"You are already at your optimal weight range. Losing weight would add no benefit to your health"

I can't believe that I did it. I can't. I've dreamt of writing this post, I've dreamt of what I would say and how happy I would be. It's the first time since I was 19 that I'm not obese or overweight.

The reason why I am writing this, is first and foremost to congratulate myself. I haven't fully grasped this yet, but I am very proud of myself, not just for the weight loss. Most importantly, because I managed to break this overly restricting/bingeing patter that has been haunting me since I was 16.

The second reason why I am writing this is to tell you that, if I can do it, you can definitely do it too. I am addicted to food, emotionally attached to it, have had bingeing episodes since I was a little kid, battled with depression, but I did it.

The reason why this time was successful is that I did it out of a place of love and not hate for myself. So, I took my time and didn't rush things, which is definitely something I would recommend. I also just let go of the all of nothing mentality, and of my ridiculous standards of beauty. I didn't care to be perfectly proportioned, toned and super fit. I just wanted not to be fat.

Reading the post here can help. Reading the sidebar can be very important for people like me, who didn't know even the basics about nutrition. Also, taking it slow, having some maintenance periods, taking progress pictures, holding yourself accountable, but most importantly, figuring out what works for YOU is important.

For those of you wondering what I did, I just did the laziest CICO there is:

I never went to the gym (although I started walking 20 minutes to work instead of driving).

I didn't eliminate diet soda from my diet (I still drink them about twice a week) and I don't drink more water.

I didn't cut out sugar or alcohol and I don't eat less processed foods

I don't really count my macros (even though I sometimes try to go for the protein option when available) and I don't do intermittent fasting

I do have a goal of roughly 1,300- 1,500 calories each day, but never log the food on MFP, it just doesn't work for me. So I just calculate them in my head and combining that with paying attention to my cravings and hunger, I can decide what and how much I eat. Sometimes my estimations are a bit inaccurate so that makes my progress stall for a bit, but that's okay, that's not a race, but a lifelong journey.

Cheers!

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