🌱 drink water. if you’re seeing this you probably already know this, but seriously. I drink enough water every day that my pee is literally clear.
🌱 tea def counts towards hydration! I drink mint, green, chamomile, and dandelion usually.
🌱 speaking of tea, if you really struggle with bloating I highly recommend Yogi’s Detox tea. It’s like $4 a box and works for me. I drink it an hour before bed and it does its magic overnight. You can find it in most grocery stores.
🌱 people say green tea helps metabolism. Honestly I’m not so sure about this. I personally take vitamin c in the mornings because 1) it helps my immune system and 2) it does boost your metabolism (acid/citrus both raise your metabolism - why people also encourage grapefruit and apple cider vinegar to lose weight).
🌱 I take complete vitamins almost every day. If you restrict a lot and for a long time, you will NEED vitamins. You want to get thin, but I doubt you also want weak bones, bad teeth, bad nails, bad hair, bad skin, etc. So take your vitamins, please please please.
🌱 I usually eat 600-1000 calories a day, but with exercise and walking I usually net 300-500.
🌱 I try to eat healthy and unprocessed foods. I’m actually a low carb high fat person, but in general try to eat lots of leafy greens and protein and some fruit every day. I usually have some almond butter for breakfast, a salad with chicken and veggies for lunch with a lil dressing, some veggies/fruit for an afternoon snack, and I usually skip dinner. Staying away from carbs - breads and pastas and stuff - also helps keep down bloating in most people.
🌱 vary your caloric intake. Usually during the week I keep my calories down, but on the weekend I allow myself to net more like 800-1000 calories. This let’s you indulge on foods you’d otherwise stay away from - I eat some pizza and ice cream on these days. This can help prevent binges because you know you’ll get whatever food you’re craving sometime in the next week. it also boosts your metabolism, and it keeps your body from getting too adjusted to a consistent caloric intake. People also frequently plateau when their bodies adjust to their intake. This is why some people experience significant weight loss after a binge day.
🌱 fasting can def be helpful - I usually fast once a week just to give my system a break and just eat light foods and liquids. I do try to get at least 200 calories spread out over a day of fasting because that’s what your body needs to keep its metabolism running. I usually burn it all off though with exercise and just walking. Never fast longer than 48 hours - your body will start to eat away at itself for energy when it burns through carbs and some fat. When you do fast, absolutely drink lots of liquids. When you’re coming out of a fast, don’t binge or eat something big. Be gentle on your body and ease back into regular eating with some fruit, veggies, or a small salad.
🌱 PLEASE DO NOT PURGE. it is so, so bad for you. throwing up a few hundred calories is not worth the damage to your body. Please.
🌱 PLEASE DO NOT USE LAXATIVES. not only do they damage your body if you try to use them for weight loss, but they don’t actually do anything for you - the idea that they prevent the absorption of calories is a MYTH. so please don’t use them unless you have to. I have to use laxatives every once in a while because I literally will go weeks without a bowel movement at all, but I always take the proper dosage and I always drink lots of water. PLEASE BE SAFE.
🌱 I try to exercise five days a week and rest on weekends. Usually 30 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of weights. I do this to help burn calories, up my metabolism, tone my muscles, and to try to prevent muscle loss because of restriction. I always eat a few slices of turkey or ham or a couple ounces of chicken after I work out - your body needs protein to help its muscles and to prevent muscle loss. YOUR BODY DOES NEED REST. Please don’t work out like crazy 24/7 because you will fatigue and wear down your body and you will feel tired and achey 24/7. Don’t be afraid to take rest days.
🌱 I personally have a very hard time eating with other people because I tend to social eat - I eat mindlessly while talking and stuff and go way over. I also have a hard time stopping when I’m full. To help fight this I only spend a short while eating - just one plate usually - and then I try to leave asap before I’m tempted to eat more. I’m a college student, so this isn’t too difficult, but having sweets and random food everywhere in the dining halls is definitely a challenge. Another way I’ve been trying to prevent excess eating is scrolling through thinspo on my phone while I eat.
🌱 if you feel like you’re going to binge - that you HAVE to eat or you’ll go crazy - try to binge on fruits and veggies. I’ve done this a couple times and even though I feel so full and gross afterwards, my actual caloric intake isn’t as bad if it had been pizza or something. Also I love fruit, so I’m as happy to eat it as anything else.
🌱 don’t go to bed starving. I personally can’t sleep on an empty stomach. Scientifically, people have a hard time sleeping on an empty stomach because our brains are expecting food and will stay alert even when we’re trying to fall asleep. Also, your body’s natural reaction when it’s hungry is to go looking for food, and it kind of panicked if it doesn’t get food but you’re trying to make it fall asleep. I usually eat some nuts or a nut butter before bed because they’ll last in my stomach and keep it full, even if it’s not much.
🙈that’s all for now, folks! maybe I’ll do another round later if I can think of much more. Stay safe and dm me with any comments, concerns, or questions.🙈
