About a year ago I was eating a whole pot pie while browsing reddit and I stumbled upon LoseIt. I had already lost a couple pounds just by biking, but I was feeling kind of down on myself and wanted to get serious.
So I read the wiki, re-downloaded MFP, and stepped on a scale. I weighed in at 196lbs. I was 30 years old (am now 31), female, and 5'1", with a moderately active lifestyle (lots of biking and walking, no gym). I was one of those "healthy" obese people who could bike 20 miles or run up 5 flights of stairs without getting winded.
Fall/Winter of 2017:
The weight came off really fast, just with some gentle CICO. By September 2017 I was 191lbs. By November 1st I was 183lbs.
In late November, I had to go shopping for new bras. I went from a 38C/D to a 36D.
In December of 2017 I signed up for a six month DietBet and breezed through the first month. On Christmas I weighed in a 169. Holiday eating is not an issue for me as I work as a house manager for one of my clients over the holidays, so there was little time to eat and I was too busy making overtime to care.
A warm winter allowed me to bike to work late into the year, enabling the burning of thousands of additional calories as commuter fuel. I focused on the sheer joy of it: taking the long way home, through Central Park, feeling the brisk air, imagining the calories I was burning as I powered myself up hills.
Spring 2018
Weight loss slowed considerably in January of 2018. My activity levels and calorie intake were about the same. On January 17 I was 168lbs. It was my first stall. I knew it would happen sometime.
I pushed through it. Weigh ins for the DietBet were really scary - I had to restrict how much water I drank the night before a weigh in, and be certain to weigh in during mornings when my weight would be lowest. I prayed for my period to stay regular- because even the pound I gain during PMS could cause me to lose the bet. Meeting goals only "technically" or by the skin of my teeth made me feel crappy. I was still logging religiously and keeping a deficit, so I kept the faith that the weight would come off in a whoosh..... eventually.
The scale did not move in any significant way until mid-March, when I hit 163. This was a big milestone because it meant I was no longer obese by BMI.
April and May saw very slow but steady progress. I resigned myself to the fact that losing 7lbs in a month, like I did in the beginning, was not going to be the norm anymore. Judging by my excel spreadsheet, it looked like the new normal was 2lbs per month. Depressing, but still lapping everyone on the couch. Time's gonna pass anyway, right?
Summer 2018
I weighed in at 158.8lbs on May 13, 2018. Weight loss slowed to nearly a halt in May, June and July- at the end of those three months, I had lost only .6 lb per month- even with the usual fluctuations taken into account. I bombed the final two months of the DietBet. I was close but I just didn't make it.
I wondered if I was done, if this was just my body's "equilibrium" weight. I was very proud of how far I'd come and it wouldn't be the end of the world if this was my new forever weight.
Work was incredibly stressful during this period, including a 15-straight day work stretch that left me truly burnt out. I got a little more lax about food during that time, but my activity levels were through the roof, so I was still in deficit. I was running on fumes, not sleeping enough, kind of emotionally shaky, and didn't make the best nutritional choices.
On August 1st, 2018, I bought "The Beginner's Guide to Fasting" by Dr. Jason Fung and decided I'd give IF a go. I started out small with 16:8, then expanded to OMAD, and threw in a weekly 40-hour fast once I felt ready.
Immediately, the weight started coming off again, even faster than the beginning. On August 1 I weighed 154.0 lbs. On September 1 I weighed 146.8lbs - an 7.2lb difference. Coworkers and clients noticed. I was elated!
I still do CICO, but it is effortless with IF. I only have to remember to log once. Getting my insulin down is a major breakthrough for me. I am no longer ravenously hungry/tired all the time. There is zero deprivation, just delay. I feel like I discovered a cheat code.
My stylish coworker wanted to take me shopping, but she insisted that I "get some bras that fit" first. She said the new clothes wouldn't look right otherwise. I got fitted by a professional this time, who informed me that I was now a 34DD. My bust circumference actually decreased from 41" to 38.5" but I guess that doesn't matter in the wacky world of cup sizes.
Underwear that fits is truly an instant improvement to the figure. If you are feeling demotivated, but have already lost some weight, I suggest is as a pick-me-up.
Conclusion:
I went from 196lbs to 146.8 lbs in a year with CICO, bicycling, and later on, IF.
My circumference around my belly button has decreased from 46in to 38 in, while going from a 38C to a 34DD in bras. I've moved from size US XL to a size US M.
No loose skin yet, but I do look a bit deflated.
Biggest NSV: I can buy cute clothes from China now because I am now an Asian Extra Large! LOL
Goals for Year 2: Get out of Overweight BMI and into Healthy BMI
Progress Pic:
Let's see what year 2 brings! If you glean nothing else from my story, let the message be- "Don't Quit! Don't Give Up! Weight loss is a marathon AND a rollercoaster."
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