What did you do to lose your weight?

I read through some of the answers.. and theirs is probably better than mine. Lol. But thank you for the A2A.

The thing with these answers is that it varies from person to person. What worked for me may not work for you unless we have both the same eating habits and physical activity habits. With that said, I wouldn’t over-indulge on sweets, candies, cakes, ice cream, soda, etc. I rarely, if ever, ate any of that kind of thing. Aside from the Mocha frappuccino from Starbucks. My weaknesses were overeating on carbs. Pasta, bread, and rice especially. Growing up being half Asian in Hawaii.. rice is a staple food. Mine was over-consumption. I didn’t know what moderation meant. I wanted it excessively, or I didn’t want it at all. I would go through my days, drinking 1–2 frappuccinos and eating a ridiculously large dinner full of carbs. On weekends, I would eat large breakfasts, have my frappuccinos, and eat a large dinner. I also had very minimal physical activity.

Recognizing my bad habits, I had to change them. I ignored the physical activity first. I didn’t want to overdo it and become discouraged because it was too hard. So, I focused on my eating habits. I had to develop a better relationship with food and get smarter about what I was putting into my body. I started out with cutting out the frappuccinos entirely, eating smaller meals, and drinking lots and lots of water. I didn’t change too much about what I ate. Just how much of it and how frequently. I got myself used to eating smaller meals and eating frequently. It’s a lot easier of a habit to develop if you’re eating what you like, lol.

Once I had that down and I was eating 4–6 times a day, I started changing what I ate. I started cutting out the breads, pastas, and rice. The rice was the hardest. But eventually I managed to. I made protein a priority, then vegetables, then fruits while trying to keep as low carb as I could.

It was recommended to me by a dietitian to consume protein within the first 2 hours of waking up (but the first half an hour is preferable) to wake up and jump-start your metabolism for the day. A lot of people eat two eggs, or drink a protein shake, etc. I have a hard time getting out of bed. I need to lie there or sit there for a good half an hour to an hour before I even want to get up. So I started keeping protein bars by my bed as something to eat immediately.

Next step was exercise. I just started to walk. I began taking the stairs, getting up more frequently, focusing on trying to increase my heart rate. I just walked, often. I started out slow, and began increasing to using a stationary bike and now an elliptical. I also began doing strength training so that I don’t lose muscle. I’m not very good with keeping up on that, but I’ll get there.

The important thing to be successful is to be patient with yourself. I have bad days where my diet is totally out of wack. Where I eat all the wrong things or I go days without working out. I forgive myself and I get over it. Once I stopped looking at it like a punishment, it became a lot easier to do. When I have a craving for something, I just eat it. Whatever it is. I get it over with. If I ignore it, I’m more likely to binge later. In all honesty, I let myself eat whatever I want, I just change how much of it I consume.

It’s hard, you know? There’s no doubt about it. But it’s as much of a mental and emotional battle as it is a physical one. In fact, the mental and emotional side of it is likely harder than the physical one.

You just have to be patient and forgiving with yourself.

Picture from my IG.

I’m not sure if the asker is trying to lose weight or just trying to hear other stories. But if you are trying to lose weight, my only advice is to recognize your bad habits and work on changing them. Weight loss is not a one size fits all type of thing because we all have different habits. I hope you find what works for you and good luck!