Fitness: 5 Ways I lost 65lbs

I am constantly asked questions on how I lost weight and got healthy. I really could write a book about it (hmm, maybe one day I will); but I thought I would share in this post some tips you can implement in your life that I learned along my journey. The most important thing I tell people is that you need to find out what works for you. Everyone is different, we all have different health resumes, likes and dislikes every person owes it to themselves to find their own healthy.

I indulged in fruits and vegetables. The reason I was overweight to begin with was because I ate too much during a really stressful period in my life. At times I didn’t have an off switch. I later learned that a large part of my eating was emotional i.e I ate when I was stressed out; so I had to learn how to manage this habit. My love of eating has not changed but what I eat has changed. Instead of binging on cheese and crackers, I now will much on a bag of kale, pears or celery sticks.

I found an activity I love. I grew up very active, on the track team, volleyball team and swim team. However, when I was no longer competing I really fell off. It was hard for me to go to the gym just because or go to a Zumba class for no reason. So I started to compete in endurance sports and that changed everything. My love of competition was now satisfied. Now when I ran it was because I had a marathon coming up or I was at the pool training for a triathlon. Training has made working out fun.

I stopped comparing. It is so easy to get wrapped up in what other people look like. With a selfie epidemic in our midst and the fact there is no shortage of #fitinspiration it is easy to get carried away into the sea of comparison and not even realize it. So Stop! I had to realize that I am who I am and that there is only one me. There are things about me that I absolutely love about my body and things I could care less for, but at the end of the day this is what I have. So I stopped comparing myself and became the best person I could be. 

I weighed myself. I know this flies in the face of many fit experts now a days who are telling people to throw away their scales, however, I needed some type of benchmark. Knowing my weight doesn’t define who I am but it keeps me on track.The scale does not lie, and I notice I pick up the pounds during the holidays or when I take a break from training. It doesn’t freak me out, it motivates me to get on track or helps me realize that I am doing a good job maintaining. I know in the past when I was overweight I avoided the scale like the plague; however, as I have gotten healthier the scale doesn’t cause anxiety it only provides the truth. Everyone is different so maybe the scale is not your thing, or it may be the thing to keep you honest along your path to health. 

I quit late night eating. I was notorious for sitting down to have a meal at 10 or 11 at night. I really developed that habit in college, late night study sessions with a million wings and pizza. Carrying that habit into my adulthood was disastrous. I picked up pounds easily when I eat late. So I started with a cut off time of 8PM. The first year of having a cut off time it was hard but eventually my body adapted and I stopped getting hungry after a certain time (you can train your body to do some much). So I encourage you to cut out late night eating, try to stop eating at least 3 hours before bed. 

I am so thankful I gave myself the chance to finally get healthy. I hope these tips help you move past a plateau or into a fitness journey of your own. What are some of your weight loss tips? What habits have helped you shed the weight? Share your thoughts, stories and questions below in the comments.