Learning Balance After Weight Loss (Pics)

Pastela

Hello MFP!

Every year I like to reflect on my progress with various goals I have set for myself. This year I am reflecting on my maintenance since losing weight a couple of years ago. I went from weighing around 200 lbs to 145 lbs at my lowest. Maintenance has been an interesting challenge throughout my journey, and my goal for this2016 is to continue to challenge myself with my fitness goals and achieve peace with my body.

During the beginning of my weight loss journey I was really excited about losing weight to the point where I didn't want to stop. I kept on wanting to lose more and more even though it made me miserable in the process. At my lowest I was only eating around 1200 calories a day and working out for around a hour.

Me at my heaviest during 2012:





Me at my lowest during summer 2014:



I was always hungry, felt tired, and was grumpy. I wasn't eating enough and I was simply worn down. My hair was thinning and damaged, my period ceased for six months, and I loss muscle mass that I previous worked on.

Obviously, this was not a sustainable way of living. During 2015 I began balancing my life more by eating more based on hunger cues and my activity level for the day. I took a break from counting calories and began to balance my life more. During this time I regained 15 lbs, but I feel better at 160 compared to 145.

Me during the beginning of January 2016:



This is me at 160. It's a 15 lb difference, but I feel a lot better. I regained muscle mass I loss, my hair became healthier, and my mood has improved. I still exercise and I still eat healthy, but I now do it in a more sustainable way.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the number on the scale. we neglect the damage we do to ourselves in the process. Always work hard to achieve your goals, but don't go overboard into the extreme! Everyone's body is different, and you have to be in tune to what work well for you.

venezolana1

Thanks for sharing, it did help me

Adc7225

Congratulations on your success!!! I know how you feel. I went from 244 - 146 at my lowest but it did not look good on me. I have regained some and feel better but I haven't been as successful as you with accepting it.

Your post really puts a face to it and shows the reality of how unimportant some numbers really are - Thank you so much!!!

arditarose

Nice work girl! I too feel better where I am than at my lowest

Pocketfullofstones76

Amazing to see a young, determined but wise person like you! Thanks for the insight!

shifty0524

Nice post, and congratulations!

3AAnn3

Thanks for sharing. Far better to listen to the signs your body is giving you than to chase after some ideal, that oftentimes isn't that great once you reach it.

Pastela

Thanks everyone! It's been a learning process, but my life has improved a lot!

JLG1986

A very insightful post - thanks for sharing! I'm just starting out (again) but I'm going to keep this in mind, because I feel like I'm not going to know my happy weight until I get there.

asgentr

I've always felt my best around 160 even though it is still considered overweight for my height.

Pastela

asgentr wrote: »

I've always felt my best around 160 even though it is still considered overweight for my height.

Yeah, I felt like at my lowest weight it wasn't that great on my frame. I've never been a petite person, so even though I was at a lower weight I looked more lanky and unhealthy. Health can't be quantified by numbers. I feel like I am way more healthy now then I was then. I just focus on eating well, exercising regularly, and enjoying life.

magicsd

Great post, thank you for sharing.

mistressmozart

congrats, you look great! I'm 207 now and my goal is about 165, that's when i feel the best. Thanks for sharing this, you're an inspiration

courtney_love2001

You look amazing and fit! 160 looks darn good on you.

auddii

Awesome story, and you look fabulous!

ljones27uk

Absolutely agree with you! I went a bit overboard on the weight loss, got to a goal that I had set myself, but ended up looking rather gaunt, and passed out a couple of times as pushing my CICO deficit a bit too far. Im about 15lbs heavier than I was at my lowest, and look better, feel better, am stronger etc etc... so good on you.. a great point in a great post. keep it going.

cloud2011

That is a great story and you look great in all of your pictures and happiest in the last one! Very full of life!

kmsoucy457

You look so happy and beautiful!
Do you mind if I ask how tall you are, just for reference?

Pastela wrote: »

Yeah, I felt like at my lowest weight it wasn't that great on my frame. I've never been a petite person, so even though I was at a lower weight I looked more lanky and unhealthy. Health can't be quantified by numbers. I feel like I am way more healthy now then I was then. I just focus on eating well, exercising regularly, and enjoying life.

grapebanana

What an inspiring journey. I get disheartened w/ people doing the focus on the externals when, in my own experience (and, as I read, yours too!) it's the feeling good in our skin that matters.

I have noticed that when I'm eating well, I'm feeling well, and don't consider the body anymore than how grateful I am to live in it. I have also noticed that when I'm eating badly (a period of unhealthy choices or not enough) I consider the body with criticism and feel more critical of it than I am grateful for it. That's a sad and awful way to feel.

I MUCH prefer how I feel when my brain isn't malnourished (and only weigh myself out of curiosity or to make sure I'm eating enough).

KUDOS to you. Thank you for sharing your story.

gkingbr

Congratulations on your success

Mexicanbigfoot

Thank you for sharing your story. It's nice to see real stories like this. You are absolutely gorgeous at 160!!

Pastela

Thank you everyone! I really appreciate all the feedback and nice comments. I'm always amazed by how kind and supportive the MFP community is.

kmsoucy457 wrote: »

You look so happy and beautiful!
Do you mind if I ask how tall you are, just for reference?

Thank you! I do not mind at all. My height is at 5' 8".

Asher_Ethan

You look so good at 160! Congrats!

Pastela

grapebanana wrote: »

What an inspiring journey. I get disheartened w/ people doing the focus on the externals when, in my own experience (and, as I read, yours too!) it's the feeling good in our skin that matters.

I have noticed that when I'm eating well, I'm feeling well, and don't consider the body anymore than how grateful I am to live in it. I have also noticed that when I'm eating badly (a period of unhealthy choices or not enough) I consider the body with criticism and feel more critical of it than I am grateful for it. That's a sad and awful way to feel.

I MUCH prefer how I feel when my brain isn't malnourished (and only weigh myself out of curiosity or to make sure I'm eating enough).

KUDOS to you. Thank you for sharing your story.

Thanks for your response, and I totally agree! I feel like the emotional aspect of weight loss isn't discussed as much. Even after losing weight I have days where I still feel large compared to other women and feel like what I did was not good enough.

As I keep maintaining my progress, I have to keep reminding myself that I cannot compare myself to others and that my journey is my own.

Being restrictive to myself wasn't fun, and it's definitely something I don't want to do again.

Asher_Ethan wrote: »

You look so good at 160! Congrats!

Thank you! I think I found the correct weight range to stay at.

joinn68

Great reminder. I read someone's post on MFP once where the person said "I set up a number of calories; I was at a deficit and then I wasn't". Basically found where they'd be happy to eat for the rest of their life. It struck me as being quite smart
It's good that you found a way/weight to live healthy and be happy! Keep it up

elaineamj

Congratulations! I'm just at the start of my journey and your story is inspiring. I'm a little concerned I am losing a touch too quickly - so I am monitoring trendweight carefully. After another week, I will have enough data to know for sure. If so, I'm definitely bumping up my calories. I want this to be sustainable, not miserable.

chrysalis2015

That's great advice! It's so easy tk get caught up with the numbers...all about how you feel

Pastela

I'm so glad my story has helped and inspired others! This really means a lot to me. I didn't know how emotional going through a weight loss journey can be. It took me a long time to feel comfortable with how I am and what I accomplished.

Omoe11

Congrats! You look great!

elisa123gal

I would think if a person lifted weights …they would weigh more but be smaller in size, than if they weighed less and didn't lift weights. You look like that. Perhaps on the scale you weigh more..but in that photo..i'd never guess you weighed 160. You look perfect and fit.

neztiloy

Such an inspiritation. Keep it up!!