I've lost 100 pounds! I've struggled, I've succeeded, I've gone up & down, but in the end, I've hit a major goal. I'VE LOST 100 POUNDS!! Due to overwhelming congrats, cheers, suppot & questions, I feel this is the best time to write my first blog. This is my weight loss journey & the discoveries I've made.
First, please understand this hasn't been easy or fast. I got on the scale in January of 2014 and it read 325lbs. UGH! How could I have let that happen? I've got 3 kiddos who need a healthy Mama able to play & keep up & provide a good role model. How was I going to be that when I was disgusted with myself & uncomfortable in my own skin? Time to take control & find the best version of me. I needed to find a way to focus on me & my needs while still being there for my family & not changing things too drastically for them.
My motivation has always been my kids, but I needed to do this for me too. I sat down and tried to figure out what would get me going and came up with an easy plan. A prize. And not just any prize, but something amazing & awesome. I needed to lose 170lbs to get to a healthy weight so a worthy prize equaled only one thing to me. My dream vacation. My husband was very supportive, and agreed quickly, so the goal was set & the prize determined. Lose 100 pounds by the time we need to buy the tickets & I would get 2 weeks to visit Macchu Picchu & the Galapagos Islands! Now it's time to get to work. I set some smaller goals to make it not so overwhelming. First up, 25lbs. I got a dinner out & anything on the menu, including dessert. Second, 50lbs. I got some new clothes for that goal. This was very important for keeping me going. Set little goals along the way with smaller prizes & it makes it more fun & you will be more likely to stick with it! It worked for me!
A lot of trial & error ensued. I don't believe in diets. I've tried them. They never last & I always put the weight back on, with interest, when you drop them. For this amount of weight loss, it needed to be a lifestyle change. I spent several months trying to figure out how much activity I could add to my day, what calorie intake was right for me, testing & experimenting with recipes, workouts & routines. Even now, I'm still making changes & trying to figure it all out. What I have learned is that it's all about common sense & willpower. Make HEALTHY choices. Don't diet, but be aware of what & how much you are consuming. Research how much exercise it takes to counter that donut or bowl of ice cream. Once these things become an automatic consideration, you will find yourself making better overall choices.
You do NOT need to starve yourself & low calorie does NOT need to be tasteless. I have no clue why people who create healthy recipes are afraid of taste, but there are some seriously bland dishes out there. Use spices!!! The are calorie free & make those low calorie meals absolutly delicious! Figure out a flavor profile you love & keep those spices on hand. Make the low carb meal. Make the zucchini noodle dishes. Make the egg white omelet... ADD SPICES!!!
Exercise is a touchy subject. I'm lucky in that I am a stay at home mom & am able to move all day long, unlike people with a desk job. My changes aren't possible for everyone, so finding ways to change your activity could be a challenge. I was a complete lump when I started. I would sit & cuddle my kids in front of the tv & tell myself it was quality time. It isn't. I started having no TV days & we would go to a park or run around the yard. They see me always moving now. I try to do some form of cardio after every meal. I take the kids for a morning walk, I use my eliptical or stationary bike in the afternoon while the kids nap & I do something in the evening which can change up every night. I started walking everywhere I could. Plop the kids in the stoller & walk to the library, the farmer's market, the park. Now that it's winter, we have dance parties every morning, play dinosaur & monster chase & rarely sit still. I park in the back of the lot & race my son to the store, I take the longest routes to my destination, & I don't make excuses or put things off until later. I got a Fitbit & discovered that my baseline steps was only between 3000-5000 steps a day. That is actually very low. Now I've made my personal daily goal 18000 steps. I bust it up into smaller goals during the day to make it easier. 6K by lunch time, 12K by dinner time & 18K before bed. These are lifestyle changes that not everyone can make, but it should give you ideas on some little things to increase your daily activity.
Now I am on to the next phase of my weight loss journey. For the first time in my adult life, I want to be at a healthy weight. You can look this up on-line on lots of websites if you are unsure of what your weight range should be. My final goal is 155lbs, so I have 70 more pounds to go. I'm not discouraged or overwhelmed. It will take some more time, some more discovery, & a lot more hard work, but I WILL get there. My first little goal will be to get under 200 by summer. I'll be buying a new swimsuit for that one & won't be shopping in the plus sizes!
Good luck to all of you on your weightloss journies. I hope reading this gives you some inspiration & a helpful idea or two. Thank you DietBet for giving me a community to share & learn & shrink with. We can do this.