Losing weight isn’t easy. It requires a lifestyle change, especially if you want the weight loss to be lasting. When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I knew I had to make some serious changes.
This Greek Keto journey is built on the Mediterranean lifestyle that I have enjoyed, both growing up in Greece, and in America. My mother only cooked Greek food and rarely ventured into other cuisines. Other cuisines were saved for dining out. Living on healthy and market-inspired food was easy; however, it isn’t easy for everyone.
You will hopefully want to make these lasting changes in your life. Creating new habits will take time and patience. If you’re serious about losing weight, here are four things you should do:
1. Learn to say “No.”
You won’t always be able to avoid pressure or influence by others, so learning to say “no, thank you” is going to be necessary on your weight loss journey.
When you go to a party, you might feel rude if you don’t have a slice of cake. Or at least go for the lighter options, like vegetables and Crudites. Your mother might attempt to force seconds on you when you’re already satiated at dinner. If you go out with friends for dinner and drinks, you might feel tempted to indulge. Instead, stick to the healthier choices on the menu. These are all everyday situations, and you can’t hide in your house forever, so you need to learn to be strong. You must be in complete control of what you eat. If your goal is to lose weight, you need to learn to say “no,” and you need to learn to make new choices; lasting new choices.
2. Track your progress
I’m not going to lie but I’m addicted to my Keto diet app. It measures my macros and keeps me honest.
However, you don’t want to become obsessed with tracking your weight or inch loss, but you will want to gauge how you’re doing at least once every week or two.
Sometimes you’ll be able to tell by how your clothes fit that you’re making progress. Or someone might notice and say something nice to you. If you notice you are on a plateau, you can adjust your meal and workout plans. You can work out, walk for miles and eat healthy, but still make no progress, so being aware of weight loss and/or inch loss will help you succeed with your goals.
Even though I may not track every single moment in the day, one thing I do daily is weighed. I know, I know, many health experts suggest otherwise. But I have to keep daily tabs on myself. That is the only way to stop me in my tracks if I do eat something bad. I swear, I can smell a cake, and I will gain weight.
3. Portion Control
When you first learn portion sizes, you might be shocked by how small they seem. For example, one portion of meat is the size of a deck of cards. You will probably realize you’ve been overeating when you become knowledgeable about this.
When you overeat, your stomach begins to stretch out. It will then require more food than regular portions to feel satisfied. This will lead to weight gain. Once you begin eating proper amounts of food again, your stomach will shrink back to its regular size. Believe it or not, your stomach is approximately the size of your fist. This will result in weight loss.
Remember, just because you are on a Keto-type diet, doesn’t mean you can eat thousands and thousands of calories. On the contrary, you must monitor your macros on the Keto diet, to ensure you stay in ketosis; and then monitor your ketones in case you fall out of ketosis. Yes, I use strips to measure. I used to do it daily, but after over 4 years of living this lifestyle, I do it about once or twice. week.
4. Plan Meals and Snack
If you head to the supermarket without a grocery list, you are doing yourself and your diet a disservice; it will overwhelm you the moment you step inside the grocery store. There are endless temptations, and if you don’t have a list, you will be more likely to pick up things you will later regret.
With a list, you can head directly to what you need and not get distracted by the things you don’t want to eat. Planning ahead of time allows you to create healthy meals and snacks you look forward to instead of falling back on convenience items or less healthy meals you may be used to.
Another strategy is to separate your pantry and home necessities apart from your actual food items. I buy pantries and home necessities in great quantities. For example, if I buy facial tissues or kitchen paper towels, I will buy enough for 6 months. These are not items I want to buy on a weekly or monthly basis. Check out some of my pantry items on my shopping list.
Then, each and every week, I truly purchase ingredients to make my food. Rarely will I buy other items in the week! It is fresh herbs, vegetables, fresh meat, and seafood.
Perhaps the Mediterranean Greek Keto, a lifestyle change, is the answer if you’re ready for lasting weight loss. It might not be easy at first, but it will be worth it. Just like any other habit changes you try to make in life, over time, they’ll become a regular part of your life.
