From 336 to 186 - Things I Have Learned

8 years ago I was 23 years old and 336 pounds. I was on medication for hypothyroidism, diabetes, and PCOS. Eventually I had enough of being absolutely miserable and decided I had made up enough excuses and would finally make some life long changes. Through consistent work outs and healthy eating I was able to lose about 150 pounds. As of this morning I am at 186.4! You can see my before and after here.

In March I had an extended fleur-de-lis tummy tuck and a thigh lift to remove excess loose skin post weight loss. In 8 more weeks I am getting a breast reduction and lift, and also an arm lift. Let me know if you'd be interested in a post about the skin removal surgeries (cost, down time, scars, before and after, etc.)! I still want to lose about 30 more pounds and am working with a personal trainer currently to reach that goal (more on that below).

Here are some of the lessons I have picked up along the way:

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• There is no magical new/trendy fix all approach. Weight loss is boring and usually slow.
• Some people have to work harder than others because of varying factors (genetic predispositions, depression, etc.). The sooner you get over the fact that it might be harder for you than it is for others and decide that the extra work you need to put in is worth it the better off you will be.
• Choosing a diet or exercise routine that you cannot maintain long term will sabotage you. Maintaining weight loss will require life long attention as your body will make maintenance harder as you age. and your metabolism slows. Columbia University found that roughly 80% of people who lose more than 20 pounds are not able to maintain that loss for longer than a year because they did not lose the weight in a way they were able to maintain (crash dieting and daily 2+ hour workouts).
• It is absolutely normal to go through 'slow' phases where you don't lose at all and may gain some back. What's important is that you don't stay in that phase for too long and you get back on the track to progress.
• Sharing my goals with my spouse, family and friends was also critical to my success. I asked for their help. I asked that when we go to restaurants we go to places with healthy choices. I asked my spouse to not bring food into the house that would make things more challenging for me/us and to call me out when he see's me doing things that don't align with my goals.
• For my first 75 pounds all I did (in addition to healthy eating) was cardio and the fat came off crazy fast. The last 85 pounds I had to mix it up and add in plenty of weight training. As of today, I workout with a personal trainer for an hour 4 times a week and we work HARD. It's 80% weight lifting and 20% cardio. Additionally, I walk my dogs 3 miles every day. Even with all of this, it's still slow. 1 pound a week on average, but my measurements tell a different story! ::cheers to weight lifting::
• Meal planning was essential for me. For the past 8 years what I have eaten has 90% of the time been from the list below. This is just to give you a frame of reference of the type of balanced diet I did. Notice - I still had dairy, fruits, carbs, etc. I just limited how often and how much I ate them. I never remember feeling deprived with my food choices.
• If you struggle with eating too much here are some tips: write down everything you eat. It's easy to forget how much you have eaten throughout the day especially if you work from home and have constant access to food. Drink LOTS of water during meals. It will fill you up so you don't eat as much.
• Get in the habit of asking yourself, "am I actually hungry, or am I just bored/depressed/etc.?" "Does it make sense for me to be hungry right now based on the food I have already eaten today?"

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Breakfast Options

• 3 eggs scrambled with 1 pc Ezekiel toast + 2 cups of coffee with whole milk
• Ratio Keto Yogurt with Blueberries/Blackberries/Raspberries + 2 cups of coffee with whole milk
• Ezekiel toast with hummus and roasted tomatoes and/or bacon

Lunch Options

• Salad – Mixed Greens, cherry tomatoes, crispy jalapenos, grilled chicken and ranch or bleu cheese dressing + water
• Adult Lunchable – ¼ cup of cheese, 3 slices of sandwich meat, mustard, mayo, pickles and ½ cup of mixed nuts + water
• Large Premier Protein protein shake + water

Dinner Options

• Baked Salmon filet with Japanese sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts + water
• Grilled Flank Steak with asparagus and salad + water
• Fajita mix (ground turkey and mixed vegetables) – usually plain, but sometimes with low carb chips or a tortilla + water
• Air fried lemon pepper or buffalo chicken wings with celery, carrots and ranch + water

Snack Options

• Handful of mixed nuts
• 2 slices of cheese
• Pork rinds
• Veggies (Bell pepper, celery, or carrots)
• Cottage Cheese
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Apple

Nutrition Guidelines:

1. No heavy eating after 9pm
2. Limit alcohol to only weekends; and only seltzers or vodka + club soda with lime
3. Drink as much water as possible daily (avg. close to a gallon)
4. Limit beverages to just water, unsweetened or lightly sweetened coffee, and hot tea
5. No take-out or dine in food except for on date night or special occasion (weekends)
6. Limit weekend eating out to 2 occasions Friday-Sunday

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