Success beyond the scale: my journey to health & wellbeing

dapunks

Thank you for sharing your story. Not just the weight loss but also the rest of your journey.

ggeise14

Very inspiring! Thanks for sharing your incredible story. Talk about "be the change you want to see" -- wonderful!

mandymoke

Truly inspirational - you Rock!

epigirrl

Hi there,

Thanks so much for sharing your story! I'm 44, and it's such a hopeful thing to see a person who is older than I am have such success and vibrancy. I have a question for you--it's about the food aspect of this. I really struggle with that part of losing weight. In particular, I really struggle with hunger, and it's hard for me to feel like I'm caring for myself when I'm hungry. But when I set my calories higher, everything takes so long. How did you approach the eating element of this?

Warm regards and congratulations!

AbbeyDove,

I agree. It has hard to feel like you are doing good things for yourself if you feel hungry. Changing the types of foods I was eating and focusing on the distribution of macronutrients made a huge difference for me. Also...the weighing and logging was really key. I actually found that I need to eat much more vegetables than I thought when I look at the actual weight.

Increasing my protein and making sure I ate protein at each meal helped a lot. I do get hungrier quicker if I don't pay attention to the protein. It was recommended to me that I try to get a ratio of 1:1.5 for protein to carbs for each meal/snack (this was when I was in active weight loss). So I stopped eating snacks that were just carbs and started being more intentional about choosing the snacks and the combinations of food I was eating for snacks. I have also always been a vegetable eater, but the amount and variety I eat now is much higher. I really like raw vegetables, so I eat a fair amount of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sweet peppers, cucumbers, etc. at both lunch and dinner. I also eat fresh fruit at each meal.

Happy to chat in private message if you like...

grubb1019

Beautiful! Your story is so inspiring, I think it shows that this journey we are on isn't just about our physical bodies, but also what is going on in our heads. I have found that so much mental healing has come as I am more and more successful in getting healthier.

afortunatedragon

Truly inspiring! :flowerforyou:
I love it, when people are so full of spirit and not afraid of changes!
I wish you the very best and keep up your spirit.

epigirrl

Exactly 1 year ago was the day I made my commitment to a new life. I enrolled in my first "intro to kettlebells" class and my first yoga class. It wasn't until the day of my first kettlebell class that I also signed up for a community weight loss challenge. Although the classes did not start until September, I want to honor this day as the FIRST day of the rest of my new life.

UPDATES: My journey continues to unfold in amazing ways. Since I posted in June, I:
* started a new job
* bought a new house in a neighborhood I have loved for years; I close in less then 2 weeks
* continue to grow in a new intimate relationship (6 months now); I continue to adore and be in awe of this amazing man who shares in both my personal and professional life [yes, we work together]
* have tried some NEW things (e.g., 50 new things in my 50th year) including standup paddle boarding, kayaking, Thai food, and plans made for a trip to camp in teepees near Marfa, TX
* got a new tattoo to honor this life changing journey




I still attend kettlebell classes 4-5x per week and weekly yoga classes. I still weigh and log [almost] everything I eat. Mindfulness, meditation, and positive self-talk are still daily practices. AND, I take every opportunity to share my story with anyone who is interested.

A year ago, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I could NEVER have imagined feeling this amazing AND loving life so fully.

Today, I honor the importance of goals, commitment, tools, and support. I am grateful for this second chance to enjoy my life AND hopefully make a difference in other people's lives.

Lnature71

So happy for you. Your story is definitely an inspiration to me. You look great!

jen_zz

Wonderful, thanks for sharing.