How I lost 51 pounds

Left: Me 3 years ago, Right: Me today 

If you're an avid reader of my blog then you know that I've been trying to get this weight off my body since shortly after I had my daughter. If you're not an avid reader, then welcome to the dark side, I make good cookies but now they're usually low fat.

At my largest I weighed more than 223 pounds. I don't actually know how much more, because I never bothered to weigh myself when I got that big. The only weigh in I have to go by is the one that I had immediately after I had my daughter. Now some might not think that is that bad. But I'm only 5ft 1.

I've written before about my fad diets and meal replacement attempts: Weight Watchers, Slimfast. I've also talked about my different exercises I've tired. It all worked for awhile and then I would stop, in some cases I gained the weight right back after I stopped using it (Weightwatchers).

So how did I do it you may be asking? Sometimes I ask myself that very same question! It was hard! For some people losing weight is as simple as making a few minor changes and Bam! that weight comes right off. There are three different body types in this world, they all have different types of metabolisms and they all gain and lose weight differently. But for me the weight loss required permanent changes in my lifestyle.

I have reformed who I was. I am not the same woman I was year ago.

I started small. I changed my diet to 6 small meals a day. No meal was larger than my fist. In fact they were all about that size except my breakfast. I've never been a breakfast person so my breakfast will always just be a small breakfast bar or something. Basically you need to be eating every 2.5 hours to keep your metabolism up. American's dinner portions are sometimes triple the size they should be. When you eat 3 largish (or less) meals a day your body never knows when it's next meal will come so it goes into starvation mode and stores all of your fat.

Now this is hard. I know it's hard! You're busy, you have a crazy work schedule, your kids take too much of your time, you're not hungry, you simply forget. Well I'm here to tell you that those are just excuses. I had many of these excuses, you just have to buckle down and do it. Set a timer on your phone, buy Cliff Bars, Nutra-Grain bars, granola bars, Kashi bars... I don't care. Something that you can carry in your purse or pocket, that you can carry a lot of. When that alarm goes off eat your damn bar. If you're in the middle of a work meeting then take a bathroom break and do it right away. If you're not in position to do it right that second then do it the very next second you get. This is something you have to do. This is your body and it is time to take control of it. Don't let your excuses own your life.

When you're able to eat lots of healthy small meals choose healthy proteins like fish and nuts. Lots of vegetables from every color spectrum. Try to cut back on the carbohydrates and red meats. I'm not telling you to cut them out, just cut them down. Start paying attention to the amount of sugar your eating, try to cut it down. If you can make large healthy meals on your days off and take those to work over the days. Try to make eating out a real treat, only do it less than once a week and when you order have them box half of it up instead of bringing it all to the table. Instead of sweet treats like cookies or cake eat fruit. No soda. I don't care if it's diet! Only tea and coffee and make sure you not only use those in moderation with little or no artificial sweetener.

Drink lots of water. And that saying 8, 6oz glasses of water a day is not true. Take your body weight, cut it in half. That's how much water you have to at least drink in ounces a day. So, if I weigh 172 pounds (my current weight at the time of writing this) then I cut that in half, 172/2 = 86. So I have to drink at least 86 ounces of water a day. You should try to drink 3/4 of your body weight in water a day if you can. You don't like water? Get over it and drink it. It won't hurt you and if you dislike it that much then buy that water additive stuff, just not kind with sugar in it.

Finally, exercise. I've also done a lot of things here. What finally worked for me? Joining the gym and going every day, without fail. Is it hard? Yes. It was the hardest thing to do. We always have better things to do than workout. We have friends to see, kids to play with, work to do. You must, absolutely must make time for working out. I know how hard it is! It's all mind over matter. And yes you will have to let something go in order to make working out happen. What did I lose? My daughter's playgroup time. But she was in childwatch at the gym so I didn't feel so bad. You'll have to get up a little earlier, maybe choose to go to the gym over your lunch break instead of sitting and reading your book or chatting with coworkers. Maybe it's choosing to go work out instead of watching tv. I promise I'll write another post about my life at the gym as well.

It takes 21 days to break an addiction and 21 days to create a habit. It took me a year to get here, it was excruciating sometimes. It was never easy. And I really mean never. But I am healthier than I have ever been in my life. I'm not doing this anymore to lose weight. I'm now doing it because I'm happy, healthy and whole. I love who I am now. There is no going back.

But don't be scared by what I've said here. Be motivated. Do you need a motivator? Contact me. I'll help you. Figure out your motivation and keep it at the forefront of your mind. Mine is my daughter.

I hope this wasn't too long. I feel I have so much more to say, so I promise to write more later about the struggles, the hardest times what made it easier.