Wife and I on our weight loss journey together - Initial success

Hi guys,

This is my first post on the forums and wanted to take some time to thank the community. Hearing everyone's stories about their weight loss journeys, hints and tips, and potential pit falls has helped my wife and I a lot. When we both decided to lose weight a month ago, we wanted to the embrace the cliched 'lifestyle change' rather than the 'as few calories as possible' mantra.

We ate mostly takeaway food and rarely cooked. I work night shifts, early mornings and late nights so it was difficult to have a healthy diet. We both worked hard and that was why we were unhealthy and overweight. I know now that was nonsense and we can make as many excuses as we like to continue our bad habits. It's easy for me to say I'm overweight because I grab fast food on my way from work at 6am. It's easy to say I'm too tired, let's order a pizza. The truth is, in order to eat such a poor diet, you have to wean yourself on to it. It takes time and effort to continuously fuel your body with junk and make it think it needs it to survive. When fresh fruit and vegetables are introduced, your body is shocked. It doesn't taste as sweet/sour/juicy/salty as junk food. It doesn't satisfy you as much as a huge Chick fil A meal. In the same way you have to wean yourself on to bad food, you must wean yourself ON to good food.

One month ago we decided we were going to count all of our calories and me mindful of everything we ate and cooked. We started by still buying food we enjoyed but choosing lower salt/fat/sugar equivalents. We didn't eat ready meals or processed food (mostly) and cooked almost everything we ate. The key to our success in the first month is not relying on a broccoli and water diet because we'd hate every minute of it. We had smaller portions, healthier food and didn't eat late at night. Slowly but surely our bodies got used to having less food. Vegetables tasted nicer, the homemade meals were fresh and delicious. Our stomachs were full on much less food and we felt better for it.

When I first started I weighed 263lbs. I am 6'3" and 34 years old and I wanted to lose 63lbs, which I was around 7 years ago. In my first month I lost 25lbs. Around 7-8lbs was lost in the first week as I lowered my sodium intake and lost a lot of water associated with glycogen. I'd guess that around 12-15lbs is actually fat loss. I know this isn't really healthy to lose so much in a short period of time but I was seriously overweight. We understand that our goal is to lose weight first then we can focus on a more balanced and healthier diet when we are closer to our goals. We've started walking and hiking and a 9-mile trek for me is a 1600 calorie deficit. We feel healthier and look better.

I just wanted to say that we are determined to succeed and in the process have developed a love for cooking. Nothing tastes better than a homemade meal, lovingly prepared.

I hope people who are starting their journeys take time to realise that each person is different. Take each piece of advice with a pinch of salt and see what works for your body. One of the key things I've learned is that in order to lose weight, you need a calorie deficit. Losing weight and nutrition are NOT the same thing. When you start, don't do down either of the 'as few calories as possible' or the 'eat only fresh veggies and water' route. Strike a good balance between what you enjoy eating and what is helping you lose weight.

Thanks, guys!