I’m officially as of today down to 275 from 375! I (30F, 5’5”) haven’t been this light since middle school, so certainly my lowest adult weight ever.
I started this journey back in late February/early March. I had been to the doctor for a renewal on birth control and weighed in at 375. I had always teetered on 350, but this was a new high, fueled by living alone and eating enough fast food to feed a small family nightly. I would head to the convenience store in my pjs at night and grab their microwave burgers and candy bars. I was out of control.
I have my loving boyfriend to thank for getting me on the road. He got me started and taught me about CICO. The plan hit a snag at the end of March. I was 25 pounds down (that early weight fell off quick), but suffered multiple pulmonary emboli, which nearly killed me. I luckily got to the hospital in time, but I still fought for my life, hooked up to a ventilator. They say it was a combination of things that triggered it, birth control, lack of movement from being on lockdown, and of course my weight.
I got out of the hospital after 4 days, covered in bruises and weak, taking a high dose of blood thinners. I didn’t want to think about my weight loss journey for two months while I recovered, but I knew when I was up to it, I would hop back on the train. I finally did in the last week of May. I got back into counting my calories, started walking every day, and weighed myself for the first time since the hospital: 350. It was go time.
I started dropping weight at a good rate, eating 1500 calories a day and just walking at least a mile a day. Then I ramped it to two, then three. I hit a couple of plateaus, one around 320, another around 300, but just worked through. I cut to 1400cal a day, and bought an exercise bike off Amazon. The bike really changed things because it made exercise something convenient that I could do in front of the tv when it was 100+ degrees outside.
So now I’m 100 pounds down. My ultimate goal is 140.
So here is a breakdown of my experience so far:
-I can fit in chairs with arms! And booths (for the brief time indoor dining was open where I live).
-TMI, but wiping is about 10000 times easier. I remember I couldn’t reach without a wall to lean on, so I purposely wouldn’t use a toilet that didn’t have a wall to the left. That is now a horrible thing of the past.
-I can get my hand under my thigh and lift it up. Also I can grab my foot and do calf stretches. Something I could never ever do.
-Recovery gets better the more you exercise. The first two weeks with my bike were agony on my ass. The muscles hurt and ached, I couldn’t bike for more than 2 miles. Now I bike 5 miles every weekday morning, and an additional 10-12 two nights a week. I really enjoy it and plan to celebrate onederland with a brand new actual bike!
-My endurance almost feels supernatural. After living so long at a high weight, things like knocking all the cobwebs down outside the house, or tripping on a stair and being able to just get back up with no damage seems unreal. I take a long walk once a week with my sister and can go 6-8 miles in one night now.
-I have a hard time seeing the progress, but every one in a while I have a moment of clarity when catching a glance in a window reflection, or just focusing on a body part. My legs have slimmed down so much, the rolls on my back are disappearing, I have a neck and even, when I roll my shoulders, I can see collar bones!
-I’ve gone from a size 28 to a size 22 so far and had to start donating clothes because they would just look silly and baggy on me. I pick up replacements for cheap at the goodwill or discount rack at Target, since I know I won’t be in them for long.
-My chronic heartburn and other digestive problems are gone. I used to think I had IBS, turns out I was just living on garbage. My snoring has reduced significantly as well as feeling tired all the time. My skin looks better, and my periods are normal time and normal length again. My blood pressure is now in a normal range as of a couple weeks ago.
-I already have loose skin in my arms and upper thighs. I know I will need skin surgery to correct things. My boyfriend and I have started saving up. It’s a good problem to have because it means I’m making progress, but it’s kinda gross looking and is only gonna get weirder. I would much rather have it than be 375 again.
It’s been a wild journey so far. I would have never thought a year ago that I would be where i am now. I’ve never felt better. I started lurking this subreddit back in early summer and it’s been a great source of inspiration.
I’ll see you in the next 100!
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