Bits And Pieces Of My Weight Loss Story

When I was tipping the scales at 336 pounds, losing a ton of weight felt very overwhelming.

I couldn’t imagine the work and diligence it would take to lose all those pounds. It wasn’t like I didn’t want it badly enough, I just felt like I didn’t have what it would take to lose the pounds. I had tried and failed a thousand times and I simply didn’t know how to stay diligent enough to truly find lasting change.

One night I reached a breaking point. Rock bottom, really. I don’t know what happened, but it was like the weight of the world was resting on my shoulders and I couldn’t handle the burden of being 336 pounds any longer.

I wanted to lose the weight, but I didn’t know how to do it in a way that I would actually find success. Back then my perspective on losing weight was giving up all the yummy and unhealthy foods for the rest of my life, starving myself, and eating lots of vegetable soup and Granny Smith apples.

But as I felt my way through the weight loss journey, I learned that weight loss doesn’t have include drastic changes all at once.

Lately I’ve been pondering the seemingly monumental task of losing 160 pounds. I’ve been considering what main things helped me to do such a thing. Today I’m sharing five main things that helped me lose a massive amount of weight.

1. Mentality

You’ll never find true change in your health if you do not simultaneously change the way you think. The absolute first thought that provoked me to start my journey was, “I just can’t do this anymore”.

I couldn’t handle feeling that awful, not for one more day.

I was at such a low point at that time, that I felt an overwhelming desperation to make changes. I wasn’t motivated by “getting skinny” or “looking amazing” or anything like that. I was absolutely miserable inside and out, and I couldn’t handle living that way every day for the rest of my life.

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Slowly I began to get real with myself. I realized that I could keep filling my body with horrible foods that were keeping me miserable if I waned to. No one could stop me. But if I was going to do that, than I was choosing to stay in the same predicament I was in. I didn’t always want to eat the healthier option, but I did want to stop feeling miserable. So I learned to start choosing feeling better, over temporary gratification, and working in the “food splurges” only now and then.

Over time I learned to see food as fuel, and exercise as simply moving my body more. I learned that slow progress is better than no progress. And I learned that fueling my body with the right foods actually made me feel a whole lot better.

2. Balance

Growing up, my mom always struggled with her weight. Like really struggled. And her idea of making changes were always drastic. No more sugar, or no more bread, or no more macaroni and cheese.

The problem with these drastic measures is that they typically do not last forever. In fact they often lead to a dieting cycle rather than a lifestyle change.

Think about it. You tell yourself you’re swearing off sugar. You make it through a week and start feeling great. But then you “mess up” and enjoy a piece of chocolate cake at a family gathering. Immediately afterwards you feel not only the physical affects that sugar has on your body, but also the guilt of not keeping the promise you made to yourself. The guilt takes over, you tell yourself you don’t have what it takes, and you revert right back to your old habits.

Even when I was early in my weight loss journey I learned to eat the yummy food sometimes. Intentionally. I would eat one unhealthy meal on Sundays, and stick to my plan the rest of the time. Notice, I didn’t indulge in one unhealthy weekend. Just a meal.

When you’re in turbo-weight-loss-mode, diligence is key. You’ve got to be intentional or you won’t make progress. But giving yourself planned freedom to indulge a bit will help you to embrace these new changes as a lifestyle (that you don’t hate), which is definitely the goal.

Whether it’s eating at your favorite restaurant, or meal planning, take a balanced approach so you don’t overwhelm your willpower!

3. Small Changes

When we see a before/after snapshot like I posted above, it’s tempting to want to dive full-force into our own weight loss journey. We can trick ourselves into thinking that if we make drastic changes then we’ll see drastic results very quickly. We think if we’re just diligent enough for a short amount of time, we’ll lose the weight faster and then we can loosen the reins. Right?

Wrong.

Maybe if you’re already at your goal weight and you overindulged over the weekend and you need to drop 3 pounds of water weight, you can be diligent and make that happen. But if you’re needing to lose a large amount of weight, the most affective way to do that is S-L-O-W-L-Y.

I know! We hate that word! We want it now!

But statistically speaking, slower weight loss leads to lasting results. And I can tell you first-hand that that is true. Focusing on small changes that seem almost pointless, actually end up turning into awesome results.

Don’t swear off bread, for example. Instead have a turkey sandwich for lunch, but use a little less mayonnaise, and have a side of grapes rather than chips. Don’t swear off coffee, learn to make it healthy and delicious. Don’t tell yourself you can’t have french fries. Grab a bag of fries to take home and bake instead. Don’t give up sugar completely. Remain diligent the rest of the week and work-in your favorite sweet treat on Sunday evening.

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All of these “little” changes truly add up. I can tell you! I lost 160 pounds this way! 😉

4. Food Tracking

I was always terrified to start tracking my food because I was afraid of what I’d learn about myself. But what I learned instead was how to make food work for me, rather than how to let it take over my life.

When I started tracking my food, I found that I could still enjoy the foods I loved, but in portion sizes that were easier for my body to digest. This helped especially during the times I just didn’t have time to figure out what to eat.

I’d enjoy that enormous glob of mashed potatoes and then track it afterwards to find that it was literally hundreds of calories. Instead of giving it up completely though, I measured. And at 1/2 cup instead. I still got to enjoy the comforting goodness of this decadent side, but I wasn’t overtaken by a food coma afterwards. Instead of eating an entire watermelon, I stuck to 2 cups of watermelon instead. This left me refreshed, but not stuffed with more sugary carbohydrates than my body actually needs.

At first it seemed daunting but before long I was doing this without even thinking about it. I was recalling how many calories were in the foods I ate on a regular basis, and making better choices more easily.

I recommend starting with the free MyFitnessPal app on your phone. You enter some simple information about yourself and it will help you determine the amount of calories that is right for you. You can also adjust the settings to your desired macros, and to how much weight you’re aiming to lose each week.

5. Movement

When I was 336 pounds, I could barely walk to the end of my street and back. It felt pointless. But eventually I put my sneakers on and just did it. I walked to the end of the street and back.

That was the starting point to what would become an incredible journey to becoming the most fit I’ve ever been in my life. It started with that one walk down the street, then it turned into walking longer distances, then jogging, then running up to 8 miles, then climbing hundreds of stairs, then doing super intense workouts at my gym 6 times a week. Now I’m in the best shape of my life, and I have actually found the kind of exercise that I absolutely love.

It all begins with learning to simply move your body more.

If you struggle with this, I have just the thing for you. I’ve put together this resource that will help you learn how to overcome the roadblocks that are keeping you from regularly incorporating exercise into your daily life.

It’s a five day challenge during which I’ll give you the tools to find the type of exercise you love, do what works for you, find the time, and lots more.

Those who take the challenge find that setting the simple 5-day goal shows them that it’s possible, and after that they realize they can do it again the next week, and then the next!  Just click HERE if you’d like to download it instantly from your inbox to your phone or device!

So there you have it! Don’t be overwhelmed by thinking you have a huge road ahead of you. Take a breath, slow it down a bit, and make small changes that will lead to a healthy lifestyle.