30 pounds weight lost in 18 weeks (easily): losing weight in my 40's wasn't hard but different - here's the photos too

I’m 46.

Over the last ten years, I’ve put on three stone - oh, hold on, I know lots of you guys don’t use stones! One stone = 14 pounds so that’s ... 42 pounds.

I was uncomfortable in my skin, my heaviest weight, struggling to breathe when I bent over to do my shoes up and just downright miserable.

I was also telling myself all these stories in my head ... that losing weight at my age would be hard if not impossible - that was the main one.

And yes, I’d put the weight on differently at this age - before it had gone on distributed evenly but now, now I had a hard and bloated belly.

Even when I tried to suck my tummy in I couldn’t and that made me feel horrible.

These photos don’t even show it properly - I was so ashamed of what I’d done to my body I didn’t dare take pictures until week 4 into my eating programme - and when I’d already lost 12 pounds.

I wish I had now!

And if you’re starting a diet - or want to join mine as I’m getting ready to share it - then I DO SO advise being braver than me and taking photos. You don’t have to share them publicly as I’m doing - but it’s so good and motivating to look back

Anyway, the weight being on my tummy was new - and not good. I was so bloated and upset - I finally faced up to my weight and decided to create my own diet.

I cook and host at my own monthly supperclub, The Tiniest Thai in London, and one of the things putting me off starting a ‘diet’ was that it would be bland and boring and not all the amazing flavours I love.

So I created my own.

The eating part is pretty simple - here’s the basics:

1. Eating Thai-style is naturally low in wheat - I eat hardly any wheat, choosing rice and rice noodles over bread and pasta.

Here’s a favourite noodle recipe with little Thai-inspired meatballs.

2. It’s also low in dairy - I cut out milk in my coffee and now have it black with one sugar, and when I fancy a yogurt I search out sheep’s ideally (but don’t get too hung up on a yogurt every now and then).

3. I really started watching my portion sizes! I was eating well, but just far too much.

4. Cutting down on carbs really helps me lose weight - I’m usually having carbs just once a day (normally for dinner when I’ll have rice or rice noodles).

5. I love fruit - but I’ve cut out bananas (too high in carbs) and going easy on apples (lots of fibre) and am choosing citrus or berries mainly instead.

6. This way of eating has so much flavour you feel fuller sooner! I LOVE hot and sour salads. This steak salad is good enough to cook for a dinner party and no-one would know it was your ‘diet food’.

OK and I KNOW this might sound a bit ‘woo woo’ but the biggest change for me (given I ate Thai pretty much before starting my diet - just way too much of it haha) has been my shift in mindset.

I decided to believe that I could create my diet, eat well and lose weight easily.

I track my weight daily and I write out affirmations about how easy I find it to lose weight and keep it off.

Basically I’m changing and replacing all those stories I was telling myself about how hard I’d find it to lose weight ‘at my age’ and that is having the biggest impact.

Would love to hear from you if you relate to any of this!

I’m getting my eating programme ready to share very soon so if you’re interested in hearing more when it launches, do sign up here.

I don’t remember ever being so excited as having lost this weight when I’d been so overwhelmed by it and I really want to share what’s worked for me!

xRachel

If you want to sign up for weekly foodie updates and to hear when the Tiniest Thai diet launches do so HERE.

(Would LOVE to see you and hear your weight loss goals and help you achieve them easily and fast).

And I also live stream daily from my FB page - and if you’d like that, then come and say hi HERE.

(It’s just me talking about food and diet and things I find inspiring for a minute or two in the morning).