No gimmicks-105 pounds lost using CICO

I wrote this in October of 2016:

If anyone would have suggested running or even walking a 10K one year ago I would have laughed. I was old (57) and morbidly obese with bad knees and a bad back. There was no way! Fast forward to today. I am over 100 pounds down with a normal bmi and my first 10K will be in December. I'm actually planning to run a good part of it. Life is good!

I know that a lot of people believe slow and steady wins the race but I was at risk for metabolic syndrome. High cholesterol, borderline high blood pressure, super high triglycerides, and my morbid obesity put me at high risk for heart disease. I couldn't even get a job without doing a sleep study to prove I didn't have sleep apnea. Without work I could not afford to get out of the house much so I was in a rut. I had to change. I had to get my life back. I was not ready to give up on my life or dreams so I downloaded the mfp app and was given a fitness tracker. I set them to lose 2 pounds/week. I was skeptical but somehow knew this would work.

I did not know about ci/co. Honestly. I knew that calories contributed to weight gain but I thought eating too many sweets and fats caused one to get fat. I thought exercise was how to lose weight. I learned that restricting calories and moving more resulted in weight loss. When I couldn't count I estimated. When I couldn't exercise I ate less. When I could get some walks in I ate more. Still, I counted, weighed, and measured my food to ensure I was at a deficit. I measured my activity with my fitness tracker. I did not give up when I had a bad day or week. I enjoyed some sweets during Halloween with the grandkids then got back on track. Most important, I took a multivitamin to ensure I didn't get sick since it's hard to get all the vitamins you need on 1200 calories.

Everybody is different and different approaches work for different people. I ate bread, rice, carbs. I also ate plenty of protein. I tried adding lots of fiber, nuts, and seeds to my diet but that landed me in the ER with diverticulitis and ain't nobody got time for that! I had to forget the nuts and raisins and such and eat what my body needed.

The unintended results of my weight loss include normal and healthy cholesterol and triglycerides, excellent blood pressure, and being able to see the muscles that my fat was hiding. It's unbelievable that I now wear size 6's and small/mediums. I can even wear a girls size 16 (that's a 5 in adult clothing).

Ci/co should be taught and stressed in schools. It is so extremely simple when it is fully understood.

Fast forward to today 7/9/2018:

I didn't initially post the above success story because I thought it might jinx me and I'd regain the weight. Well I have regained about 10 pounds of my 105 pound loss and am wearing mostly a tight 6 or a loose 8 but I'm okay with it. I've finally given away my XL, 2X, and 3X tops. All double digit pants and jeans from size 10 to 24 are gone. I keep a check on my weight a few times a month and I learned what and how much to eat during my journey. What? Anything as long as it fits my calorie needs for the day. How much? A lot less. Portion size. Skip the coke and fries. Enough to satisfy without feeling stuffed. I hate the buffets now because I'll never get my money's worth. I prefer to have a plate of food prepared and served. I changed my eating habits so I can maintain my loss. It's working.