Making changes to ones lifestyle is one of the hardest goals to achieve—regardless of the time of year! And matters of weight loss ranks sky-high on the “too-difficult/don’t want to” list for most of us.
What do you consider your biggest enemy in the battle of losing weight? Time or desire to exercise? Snacks in the break room at work? Fat-laden chips in your home pantry?
I agree that all these things make healthy living a challenge! Believe me, I’ve walked a marathon in miles only to see the scale give the exact same report when I weighed in. So discouraging! Weight loss can be difficult, for sure!
However, a few years ago I discovered something “by accident” that ended up having a huge impact on my body weight—for the better! It surprised me and may come as a surprise to you as well.
Fat—not so fattening after all?
Seems the true enemy of weight loss isn’t especially fat—but sugar! I’ve always assumed that fat (foods) created fat bodies until I made a choice one Spring that changed my mind—and my body—very quickly.
At this particular time, my mom had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. She decided to go with a natural route of management with the disease. Her doctors put her on an extremely strict diet, reducing sugar completely! It was an extreme change in her diet, but we saw how it did help a great deal with her quality of life.
Easy goals
So, in an effort of becoming healthier myself, I decided to adopt this same regimen with my diet except with a few adjustments. I would do my best to cut obvious forms of sugar through the weekdays (Monday-Thursday), and then relax on it over the weekends since that’s when we normally went out to eat. By obvious forms of sugar, I’m referring to sweetened drinks, candies, desserts, any food item with any form of added sugar. I also decreased my bread consumption since it easily turns to sugar once in the body.
First Corinthians chapter six explains how our bodies are the temple of God. We’re not to use or abuse them in ways that would be displeasing to the Lord. Obedience to this biblical mandate, I believe, comes about in many forms—food being one of them.
My thought with this new plan was that I could control the intake of sugar best at home through the week rather than fighting the unknowns of restaurant foods over the weekends.
Who knew?!
My main goal was to feel better and actually be healthier. What I got in return were those things, plus weight loss! The significant reduction of sugar from my diet through the week immediately started showing up on the scale, in my clothes, and obviously on my body. I feel lighter on my feet because I am lighter—to the tune of twenty-five pounds! It came off pretty quickly, and I’m nearing the two-year point now of when I started this lifestyle change.
I wish you the best in your weight management for the coming year!
For more information on the effects of sugar on weight gain/loss check out the following links:
https://www.livestrong.com/article/525151-how-much-weight-can-i-lose-if-i-eliminate-sugar/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/4-ways-sugar-makes-you-fat#section3