I lost as much as I weigh!

Thank you all so much!! (:

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

Your husband is a very very fortunate man.

Thank you (: Buuuut maybe, considering he is honest to goodness one of the nicest humans on this planet, I consider myself a tad more fortunate. Hoping he doesn’t catch on though (;

87jessielim wrote: »

Wow you look great! Do you track every meal? How do you keep motivated when you slipped (or never?) I could really get some tips as I have about 8kg to lose and I desperately want to lose it in 2-3 months but I'm such a food-lover at the same time

Thank you! I do track every meal. Even after all these years, I still weigh everything because I’ve found that “eyeballing” is not something I am good at. I’m a super foodie and my entire day is spent looking forward to the next meal (100% accurate) but I pre-log everything a week in advance so I don’t ever have to think about it and can really put time into being creative for the days ahead. I’ve slipped quite a bit – especially in the beginning where I wasn’t taking progress photos and had serious difficulty seeing any progress. I’ve just always reminded myself that a little slip-up can be corrected if I really want it bad enough. I’ve overcome the barrier of thinking about it as a “diet” and instead it’s just become part of my lifestyle, who I am now. There will always be set-backs on this journey, always days where we over-eat and try to tank ourselves with bad thoughts but it’s the ability to get back up and keep trying. The best advice I have is to just take it slow. Don’t rush anything because you want a “hot summer bod” or because you just want to “feel better about yourself.” I failed a ton in the beginning trying to do that but when I started just taking it slow, it seemed way less painful. Weightloss is a journey, enjoy every second of it and be proud of your accomplishments (and especially the little ones). And TAKE PHOTOS. My goodness, if I could go back…

debisjazz wrote: »

You look amazing. Even more importantly, it sounds like you've has some major changes in your self-confidence and self-esteem. Good for you!! You are an inspiration.

Thank you!! Out of everything, that was the biggest struggle. I had to really dig deep to understand and accept that my value is not dependent on my relationship with gravity. (:

christinedlg50 wrote: »

Amazing! Thank you for sharing! It helps those of us on the same journey so much! Share some insights with us too when you can. What worked for you? What strategies did you employ to stay motivated? What words of wisdom and encouragement can you share? It would be so helpful! Bravo! You look gorgeous!

Thank YOU for reading! What worked for me was honestly just taking it slow, weighing what I put into my mouth with a food scale, accurately and honestly logging, and using positive reinforcement. There were days all my mirrors were covered with post-its with things like “You can do this!” and “YOU are creating this body!” and “The mirror is not an accurate depiction of how far you’ve come and what you can do!” I didn’t cut anything out of my diet, I just ate less of it. I parked further away from the stores, I used the stairs everywhere I could. In the beginning, I didn’t incorporate any exercise, it was just diet alone. Since, I’ve decided I want to be strong because being a badass sounds pretty fun. Some days were hard to keep going, some days were easier. Take photos, compare them but not too regularly so that you can see actual differences. Just enjoy the journey and know that you can, and are, doing it! The less I thought about it as "restricting" or "dieting," the easier it became. I kept telling myself that I was creating my life because I am the author and this body is where all the stories get written and told... so I wanted it to be a good one. (:

Here are some hopefully helpful things that go into it a little more:
Blog post MFP did on my story: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/lost-weight-self-esteem-complicated/

My post in the success story section: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10499472/120lbs-lost/p1

Cheers!