Hey r/loseit!
Tl;dr at the bottom. Wall of text incoming.
Two years ago today I made the decision to change my life forever—to get healthy, to lose weight, and to conquer my year. 2016 was a year lived entirely lived for someone who wasn’t me. My best friend lost her entire immediate family in a really horrible way, and I ended up living my whole life for her—spending all of my free time (and a lot of time that was supposed to be for other things) with her and for her. I didn’t take care of my body or my spirit that whole year. So when the year anniversary of her family’s death came up, I decided that I needed to live that year—2017—for me. I decided I was going to lose weight, graduate from college early, and apply (and get in to) graduate school. And I did! That first year, I lost about 50 pounds, and the year following, I lost about 40 more. I started at about 264lbs (though my highest was in the 280s), and today, I float around in the 170s. You can see some progress pictures of me here. I am 5’10 for reference.
I thought that I needed to lose more weight the last couple of weeks. I’m on the edge between overweight and a “healthy” BMI, and I thought maybe I should get down to about 150lbs to be safe. But then, my girlfriend picked out a dress for me last night at a thrift store that was just GORGEOUS. And it was… get this… a size 6! I began at a size 18 on a good day, 20-22 on a normal day. The fact that I fit into a single digit dress, and a size 6 at that, is absolutely CRAZY to me. And it fits absolutely perfectly!
So I’ve decided, today, on my 2 year health-aversary, to begin transitioning to maintenance. I’d like to stay in the 170s or high 160s (once I get to about 182 I start feeling bloaty and uncomfortable, but I’m completely comfortable in the 10 pound range of the 170s) and I believe that this weight is not only maintainable, but healthy for me and my large/tall frame. I know it’s at the high end of my healthy weight range, but I believe that if I get any smaller, I will be both too small for my height and unable to maintain my weight. So here we go… maintenance time!
How did I get from there to here? Read on!
For the first 2 months of losing weight, I didn’t track a single calorie. All I did was write down everything I ate. When I look back on this journal I CRINGE! I was eating horribly! However, I lost a little bit of weight at this time. I thought it was important to learn how to be aware of what I was eating before I learned how many calories it was. This turned out to be a great decision for me, as I have had issues with secret eating and binge eating. Once I became self-aware of my food, switching to tracking calories as well wasn’t so bad. I would highly recommend this method if you have issues with binge eating and secret eating.
I didn’t put exercise as a primary point in my weight loss. As I’ve lost more weight, I have started to exercise more, but this is because I want to have good cardiovascular health and be generally fit, not because I wanted to lose more weight. I lost slowly, at around .8lbs a week over two years. I eat exactly what I want, just in smaller quantities. I have discovered what foods make me feel bad and what foods make me feel good, and I choose them (or don’t choose them) accordingly.
To the resolutioners and new members of r/loseit, here is my advice. Do not go on a diet you cannot keep up for the rest of your life. Eat foods you want, drink drinks you want, exercise in a sustainable way for you. If you don’t, you will fall off the wagon, hard. And you may fall off the wagon a few times, and that’s okay! What matters is getting back on the wagon again.
Best of luck, losers! Go greet the day!
Tl;dr: after a year of neglecting myself, I decided to lose weight and complete several educational goals (graduate early, get in to grad school—did both!). Ended up losing around 100-110 pounds from my highest, about 90-100 from my start weight, depending on the day, in two years. Went from a size 20-22 to a size 6-8, as of yesterday. Took tracking slowly by starting without tracking calories, didn’t make exercise a fixture point in the process until recently, eventually moved to tracking calories and losing weight slowly. Ate what I wanted in smaller calories, made a lifestyle change instead of a drastic, unsustainable change. Decided today, on my 2 year anniversary of health, to begin maintaining.
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