My Story & Advice!

Hi. I want to share my story on weight loss, things that have helped me, and how much a difference one year makes! I hope that this will help motivate anyone who is in a similar position!

So, rewind back to November 2013. I was at my highest weight - 150lbs. Before you all freak out, I'm barely 5'2, and I'm 18. I was a typical 'perhaps I should blame it on my low metabolism' sort of person.

Following up to this point in time, I HAD noticed that I was gaining weight. It wasn't complete negligence - rather, it was naivety. I used to "count calories" by estimating portion sizes. A bag of chips? Let's round it up to 300kcal. A few chunks of chocolate? Seems like 50kcal. A handful of grapes? Fruit doesn't even have calories! (Yes, I was that foolish!)

Needless to say I was going nowhere with my 'diet' and decided that there was nothing I could do to lose weight. Now, let's skip to February 2015. I became ill, severely ill. I lost almost 27lbs in a few weeks. Thankfully, I recovered, and after I had gained back my health, I realised how much better and happier I felt in myself. I was determined to never let myself get back to my highest weight ever again.

But! As I had lost the weight because of an illness, I hadn't learnt HOW to lose weight - and so, by June 2015, I had gained 7lbs. (From 123lbs, to 130lbs.)

It was then that I joined My Fitness Pal. I realised that I needed to have a clear way of finding out what I was eating and how many calories I was actually consuming. I haven't been too precise, but precise enough to see the weight drop off. At present, I'm 114lbs, hoping to get down to 110lbs! It came rather naturally. First, I was hitting my calorie limit but with a lot of calories from cakes, doughnuts, fast food, and fizzy drinks. Then, I started monitoring exactly WHAT I was eating. Yes, I still eat chocolate & biscuits - but in moderation. Otherwise, I love salads, soups, vegetables, fruits, - things that I hadn't ever considered a staple part of my diet.

For anyone in a similar position to me (especially the young girls!) I have some advice.
1. Don't under eat, love your body, care for your body, and respect your body! Love it enough to feed it good, nutritious food. Care for it enough to not starve yourself, purge, or binge. And respect it enough to realise that no matter what your weight is, you're a work in progress!
2. Use MYF to teach you how to lose weight, not just as a calorie calculator. I found that this really worked for me. Learn about the good types of foods that you enjoy, that are rich in nutrients, and good for your body! Otherwise you might return back to your previous ways.
3. Be patient! It took you several years to gain all that weight, it isn't going to fall off overnight. But it will! I promise you.

Thanks for reading