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Honestly, part of me barely knows where to begin with this post! There are so many aspects of a large weight-loss journey that have been surprise. Or at least, many things I hadn’t previously thought about. At the beginning of my journey I was like most people with a large amount of weight to lose. All I could focus on was the scale and numbers.
When I started my journey I was 249 lbs, a new twin-mom, and was overwhelmed by life. While I had been overweight all my life, I had never before been this overweight. I was in a really low place. I was so close to tipping the scales over to 250 lbs and for me, I knew that if that happened, I would fall down a hole that I might never be able to get out of.
So that was the first day that I pushed play on a fitness program. And from there, I never looked back. It was about putting one foot in front of the other.
Numbers, Numbers, Numbers
When I started my weight loss journey, it was all about the numbers. I had a scale in my bathroom and to say I was obsessed with it would be an understatement. I think I weighed myself every single time I stepped foot in the bathroom. It did nothing for my self-esteem. And it was a negative motivation.
The truth is, the human body fluctuates throughout the day. That’s normal and natural. But seeing the numbers go up and down all day does a number on the psyche. And I’m sure if you’re trying to lose weight and reading this, you’re totally understanding what I’m saying.
The first thing I wish I had really understood was that this feeling never goes away. It doesn’t matter how much weight you lose. It doesn’t matter if you “hit your goal weight”. The negative feelings that you get from the scale never go away. Even now, at my fittest and healthiest, the odd time when I step on the scale it still messes with my head. I find myself thinking about those numbers for at least a day or two later. How ridiculous is that? But I now understand that the scale, regardless of my weight, is simply a negative place and I’ve long since thrown it away.
Save yourself the unnecessary negativity and ditch your scale. Measure your success literally with a tape measure or use clothing sizes. Both of these methods of tracking weight loss are much more positive and motivating.
It Will Take Others a Long Time To See Your Weight Loss
I think a lot of people quit their journey because they or the people around them aren’t seeing the results of their hard work. Which, trust me, I understand is discouraging. But it takes about a month for you to start seeing small changes and it takes even longer for the people around you to really start to see physical changes. But just because it can take longer than you like to see results, doesn’t mean that the changes aren’t happening.
This is one of the reasons that I tell people to take lots of progress pictures. Not only that, progress pictures of different areas of your body and different angles. It’s easier to see those small changes when you’re comparing side-by-side photos of your face, or your biceps, or you legs etc, then when you’re just looking in the mirror.
But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether or not someone else can see your weight loss progress. What matters is that you’re continuing on your journey no matter what.
Weight Loss Is Expensive
The fact that big weight loss is expensive is obvious in hindsight but not something that even remotely crossed my mind when I started my journey. When I first started my journey, things like a $150 fitness streaming subscription seemed pricy. But in reality, it’s been the cheapest part. It’s certainly been cheaper than that time I tried an expensive gym membership!
Secondly, what makes weight loss truly expensive is the clothing. No, not the workout clothes. I mean replacing your entire wardrobe once or twice due to your weight loss. In my case, I have replaced my entire wardrobe three and a half times! The half comes from only needing to replace pants the final time. Think about it. In my case, I couldn’t continue to wear my size 18 clothing the entire time I worked my way down to size 4. I ended up replacing my clothes at size 14, 10, 6 and 4. For the most part that meant over the past two and a half years I’ve had to purchase:
- 2 winter jackets
- 2 spring coats
- 2 pairs of snow pants
- 4 bathing suits
- at least 12 pairs of jeans
- endless shirts and sweaters
- endless workout clothes
- several new dresses
- several new bras
- lots of new underwear
- several new pjs
and so much more. It’s crazy to think what that cost adds up too. The only thing that didn’t change was my shoe size. So the above, was where the real expense of weight loss lied. If I had realized this, I would have purchased my subscription service sooner. I would have jumped sizes quicker and honestly, saved myself a lot of money over the two years.
Not Everyone Will Support You
You might be like, what? Who wouldn’t support another persons weight loss? You’d be really surprised at who stays and who disappears when you dive into healthy living. Even those closest to you may not support your new lifestyle choices, even if these choices are in your best interest. I still don’t understand why some people are like this but I believe it stems from jealousy. Eating healthy and exercising may only highlight how unhealthy their own lives are. And maybe they’re not ready or willing to change like you are. Either way, you can’t let anyone, no matter who they are, stop you from pursuing your healthiest life.
There Is No Finish Line
Weight loss is a journey that doesn’t have a true destination. I used to think that once I hit my “goal weight” that my journey would be over. But the truth is, once you commit to a healthy lifestyle you have to commit to that path forever. This is why it is so important to choose diets and fitness habits that you know you will be able to maintain forever. So if you don’t think you can maintain a keto, vegan or low-fat diet for your entire life, then don’t even start. Do what is sustainable for you.
It’s also important to recognize that as you continue on your journey of weight loss and then maintenance, that your fitness will always evolve. It’s important to consistently change things up so your journey doesn’t get tired and boring.
Those are the top 5 things I wish I had known and understood before starting a big weight loss journey.
What part of your weight loss journey have you found to be the most challenging?
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Chat soon,
Shannon
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