100 days ago I was really struggling with my weight. I would instantly delete pictures of myself. It was becoming difficult to find something in my closet to wear. I didn’t have the energy or motivation to peel myself off of the couch. Then I decided that enough was enough. I decided to start working on creating a calorie deficit by logging calories on MyFitnessPal and exercising when I could. I actually posted a video the day I started, where I discussed gaining 30 pounds after miscarriages, and eating my feelings during the depression that lingered after and let me tell you I just looked back and watched it and I can’t believe how rough I looked at the start of my journey.
I started this journey at 240 pounds, and my first goal was to get back to 209. I’m down to a little over 211 pounds. I’m super proud to say that in 100 days I’ve lost 28 pounds! Hooray! I vow to never ever be the size I was in that video 100 days ago.
Cutting down to 1500 calories isn’t the end of the world, and I still eat what I crave in moderation. Letting myself have the foods that I crave occasionally has kept me from going off the edge and quitting. Having an obtainable goal helps too. 209 is the weight I bounced back to after having Aliceana so I figured it was a hefty goal, but I could get there.
Now that I’m close to completing my goal I’m thrilled and excited to see how much further I can go. My next goal is to get under 200, and I think I eventually want to be 180 pounds. I’m not obsessed with exercise, but I am obsessed with food and I have a bigger bone structure (hello size 11 feet) so I feel like 180 would be a really healthy weight for me.
When I started MyFitnessPal I thought going down to 1500 calories a day was so hard. I don’t even want to know how many calories I was eating daily before I made the switch. After 100 days eating only 1500 calories is simple. I normally start my day with a low-calorie breakfast around 200 calories including my coffee with creamer. I try to eat something filling, Chobani is my go-to. We do meal plan so I’ll actually log my dinner before I eat my lunch so I can figure out how many calories I can fit into my mid-day meal which I like to keep at about 400 or less. To keep dinner lower in calories we like to incorporate lots of fruits and veggies. If we’re eating more of a comfort food type dinner we just use portion control.
Over time I’ve learned to eat foods that are high in protein to feel more full and I try to avoid empty calories. When going out to dinner I often enjoy lighter options like grilled chicken. I’m making better choices every day, and when I make some not-so-great choices I’ll counteract them with extra exercise or lighter meals for the rest of the day.
One ridiculous and superficial thing that really bothered me about this weight loss is that nobody noticed that I was shedding major pounds until about a week ago. I felt more confident in my skin and in my eyes I looked a lot slimmer, but we kept hanging out with family and friends and no one noticed. It made me feel incredibly self-conscious. There’s a rule of thumb that I follow that you see on every fitness forum and website, it takes 4 weeks for you to notice changes in your body, close family and friends 8, and everyone else will notice in 12. That definitely rang true in my case, and I think it’s one of the reasons why I haven’t really talked about my weight loss until now.
As far as changes in my body I feel like I’ve lost a little bit of fat from everywhere, but one thing that’s completely gone is my back fat and my love handles. The area I really want to tackle next; my arms, they keep waving long after I’m done if you know what I mean. I think I was doing a good job at hiding how huge I was in pictures and on social media, but here you go, this is my before and after.
I’m really happy that I finally made this change, I’m a total foodie and will probably have to use MyFitnessPal for all of eternity to keep myself on track. I might change my settings once I reach my goals to maintain my weight though, and who knows maybe I’ll hit 180 and want to keep on going. Today I have more energy to play with my daughter. I feel better about myself. I actually have some visible muscle mass, which makes me feel awesome. I also want to do all of the clothes shopping, but I’m resisting and hanging out in oversized clothes until I hit more of my goals. There is a negative side effect of weight loss though, I’m no longer a couch potato thanks to that extra energy I have and I barely ever get to watch my favorite TV shows. I’ll get to you someday Luke Cage.
If you’re thinking about starting to lose weight, stop thinking about it. Don’t wait until tomorrow, start right now even if it’s the middle of the night. Download MyFitnessPal, get some workout clothes ready to take your dog for a long walk in the morning and you’ll be really happy with yourself in 100 days.
Written by, Brittany, the geek behind the blog. Sharing tips and stories from the trenches on navigating life homeschooling and homesteading as a stay at home mom.