How I Lost 100 Pounds | FOOD part 1

How I Lost 100 Pounds | FOOD part 1

I am a goal oriented girl … I find it motivating to have something that I am ultimately working towards. But I have also found that huge goals that take a long time to reach tend to frustrate me. That frustration eventually leads to me giving up. That’s why on this journey I started creating “mini goals” that were obtainable within a few months. When I reach them they make me feel more successful and they motivate me to keep moving forward. That being said, I still have a few “huge” goals in place that are worthwhile of big celebrations.

Well, a few weeks ago I celebrated a huge goal …  100 pounds lost.  I’ve finally fought my way through a few “set points”/plateaus and am at a point in my journey that is all new (and exciting!) to me.

Since sharing my story of losing weight (again) after gastric bypass (my story of bypass 13 years ago followed by loss and regain), I’ve had several readers ask me how I am losing weight. I’ve thought long and hard on just how to share this information… with one huge information dump or baby steps. Over the past couple of years I’ve learned that it’s not about just changing one aspect of your life, that it’s a combination of food and movement, and it has taken me several attempts and many many baby steps to get here. 

So, that is how I will share … in baby steps. Small changes add up. Master each step and the next will not feel so overwhelming, right?

Let’s start from the beginning, our foundation … with food.

I’ve learned several things along the way… the biggest lesson was that if you don’t feed your body (properly) you’ll get nowhere fast. I learned that I wasn’t eating enough *gasp* and I was feeding my body the wrong foods.

There are two resources that I began with & are still the biggest help to me today:

1. The Whole30: I had a serious problem with carbs and sugar. Participating in a round of the Whole30 helped me kick the hold these two things had on me and the fabulous side effect was that I lost 25 pounds that month. Whether you read the book or just print out and read up on the rules and guides, the Whole30 can be a pivoting point in your journey. You can also find dozens of Whole30 support groups on Facebook for daily/instant support and recipes/food ideas. Feeding my body clean whole foods helped clear my head, it changed how I felt and helped me gain control of what I eat. It also gave me a firm foundation for the next part of my journey. You can do anything for 30 days, right? (I promise, you’ll want to keep going by the end.)
2. Body Confidence: The second resource that I can’t recommend enough is a book called Body Confidence by Mark MacDonald. He has a full program called Venice Nutrition, but if you have a handle on what you are eating you can get enough from the book to put the how and why into play successfully.

By starting from the ground floor and setting a proper foundation with the right foods your journey will be filled with fewer pot holes. You’ll immediately notice changes in your energy levels, your mood, your attitude towards food and the cravings for the foods that typically knock you off track will diminish dramatically.

Take your time with this step, it’s an important one. I played with this for nearly a year before moving on. I didn’t track, only tried to stay as close to the guidelines as possible while still living and I lost 50 pounds that year. I am still currently working towards my next “mini goal” of finally weighing less than 200 pounds. I haven’t seen “onederland” since 1988 but I can finally see it in the horizon!

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