lose weight

How I did it: October 2008 - It is strange how certain experiences and events will motivate us to do certain things. About six months ago (April '08) I was getting ready to meet my boyfriend's parents. We were planning on getting married in July and I was about to meet my future in-laws for the first time. The day I was meeting them ended up being the day my boyfriend broke up with me instead. We had been dating for six months, and this came out of the blue. I was completely devastated. My life plans had changed completely and I had no idea what to do next. I felt depressed, useless, and very helpless.

So I had to make a decision: Do I feel bad for myself and feel depressed? Or do I move on? Of course the depression thing was going to happen one way or another because of the grief I was feeling. But I decided to take the high road and find happiness again. I moved back up to college and found housing with other single students, and decided to make a routine for myself. I decided that if I was going to make myself feel mentally better I wanted to feel physically better. So I went to the grocery store and purchased a lot of healthy foods, including chicken breasts, fresh veggies/fruits, wheat bread, milk...And I planned my meals around these types of foods every day.

My routine consisted of going to classes, coming home for lunch, doing homework, and working out. I made sure I fit a work out into the day no matter what time I had to do it. This included walking on the treadmill and/or the eliptical machine, lifting hand weights, doing push ups, and doing crunches. Each work out was an hour, sometimes a little longer. And I have a major sweet tooth so I purchased 100 calorie packs of different sweets to satisfy the sugar craving.

I quickly started losing weight, and it showed. Friends and family noticed and often made comments on how good I looked. It was even more motivation to keep going. I was enrolled in two classes with my ex that semester of college so going into class every day, seeing him, him seeing me, and knowing I was getting smaller and smaller felt awesome!

Back in April I weighed 174 lb - the heaviest I have ever been. And six months later I weigh 144 lb. I feel better than I ever have. I was a little smaller in high school (about 135 lb.) but I didn't even feel this healthy then. And the life blessings have come pouring out. I am now engaged to the man of my dreams, who I started dating in June, and I'm so happy. We're getting married in January. Back in April I was trying on size 14 wedding dresses and the one I bought a few weeks ago is a size 8! I am so happy about that.

Since I started losing weight I have been able to keep it off. I haven't been as strict with my diet over the last couple of months so weight hasn't been coming off as fast. But I am happier than I have ever been in my life, and I feel so good about myself. Even though back in April I felt like my life was over and I could never be happy again, my decision to lose weight changed that for me.

Losing weight was the best decision I have ever made. It was the first step to a happier, healthier me. Keeping the weight off is something I deal with daily, but it has gotten easier and easier. I have learned to cut my food portions down and eat smarter.

The picture I have posted here is what I looked like before. And look where I am now! It is so incredibly hard to get into that mind set of losing weight. I struggled with that for a very long time.  But the key is to stay motivated and keep the ending result in mind. It is so worth it!

**It is now April 1, 2009, and I have reached 134 lb. bringing my total weight loss to 40 pounds. I am now happily married to my wonderful husband, and I'm working on getting more weight off! Thanks for all your awesome comments, they make me feel so good! I really appreciate them! :)

**Another update! It is October 13, 2009, and I've put on 6 lb. since April. But I'm also pregnant with my first child! Due in May 2010. Can't wait!

Lessons & tips:

• Eat smart! Cut your portions down and don't eat till you're full. Eat till you're comfortable.
  
• Make sure you eat. Starving yourself is not only bad for your body but it can make you want to eat a lot more. Make sure you have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And snacks! Just make sure you're eating healthy foods.

• Don't deprive yourself of your favorite foods. For example, I love fries. If I had fries I just made sure I didn't eat a lot of them and not all the time. The same goes for my sweet tooth.  100-calorie packs are great for this, and there are so many options.

• Don't give up. Take it one day at a time. 
  
• Enjoy it! Mix up your workouts. Sometimes I go running outside instead of on a treadmill. Or playing a sport is great exercise. Tennis, basketball, volleyball...
  
• Don't get discouraged. It is difficult to stay focused on something you're not used to. Rely on your family and friends to help motivate you and keep you excited.
  
• Keep a journal about it. It is fun seeing how far  you've come along and how you felt along the way.
  
• Get into a routine. It was easier for me to work out when I had a certain time every day set aside.

Resources:

• I ate a lot of fresh vegetables and chicken, fresh fruit, wheat bread, string cheese, yogurt...
  
• One of my favorite ways to eat chicken: I would thaw a boneless chicken breast then pour any bottled Italian dressing over it to marinade. I covered it and let it marinade for about three hours, sometimes over night. Then I would either cut it up into slices or small squares, cook it in a saute pan, and then put it over spinach leaves with other veggies for a salad. Or I would just cook it in the saute pan (8 min. on each side on medium heat, covered) and ate it with cooked veggies or salad, and some sugar-free jell-o. So good!

• For snacks I enjoyed a package of fruit snacks, 100-calorie packs (my favorite are the grasshopper cookies from Keebler.) Another favorite are the 90-calorie Mini Delight frosted rice cakes from Quaker.
  
• Carrots with ranch were another favorite snack! Pretty much any fresh veggie with ranch was yummy.
  
• Apple sauce with a little bit of cinnamon

Oct 13, 2008, 12:55PM PDT | 57 comments | 352 cheers