So it's been a year since I've started eating better, exercising and taking better care of myself. My first goal was to lose 50 pounds, then to lose 75. I started on January 1, 2018, weighing in at 246 pounds and I'm ending the year down 81 pounds finishing up at 165. See progress pics from day 1 to today - https://imgur.com/a/pHvXn13. You can also see the various pics that I've posted throughout the year by browsing my profile.
By May, I had achieved my first goal and lost my first 50 pounds. It was such an incredible feeling knowing that the hard work and effort that I had been putting in was paying off. I kept at it and lost another 25 pounds, achieving my second weight loss goal of 75 pounds by the end of August. I continued putting in the work and kept losing until I lost a total of 87 pounds. My new goal was to lose 90 pounds so that when I reapply for life insurance, I would be in my BMI ratio for my height and it should hopefully get me a better rate. I haven't quite made it there yet.
Now that being said, the last 12 pounds took a long time to lose as I had gotten a bit complacent and didn't work as hard at it as I had in the past. I started thinking that I've put in the work all year, I can enjoy a little bit more treats here and there. Well that's a slippery slope that never leads to anything good. Well now Christmas season is here, with lots of food and lots of treats around and I got a little lax in my snacking and I've gained a few pounds back. Nothing crazy, I'm still finishing the year at 81 pounds lost.
So here's what I've learned -
- Support and encouragement always help, but don't rely on anyone you know to fully support you through your journey. The best way that I kept encouraged was to visit this sub and r/progresspics every day. I would look at pictures and read the stories and they would keep me inspired to keep going. These two subs are the reason that I started my weight loss journey in the first place. I could see that regular people just like me were getting results by putting in the work. I told myself if they can do it, so can I.
- Take pictures. Lots of pictures before and during the weight loss. I still look at myself in the mirror and go wow, there's still lots of belly there, but I tend to forget what I looked like last year. Going back to see the before and after differences can be quite motivational.
- I can eat whatever I want, pizza, nachos, bread, it doesn't matter, as long as I don't go overboard. There's no need for me to eat 4 or 5 slices of pizza when 1 or 2 will do. Portion control is the key.
- Exercising helps. I used to be the most lazy person I knew. I started going for walks, then I started bicycling, then jogging and now I regularly do 5K runs twice or more a week. I never would have thought of running 1K last year let alone 5. The key to this for me was to take it slow and not try too hard too quickly. I worked my way up from walking 1Km to 2, to 3, 4 then 5. Then I started walking some, then jogging some and walking some and jogging more until I worked my way up. I think that by setting achievable goals, you are more likely to try and work towards them rather than give up. The same went for bicycling. When I bought my first bike in the spring, I went for a little ride, total of 1K. I had to stop at the halfway point to catch my breath. I never would have thought that I'd be doing 40K rides by the end of the summer.
- The most important thing that I've learned is that my weight loss is totally up to me. I can't blame others or make any excuses such as my metabolism just isn't as good as that person's or whatever. I've proven to myself that I can get results if I put in the work. It's not always easy, but it's also not rocket science. Eat less, eat well and exercise more, the weight will go.
- CICO has been the best thing that I've ever learned. I use My Fitness Pay every day to log everything I eat. I can tell you everything that I've eaten in 2018. By logging my food every day, it helps to keep me accountable for what I'm eating.
- I step on the scale every morning. Sometimes I don't like the results, and other times I'm quite happy, but this is also a part of my routine that helps me stay on track. By starting my day on the scale, it helps to remind me that I don't want to go back to my old habits.
So it feels like I rambled on a lot, but it's been a big year for me. I could not have done it without the support and encouragement that I've found in the different Reddit communities. Again r/progresspics, r/loseit and r/c25K have helped me turn my life around.
I'd like to thank everyone who posts in these communities. You are the reason that I am where I am today and for that I'm very grateful. I know how lazy I was so when I say this I mean it - If I can do it, so can you.
Keep up all the good work folks and let's make 2019 another great year.
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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2LISWoX
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