Weight loss made me realize that it wasn't the exterior results that I was most proud of, but rather my determination to stick through it

SW: 170, CW 145, GW, 115

Let me preface this by saying that I know my weight loss accomplishments pale in comparison to some of the other ones on this thread. I've seen some drastic and amazing changes on here, and want to congratulate those who have accomplished that. This is a post more so focused on the mental, NSVs that I've developed, most importantly, the mental changes.

Never in my life had I actually stuck through to losing weight before. I would stay at it for like a week, and then relapse into my old habits. I would never exercise unless I had to, and would lead a mostly sedentary lifestyle. When I graduated college and came back home, I realized I had gained almost 20 pounds during quarantine. I store my weight fairly evenly, so I hadn't noticed much of an aesthetic change, but seeing the number on the scale was quite shocking. I have a major issue staying consistent in my goals (god bless my ADHD for that), so I thought it would be impossible for me to stick through long term weight loss.

College had been a trying time for me, so I decided to turn a new leaf and start my journey of reinventing myself with weight loss. I starting with developing a healthier relationship with food, where I wouldn't use food as a coping mechanism for my anxiety and depression. I started using food scales to measure my portions and decided to eliminate purchasing any snacks. Along with better eating habits, I starting working out, alternating between small HIIT workouts (20-30 minutes of those Chloe Ting workouts) and 10,000 step walks, combined with an inclined hike (started off at 8 miles and worked my way up to 12 miles, burning 1500-3000 calories depending on the length of the hike) every Saturday.

And then my college friends visited.

It sounds so stupid looking back, but I was scared.

I was scared because I knew they didn't need to lose weight and I would be taking them to fancy restaurants and bars because I live in a big city. I couldn't force them to follow my diet plan and I didn't want to take away from their enjoyment. I had lost some weight at this point, and I knew this week would be the most challenging because we would be going to places that had delicious meals with more calories than my daily caloric intake. This would be the ultimate test of my determination.

And I stuck through it. I managed to adhere to the healthiest options on the menu and save most of my food consumption until I got home without getting tempted by the amazing food my friends were eating. I managed to squeeze in small workouts while my friends were sleeping. I stuck through my routine to the best of my abilities, even though I had no option but to go slightly over my allotted caloric intake for the week.

I didn't see any physical results after that week, but I was proud of myself for sticking to my goals.

I know my weight loss goals are very small compared to the other ones on this sub. But I have learned so much through this process about being disciplined and sticking through. I have learned that it's okay to not be on your A game all the time. Now, the physical results seem inconsequential to the healthier mindset I've developed, and that's something that will stick with me forever.

(I have also learned that I might just have a death wish to go on 12 mile hikes in the heat, but that's a different story)

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