How I became a smaller me.

Though I didn’t intend to cover my personal shrinking adventure on the site, I have been asked by more than a few people, “How did you do it?”

I figured rather than keep answering the same question individually, I would share my story and those who might be interested can read about it.

So here it goes!

First step was to get my mind behind the whole thing. I knew that if I did not engage my head wholeheartedly in this endeavor then there would be very little success for me. So I worked to change my thought processes. I did not keep telling myself “You can’t have that” or “You can’t ever eat that.” I’m a foodie and to cut out entire food groups or ingredients (except cilantro, but that’s always banned in my world 😉 ) would be a recipe for disaster.

Then I looked around a bit for tools to help me along and opted for My Fitness Pal to help me log what I ate and provide data on calories and exercise. I plugged in my stats (starting weight, height, activity level, weight I wanted to lose per week) and used the stats they set.

Then I bought a food scale and began to meticulously weigh everything I consumed. The goal here was to not only keep within my calorie allotment, but to also really learn what an actual portion is. Not gonna lie, when you find out how little peanut butter you get for 190 calories, it will make you sad…. Well, at least it did me.

I did not focus on anything other than CICO – calories in, calories out.

I did not banish food groups, “all things white” or any other woo-ish trendy gimmicks that continually float about. My focus was to make sure I stayed within my calories, felt sated, and hopefully kept on a downward trend on the scale. There were times I craved things like pizza or a cookie or whatever and I let myself have it – in a controlled, logged portion.

At first, there was little exercise. Tackling one thing at a time made it more achievable to me. By just altering quantities in my diet and becoming very aware of what I was eating – and how I might mindlessly nosh on things through the day – the pounds began to come off.

A few weeks into it, I started adding in exercise. While the scale was moving downward, I was still in pretty crappy shape. It turns out, this was almost the hardest part of the project. In a former life, while I was no major athlete, I could easily swim a mile and bike 100 miles. I had been much more active and my current state was a sobering and depressing wake up call as to how I had let things slide over the years. It was humbling and humiliating to say the least.

To keep motivated, I would remind myself how I had been a beginner at most things at some point and I knew I could progress if I kept with it. Becoming discouraged and quitting wouldn’t get me anywhere. So I kept at it.

The additional activity also had a bonus of letting me eat a little more each day and still fall within my calories.

I dug out my old Wii Fit and did their exercises. I bought a used Zumba game online and tried my hand at that. Once in a while I would tackle some yoga. Eventually, I decided to try running.

The trend in my weight kept going down.

Was I perfect all the time? Of course not.

I knew on Thursdays I would be over my calories since my friends and I had a weekly dinner with [plenty of] wine. I’d eat a little less the day before and after if I needed. I still logged everything consumed.

After being immersed in everything losing for 7 months, I decided to take a break over the holidays. I warned myself that the goal was to maintain and loosen up a little bit. If my weight started to climb, then the brakes needed to go on. I had zero desire to go back to how I was.

I continued with my running and added in hiking, making sure to remain active and continue to improve my fitness level.

This break lasted more than through the holidays, it lasted 7 months. Thankfully, I maintained and there was only a 4 lb fluctuation in my weight during this period.

When my brain clicked back into the game, I returned to my logging and watching what I ate. I was more active than ever and much more in tune with my body. I was better adept at recognizing when I was hungry or thirsty. Putting the fork down when I was full and giving myself a mental smackdown if I started to go into the kitchen like a snack zombie.

I want to note that other than a previous battle with anemia (which has been dealt with) I am very lucky in that my health has always been good. I don’t have blood pressure issues, high cholesterol, diabetes, breathing issues, etc. While they didn’t start off too bad, my stats in all areas have improved since losing weight and my body feels 100% better.

I’d gone through life being so accustomed to feeling kind of icky I didn’t notice it. Dropping pounds gave my knees a break, I wasn’t hauling around so much extra, unnecessary weight anymore and my skeleton was thanking me for it. I could bend and buckle my strappy sandals without fighting my body to do so. Now I no longer felt that moment of absolute terror when I had to wind through a crowded restaurant to get to my table.

The biggest lesson I have learned: there are no magic pills or tricks to this.

What I also learned: calories are a unit of energy  measurement. In that capacity, they are basically all the same. If you take this as the simplest math equation, eat less and move more.

Nutritionally, they are different. You will get more nutritional benefit from a giant bunch of spinach than you will a Twinkie. Now, if I eat 100 calories of spinach and 100 calories of a Twinkie, energy wise, they are pretty much the same – but the 100 calories of spinach is going to provide a boatload more nutrition.

Throughout this whole process, I have eaten and drank what I wanted to: pizza, brownies, wine, rice, bread… everything. I merely pay strict attention to how much of each.

Do I pass up a few glasses of wine so I might have something extra at dinner? Of course. That is part of it – a math equation (who else is shocked that I am actually into something math-related? lol)

I cannot eat and drink with abandon and expect to have any sort of success. It doesn’t work that way.

It should also be said that I don’t go for bro-science or “woo” in all this. There is so much misinformation out there that it’s doing more harm than good.

In other words, I stayed on track, I put in the work, and I saw results.

For those interested, here are some little tricks I’ve come up with that have helped me.

• For some snacks, I buy the little “fun packs” and keep them on hand. I am much more likely to eat a reasonable amount of Peanut M&Ms if I only have my hand in a wee pack than if the larger bags are sitting there calling to me. Same with chips. The small lunch bags are perfect (I still weigh these, by the way. Manufacturers are allowed to be up to 20% off in what is in the package vs. the listed serving size.
• Buy a food scale. I’m in love with this baby I bought on Amazon after my first one died an untimely death. Measure in grams. Weighing your food will be so much more accurate than using a measuring up.
• Prep single serving meals. I do this a lot with breakfast. I make frozen breakfast sandwiches with English muffins, egg, bacon, cheese, and hot sauce. They are simple, convenient, and cheaper than hitting the drive through. I also know exactly what is in them – not only for taste, but for the logging.
• Become mindful. If you start noshing without thinking, take a moment and consider why you’re scavenging in the kitchen. Are you bored? Go take a walk or pick up a book. Upset? Figure out how to handle the problem.. If it’s a big problem, then head outside or write in a journal. Do something besides eat.
• Keep “goal clothes”. I have a number of pieces I have kept around and I try them on regularly to mark progress. Sometimes the scale isn’t moving as fast as I like, but my butt is definitely shrinking. Don’t let the scale rule your life. It is a tool, but not the only one you have at your disposal.
• Set short term, realistic goals. I don’t set “Lose 10 pounds by August” type goals, but rather “Lose 10 pounds” or “fit into your old mom-jeans.” (please note, I have zero desire to wear the mom jeans, but they were from a time I was much smaller, so to be able to get into them is a win…. And a fashion don’t )
• Be understanding with yourself. No one is perfect or always on track. We are human. We have good days and bad days. Note possible off-day triggers and see if there is a pattern, be aware of your overall trend and make sure you are going in the direction you want to be headed. Remember that one day or one meal won’t destroy all your progress. What will destroy it is if you take one setback and give up.
• Motivation is fickle and fleeting. Focus on creating new habits and developing new interests. That will help carry you through the times when your “motivation” lags. This is a marathon, not a sprint. You will have setbacks, bouts with impatience and frustration, and many times where you might not see the point of it all. Your mind is your biggest ally and your most dangerous enemy in this.

If you’re on your own weight loss journey, know there are so many people out there to support you and help you on your way. You don’t need anything special other than your own determination to make a positive change in your health and life.

You’ve got this.