It’s been almost a year and a half since I’ve started my much needed diet. I didn’t diet to become pretty I did my diet to become healthy, or rather stay healthy. After the scary blood disease I had in 2010 I became heavier and heavier. The 6 months I spent in hospital doing absolutely nothing but eating chocolates and watching an Australian TV show about mermaids around dinner time where my highlights of the day. Hospital food and chocolates where my highlights, it was a sad time.
I first started to loose the difficult kilos by doing the Cambridge diet with much success. After that I went on to no carbs, another success. And now with minus 45 kilo (quite embarrassing but no lies here, it’s my platform) I’m almost back to my old weight. Almost that is. It’s harder now and I need to move on to exercise … exercise, I kind of cringe by the word alone. Exercise, exorcism, execution … all the same category to me.
So I joined a gym. I didn’t know that gyms smell of sweaty people. I can’t stand the smell so I tried to go at times when the gym was empty, during lunchtime and would watch ‘Homes Under the Hammer’ while I cycled. I felt so lonely and pathetic on that equipment, so I gave up. I’ve replaced the smelly gym with nature and started walking and cycling outdoors. It’s cheaper, environmentally friendly, healthier and much more inspiring.
I’m not dropping kilos like a manic like I did before but I do feel more content.
I always thought it was the bread, savoury things and the pasta I’d miss doing a diet but I came to know that I miss sweets. Jelly Beans, HARIBO Gummy bears, Piña Colada cocktails, ICE CREAM and anything else that contains a lot of E numbers.
Banning them out doesn’t work for me as I’ll dream about all of the above mentioned and wake up in the middle of the night yearning it. One thing I’ve learned is that you should never withhold yourself from eating something you really want as you’ll eat it in the end and eat more of it. You’ll have that mini Magnum you’ve wanted all day and swallow it whole. You’ll need another one because of the greediness you didn’t get to experience the taste. And once you’re at it you might as well have a third one.
I’ve put myself on a ration by half filling Mason jars with two of my favourite sweets. I’ll have to do 2 weeks with half a jar each. It works, I’ve lost 45 kilos so far and still eating sweets.
Please feel free to share your diet tips or great exercise routines I could do at home.
45 kilos, wow that’s incredible, well done. I too love to eat sweets, especially in the evenings. i’d rather work my way through a bag of jelly beans than chocolate any day. I like to go running – it’s free and you can go any time and I always go with friends so that I can catch up with them without getting bored. Much more fun than the gym!
Oh yes, moderation is much better for the mind than complete abstinence… at least where sugar is involved. Otherwise I’d go complete nuts!
I would suggest you gave pilates and yoga dvds a go. I much rather go to a gym (I find it quite stimulating), but if you dislike them, maybe there’s a program of exercises that suits you. I wouldn’t swear by any, but I’d suggest you went to YouTube and look around for exercises at home, or maybe if you have a subscription Netflix style that could help too.
Running is awesome, and there’s nothing like experiencing the “running high”, but I’ve heard far too many people complaining about joint pain – ankles, knees, hips. I’d go about it very cautiously if I were you.
wow, Yvonne, 45 kilo’s, wat goed!
Ik heb geen dieettips, ik vind het lastig om me aan eendieet te houden (maar ik zou het wel moeten met mijn voedsel-intoleranties
Maar met jouw wilskracht ga je die laatste kilo’s zeker kwijtraken! Succes xo
I have been on a similar quest to be healthy, not stick-like, just healthier. I also learned that gyms are not places that I want to be, EVER! I feel like a hamster on a wheel.
I started this summer riding my bike for 30-45 min in the highest/hardest gear along the harbor in my city. I really looked forward to my evening rides. At first, it was tough but now I can manage the hardest gear without a thought. Now I am considering lengthening my route.
I also ordered a running/fast walking coaching app for my iphone that runs in the background to my music. It allows me to do a workout outdoors (just 30 min.) and reminds me of pace, stretching, warm-up, etc. My goal is to walk/run a 5k and then a 10k next year. I like being able to pace myself.
This winter I am going to try adding in a yoga class once a week, I hope to find a beautiful studio to take the class, no gyms. I am also going to start lifting weights, just a quick work-out I can do after or before my walk/runs. I am hoping to find info. online.
I could clearly see that you dropped weight on the photo you posted not so long ago! To be honest I had to gain some weight earlier this year and ate a lot of sweets -especially chocolate- in order to do so
Now that I’m back at my old weight I’ve got to make sure not to eat too much junk. Like you I do allow myself some treats. This way it’s so much easier not to go overboard. Something that I enjoy doing is stepping on a little device at home, while watching TV. I’ll have to do it for at least 20-30 minutes, usually the time a show takes. Also my hubby and I go on regular walks. You could buy some small weights to use at home. I don’t think you really need a gym to get fit. Oh and household activities also count. Vooral doorgaan 
Wow, quite an impressive weightloss! Maybe a hulahoop would be nice for you as well? You can burn quite some calories with it and it’s very easy just to do at home, in between other activities with some nice music on. I got mine from http://www.hoopholland.com
Wow, well done! That’s an amazing achievement! I totally agree with you that by ‘banning’ treats you just want them more and end up binging on them. I find that watching food portions helps with weight control (and less wine)! x
I agree that rationing yourself is far more likely to succeed than banning something altogether. Plus the sweets look so pretty in the jars!
I like the jar trick; that’s the kind of thing that would work for me.
I like swimming. I need the right setting (and I can be picky), but swimming laps for a set amount of time (vs. a set distance) is a good form of exercise for me. I invested in a simple pull buoy/kickboard combo to help vary it up. Aqua aerobics is also good. I hate getting sweaty, but I don’t mind in a pool, ha.
I also second pilates. It’s more of a work-out feeling than yoga, but it’s not a sweat-a-thon either. It really helped my posture for the time I was doing it and somehow made me more aware of my physical body, if that makes any sense. I wish I could find a course that met regularly again!
I think the real trick to experiment to find something that clicks w/you. I know somebody who can afford a personal trainer and since trying that, has discovered that’s her ‘thing’. My best efforts at exercise are anything to do with boating or the water, but since I no longer live on the ocean I’m restricted to the local pool. Finding some swim buddies has helped as well.
Good luck and a huge congrats on the 45k! I know how hard it can be b/c I am right there with you!
ja rennen is zo lekker! wel langzaam opbouwen (op de loopband) want anders is het bij voorbaat gedoemd te mislukken. goed bezig jij! X
45 KILO!!! Wat knap! Wat een doorzettingsvermogen. Daar mag je zeker trots op zijn.
Ik hoop dat het nu allemaal goed met je gaat?!
Lieve groeten, Carolien
Ik heb dit jaar en vorig jaar gelijnd voor de zomer. In totaal weeg ik nu 9 kg minder. Ik gebruik de producten van Weight Care. ‘s Avonds eet ik gewoon mee. Dit jaar heb ik iets minder streng gelijnd en dat werkt ook.
Ik vind jouw tip, dat je soms moet toegeven, goed. Ik heb bij mezelf gemerkt. Als ik iets perse wil hebben eet ik het. Als ik het niet eet, ga ik dingen eten die mij geen goed gevoel geven en eindigt het er toch mee dat ik het “verboden” voedsel eet. Ik heb het heel erg met friet.
Sporten doe ik niet. Ik probeer wel wat extra te wandelen, maar dat is niet zo vaak.
Veel succes met de laatste pondjes.
I really have huge respect for you, 45 kilos wow!
Keep up the good work, and I hope you can be an inspiration for me
//maud
Bij ons zijn we afgevallen (als bijzaak) door veel te minderen in suikers en met name in samengestelde producten (denk aan vruchtenyoghurt, pakjes om mee te koken e.d.) en aan toevoegen van eiwitten bj ieder eetmoment (denk aan nootjes naast je fruit e.d.). Mijn man heeft nog nooit zoveel energie gehad. We hebben veel gehad aan de boeken van Amber Albarda. Eten verzorgen kost nu soms meer tijd, maar levert energie op! gr Patries
Woow wat een prestatie!! Supergoed! Ik volg geen dieet maar eet wel een stuk gezonder sinds ik onlangs ook flink ziek ben geweest. Voornamelijk groentes, peulvruchten, fruit en gezonde vetten. Mijn trek in suiker is aanzienlijk minder omdat ik ze niet meer eet en producten eet waardoor mijn bloedsuikerspiegel niet meer zo stijgt. Super fijn!
( al doen die prachtige foto’s me nu wel een beetje watertanden
)
Jij bent zo goed bezig!! xx
I too went to the gym a few times with my husband but I just found it so utterly boring. Now I started running (actually I was forced into it since I had to practice for an Adventure run as part of a team building day at my job) and I actually started liking it. I tried it a few times before and always loaded it, but now I downloaded these podcasts ‘Start to run’ and the music and the fact that you have switch in between running and walking makes it easier and more fun.
(De podcasts zijn in het Nederlands moest je geïnteresseerd zijn
Wow Yvonne,
Wat een fantastische prestatie, ik heb veel bewondering voor zoveel wilskracht en ben heel blij voor je. Wat sporten betreft. Ik vind het wel lekker juist in de sportschool, ik hou wel van een eerlijk zweetgeur, hahaha.
Maar buiten lopen en fietsen is ook heerlijk, ik doe sinds kort mindfulness, is niet bepaald een sport maar wel heel goed voor de bewustwording van wat je normaal gesproken allemaal op de automatische piloot doet en denkt, een aanrader.
Liefs,
Miralda
Wow well done! the sweet idea is a good idea
You should be proud of your achievements! x
Good on you! Excercise is the best to feel good, positive and energetic….at least that is what they say. And i did manage to get in a routine of jogging at the beach 3 times a week before getting pregnant.( I actually think it helped me getting pregnant..) I started extreeeeemely slow and doing it that it kept me going, a little bit more every week. My husband does interval training at home in morning. He has changed completely during the last 8 months. I will def try that when i have to loose all Im gaining know. And he eats like a horse, a healthy horse and he just keeps getting better. He does not eat sugar though. I on the other hand cant live without some DULCES!
I feel exactly the same about gyms! Horrid, horrid places! I think it’s right that you have to find a type of exercise you enjoy. I HATE gyms and ball games and cycling but I like swimming and walking in the English countryside. I think the best exercise I get is cleaning my house, doing the gardening and pushing my dad in his wheelchair (although I keep threatening to put HIM on a diet!). I wish I had a dog to walk, I think that would be a great way to keep fit.
I think it’s great that you talk about weight loss to be healthy not to look like a skinny supermodel. I think there should be more emphasis on being healthy and less emphasis on everyone trying to look skinny.
Ken je het boek van Julia Kang, 100% gifvrij?
Dat boek heb ik in een ruk uitgelezen. Topboek!
Gewoon roomboter op je brood, genieten van volle, eerlijke producten.
En kokosolie, dat is geweldig. Overal goed voor!
Ik heb in de keuken een pot om in te bakken&koken en in de badkamer als bodycrème, wax en wat al niet meer. Het is echt de moeite waard om te lezen als je bewuster met voeding wilt omgaan, gezonder wilt eten en daardoor afvalt.
Ja! 100 % gifvrij van Julia! Ik ben daar helemaal fan van, gewoon ook zo logisch… Niets eten dat oma (of overgrootmoeder) niet als eten zou herkennen. Veel bewerkt voedsel valt dan weg!
ha,ha i love your E refering ,made my night!!
Wow such a great achievement and I love the idea of a little sweet temptation.
Well done you for losing all the weight already. I live in the UK and followed Slimming World for about 6 months and lost 2 stone, it’s a fairly ‘normal’ diet and easy to follow and it works! I think the key is to lose weight gradually and eat sensibly. However my weakness is fig roll biscuits but I allow myself a couple a day, sometimes more, because life is too short and weight loss should always be kept in perspective. I salute you and your love of sweets!!
Wow Yvonne!! That weight loss is amazing!! Good for you!! I love sweets ( I always say to people that I am addicted to plastic as I love liquorice….
). I put sweets on a jar at home and my kids know the secret place so they always take them…. I control my eating (only a maximum of 2 biscuits a day), I eat healthy food and am always running around like a lunatic with my 3 little ones so that keeps me slim. Dancing I do and recommend. It is good fun and good exercise for the body and mind. I hate gyms… Enjoy the weekend! Pati xx
Wauw, wat goed. 45k is echt een hele prestatie. Ik ben 7,5k afgevallen door de koolhydraten zoveel mogelijk te laten staan en veel eiwitten te eten. Daarnaast sport ik drie keer in de week in de sportschool op m’n werk (echt een luxe). Misschien is blogilates iets voor jou? Ze post pilatis geïnspireerde workout video’s die je thuis kan doen. Ook geeft ze voedingstips en plaatst ze recepten online. Veel succes met de laatste kilo’s, die zijn helaas het moeilijkst.
congrats on the 45 kg, that is amazing!!
i have a tip for your ice cream sweet toth: i freeze fruits like blueberries and bananas and then cut them up and mix them in a little blender with lowfat milk and unsweetended cacao powder to get some kind of “fake” ice cream. it really is yummy! here´s a little tutorial:
http://machenundtun.blogspot.de/2012/06/tutorial-how-to-make-guilt-free-frozen.html
or if you prefer “fruitier”, other fruits: cut up melons, pineapple, mangos or strawberries into little pieces, freeze them und blend them with orangejuice – super tasty! you can even freeze and use seedless grapes for this, the possibilites are endless. my main ingredient are melons btw.
since i found these recipies i am having a guiltfree ice-snack almost every night and don´t need to eat any choloate
SUGAR is the one thing our bodies really can live without, once you stop eating it (and it is hidden in many processed or packet foods), you stop craving it. Most packaged foods that are high in carbs contain lots of sugar.
Read up on it, I found this out when I did the Atkins (which I no longer do), but I never ever went back to eating sugar regularly, my skin is better (sugar eats our bodies natural collagens and ages us), I don ‘t get silly cravings or mood swings…. read up on it, sugar is BAD.
Yay for you – good on the healthy and balanced lifestyle. Personally I love to exercise ( I think it helps that I have always done something – much harder to stop and start) biking, walking, skiing – anything outdoors but I will do spin bike classes and yoga too. Mixing it up and meeting friends to do it with works well for me and is a big motivation. We have a girls evening bike ride once a week and I have a couple of other friends who I regularly meet for a walk or bike ride – it is a social event that has the added bonus of exercise too. I do have some yoga DVDs but I find it hard to motivate myself to do those. On summer evenings we sometimes do a family walk or bike ride which is nice too. Play around and see what works for you – I like jacomien’s hula hoop idea – my daughter has one so might have to try it.
Congratulations! That’s a huge accomplishment. I’ve lost and gained all my life so I know exactly how frustrating it can be. (Also, I am a cake/cupcake/ice cream/sweets/breads person, so I understand that all too well.) Personally, I am addicted to Grey’s Anatomy but will only allow myself to watch it while also lifting my little hand weights or doing body-weight exercises (situps, planks, squats, etc). It’s 40 minutes, so that’s something. Also, I love the Zumba dance workouts on Youtube, there are zillions of them. Also, this woman has a bunch of quick and effective workout videos online: http://www.blogilates.com/
Good luck going the rest of the way!
What a great victory girl! 45 is a big number! I have 20 in mind, not for the beauty thing either, need to regain my vigor and energy, but haven’t got there yet!
I don’t believe in diets of restrictions either. Can’t see any purpose in calorie counting. Besides, you have to be able to treat yourself to some pleasures sometimes, when you feel like, little ones, and feed yourself with big amounts of good stuff… No restrictions on the good stuff! But off sugar! sugar is a big enemy of humans in general, sugar feeds all the bad stuff in our body, bad cells, bad bacterias, cause inflammations and is making the world fat etc etc …
I too hate the sweaty gyms, could never handle them, I hate to see or smell sweaty people. I prefer to swim and I totally recommend it as the most relaxing and pleasant exercise.
Happy for you.
I love you, I just wanted you to know. You are one of the most authentic humans out there. Cx
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS SO FAR!!!
… today I’ve bought a bathing suit and bumped into a really brilliant dance instructor I met at my friends daughter’s birthday party. She told me to come and dance with her – I so will!!!
Congrats! That’s so incredible to loose that much! I started to do Zumba (and I’m no fan of exercise) and it’s so much fun it’s ridiculous!! I strongly recommened it, you can do it at home if you like to, just buy a DVD. Good luck!
“exercise, exorcism, execution … ”
is één van de beste uitspraken die ik ooit gelezen heb! zalig
That’s super impressive Yvonne! I think the dancing sounds like a fun workout too, great idea. xo
I bow to your superior will-power. Wow, I can’t imagine having jars of sweets in here and only eating a sprinkling of them at a time. I’m 2 and a half stone lighter in my forties than in my twenties, but that’s largely due to becoming wheat intolerant and not being able to indulge in biccies or toast any more. (unless I eat gluten-free versions, which are mostly like eating polystyrene ceiling tiles) Go you!
hoi Yvonne, wat ontzettend goed van je zeg! Zag laatst ergens een foto van je en dacht he dat is de slanke tweelingzus van Yvonne, wat grappig, maar jij was/bent het, knap!
Hou vol hoor, ik weet hoe moeilijk het is. Zelf volg ik nu het 17dgn dieet dat voor mij heel erg goed helpt, 17dgn afzien, suikerloos weinig kolydraten etc en alles wat echt lekker is, brood pasta en zo even niet ;-( het is gewoon super moeilijk, zeker als je van bakken & koken houdt zoals wij doen. Keep it up! las het net van je boek/tv show, had niet verwacht dat de druk zo hoog kon zijn, goed dat je voor jezelf kiest dat is altijd het beste! Komt vast iets moois uit, oh dat is er trouwens al, je lacht weer! groetjes Maike