Losing 100+ Pounds & What Comes Next
This year has been the most I have felt accomplished not only in my adult life, but ever.
In April 2019, I officially reached 100 pounds down from my heaviest. In a tweet, I even enclosed pictures that I would normally never feel comfortable sharing. However, that threshold of feeling was reached - the feeling of being comfortable in my own skin. The confidence that goes with clothing decisions and food choices. I am the most active I have ever been: running, weight lifting, and HIIT. Yoga is at the center of my morning routines to get the blood flowing and the energy just right to tackle the obstacles of the day.
Most importantly, I'm not at war with food. The labeling of food and the internal shaming of my habits has turned into a much easier process. Even when at my most stressed and my habits become sloppy, I don't feel like curling up in a ball and caving to every single whim of my impulsive urges. No more 3 AM Top Ramen packs. No more whole family-size bags of chips in one sitting. No emotional baggage kimchi fries with extra bacon three times a week.
With each milestone reached, there is always a new tool and mental muscle you can flex. Ready to combat those bad days and those urges with a sense and understanding that you didn't have before in previous life moments? The best feeling is knowing you have grown from habits that lead to paths of unhappiness and unsteadiness.
This was a big goal to hit, and it happened over about seven years with plenty of setbacks and learning. After a few months, I want to reflect on where these feelings are now and how my ‘new’ me has held up after the final push to my goal. What are some thoughts I could impart to you if you are in some sort of the same position with your journey?
Remember where you came from
If you’re like me and anything close to human, the past can be a bit hard to relive. There are some things we wish we could have been or could have done better - and dwelling on such musings could be downright depressing.
However - remembering your milestones and keeping track of your progress can do wonders to appease your constantly criticizing inner demons. I kept a log book and would weigh myself fairly consistently. Taking measurements and putting dates next to photos in an online document is also great! I was able to keep my records from previous years and track all progress made in various ways.
While it may not be the most fun to revisit those pictures, feelings about yourself, or memories - looking at it through the “This is how far I have come-” lens helps keep those progress doubts at bay.
You are where you are now at least once in your life, you can always do this journey again - and more - when you are ready.
Accept you will fluctuate and gain it back
I have ABSOLUTELY gained back some pounds from the initial weigh-in goal. Heck, I fluctuate weekly depending on what I ate. Spoiler alert, we all do! We will never remain at the same weight day in and day out. It is super important to remember that any fluctuation does not take away from your overall achievements.
You worked HARD. You sacrificed energy, comfort, and time. You built great habits from your newly minted, healthy routines. You continue to assess and adapt to each new day of obstacles and changes.
What you can continue to work on instead of just a number is keeping your habits and positive attitude in working order. This will help stave any belief that you are worthless and your efforts were for nothing. Of course, they were for something - they were for YOU.
And the “you” that is reading this is different than the “you” that didn’t know this article existed. Accept that you will have some changes that are less than savory. Because the sooner you do and when you put them into perspective, the easier it will be to take that inner negative monologue down a few notches. No one needs that voice any louder than it already is in a day.
You did great and you continue to kick butt - don’t forget it!
Take a goddamn break
Staying completely focused on numbers and intake and schedules and intensity and benchmarks and meal prepping and budgeting and key dates - is about as exhausting as it was to write that grammatically weird sentence.
We get tired and deserve breaks. That’s why we have shifts at work, caffeine, and vacations. No one can just go, go, go all the time. Yes, not even you or me. Breaks are normal, and in the struggle for goal achievement - they are completely necessary for the completion of them.
Don’t be afraid to take it easy after you reach a milestone. You can still keep up your great food habits and maybe take it lighter at the gym. Your body will thank you appropriately by letting you not only recover, but you may get some unexpected results during your return. I took about a 3-month break after losing about pounds in a huge and yearlong lifestyle shift in 2017. I only did yoga and walking. When I went back to HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and weights, I found my body recovered faster from the workouts thanks to my increased flexibility and maintenance of stamina.
AND I didn’t gain back nearly any permanent change in weight because the downsize in stress and time at the gym helped me focus on new recipes. These fresh recipes helped keep my next stint of routines fresh, well fed, and actually enticing to continue! Nothing like newly revitalized taste buds to keep the focus and energy on the tasks at hand.
(Don’t forget your treats and cheats every once in a while, too! Rewards help you stay on track!)
In a future article, I’ll talk about my 90 days of focus that I do and then expand more on my break times in between. You can try it out yourself and see if you like it!
Find an interim goal
Remember, happiness doesn’t just happen because you have reached something. You are going to be happy - but then the nitpicky thoughts start to happen. "Shouldn’t I have lost more inches here?”, “Why don’t I have a flat stomach still?”, or “One more dress size would be great…”. To save yourself from these infernal thoughts - I definitely suggest finding an interim goal.
And this could, or rather I would suggest it should, be something OTHER than a number.
What was something you found really, really cool as a side effect of your efforts?
Did you gain muscle from your journey?
Did you earn lots of extra flexibility from regular yoga or stretching?
Can you walk to and from work now if your buses are running late and feel pretty great still after 30, 40, or 60 minutes of activity?
Out of any of these examples above, what is something else you can’t wait to work on even more?
This is your interim goal. You’re maintaining healthy habits and a solid schedule of routines - let’s make your new goal less about numbers and more about how you feel!
That is what matters the most, right?! Right.
Do what feels comfortable with your new image and weight
We could nitpick for days about the things we don't like about ourselves. Analysis, comparison, shaming, dreaming. All of these thoughts can cause crippling doubt in your actions, just as stated in the section above. It is up to you, the person who knows your wants, your body, and your needs the best - to understand and confirm what your comfort level is.
Comfort level is how you accept, accentuate, and affirm your changes. And in turn, how you share them with yourself and others.
Accept - know that you met your overall goals and milestones. Write down where you are and where you want to go. Roadmap, plan, and keep track of everything! You don’t know you make progress without tracking it, right? Make a list, keep a record, share a photo, join a support group, have a friend who is your accountability buddy, and share share share your story! Repeatedly tell your brain - “I can make it. I can do it. I made it. I did it.”
Accentuate - how to feel GOOD and CONFIDENT with your changes! This is the fun part - what are some great choices you can make to feel proud and excited about where you are? Buy new clothes, take a day at the beach, go for a hike, and visit friends in another town over. This is your new normal - so do normal things with it and reward your hard work!
Affirm - understand that your journey was hard and not everything you achieved will be what you expected or strove so hard to complete. There is still time. It’s okay to not be at the place you want at the exact time you planned - you did amazing to be where you are and nothing can take that away. Concretely, firmly, and completely congratulate yourself for making it - for accomplishing so many steps, wiping off so much sweat, cooking so much food, and making the hard decision to change for you!
These are the conversations you can have with yourself to understand what makes you feel the best - and that involves looking and taking care of that brain to remember you did great.
Celebrate not only the number, but the YOU that carries it!
I repeat: This is your new normal.
It takes some getting used to. Nothing will be inherently easy and you will have setbacks.
Never forget where you were, where you are, and that you already know you have the power to do anything that is necessary in your next steps.
You. are. AMAZING!
