Amaka, a fitness coach, lost 25 kg in four months by making significant lifestyle changes. In an Instagram post on August 14, she listed the ‘painful sacrifices’ involved in her weight loss journey. Also read | Protein intake for fat loss: Fitness coach shares 6 weight loss secrets you didn’t know before
She said, “At first, it was really hard. I complained, and I almost gave up. But these were the sacrifices that changed my body and my mindset and helped me see results faster, and it was so worth it in the end.”
Here’s how Amaka lost the weight:
1. Saying goodbye to comfort foods
Amaka said, “This will be really hard, but for real progress to be seen visibly, I would have to let go of the junk and cut off late-night snacking completely. And yes, it will be really painful, having to always say no to gifts like chocolates, pastries, etc. But every ‘no’ I said to junk was a ‘yes’ to my goals, and honestly, in the end, it will be the best decision ever.”
2. Early morning workouts even when tired
“For me, this is the best time to exercise because most times, once I start my day, I mostly procrastinate and never ever get to exercise till the next day. Waking up at 5:30 or 6am to move my body when my bed was so hard, because that’s when the sleep was sweetest, but those early workouts gave me consistency and discipline, especially with staying committed to my required daily calorie deficit meal plan. Exercising early gave me an automatic energy boost to start my day right,” she added.
3. Intermittent fasting was a must
Amaka said, “I constantly made sure and was intentional with intermittent fasting, detoxing 2-3 days a week, even on days I did not feel like it, I made a rule to always include 2-3 days of fruit/detox fast; this helped with snatching my waistline.”
4. No night outs and drinking
She added, “Saying ‘no’ to nights out, totally eliminating fizzy drinks and alcohol, and avoiding places I knew would tempt me. My friends didn’t always get it, but I knew my future self would thank me, and it would all be worth it in the end, and yes, it helped me break the endless cycle of having to restart my journey after overindulging whenever I went out. Staying inside helped me save my money and also lose more weight easily.”
5. Eating when needed, not when wanted
Amaka shared, “This is a hard decision but I noticed, if I wait until I was really hungry before I had something to eat, I always end up over-Eating or excessively snacking later during the day, so I made a decision to eat when it’s my time to eat and not to keep pushing until I’m hungry and this helped eliminate cravings and I was always constantly satisfied with my daily meal portion, I stayed in a calorie deficit easily, and this is important to see results.”
6. Pushing through the mental battles
“I learnt the hard way that losing weight is more mental than physical. The hardest part wasn’t my body, it was my mind telling me to quit. I had to fight the voice that said “It’s not worth it” and keep going anyway, I had to constantly remind myself that this is beyond weight loss, it’s about a lifestyle change, maintaining a healthy body and breaking out of endless procrastination,” she said.
7. Tracking everything she ate
According to the fitness coach, it was annoying and time-consuming at first, ‘but knowing exactly what went into her body kept her from lying to herself about my habits and food portions and helped her stay more on track’.
8. Working out and staying committed when she didn’t feel like it
She said, “Rain, cramps, bad mood, a bad day, and even on days when they scale decided to misbehave, I still showed up, even if it’s not 100 percent, because I know what matters is consistency, and to be honest, motivation didn’t get me results, discipline did.”
9. Patience with the scale
“I’ll keep reminding myself that some weeks, my weight didn’t move at all, and I know it will hurt, but I’ll try my best to keep up showing up and pushing, trusting the process instead of letting frustration win and focusing on other ways of measuring my progress, like taking pictures and retaking my measurements,” she added.
10. Constantly asked for help and strength from God
Amaka concluded, “This was less of a sacrifice. I constantly asked for help and strength from God daily to keep pushing, and he really failed me, because daily my strength failed me. He came through for me above my expectations, continuously renewed my strength, took control over my sugar cravings and blessed my hard work with amazing results.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
