After years of being morbidly obese, I am finally at a normal BMI. I have no one to say this to, but this is a HUGE accomplishment for me—I never thought I would be here.
Approximately 4 years ago I started my weight loss journey at 222lbs at 5’4. I felt terrible. I was so overwhelmed with my weight that I went to a fitness resort (think Biggest Loser style ranch) to kick things off.
My journey was not linear. After I left the resort, the lowest I got was about 155lbs (honestly I lost only maybe 10lbs immediately after leaving), and then I gained back to 200lbs slowly over 3 years. The weight gain started maybe two months after I left the resort.
Today, roughly 7 months after I restarted my journey at 200lbs, I am 142 lbs. I think the “all or nothing mentality of the resort wasn’t maintainable. I needed to start and make changes that actually worked in my life as I live it. What has worked for me is not counting calories (it feels too restrictive and life limiting for me), but smaller and reasonable portions (although I sometimes do look up calories so I have a ballpark idea of what I am consuming (but that is rare)) and generally eating quite healthily. If you added my calories daily, I think they would generally be between 1100 - 1400 calories.
I also now do not eat desserts or “dessert-like” breakfast items or any item with artificial sweeteners. I do not drink any soda (including diet soda), but do drink sparkling water. My biggest food problem has always been sugar (once I start eating it, things snowball and I cannot control my cravings), so the dessert-free lifestyle has made a huge impact for me. I do eat fruits a handful of times a week, as well as non-sweetened nut butters. If I am craving chocolate, I may mix some unsweetened coco powder in with the cream I put in my coffee. I try to eat whole grains, vegetables, and lean proteins.
Things that others would see as frivolous that I never cut were cream in my morning coffee. For me, that is worth the splurge daily. This is the one thing that need to feel normal, so I am going to keep-on with this going forward. I also eat sushi once a week, but consume way less than I would have previously (a roll or roll and a half). I usually have salad and lower calorie soup for dinner when I have eaten sushi for lunch.
Anyway, I am celebrating one milestone today and want people to know it IS possible to do in your every-day life. I never thought I could lose weight by myself in my normal life. But I can. You can. Small sustainable changes have made all the difference for me, as has working diligently on portion control. I still eat chips, fries, etc. very occasionally. If I am at a social gathering I will have a drink. I can still live, and even lose weight, in a world where I don’t count calories.
I still have 32 pounds I am trying to lose for this leg of my journey. It may be that my body settles at a higher number and I just work on some body recomp. But I feel really pleased with where I am currently and pleased that I made it this far.
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