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At 336 pounds all I ever thought about was my weight. Every day. All day. Without end.
My mind constantly raced with thoughts about how I wished I could lose the weight, or what life would be like in a “normal” sized body. I had tried and failed a thousand times, each failure a more painful punch in the gut. But deep down I just knew that when I finally dropped the weight, life would be better.
That’s what we do, right? We convince ourselves that everything that’s “wrong” with us, is because of our weight. Like if we were the right weight, all our problems would be gone. Some people do this with money. They think that if they just earn enough they’ll be happy. Others think if they could just live in the perfect state, they’d finally be happy.
But in reality, losing the weight will not make your problems go away.
(yep, that’s me!)
But once I lose the weight, I can stop thinking about it…
Except, no.
I always assumed that once I got to “x” weight, I could forget all about the fact that I had been obese most of my life.
I thought I could finally stop thinking about what to eat all the time, or exercising.
Once I was finally done, I could turn my back on my 336-pound self and never, ever think about that awful part of my life again.
Then I got to a size that was comfortable to me. After losing nearly 160 pounds, my body decided it was done losing weight. Even if I tried my darnedest, I couldn’t seem to lose even one more pound. I tried being super diligent, never “cheating” or eating anything unhealthy, and guess what. I still didn’t lose any more weight. And if I did drop a pound or two, it would come right back the minute I ate something that didn’t agree with my healthy-eating lifestyle.
But because I’m stubborn and hard-headed, it took me a really long time to realize what I was doing. I was spending actual years trying to lose more weight, but in actuality I was simply maintaining. I finally looked back at the previous year, and the year before that, and the year before that. I realized that I had been just about the same size and weight (give or take about ten pounds because fluctuation is inevitable) for years now, even though I had been trying to lose weight.
Maintenance Mode
That’s when I realized how maintenance mode works. In order to maintain my weight, I was still going to have to think about the foods I ate, and how much I exercised.
This exactly how I learned that losing a ton of weight is not about getting “skinny” or crash dieting.
Whatever I did to lose the weight, I was going to have to keep doing in order to keep the weight off. Sure, there was a little more wiggle room for special treats and spurge meals. But the habits created to lose the weight would have to become an ongoing intentionality if I wanted to avoid ending up right where I started.
Lifestyle
This is why it is so very important to approach weight loss as a lifestyle change instead of jumping into a right program that will spiral you into a dieting cycle.
A lifestyle of unhealthy eating is what got you to the unhealthy destination at which you found yourself when you decided you needed to make a change. A healthy new lifestyle is what will get you to the place you find yourself when you wake up one morning and realize you did it. You lost the weight.
Trust me. I have tried alllllllllll the diets.
But at the end of the day it’s all about creating a lifestyle in which you make the right choices most of the time.
How To Approach Weight Loss As Lifestyle
You can start by refusing to go on another diet.
Instead, find a plan that supports a healthy, balanced lifestyle. One that doesn’t starve you. A plan that incorporates all the food groups, and even some unhealthy treats here or there.
Statistically speaking, the absolute most affective form of weight loss is that which is S-L-O-W. I know I know! We hate to hear that! But in actuality, weight lost rapidly will almost always return. Whereas, slow weight loss will help you to lose fat (as opposed to lean muscle which is lost when weight loss is rapid), and will help you to keep the weight off long-term.
I am so thankful that when I started losing weight, I did so by making small changes that led to huge results. Changes like eating grapes with my turkey sandwich, measuring the mayo, and creating a more healthy coffee option for my mornings. All these things that felt small at the time, were actually new habits that were forming without me even realizing it.
Nowadays I’m healthier than ever, and to be honest, I forget that my lifestyle is considered pretty dang healthy. Friends and family refer to me as a “healthy eater” and it almost always catches me off-guard.
Why?
Because the changes I made were small that I didn’t even realized I was making so many of them. Once I made them I forgot that I was even doing it differently. Once I started eating veggies with my meals, it became a habit and I literally forgot that I used to skip the veggies every time.
The Truth Of The Matter
When you start dropping the pounds, you’re going to feel better. It’s going to make you loosen your reins on the weight loss ride. If you’ve taken the time to make small changes that will last, you’ve set yourself up for success in the longterm, and you will have established habits that will be second nature to you.
So skip the weight loss rollercoaster, focus on making slow progress and healthy changes that make you feel better, and living a healthy life.
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