From obese to normal weight in one year

One year ago to the day I began my weight loss journey. I’m 5’1” and I started at 198lbs and am now 132lbs. I was a size 18 pants size and now I’m a 4-6.

Ive had major improvements in my life from eating healthy and losing weight, but the mental changes have been the most impactful, the superficial changes don’t hurt either lol. I am bipolar and had crazy mood swings and although I still have some I would say they are 90% better, and I haven’t had severe depression during the winter like I normally do. This is because I eat a mainly whole foods diet, and protein shakes lol because I enjoy them, and I exercise 5 days a week usually. I used to be so self conscious that going that even going to a store caused severe anxiety where I wouldn’t go. Now I feel so much more confident. Eating healthy went from being a chore and has turned into something I enjoy because of how it makes me feel. I have so much more energy and daily activities are so much easier, even tying my shoes was a struggle before.

I started by joking a dieticians’ weight loss program. It was a 15 week program that I lost 30lbs by the end of it. It was all natural, no pills, shakes or shots. You just told her what you like to eat and she developed meal plans based on it. And it literally changed my life because it taught me how to eat healthy. One year ago I probably could count in one hand how many vegetables I ate in a year, now I eat them daily. I still eat “unhealthy” foods but I stick to probably about 20% a day because any more then that and I don’t feel my best. I don’t deprive myself of anything, if I want it I eat it, I just adjust my other eating to account for it in my calories. I’m definitely not low carb, just mainly whole grains.

I’ll attach some pictures, but like most people I didn’t want to take pictures when I was at my heaviest. I may want to lose a small amount more weight but I am pretty happy with where I’m at went into maintenance about a month ago and am doing well on it. The before pictures was actually me at about 180lbs so I was already down almost 20lbs.

My 11 year old son went to the doctor one year ago and was considered obese for the first time. The doctor told me we needed to do something. Fast forward one year later for a well check up which was a few days ago, and my son is several inches taller and 14lbs lighter (I’m not starving him or putting him on a diet, we just all eat healthy balanced meals now and are more active) and the doctor congratulated us and was so impressed. I’m so relieved that he has better eating habits now and is no longer obese. I don’t want to put his pics up though because he’s a child but I’m impressed, especially because he was never told he needed to lose weight or put on a diet. It all just happened naturally from eating healthier.

I don’t know why the pictures are out of order, hopefully you can still see the difference without them being side by side. The same goes with the hand picture, hopefully it comes through the photos the amount of weight loss just in my hands because I have to get all of my rings resized because they literally fall right off now.