30lbs Lost - the photo that started it all

Wow, awesome job. You look fantastic. I also have about 30 pounds to drop. Can you tell us about your diet?

My diet was pretty simple. I had a couple of different calorie settings per day. I always intended to eat healthier and to learn about portions (something I feel is routinely under taught/learned in western countries). Being hungry is not something to fear - it is a healthy sign that you are getting ready to eat. I try not to to snack too much and stick to my numbers pretty religiously. I know I will be able to maintain as I have been on a break for about 2 months (eating reasonably and keeping up with my usual gym routine but not tracking my food). I wanted to try doing it without tracking to see how it would go. I have had some whoopsies (like I did when I tracked) but I now know where the line is drawn and know when I am at the top of what is a reasonable amount to eat.

For the first month or so I was on 1200 calories – I basically relearned portions on that count. I ate pretty much everything I ate normally just massively smaller portions. I found that some things were just no longer worth having (rice, large quantities of bread, large quantities of cheese) and that some things worked really well for me (plain no fat yoghurt is your friend and can be used to fill you up and mixed with loads of stuff to make dressing, thicken soups, garnish, etc...) and other things I would run 10 hours if that is what I would have to do to have a portion of (red wine, a couple of Quality Streets). After a while I realized that it was too hard for me to keep it up at 1200 - sometimes I cried at night because after working out, doing the school run, taking care of the daily stuff and my volunteer work I was so tired and so hungry that I felt it wasn't worth it. But the good thing was that by that time I knew I could eat less and wouldn't die - just had to adjust my levels to something more suitable to me. I didn't do a huge adjustment - went up to 1350 - but I think psychologically it was easier to have a little more wiggle room - and then as things went down I adjusted up again to about 1500 and still kept loosing.

I don't think there is any easy solution. It is work. It is learning and it is so worth it. I never knew anything about proper portions, self-control and I never had payed too much attention to what was written on boxes. I think what I did is pretty straight forward. Nothing magic - I am sure there are some genetic components to the outcomes (cellulite is likely something you have or don't in quantity) and I am lucky that I had no stretch marks or got to a weight where excess skin had become an issue. It wasn't hugely hard work to be honest it was discipline. You can cheat - but it is only you that you are cheating on. You can play all the games you want with your self but if you don't love you enough to stick to it then it will never work. Now I hope to celebrate a year at the weight and maybe then I will feel like I have achieved it. That is the true test I guess. Being like this from now on.