If you want to be entertained while learning tips on how to lose weight, I recommend you check out Nicole Collet’s YouTube channel. Her personality may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but her quirkiness certainly has me laughing, especially her video intros.
Her husband Kyle and she used to be both obese. They each both lost 130 pounds. I love the fact that they both went on this weight loss journey together and were successful. Their newfound hobbies are shopping at Walmart and going to the gym.
They don’t follow a plant-based diet, and they are not the healthiest eaters when it comes to the products they buy. However, there is still a lot we can learn from them that applies to anyone who is trying to lose weight. These are their 9 best tips to lose weight:
1. Switch to diet soda
A can of soda has about 140 calories, and it is full of sugar. Before her weight-loss journey began, Nicole was drinking 7 cans a day, equalling about 1000 calories, just in liquids!
I personally recommend drinking sparkling water instead. Sparkling water has 0-15 calories, and it is much healthier than diet soda because it doesn’t have all the artificial sweeteners
2. Drink more water
Nicole and her husband didn’t use to drink any water, only juice and soda. When you don’t drink water, your body will become dehydrated and won’t function properly.
Also, your brain will signal your body that you are hungry when you are really just dehydrated. Try drinking water before you eat any meal, you will eat less because you will feel full faster.
Nicole shares that she puts a bottle of water in the restroom at night, so that when she wakes up, the first thing she does after washing up is to drink the bottle of water.
I’ve started doing this too, the first thing I do when I go into the kitchen in the morning, before I eat or make coffee, is drink a glass of water.
Download this cheat sheet to learn the secrets to go from busy and out-of-shape to energetic and fit!
3. Start with the basics
Some of these include: drinking water, going for a walk, and eating in portions. Many people instead try to find out all about what the latest fancy diet is, when really they should be working on having the basics become a habit.
4. Eat smaller portions
Nicole and her husband didn’t want to give up eating all the food they love. They realized that to lose weight, they didn’t need to stop eating what they were already eating, they just needed to eat less of it.
Instead of eating the whole bag of chips, they only poured half the bag in a bowl, and when they finished the bowl, they were done eating chips. They did the same with ice cream, instead of eating out of the ice cream container and finishing it in one sitting, they scooped some in a bowl and only ate that. Instead of having 2 plates of food, they just had 1.
At this point in their weight loss journey, because it was still in the very early stages, they weren’t counting calories, they were just eating less.
5. Low-calorie food swaps
Nicole and her husband switched to the low-calorie or fat-free version of food products. They also started eating turkey bacon instead of regular bacon, and protein pancakes instead of regular pancakes to help keep them full and stay in a calorie deficit.
6. Stop skipping meals
When Nicole and her husband were overweight, they had the bad habit of skipping breakfast, and so later in the day, they would be so hungry that they would over-eat. Now, they eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 snacks.
This helps keep their metabolism going throughout the day, and stops them from eating mindlessly at night. They feel full and satisfied all day!
7. Meal Prep
Nicole and her husband keep their meals prepped in the fridge, especially to take to work. Other tips include: keep fruit cut-up in the fridge, and have protein bars in the car so that you aren’t tempted to stop to buy fast food.
8. Journal your food
Nicole and her husband wrote down everything they ate to keep them accountable. Including condiments, sweeteners, etc.
They recommend you do this for a year until you feel comfortable knowing how many calories there are in the food you are eating.
Nowadays, there are apps for that, I recommend myfitnesspal.com.
9. Walk
In the beginning, when Nicole and her husband were very heavy, they started out by walking for just 5 mins every day. Then they upped it to 1/2 hour, then an hour, and build up from there. Now they love going to the gym.
They recommended that you have your workout clothes ready and laid out because you are more likely to put them on this way.
Conclusion
Most of Nicole’s tips are the same I implemented in my life when I was trying to lose weight. So if you need to lose 130 pounds like Nicole, or 40 pounds like I did, I can vouch that these tips work.
Don’t overwhelm yourself, start with #1, then when you got that down move on to #2, and so on. Every small step you take will make a difference in the long run.
I love Nicole Collet’s enthusiasm and attitude towards life, which I have no doubt is what helped her in her weight loss journey. I hope that you are inspired by her and her husband so that you can start putting their tips into practice today!
Lily
Hi, I'm Lily! Like you, I have struggled with my weight. It was not an easy journey but I was able to lose 40 pounds and have kept it off for 14 years. My goal is to share with you all the research, tips, and tricks that I have learned over the years to help you lose weight also.Download this cheat sheet to learn the secrets to go from busy and out-of-shape to energetic and fit!