Are you frustrated about how to lose weight even if you have tried over and over again? No worry, let’s take a look at these real stories from people who defeat obesity and lose their stubborn fat successfully. We hope you might able to find your own way and learn some useful tips from it.
1. Don’t think of your fitness journey as a “diet.” Diets imply that you’re limiting your body, so try to think of this as a lifestyle change.
I’ve spent the last three years making small decisions every day for a healthier lifestyle. I’ve been trading fast food for meal-prepped food, and I’ve subbed Netflix marathons for ultramarathons on trails.
I’ve dropped 120+ pounds and gained a whole new world! No fad diets, no supplements, no pills, and no weird shakes – just good, old, better nutrition and exercise. The key was that I never called it a “diet.” Instead, I chose to find a sustainable lifestyle that would ensure I stuck with it. Maintaining my weight around 150 pounds from 270+ has completely changed the trajectory of my life!
2. Walk. Everywhere.
I used to be a super active teen, but when I got to college I started having really bad anxiety. I didn’t have time to exercise, and my food habits were terrible. When I graduated I decided I need to get back to my old habits. I wanted to be healthier again because I didn’t recognize myself anymore. I started walking a little bit every day. When I felt comfortable and confident enough to do more, I started trying other things, like pilates and boxing. Now I do pole dancing and even go running a few times a week. I’m down 50 pounds!
3. Focus on and celebrate smaller victories that aren’t strictly about the number of pounds you’ve lost.
In February of 2016, I got a Fitbit. I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. It taught me about calorie counting, exercise, and overall wellness. The biggest thing that helped me was realizing that your weight isn’t always going to drop. You’ll have weeks where things stay the same, weeks where your weight goes up, and weeks where it goes down, but don’t focus on your weight in the short term. Focus on the long term.
It’s been three years since then, and I’ve lost nearly 90 pounds. It really helped to set achievable goals for myself. I’m so proud of myself for the determination I’ve shown over the last several years. If you’re not in it for the right reasons, and if you aren’t dedicated, then you won’t lose weight/get healthy/feel stronger/whatever your goal is.
4. Don’t feel like you need to do a complete overhaul when you get started. Try making small changes at first, and then go from there.
At the beginning of 2018, I had been at my heaviest since having my second child. I wanted to feel good about myself and get healthy for my kids. I first started by making tiny changes in my diet (like substituting regular cream and sugar in my coffee for skim milk and Splenda). After the first two months of changing what I was eating, I joined a small local gym that does HIIT (high-intensity interval training). I never thought I’d love working out so much, but I felt so strong and really started to see my body change. It was a total lifestyle change. It wasn’t easy, but in total I lost 45 pounds in 2018.
5. Commit to doing something for a shorter period of time (like 30, 60, or 90 days) instead of looking at this as a never-ending journey. As a result, tackling your nutrition and fitness may be less intimidating.
I dedicated myself to being committed to 90 days of eating right, drinking a lot of water, cutting out alcohol, and exercising a few days a week. I also found ways to incorporate physical activities into my life: dance classes, joining attending volleyball league, and joining a dodgeball team.
For the first 30 days, it was extremely hard and frustrating. After about 45 days, it all sort of became second nature. My body adjusted to waking up early, my tastebuds adjusted to eating less salt and sugar, and I had fewer cravings for the unhealthy things I previously enjoyed. Following the 90 days, my new routine wasn’t hard to keep up with at all. It turned into my new normal. I lost 40 pounds in about a year.
—Maatra Henderson
6. Understand that it’s difficult to change your outside without looking in, so try to identify how and why you feel a certain way.
The best thing I did was figure out how to identify baggage and deal with it head on. I was in a manipulative relationship that led me to eat out after a long day at work because I didn’t want to go home.
When I was home, I munched on anything that would help me suppress the fact that I was stressed, depressed, and anxious. I ignored all of the signs that something was wrong, but reality smacked me in the face with a major health scare due to my being overweight, out of shape, lacking in vital nutrients, and depressed.
It scared me enough to finally ask myself the “why” and face the root cause before it potentially killed me. I realized it was toxic excess baggage in the form of people and circumstance.
So, I stopped trying to hide from it. I left my ex-fiancé, I stopped eating out, and I started hitting the gym. It took me about two months before I finally became consistent with a gym routine.
Then I started making little nutritional changes, and everything else fell into place. I learned how to meal prep, I got a 32-ounce water bottle and made sure I drank and refilled it several times a day, and I even took a nutrition class to gain a greater understanding of diet, macronutrients, and food in general. But, most importantly, I remained consistent and persisted.
I’ve lost 112 pounds in about a year. I’m happier, more confident, and so much stronger than ever before.
7. Don’t feel forced to cook every single meal, and understand that it’s still okay to eat at your favorite restaurants.
I’m a flight attendant, so I’m always on the go and eating at fast-food places. The WW app was the backbone to my success, because they have the point value of all the menu items at every chain restaurant, and it steered me in the right direction!
Everyone thinks they have to meal prep to lose weight, but most fast-food joints have hopped on the healthy trend, so it’s actually easy to eat healthy on the go! I’ve lost 70 pounds in about eight months!
HealthBuff 