.

Now, that I've told you the method to my madness, you can try my plan.  It seems impossible that this could work but it happened to me.  I say 'NO!' to some new healthy lifestyle, exercise forever, and eating extra healthy.  After this weight loss, I feel bad for overweight people who listen to professionals that say you have to change your life or you won't lose weight.  It hurts my heart every time I hear it.  

 

You are beautiful and handsome now, but losing weight is something you may just want to do, and its not impossible.   In the bible, I read that everything is impossible for men, but all things are possible with God.  Have fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stretching NOT Exercising

 Hey all!  Once you lose weight with my weight loss plan, after about 3 years your skin may start being loose.  It's from losing a lot of weight quickly.  When it happened to me, I thought I gained weight.  But I was still at my target weight, but my skin was not as tight.

Only do these a few years after you lose the weight!

STILL DO YOUR JUMPING JACKS - They still work for the body and if your doctor asks if you are exercising, you can still say "YES".

 

I have listed all the stretches I’m doing now and some other tips for tightening loose skin.

Updated:  If the stretches are still not working, I believe I may get minimally invasive surgery to remove excess skin.

 

Here are some that I use and they work.  Only do these a few years after you lose the weight!

 

•          Arm stretches

o   Put arm across body and hold elbow for 20 seconds – switch arms

o   Bend elbow and put arm behind back, holding elbow for 20 seconds – switch arms

 

•          Mom’s Secret Stretch -

o  Twist your waist turning side to side.  Try to look in back of you all the way.  Do 20 twists or more.  This creates an hour glass figure.

 

•          Dad's Secret Stretch

o   Stretch your arm up into the air above you with hand opened and stretched out.  Tilt your head to the opposite side of your arm.  Hold for 20 seconds.  Do both arms.  Do 2 reps for each side.   The side roll around your side and back will tighten up.

 

•          Inner thigh stretch

o    Bend your knee with your foot facing forward.  Slide your other leg away from you.  Bend your same knee to feel the stretch.  Do 20 seconds for each leg. 

• For your tummy area!  Push your stomach in and out 20 times.  Your stomach should flatten, although it will have loose skin at the bottom.  In the future, I plan on getting some minimally invasive surgery to remove excess skin.  

 *Tip: If you do these stretches, you may feel sore in the morning. 

 

 

 

 

Some Tips on How to Lose Weight for this Program

 

Here are some weight loss TIPS! 

 

·        Eat at home – The grocery store is your friend!  Buy food that you can make at home.  The staples are bread, milk, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, and lunch meat for sandwiches for breakfast and lunch.  Lots of snacks like chips, cookies, etc.  Don’t sleep on TV dinners!

 

·        If you want to save money, use regular and online digital coupons for the supermarket.  Make a List!  With a list you will spend less.  Only buy what is not on the list if you really NEED something.

 

·        Do your jumping jacks once a day!  I do 20 of them in a row, but start off with less if you want.  If you are not able to do them, just stick with the food part.  But you will see results immediately if you can do jumping jacks.  PS.  Do them in front of the TV.  The time will go by faster.

 

·        Example of a working schedule:

7 am – eat a frozen breakfast sandwich or burrito (donut or pastry) in car on the way to work.

10am - 15 minute break – eat snack

12 pm - Lunch – Eat whatever! Except fast food.

2pm - 15 minute break -  eat snack

     4pm - snack       

     6pm - Dinner – Eat TV dinner or cook whatever

               Eat dessert – something sweet

      Snack before bed – eat snack before going to sleep

How to eat slower:

I used to inhale my food and not pause to breathe.  I was sad that I ate it so fast, because now it was gone.  My tip is to take a bite, and chew it until it was swallowed, then take another bite.  There will be a pause.  You will be sitting and rested while chewing with no utensils in hand.  You will be happy, along with your parents.

 

Thanks for reading! More tips to come.