In recent years I have put on weight, one pound at a time, and somehow – with the significant exception if having my daughter – I am not quite sure how and when. It just happened.
Metabolism slows down with age, tried a few diets which didn’t work, blah blah blah…
There is no dancing around the fact that I am now 2 full sizes heavier than when I got married 7 years ago. And I have a wardrobe full of clothes I like but don’t fit into.
It was with this long-term frustration bubbling under the surface that one summer day I had a conversation with one of my best friends, which caused me to try a new experiment.
My friend – whom in this blog I will call my brilliant friend – was recently diagnosed with endometriosis, an illness that affects women and can cause anything from feeling occasionally uncomfortable to severe pain and even infertility. It can’t be cured by it can be kept under control by adjusting one’s diet.
In essence she dramatically reduced her intake of red meat, fresh milk products and alcohol. She doesn’t have fast food, but that should go too.
When I met her she had been on this diet for a few months and looked sensational – great skin, loads of energy and a slimmer waistline.
And that is how I decided to try to limit my alcohol consumption – goodbye G&Ts, beers and red wine. If she can do it and be happy, so can I.
They say a glass of red wine has as many calories as a doughnut.
You may wonder how I got to drink so much when I spend most evenings at home with a toddler and my love. Well, it was just a G&T here and a bit of beer there, but overall it was mindless drinking to relax me.
Fast forward 3 months and I am a full 5 kilos (or 11 pounds) lighter!
Truth is giving up about 90% of my alcohol is not much harder than saving 55% of my income, as I currently do. It requires a remarkably similar mindset. There are just 2 rules you need to follow:
Rule no. 1: find what makes the most difference to you
Our bodies are all different, and one diet will work better for some people than for others.
If you already don’t drink much, then cutting alcohol even more will not make the needle of your scale (of the holes in your belt) move by much.
Find a diet that appeals to you and your way of life, then give it a try. It doesn’t bring the results you hoped for? Then try another one, without beating yourself up.
Same with saving and investing: start with the big expenses and find ways to reduce them. Then take that money and invest it where you get high yields and low fees.
I have now reached the point where not drinking will not make me lose more weight, so I am looking to find the next way to slim down a bit more. The Game Changers has made me think a lot and I am currently shifting my diet toward a more plant-based one, which is in large part also what my brilliant friend has done.
Rule no. 2: do what doesn’t make you feel deprived
I grew up in Italy feasting on pasta, pizza, risotto and taralli. A few years ago I tried the carb-free diet – it was my worst diet mistake EVER. I felt the base of my yummy culinary life was gone without a good reason. I lasted three days (goodness was I grumpy!), then had a carb fest.
Because my brilliant friend, who is also from Italy, had given up on almost all alcohol and was living a pretty good life, I felt I could do the same.
My unconscious was in sync with my rational mind. And it worked.
I do not feel deprived.
And I certainly do not miss hangovers!
I have evening at home where my husband enjoys a beer or two and I don’t feel like I am missing out. When I go out, I drink, but a little less just because I get drunk quicker now…
I found the sweet spot where my could change my behaviour and have a positive effect on my body – and on my wallet too.
This rule also applies to saving and investing – don’t do things that make you feel deprived, or you’ll binge and not achieve your goal.
Find your own sweet spot in everything you do keeping in mind that it takes time, and that your sweet spot may change over time. And in the meantime…
Have fun!
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