I have tried to loose weight for the last 20 years of my life, I have tried every single possible “in fashion diet”, low carbs, high protein, only vegetarian, reduce sugar and salt, drink a lot of water, go on fruit and veggie for a week, you name it and maybe you have already guessed the answer, I have failed all my trials, and actually, when finishing a diet, I would get all my weight back plus more. I have read a lot of books about dieting, recommended food and “not” recommend food …… nothing worked. About 3 years ago, I was in London for a corporate training and a colleague of my said ” do you remember Simon , the trainer that we had last year, we have him this year , but he weights 18 kilos less..” how did he achieve that great result? …what did he do?

The minute I met Simon, I went talking to him, congratulating him about his new look and asking very bluntly what was the magic recipe and he said it was technology!!!!! What technology!!! I was expecting to hear, new diet, new pill, new gym …….but not technology, that was news to my ears. He mentioned a couple of apps that were doing calories counting and tracking with a big community and contributors that would help you by sharing their successes or failure and how they had overcome them. I found myself thrown in a complete different world that was not about reading a simple diet instruction , what to eat or not to eat, I was actually told I could eat what I wanted, as long as I would stay in my calories count!!! WOW. I found a new world for dieting, which was not a recipe set by a dietician , but it was me deciding what to eat …… within a target!

I am definitely an individual that is driven by targets and performance and the idea that I had a calorie target that I needed to achieve on a daily base was a huge help !!! to my success, Yes I define it success, because I managed to loose almost 18 kilos and not get them back after a 3 years journey and the reason being was because I was in charge of my diet , not my dietician,  and thanks to the app I was in control of my action and I was the only person accountable for my success or my failure!!!! I lost 18 kilos, meal after meal, recipe after recipe.

Thanks to the App I have learned more about food, soft drinks, alcohol and much more….. I have learned many new recipes which are very enjoyable and incredibly good and tasty food choices and by good food I mean good for my health…… I enjoy cooking and finally I have managed to add so many new light calories recipes for my family and friends. 

Yes, I have managed to keep the lost kilos off my body thanks to a change of eating lifestyle. I eat what I trust is good for me, not what makes my relatives happy on a Sunday lunch or what high street cafeteria and restaurant want to sell to me. I am now aware of what I eat and how many calories the food I am eating contains, for me it has been a math exercise, how many calories do I eat versus how many calories I consume and from there it has become a lifestyle change. I like the new me, not just how I look but also as an individual that is more aware of the food I feed my body with.  What has started as a simple math exercise, calories counting, now I also consider the vitamins intake, how much potassium , ecc.ecc.  Also,  I started to look at the colores of the food that I put on my plate, bright colors add happiness to my plate or seasonal products have a stronger and healthier taste… lots to add …lots to learn.

I have also started to exercise more, even in this space the App has helped in understanding how many calories  you loose if you exercise , which gym or running or bikram yoga activity you should be doing and how many calories you burn.  I have tracked many of my activities which also means, calories in and calories out……. the App was always there to keep my focus going, to keep an eye on my performance to keep me in track on achieving my targets… To loose weight WITHOUT gaining it back. 

Still today, after 3 years, I fill in the App with my daily consumed calories, my App is always with me on my mobile, never lets me down, takes all my guilty feeling  away and if today needs to be the Pizza day or the cheese day or the junk food day, let it be ….enjoy it for the day but I do it with a conscience that tomorrow is back into my well being first and food after…..with a target always to achieve. The Apps and targets can also play a role if an opposite situation is needed, there are a lot of us that need to gain weight, so set your higher target and go for it, gain your weight if that is your target….. your ambition will be supported by technology and your will.

I love my App….and I am very grateful to whom ever has invented it , by the way ,most of them are FREE, no costs, just you, technology and your targets.

Enjoy your new YOU, breath in …breath out !

Author(s)

  • Denise D' Elia

    Every day is a new opportunity

    I am a woman in technology, a company director, a mentor for woman and tech start ups .It has always been my ambition to be successful in my private life and my business life and this is my daily challenge. I am on the on going quest for success in what ever I do, being a mentor, a chair for a charity, telco transformational consultant, a ThriveGlobal contributor or a Bikram Yoga fan.