25 Things I've Learned in 25 Lbs of Weight Loss at 25

Someone suggested that I share this post on this thread as well as the motivation and support thread, so here it is

So yesterday, I FINALLY hit my 25 lb weight loss mark in my journey. When I first seriously embarked on this venture in January, I assumed the 25 lb mark would’ve been accompanied by confetti, glitter, and a balloon drop or something. Instead of feeling great though, I’ve actually been feeling kind of bummed about other outside factors in my life. This (in typical “me” fashion) has lead me to think about ALL of the other random things I could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve liked to have done in my life so far. SO, to try to help myself out of this funk, I decided to make a list of all the great things I’ve learned along my journey.

I hope this list serves me as a reminder of all the ways I have MENTALLY changed in this short time, and how much weight loss is truly a MENTAL change. I also hope it helps to inspire someone else today. If I can’t be feeling 100% myself, I might as well try to bring someone else up instead of sulk in my own “bla” feeling. Right?

So anyhow, here is my list of the 25 things I’ve learned in 25 lbs.



1) Where you are in life isn’t a measure of your full potential. It’s a measure of how you’ve played life’s cards SO FAR.

2) It’s never too late to play your hand a different way.

3) If you challenge YOURSELF every day, you’ll have more experience when LIFE challenges YOU.

4) Just like muscles need to be broken down to get stronger, sometimes we need to be broken down mentally and
emotionally to get stronger in their respective senses as well.

5) Sometimes the people that you thought were good in your life were actually the people stepping on your head.

6) Surrounding yourself with positive and uplifting people, thoughts, pictures, quotes, experiences, etc. is the way to
FEEL like you are living a positive and uplifting life. The same is true for the opposite.

7) HUGE personal successes start with a LOT of smaller efforts that build a solid foundation for that success.

8) When you don’t believe in yourself, other people don’t believe in you either. When you DO believe in yourself, people
get blown away by everything you accomplish.

9) Some of the same people that see you turn your life around for the better will try to bring you back down to their level
in order to feel good at the level they are STILL at.

10) When those people start to succeed in bringing you down, FIGHT HARDER! KEEP your goals, and know that you
STILL have MORE potential to unleash!

11) NEVER GIVE UP! When you give up, you are saying, “I’m not worth it.”

12) KNOW that you ARE worth it!

13) Life isn’t easy or fair. The people that fare the best are the ones that adapt in difficult situations. Teach yourself to
adapt! Get creative!

14) The same routine yields the same results. If you’re unhappy, CHANGE something.

15) You’re probably NOT going to win the lottery, become a celebrity, or find a rare valuable item at a resale shop and
find out on Antiques Roadshow. So quit hoping to be rich someday so you can have a personal trainer and chef, and
just get realistic

16) “When you were in high school, college, etc…” < Stop living in the past! Live in the present!

17) Stop making excuses! Admit you’re flawed like the rest of the world, and figure out a way to be the BEST version of
yourself.

18) The best version of YOURSELF? What is that? Figure it out. Experiment. Stop looking to others for easy answers to
YOUR complicated personal battles.

19) Be proud of yourself!

20) Taking pride, and being a self-absorbed tool bag are NOT the same. So relax, and talk about your accomplishments
a little. It’s OK! You might even inspire someone else!

21) Stop worrying about failure, and “what ifs.” Focus on what you WILL do instead. When you decide to do something,
you find a way to do it. When you worry about failing, you find a way to do IT too.

22) Taking care of YOU should be a PRIORITY. It doesn’t make you selfish. It means you have self-respect. Besides,
everyone knows you can’t be fully present for others when you’re not for yourself. Win-win.

23) Take out the trash. You’re not a dumpster, so get rid of the garbage in your life. (Whatever that garbage is- people,
food, habits…etc.)

24) Allow yourself to be human and have “bad days.” You’re not a superhero. Get over it.

25) When you DO have bad days, find a way to re-inspire yourself. Even if it’s just by making a list of things you’ve
learned in life and sharing it in on the internet

I decided to add a before and after too, since I have never done one until now