Brief Summary
Raquel shares five realistic habits that helped her lose over 100 pounds and maintain her weight loss. These habits include removing trigger foods from the house, eliminating calorie-containing beverages, establishing a go-to "safety net" meal, incorporating fasting (such as intermittent fasting or one meal a day), and preparing healthier versions of cheat meals at home. She emphasises the importance of creating sustainable habits over following restrictive plans and encourages viewers to adopt these strategies for long-term success.
- Remove trigger foods from your environment to avoid constant temptation.
- Eliminate calorie-containing beverages such as soda and juice.
- Establish a go-to "safety net" meal for stressful times.
- Incorporate fasting into your routine.
- Prepare healthier versions of cheat meals at home.
Introduction
Raquel welcomes viewers to her channel, where she shares realistic weight loss advice. She contrasts her approach with common, often ineffective tips like simply drinking lemon water. She introduces the topic of the video, which is five realistic habits that helped her lose over 100 pounds, emphasising that these are practices she continues to live by.
Remove Trigger Foods
Raquel stresses the importance of removing trigger foods from your environment, particularly your kitchen. She describes trigger foods as those tempting items that can easily derail your weight loss efforts, such as cookies, snacks, and cereals. Raquel shares that her house is known for not having readily available snacks or junk food, only meal prep items. She argues that your environment should align with your goals, and keeping trigger foods around makes it harder to resist temptation. It's about setting yourself up for success and peace of mind, rather than relying solely on willpower.
Stop Drinking Calories
Raquel explains that eliminating calorie-containing beverages was a crucial step in her weight loss journey. Inspired by a co-worker's advice, she cut out soda, juice, milk, and sugary coffee additives. This simple change led to a 15-pound weight loss in one month without any other dietary changes or exercise. She now sticks to water, black coffee, and tea without any sweeteners. Raquel advises against consuming any beverages with significant calories, including smoothies and large sugary drinks from fast-food restaurants.
Make One Meal Your Go-To Safety Net
Raquel introduces the concept of a "safety net meal," which is a go-to option for times when you're stressed, short on time, or haven't planned properly. This meal should be satisfying, filling, and not detrimental to your weight loss goals. Her safety net meal used to be turkey sausage stir-fry due to its ease and low cost. Now, she often opts for peppers and cucumbers, inspired by the Haley Gama diet. The key is to have a readily available, enjoyable option that prevents you from falling off track during challenging times.
No-Brainer Fasting
Raquel advocates for incorporating fasting into your routine, highlighting its numerous benefits such as mental clarity, weight loss, and craving control. She shares her experiences with various fasting methods, including intermittent fasting and one meal a day (OMAD), which she particularly loves. Drawing from her upbringing with a pastor father and a mother who practiced OMAD in the 70s, Raquel emphasises that fasting doesn't mean starving yourself but rather giving your body a break to process food and burn calories efficiently. She suggests starting with easier methods like cutting off eating after a certain time in the evening and gradually progressing to more extended fasts if desired.
Make Your Cheat Meals at Home
Raquel advises creating healthier versions of your favourite "cheat meals" at home instead of indulging in fast food. By making these meals yourself, you have control over the ingredients, portion sizes, and overall nutritional content. For example, she makes cauliflower crust pizza instead of ordering from Pizza Hut or Domino's. She also suggests using keto wraps for tacos, making sweet potato fries, or choosing healthier pasta alternatives. This approach allows you to satisfy cravings without derailing your progress and saves the more indulgent cheats for social occasions.
Conclusion
Raquel concludes by encouraging viewers to adopt these habits gradually, starting with one and building from there. She stresses that you don't need a perfect plan, just sustainable habits that will lead to long-term success. She offers her support and reminds viewers that weight loss is possible, urging them to focus on changing their lifestyle for the better. She recommends that viewers start by eliminating calorie-containing beverages or removing trigger foods from their environment.
