I had had enough. I was so tired of feeling bad in my own skin: feeling ashamed during the summer, refusing to wear shorts because of how my legs looked, and avoiding other people’s cameras like the plague. But I needed a plan. Something that would be easy to stick to – I think psychologists call it a low barrier to entry. I wanted a complete body transformation, so I knew I needed a strategy that incorporated a diet that worked for me, an exercise regimen I couldn’t weasel my way out of, and a way to push myself to drink water (which I pretty much avoided before I started this way of life). Those three aspects work together more than I ever realized, and I truly believe that combining them – consistently – was the key to transforming my body. Here’s what I did, and how I would tailor my strategy for your body transformation journey.

Body transformation strategy #1: Choosing a diet to follow

I have tried sooooo many diets. I confess, I’m a chronic diet follower. However, it is rare that a diet actually works for me. I mean that I’ve gone down to 1200 calories and been consistent, and I still didn’t lose weight, felt hungry all the time and just felt absolutely powerless. This time, I wanted to choose my diet deliberately, rather than just being inspired by someone else’s results or the latest fad diet/exercise program out there. I wanted to create a body transformation program that worked for me.

My requirements:

• I wanted a plan that had worked for me in the past.
• I didn’t want to feel hungry … ever.
• I wanted to be able to reward myself with food sometimes.
• Food prep should not be crazy long, and I need some quick meals to I’m not tempted to grab fast food.
• I want options if I choose to eat out.

Tailor your diet to you

I had never really planned out a diet to follow before, you know? I mean, I would read a magazine article or a Pinterest post and said, “yep, starting Monday, that’s what I’m going to commit to.” But I had never really looked back into my past and said, “ok, what worked the best for me?” When I thought about it like that, two options for my body transformation came up.

Keto and The Plan

Most people have heard about keto, but you may not have heard about The Plan. It was effective and I lost weight, but there is just so much food preparation, and eating out is very difficult to stay compliant. Keto was the diet that was the clear winner.

During all my dieting trials, I figured out that I was very sensitive to gluten. I didn’t have any GI distress, but the corners of my mouth would burn. In the past when I had followed keto, I learned that a lot of keto-specific products (keto tortillas, for example) replace the flour with gluten. I was heavily relying on these foods, but when I stopped including gluten combined with keto? The weight fell off way more easily.

Being hungry sucks

It just does. Nothing will make me break my commitment to myself faster than being hungry all the time. Probably the aspect I love the most about keto is that I don’t have to be hungry. Just keeping my daily carb intake below 20 g was simple, easy to follow, and I got to have real cream in my coffee in the morning. Seriously, it’s the best.

Food is meant to be enjoyed

Feeling deprived didn’t fit with my desire to love and care for my body during this transformation. Read more about the mental shifts that helped me lose weight here. While most of my meals are delicious, sometimes it can get a bit monotonous. One of the things that I love about keto is how inventive people have gotten to recreating keto-compliant recipes. Brownies? Yep. Pizza? Yep. Onion rings? Yep. Burgers, tacos, cheesecake? Yep, yep, yep. I tend to use the weekends to enjoy the foods that may take a bit longer to prep, like keto donuts, for example.

Keep meal prep quick

For me, I recognized that there were times when having a meal already prepped at home, or one I could whip up in 10-15 minutes would keep me away from succumbing to fast food gorging (because going through the fast food line still takes time, even though it doesn’t feel like it since we’re not doing the work). This way, I could stick to my eating plan (and save money!) while not feeling resentful because I spend 30-45 minutes preparing dinner when I got home. I stockpiled recipes in my personal Pinterest keto board that were quick to throw together (like a taco salad, YUM!).

Eat out sometimes

We live in a culture where some people eat out once or twice a day. I don’t, but I get the appeal. Eating out gives us a sense of freedom and not being able to feels like we’re back in pandemic mode.

Remaining keto compliant is definitely possible, but I have my go-tos:

• Breve latte with 2 stevia at Starbucks,
• Steak bowl (no beans or rice, but with queso and guac) at Chipotle,
• Burger (no bun) at pretty much any restaurant,
• Chicken Caesar salad pretty much anywhere.

These options keep me sane and feeling like a normal person – and I’m losing weight while enjoying them. I’ve gone on vacation and come back a pound or two down, while filling myself up with healthy, real food.

The one negative I’ve found is that I can’t enjoy wine while on keto and still lose weight. I sooo enjoy a glass of merlot at the end of the week. Unfortunately, it stalls my weight loss for at least 3 days, so I had to make a choice: did I want wine and stay the same weight or no wine and lose the weight? You can see what I decided. I still enjoy on occasion, but even though I stay under 20 g of carbs with the alcohol figured it, I know I’m making a choice that has consequences.

If following keto is something you’d like to try, it can be pretty overwhelming at first. Here’s a program that I’ve researched at looks like a great resource for beginners to help get you started.

Body transformation strategy #2: Choosing an exercise that I could stick to

When I started on my body transformation journey, everything hurt. I had slowly developed aching joints, so even walking was painful. Step aerobics was my go-to when I was in college, but I was nowhere near being able to keep up during a one hour class. I needed something simple, something that I could hold myself accountable to, because I was not going to stop this time. I also needed something easy on my joints because my hips and knees were already sensitive.

My requirements:

• Had to be able to do it in my home where no one could see me
• Had to be easy/uncomplicated to start
• Had to be something I could stick to
• Had to be something I could do first thing in the morning, while fasted

Work out at home

Walking was the obvious choice to transform my body. Now, when it comes to walking, as I’m sure you know, there are a ton of variables to consider. I chose to walk inside for two reasons: (1) because I didn’t want people to see me exercising and (2) because I didn’t want the weather to be a factor (or a potential excuse). I purchased an inexpensive treadmill and built myself a little alcove for it in a spare bedroom.

Honestly? I didn’t expect this treadmill to last as long as it has. I have put a lot of miles on it. To this day, I still use it almost every day.

Keep exercise easy and uncomplicated

For my body transformation, I decided to walk 6 days a week for 30 minutes. I had no expectations for how fast I walked, the important part was getting the time in. I’ll be honest, the first two weeks were tough. I started taking glucosamine to help with my joints, and that definitely helped.

This was the baseline of what I felt I could do at the time. By not overexerting, I feel like this strategy kept me motivated to hop back on the next day. I wasn’t not punishing myself, I was simply moving my body in a way that felt good to me. I should also say that I work from home, so I don’t really get my steps in any other way.

The one exception to the 6 days a week is if I feel sick or if it’s that time of the month. I think that exercise programs absolutely should factor in whether we’re in pain and cramping!! Women are not just smaller versions of men and our exercise routines should reflect this, darn it! Ladies? Do you agree? I may use that time to do some yin yoga (which I highly recommend!) or to do some meditation and focus inward.

The joint pain went away as “the melt” began. I no longer have pain in any of my joints.

Make exercise easy to stick to

I also purchased a cheap-o TV and plonked that sucker right in front of my face while I was walking. It helped to keep me motivated to get on, stay on and get back on the next day – I only watched shows on the treadmill TV and didn’t finish them elsewhere.

As time went on, my naturally competitive spirit led me to increase the speed, increase the time on the treadmill, and incorporate intervals. But I only made those changes when I felt ready. I never pushed myself to be panting and short of breath the whole time. Having had asthma as a kid, not being able to breathe properly – it is a bit triggering, so I just go a little bit faster or longer, when I feel like my body is ready for it.

Walk while fasted

Walking and keto were a winning strategy for me – as was walking while fasted in the morning. It’s as though my body was forced to use fat for the energy of working out, and I could feel the changes happening.

Body transformation strategy #3: How to drink enough water

I do not like plain water. There! I’ve said it. I was a 6-pack of diet coke kinda girl once upon a time. Now, water is something we all know we should drink more of, but I didn’t for the longest time. Honestly, my aching joints are probably what forced me to face this issue.

Pain is a great motivator sometimes.

My requirements:

• I do not want to be running to the bathroom all day.
• My goal is to drink about 3 L or 100 ounces a day.
• I want to keep my water free from aspartame, but I’m ok with adding stuff to it to make it taste better.

Start slow

I do not like feeling that pressure to go all day, which is what happens when I drastically up my intake. So, I started slow – by consciously adding about 32 ounces per day for a week. By the time I reached 3 weeks, I was sailing along with my 100 ounces of water (I didn’t count soda and coffee) a day.

Drink enough and easily keep track

When I started, I was using 16.9 oz bottles of water, but I couldn’t remember – did I have 2 or 3? Was it 4? Frustrated with myself, I needed something simpler. I came across this set of 3-32 oz cups with cover and straw.

I only had to keep track of how many times I filled this up, which was SO much easier for me.

Making water taste good

I reasoned that it really was more important to drink enough water than ensuring that it was plain water. Anything I could do to make it more palatable was A-OK with me, as long as it didn’t have aspartame or Splenda in it. I found TruLemon in the grocery aisle and I’ve never looked back. Here’s a sample pack I found on Amazon:

My favorite flavors are Watermelon and Black Cherry Limeade, and they’re sweetened with stevia and a tiny bit of cane sugar. Each pouch is supposed to go in a 16 oz water bottle, but I use one pouch per 32 oz tumbler fill up, and it tastes pretty darn good to me.

One of the most surprising benefits of drinking this much water? How much smoother my fine lines and wrinkles became. It was truly amazing.

Conclusion

I have truly come to believe that we can’t shame ourselves into weight loss, we have to love ourselves into it. These are the strategies I used to completely transform my body in less than 6 months without any pain – in fact, I don’t suffer from any joint pain any longer. I lost 40 pounds, I dropped 4 dress sizes, and I’ll say I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life. I’ve kept it off for more than a year. But the mental bonuses are even more important (read about the changes I made to my mindset to make this weight loss possible). Believe you can do it and you can. You are worth it, lovely!!