Hello! I'm very new to using reddit so I'm sorry of I do this wrong...but I'm excited to find a thread of people who are also looking to make a lifestyle change! Moderators if this post lacks enough advice to be here I will remove it right away, apologies! I'm still trying to figure this place out lol!
My story: I'm 38, and I've been big my whole life, but I became truly morbidly obese in the last 10 years or so. I'm ashamed to admit I was sucked into the HAES movement for awhile, and in that time I let myself get up to 376lbs. I was not doing well: My blood pressure, previously perfect, was starting to climb; I was walking with a cane; I was on daily opioid medication for my back pain (I have a congenital spine defect but it was manageable before I got so big). I was not doing well, but I was also so sucked into fatlogic that I couldn't see a way out.
Then in March 2020 I was laid off. Briefly. I was immediately hired back into a different position in the company, but that one day was really rough, and my dad drove out to go for a walk with me to help me take my mind off things. That first day was painful and slow. In about 45 minutes, I walked 0.6 miles with the help of a cane, and dad asked if I wanted to walk again tomorrow.
Walking with him became a habit, and after a few months I realized I'd begun to lose weight. I dropped about 30lbs just from walking and realized I was feeling better! My blood pressure was lower, my back didn't hurt as bad, and I just generally had more energy.
It would be another year, though, before I realized that my eating habits were going to catch back up with me once my body got used to being more active. When I stepped on a scale in May of 2021 and realized I'd gained back 10 of my lost pounds, I decided to start counting calories and working on eating better, too.
Cut to today: I've been counting calories, cutting way back on fast food/processed food, learning to cook and doing meal prep, and as a result I've now lost 90lbs! I'm close to the halfway point of the total 206 I want to lose (170lbs is my goal weight, since I'm 5'10"). I've gone from size 32 pants to size 24/26 (brand dependent there lol), and today I bought a size 16/18 tank top that fits perfectly! My blood pressure is good again, I'm on a much lighter medication for my back condition, and I've ditched the cane completely. Oh, and I'm walking 4-5 times a week, averaging 3-4 miles per walk, average speed now about 23 minutes per mile. Plus I have more energy than I know what to do with some days!!!
Anyway, I just wanted to share my story in hopes of finding others who have been through this journey or are maybe on it right now, so we can share our successes and stumbles, and learn from each other's mistakes. I hope this is the right place and way to do this. Thank you if you read this far!
Biggest tip: If I've learned anything so far, it's that moderation is really the key. There is no such thing as a diet you can just 'quit' once you get to your goal, because your body WILL jump at the opportunity to put the pounds back on! So making small, sustainable changes that you can live with--and live with for the rest of your life--are far more important than making BIG changes that you'll abandon in a week or a month or a year. It's not about perfect, it's about progress!
TL;DR: I'm a former HAES/FA member who saw the light and is down 90 pounds out of the 206 I need to lose, just looking for support and community as I continue on my journey!
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