Mother's Day, 133 pounds difference

Great job on your loss. But how did you do when you first started losing the weight, not now. Like make people don't start with strength training and lifting weights. They build up to that. What were you eating and how were you working out in the first few months?

I lifted weights starting week 1!

The only difference between how I exercise then versus now is that I did more cardio at the beginning (I aimed for 60 minutes twice a week then, now I'm cool with 30-40). In the weight room I started with a lot of bodyweight work and lighter weights, but always free weights and barbells - I literally haven't used a weight machine other than a cablecross or pulley machine in years. Now I lift heavier plates, my form is strong, I can do serious compound lifts and plyos. I couldn't do HIIT and I couldn't run then, but I could elliptical I was too self-conscious to go group ex classes then; now I get asked if I'm an instructor! So, while my workouts look different now, the fundamentals are the same. My 300 pound self barged into the free weights area (don't call it the men's weight room!) and never left. I made it my home and did the work to transform my body. It wasn't something I saved for when I had lost fat because it was a big part of losing fat - and maintaining my lean body mass.

But that was me. For you, your first steps might be taking the stairs instead of the elevator, going on a walk every morning, adding little activity whenever you can. That is totally great. Any movement is better than none, and if you're not ready to do what I did or simply don't want to? No problem. It's not required. It might change the path of your weight loss, but who says my path is best? Health takes many forms and you can arrive at it from infinite paths.

As for eating? I eat more now, because I don't build in a deficit anymore really. I calculate my calories on a weekly basis instead of daily (slight deficit weekdays, overage weekends). I still eat the same, just a bit more. There are a lot of little changes I implemented at the beginning though, habits that stay with me now. I use my kitchen scale to measure virtually everything. I use it every single day. You'd be amazed at the difference between a weighed serving of peanut butter and one measured with a measuring spoon. I cut out a lot of refined carbs and crap. I don't consider a bagel a healthy breakfast or a bag of pretzels a good snack anymore. Treats became what they're meant to be: occasional indulgences. I eat crappy food every day, but it's a smaller portion of my diet. I eat more vegetables. I stopped buying baguette and eating it with 3-4 meals a week. We cook basically everything ourselves (though we've always done that). I'm obsessed with awesome food and I work it into my calorie allowances. I still make the same recipes I made before, but now I eat a more reasonable portion along with a huge salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic. Or sometimes ranch, because I love ranch (the real stuff!).

But honestly, the great thing about how I lost weight is that I didn't go on a diet or make any temporary changes. I still do what I did then. I didn't have to go "off a diet" or learn to eat real food anymore, because I was never on a diet in the first place. I changed how I ate and became a beast in the gym. I never intended those changes to be short-term.