Loweedalama attributes her fantastic success at losing 100 lbs by using Calorie Count’s tools, changing her eating habits, and exercising regularly. With 15-20 pounds to go, she doesn’t plan on stopping what she’s doing anytime soon. Read on for more of her weight loss tips, all taken from her own experiences.
1. What prompted you to begin this weight loss journey? Did you have an “Aha!” moment? My first “Aha!” moment was in the summer of 2010 when I stepped on the scale at a local Big Lots. I was at my biggest, in the 270’s! I have been plus size my whole life but just kind of ignored it. The smallest I can remember being is a size 16 and that was when I was 13 years old. I started to realize the toll of the extra weight on my body. My back would go out every few weeks, I had severe pain in my feet, even when I stood for only a few hours, It was harder to keep up with people, and don’t even get me started on “chub rub”. If I wore a dress within a few hours my inner thighs would be swollen and at the end of the day they would be bleeding. I decided I needed to make a change so I could live a happier life. January 2011 my boyfriend and I decided (after trying a fad diet) that we needed to lose weight in a healthy way. He found caloriecount.com and we started counting calories together. By then I was down to 258 because I cut out dairy and went vegan. Partially because I am lactose intolerant and partially for ethical reasons.
2. What other “diets” (programs, products, plans, or services) had you tried in the past? The only diet I have ever tried was “The lemonade diet”. You only drink about 6 cups of lemonade a day and you can’t actually eat anything. I only lasted about a week on that diet and lost about 7 lbs. Quickly though I gained it right back. I realized pretty quickly that “magical” quick fixes are not good for the long term.
3. Please describe how you reached your weight loss goal. What changes did you make to your usual diet, activity, lifestyle, and attitude? Did you implement any other strategies besides Calorie Count? What was the most important change? The two most important changes for me were counting my calories and exercise. I started to eat more vegetables and fruit. I also realized that whole grains made me fuller longer. I got used to whole wheat pasta and brown rice. I started making weekly goals for myself and logging my workouts. I made Sundays my weigh in day. My attitude towards working out has completely changed. The more I challenged myself in my workouts the stronger I felt. I felt so proud of myself when trained for and completed my first 5k race!
4. Please describe how Calorie Count was instrumental to your weight loss. I swear I could write forever about how Calorie Count has helped me! But I will try to keep in short. Counting my calories helped me realize that I was overeating. I love Calorie Count because it gives you the tools to take control of your own diet. Whether it be saving a recipe, grading my nutrition, chatting with the motivating people on Calorie Camp, or reading an inspirational blog!
5. What difficulties did you experience losing weight? I have had a few difficulties. If you could see my weight log graph you would see my weight spike a bit during the holidays. I have a weakness for sugar. There is definitely not a shortage of sugar at potlucks! At first I had some mental road blocks. I had to learn how to stop beating myself up.
6. How long did it take you to see results? When did you realize that you were a success? The results came pretty quickly. I lost about 2 pounds per week. After I lost about 30 lbs I could see a change in my shape. An hour glass was forming!
7. How do you prevent relapse? At this point I don’t think a complete relapse is possible. I have completely changed how I think about food and exercise. I will always weigh myself Sundays and count my calories to keep track though. I don’t think of it as a chore anymore. I like knowing what and how much I am eating.
8. How has your life changed now that you’ve lost weight? My life has completely changed! Around this time a year and a half ago I was sitting on the couch eating a block of cheese as a snack and watching the food network. Now I go to the gym 4-6 days per week and ride my bike to work. I have so much more confidence in myself. Not really because of my weight but because of the journey and how proud I am that I can set goals and complete them now.
9. How long have you maintained your current weight? I am still in the process of losing weight. I want to lose about 15-20 more pounds.
10. What five tips do you have for other dieters?
- Write a blog. (It can help you create a sense of how you feel about your journey and connect with people who relate to you).
- Set small goals each week. Focusing too much on the overall goal can be overwhelming.
- Don’t cut all of the “fun foods” out your diet completely. If you want a cupcake have one! Just try to budget for it in your calories.
- Only lose weight if it’s something you are doing for yourself.
- If it seems too good to be true it most likely is. Do your research.
Source: http://caloriecount.about.com/setting-small-goals-lose-100-pounds-b579145
