Before/Current: https://imgur.com/a/sy9Tm62
Gotta post one more for the road. 2 years ago today was the first day that I told myself no. No to the binge eating. No to the drive thru. No to the sugar. It was the first day I said no when I wanted to say yes and said yes when I was screaming NO.
The start of my changes were rooted in lowering my overall caloric intake and focusing on keeping my carbs under 100g daily. At 441 lbs, it was still a massive deficit and was the easiest part. Once I started paying attention to nutrition labels I started dropping the pounds so fast just on diet changes alone. I will never forget the first weigh in where I had lost 21 lbs in 4 weeks. It was like that little spark finally had the ignition it needed.
Due to rapid fat loss I ended up losing my gallbladder as I know many people have experienced in the low carb/keto world. After that hiccup 8 months in, I took a few weeks to let my body recover properly since I was still hovering around 360 lbs at this time. Any surgery at that rate makes you a risky biscuit.
My nutrition guidelines are based in keto. My carbs stay low with moderate levels of fat and protein. I typically maintain a daily caloric intake of 1400 to 1700 calories depending on what was expended from exercise. No red meat. No dairy other than Greek yogurt for the protein and to use as a substitute in dips for mayo. Lots of jerky snacks. Lots of ignoring bread and pasta and everything that my heart truly desires. My head is smarter, though. I know I have no control with foods like that, so this entire lifestyle change was necessary.
My entire exercise plan so far has been cardio. Straight up cardio. A little weight lifting here and there, but I love the fat burn and I really want to continue burning out the fat I have left before I fill the space with muscle and try to account for as much loose skin as I can. I can tell you there is a significant amount of it, but I’m lucky to be 31 and have a little bit of genetic help. I will be patient. I’ve been patient enough to go through all of this without surgery. I don’t want to fix anything with a knife. I want to feel like life is worth living without altering myself (I do not hold a negative view on bariatric surgeries, it’s just not for me.) A lot of that feeling is rooted in depression and anxiety and I know that there’s not a knife in the world sharp enough to fix my head for me.
REMINDER THAT MENTAL HEALTH IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS PHYSICAL HEALTH AND THERE IS NO SHAME IN THERAPY AND MEDICATION. We have seen far too often what the consequences of mental health can do to people that are seemingly the happiest on earth. Talk to someone. Be there for someone. End the stigma.
I’ve gone into more detail with my mental health struggles and addiction issues in prior posts so I don’t want to ramble about it again here, but know this: Every life matters. Everyone deserves a chance to live free in the body they were given. Everyone deserves to feel the good and the bad and the happy and the sad and the chaotic and the calm and everything in between. No journey is perfect. The journey is waiting for you. If you are looking to start, then don’t wait for Monday. Don’t give yourself another weekend to “enjoy yourself” before you hit the gas. Start with your next choice. Be better today than you were yesterday. I’ve learned so much from this sub. I love this place. I love these people.
You don’t need a crazy fad diet. You don’t need a Monday. You don’t need the bullshit. You just need to want to change. The rest comes with time. Embrace the struggles. Forgive yourself. Be kind to yourself. Try to make everybody feel like they are somebody. It will come full circle, I promise you. Have a beautiful Friday, LoseIt family :)
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