256 Days, 73lbs (halfway goal), and my advice to newbies (with pictures)!

After my first two months, I did a post about what I've learned: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10025184/60-days-and-27lbs-in-advice-for-newbies#latest

It's been a little over 8 months now, so I thought I would update my advice, and also share my story. I just wanted to post this in hope that someone would read it and decide to start or keep going on the hard days. I've been there!! But the struggles are worth every pound lost. I'm always looking for new supportive friends! So, feel free to add me!

I'm a 26 year old California girl, who has battled her weight her whole life. As a kid, I was the first to be tall, the first to get boobs, the first to start her period. This always made me feel alien... So different from the other girls. They were all blonde and tiny, and I was tall and solid with frizzy brown hair, glasses and braces. Even though I was heavily involved in sports, I felt fat because I was just so much larger. And I realize now this was because I was simply bigger, I developed faster. I was almost half a foot taller than most of them. I'd already started developing hips and boobs, and I looked more adult. I lived my life with the assumption that I would always be the fat girl, eternally uncomfortable in her own skin.

Struggles in my family life during freshman year of high school caused the little self confidence I had to dwindle. By the time I graduated high school I was a size 18-20 and climbing. College was amazing, and I started to really find my stride in life. But then at 21, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). I learned that the hormonal imbalances in my body would make it very hard for me to loose the weight I needed to loose in order for the PCOS to go away (such a stupid double edged sword). It would also be very difficult for me to have children. These were two things I desperately wanted more than anything; to loose weight and be a mother... So I kinda gave up. I stopped looking around for guys to date, I stopped caring about what I wore, or what I looked like. During most of college and graduate school (I'm four years into a five year PhD program now), the scale climbed, and I reached my heaviest at 297 and a size 24.

Last September, my first love broke up with me. One day he decided to stop returning my calls and messages, and completely disappeared from my life. I got no closure, and I was totally heartbroken. As if that wasn't bad enough I found out that he was married, and I had actually been the mistress. Oh, and he had a child I didn't know about. That was the breaking point. I was SO angry, and SO tired of accepting my life the way that it was. How could I have let this person into my life and into my heart and watch as he completely ripped me apart? Didn't I have more self respect then that? No. I didn't. Not really. That realization hit me like a ton of bricks. And so I changed. Just like that. One day at a time, a little bit more each day... But I changed. And am still changing, ever evolving into the girl I always dreamed I could be. Sexy, confident, funny, smart... I wanted to be the whole package for someone someday... And more importantly, I wanted to be the whole package for myself. I wanted to have the confidence to believe that I'm finally becoming the best version of myself. I'm one of those people who wonders a lot. I used to think to myself, "I wonder what it would be like to be able to shop in normal stores? I wonder what it would be like to wake up with more energy? I wonder what it would be like if I wasn't so anxious all the time?" I wonder less now, because I'm starting to make those "wonders" a reality. It's an everyday struggle, but I'm getting there. I'm only halfway to where I want to be, and I'd really like to see the weight that's on my driver's license on the scale, so I'm going to keep pushing. One day at a time, one pound at a time.

SW: 297 (September 1, 2014; 15 days or so before MFP)
CW: 224 (June 7, 2015)
GW: 150 (what it says on my driver's license)
Total Lost: 73lbs
Days on MFP: 256





And, my advice:

1. Use the MFP community: I have so many amazing friends here, who have been supportive and helpful on days where I feel like giving up. I'm always looking for more, because I've realized how important social support is. Even from people you don't know in real life. People will loose weight weeks you loose nothing. Support them! Encourage them! They will do the same for you on your good/bad days. My only caution is not to compare yourself to your friends. Everyone's journey is different!!
2. Embrace clean-ish eating: I know I'll get flack for this one, but you know what, I know that science supports what I'm saying (I research brain health and total body nutrition as part of my job)... So bring on the debate . Yes, you can loose weight eating crappy food. No, that's not the best way to do it. Our bodies just work better processing whole nutritious food. You want to loose weight faster? Eat better. Want to gain muscle? Eat better. That will immediately change the game. You won't be bloated from sodium. You'll drastically lower your cholesterol. And you won't be as addicted to sugar. I'm trying to stick to an 80/20 kind of life. 80% of the time I'm good, and 20% of the time I let myself be bad. (And when I'm bad, I tend to indulge in really delicious and indulgent things, so you certainly can fit those things in.) It's what has been working for me in order to keep binges away. Also, it's true what they say about sugar. Weening yourself off is hard, but once it's gone, it's relatively easy to keep the added sugar to a minimum. Diet is more key than ANYTHING in this weightloss game.
3. Protein: I'm in trouble by 3:00pm if I haven't had some serious protein for breakfast. It really helps keep my energy up, and keep me fuller longer. And this doesn't necessarily mean meat. Protein shakes, lean breakfast sausage, eggs, beans, oatmeal... There are lots of ways to get prepared for the day!
4. Find your kind of cardio: I'm obsessed with SoulCycle. NEVER in my life have I been into working out... But now, I need it in order to keep my head in check. Cardio has done amazing things on days when I feel especially anxious or depressed. It's a real mood lifter. My recommendation is to try a whole bunch of new things until you find something that works for you. I've recently added C25K to my workout routine, and I'm only on week 3, but I love it so far! I treat working out like important work meetings I schedule with myself... I wouldn't cancel on my boss, so I don't cancel on myself. (You have to reserve SoulCycle in advance, so that really helps on days I don't feel like showing up.) Even if you can only go for walks everyday, just do it!! 30-45 minutes at a time can really make a difference.
5. Don't be afraid to lift weights/do body weight exercises: When you loose weight your skin gets looser, your body changes shape. Give your skin the best chance of returning to normal. Give yourself a shape underneath the fat. It's really amazing to see it start to appear. I can feel myself underneath my fat, if that makes any sense. I noticed it in my legs first, then my collarbones and my sides. I notice it the most recently in my arms... there is definitely muscle under there that gets stronger and stronger everyday. And I like to imagine the muscle helps burn the fat away too. Haha. But really, strength training is what is going to help you gain the shape you want when the weight is gone. Start now!
6. Set goals and reward yourself: I've set up a goal structure around events (holidays/milestones). So far I've made several goals on time, others not. I'm not so much concerned with loosing weight by a certain time... Just breaking down my desired 147lbs to loose into something more manageable, 10-15lbs at a time. I get a small token every time I meet my goal (gym bag, UP24 band, etc.). You can check out my profile to see how I listed everything out.
7. Know that "life happens": I've taken SO MANY work/fun trips in the last eight months. Nashville, New York City, Washington DC, San Diego, Lake Tahoe. I may not have lost weight on every trip, but I didn't really gain either. I've been sick a handful of times. I've learned to adjust my activity levels when I'm sick and eat smart and workout while away from home. Some days I have to be at work 12-14 hours, and I can barely keep my eyes open so I skip a workout. I had really really bad nerve inflammation in my back from December to March, and there were some days I couldn't even get out of bed without using the heating pad first. I pushed through. Even with these setbacks, made progress.
8. The number on the scale is not the only thing that counts: Non-Scale victories (NSV) like clothes fitting or working out harder than you did yesterday are so important! They can be super motivating. Progress photos are great too. I can not believe how much thinner my back and stomach look. Comparing the photos I took from the first couple days to the ones I've taken recently and looking at the difference is amazing to me. I also measure my body once a month. Tracking inches lost has been really awesome!! Sometimes the scale doesn't move, but the inches do.
9. Find a mantra: For me, I've stuck with, "Strength and happiness are choices. You have to choose them - and you have to fight for them." It really helps me sometimes to repeat this over and over. In my fitness classes, whenever we have to set an intention, mine is always, "Change."
10. Prepare for things to start changing: There are countless differences between the girl that weighed 297lbs and the girl who weighs 224lbs. The seatbelt in any plane, train, or automobile is now super comfortable. I feel less lazy. I have more energy. I'm more proactive about things because I am less lazy and have more energy, which means other areas of my life have been more on point. I can just about wear whatever clothes I want, and shop in all major department stores. (I'm now like 16-18.) I'm the smallest I've been as an adult, so everything feels brand new. I crave food that is good for me. I order dressing and cheese on the side, when I order a salad without even thinking about it. I look forward to workouts. Everything seems different now.