before and after pictures
(Not the best comparisons but it's what I've got. I can really see a difference in nude pictures of myself but I'm not comfortable sharing those.)
Anyways yall, I'm feeling very happy with myself right now! I still have a ways to go but I feel like I can do it.
To give some back story I had something really horrible happen to me in 2015 that really impacted my mental health. Through stress, coping via food, and living a sedentary, depressed lifestyle I went from around 180 lbs to around 345 lb in about 4 years. I ended up with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. My dad's side of my family is prone to heart disease and heart attacks, so this is not a good position to be in.
From about September 2015 to August 2019 I was continually gaining weight. I finally decided I was ready to get my health back. The majority of my changes and weight loss have happened in the last month, but I did lose a little bit of weight beforehand.
May be important to note, I've been on hrt for the past 2.5 years.
Anyways, here's what I changed:
1) Processed sugar
I used to eat A LOT of processed sugary sweets. Honeybuns were a favorite, and so was ice cream. I now occasionally treat myself to sweets, probably around once every two weeks, as opposed to every day.
2) Smaller portions, more meals, cooking for myself
I used to eat out a lot, especially fast food. Now, 90% of my meals are home cooked from simple ingredients. I usually do food prep or a few dishes on Sundays and eat off of whatever I've maid for the next week.
I used to eat until I couldn't fit anymore without feeling like I was going to vomit. I now eat until I feel like I've had just enough. I also replaced my pattern of 3 huge meals with around 4-5 smaller meals throughout the day.
Generally speaking I eat a larger breakfast high in protein (I'll get to that) shortly after I wake up (usually around 7 or 8 am), a light lunch around noon, a very light snack of fruit or something around 3-4 pm, dinner around 7 or 8 pm, and, if I'm up late, another meal around 11 pm should I get hungry.
Making all these changes has caused my appetite to decrease a lot, which makes it easier to keep up the changes.
3) More protein, less fat, more vegetables
My old diet consisted of a lot of red meat, cheese, etc. I now get most of my protein from either legumes (mostly beans and lentils) or chicken. My fat intake is nearly nonexistent 😂. I also make sure I get a variety vegetables in my meals. I still eat carbs, but I've decreased the amount, and it's almost never bread, mostly parboiled rice or pasta.
4) Exercise
I just started exercising about a month ago. I don't do very intense exercise right now, but I usually walk 1-3 miles a day. It was hard at first but it gets easier every day that I do it. There's a gym in my apartment building so I'll start taking advantage of that soon.
5) Sleep apnea treatment
If you're familiar with sleep apnea you may know that if it goes untreated it can really mess up all aspects of your health, including your ability to lose weight. I started wearing my cpap every night. It definetly helps me to have energy during the day, which makes it easier to exercise and be activate.
Also for a misc thing, I used to smoke Marijuana every day. I barely smoke anymore. That has probably helped at least a little.
So that's what I've changed that helped me lose around 25 lb in a month. I've probably lost more by now as I last checked my weight around 2 weeks ago but I don't own a scale atm.
I'm definitely open to suggestions if you have any tips for me. Thanks for reading.
