(according to the BMI calculators that I used)
Despite being on this sub for a couple of years, this is my first post.
I've been overweight most of my life, since I hit puberty. I distinctly remember in swimming class (grade 6), one of the boys remarking that I was fat. Aside from him, I don't think that anyone else outwardly said what they thought. I always disliked my body. Every summer I wanted to "reinvent" myself by showing up the first day in September at a healthy weight. Physical Education class was dreadful. Most (not all) were more fit than me, and frankly, I wasn't interested in a lot of the activities. For the most part, I was a loner, who didn't have much interest in socializing or school due to unaddressed mental health issues.
At age 17, I moved out of my parents' home. I simultaneously had my first bout of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dropped quite a bit of weight. I did not choose to lose this weight. It was not healthy.
I slowly put on more pounds, until the breakdown of my marriage (age 20-24) and subsequent divorce. Even my then-husband, in the midst of dealing with the separation and divorce, remarked that I looked thin, concerned. Again, this was not a healthy weight loss.
Shortly thereafter, I met my now-partner. It's true what they say about getting comfortable in a relationship and the weight creeping up. It's true for both of us. I was perpetually on the cusp of "plus-size" and it bothered me. At several points, I said to myself "I'm not happy" and tried to lose some weight/be more active. All of these attempts failed/fizzled within a couple of weeks. Until now!
I started at 168lbs on Nov 11/2020, and am now at ~153lbs (as of Jan 10/2021).
How I did it/observations:
Bear in mind that these points have helped *me*, but may not be a fit for everyone.
I don't count calories.
I had tried this previously, numerous times. Because I tend to have an obsessive personality, I decided to ditch counting this time around. I instead do my best to have more reasonable portions and less junk food. Your stomach will shrink over time, so will naturally feel full after less food.
We stopped snacking after dinner.
Drink water, or chew on gum instead. I'm going to eat in the morning. Feeling hungry for a few hours won't kill me.
We stopped drinking every night.
This isn't entirely related to weight loss but coincidentally happened at about the same time. At the start of the pandemic, we started drinking almost every night. My partner is an infectious disease doc and the pandemic has been incredibly stressful. It got to the point that I started to question whether or not we were dependant on it. Liquid calories add up. We now only drink on special occasions (NYE, Valentine's Day, etc.)
I didn't weigh myself every day.
My partner does a weigh-in every Sunday morning, I do mine 1-2 times per week. Again, I have an obsessive personality, so I don't have a set schedule. We do, however, weight ourselves at the same time of day (morning). The scale is in our second bathroom so that I'm not always checking.
Make fitness a part of life, not a chore.
Whether it's doing yard work, walking/cycling to appointments/errands instead of driving, or just going for a leisurely walk or bike ride, fitness doesn't have to be boring. My partner is into more "traditional" ways of working out, like weights. Just like in school, I hate working out like that! A few days ago I bought Ring Fit Adventure (r/ringfitadventure) for the Nintendo Switch, and am loving it so far, as I can go at my own pace and not exercise in front of others. Do what you have to do to make being active fun!
Use a habit tracker.
Whether it's not snacking at night, drinking enough water, or being active, it's a good way to keep yourself accountable. I use "Habit".
It isn't easy at first.
Throughout my life, I developed bad habits. Habits are hard to break/make (in comes the habit tracker). The first few weeks are HARD. You will feel like giving up. You will feel like a failure when you eat an entire bag of Swedish Berries.
...but tomorrow is another day. It takes a lot of self-love and discipline to learn from our mistakes and actively better ourselves. It's worth it. You're worth it.
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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/3p732mr
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