Things I learned during my Weight loss Journey
Losing weight has always been the number one new year resolution over the last seven years. I would begin the first three months with willpower and then lose track of my workouts and diet in no time. I would shed a few pounds and gain back the weight and more in the next three to four months and this seemed like a never-ending cycle until 2019.
I was born and raised in India as a healthy and curvy girl and never felt the need to change myself. I was happy and confident in my own skin. I came to the united states in 2015 after I got married and then things slowly began to change.
I did not initially have the work permit so staying home, getting used to being alone in a new country, missing my parents, friends, and life back home, long snowy winters have in time changed me to an emotional eater. I would turn to food for comfort and I gained close to 22 pounds by next year.
This hit me when nothing in my closet would fit. Trying new cuisines, experimenting with new recipes, lack of physical activity could be the reasons and I started feeling insecure and it turned worse when I went to India to visit my family and friends. The only thing anyone talked about was how big I look. I know some of it was a genuine concern if I have any hormonal issues and the rest of the comments made me feel inferior.
The following two years — 2017 and 2018 has been hard. This cycle of losing and gaining weight seemed endless. Fortunately, I did not have any hormonal or health issues but I started developing an unhealthy relationship with food. I would fear trying out anything new or eating out. I never had binge-eating episodes or an eating disorder. I had guilt and fear kick in and I felt like no one around me understood what I was feeling.
I moved to California by the end of 2018 and came across the Integrative Nutrition course and things started changing from there. I am yet to become a Health coach, but my outlook and perception towards food, my body and mind have changed since then.
I lost 17 lbs from 2019 and this has been a consistent journey without dieting. I did not gain any weight and I am able to enjoy food and what changed the most is realizing that healthy food can be equally delicious and fun to eat. I crave healthy food now.
I am happy that I could find a way to build a healthy relationship with my body and food. I do want to address them as weight loss mistakes — this is a lifelong journey. I believe the focus should be on learning and growing than correcting mistakes.
The Integrative Nutrition program is nudging me in the right direction and I am grateful that I can utilize these resources and reap the benefits. I am sharing things I learned in my weight loss journey so one can personalize and see what works for them in the long run. It could be different for everyone.
Short term gains
I wanted to lose 12lbs in two months so I can fit into this new outfit. It seemed like it almost worked as I lost close to 10 pounds but it did not last long. The reason being Calorie Restriction.
Calorie counting and restriction will lead to ‘ketosis’ — which suppress appetite, hence the keto and paleo diet rage is in full swing these days. This is not a sustainable option in the long run and it might affect digestion and relationship with food over time.
Comparison traps
I used to compare myself to my friends, social media posts with pictures that looked perfect and would feel insecure. Low self-confidence brews low self-worth. I would avoid meeting friends or doing a video call with friends and family as that would the first thing they will ask.
Surprised that I lost weight or reasons I look fat. I would struggle to understand where I would fit in the scale of beauty standards that are defined by social media.
It’s all in the mindset
Being kind and loving towards myself during this journey is something I knew but couldn’t figure out a way to see myself beyond weight. I decided to keep a food and mood journal and write down tips and tricks to train my thought for not falling to comparisons and surprisingly, it worked.
Writing down and repeating that I am enough and I can embrace my imperfections multiple times a day when I realize that I am self-sabotaging myself usually works.
Diet vs Lifestyle
I have tried low-carb, high-protein diet, Intermittent fasting(16:8), and skipping breakfast and everything seemed to work for a while till I hit a plateau. Whole food plant-based diet works best for me, especially Indian food. This something I grew up with so, eating rice for lunch and dinner wasn’t making me fat, it’s what type of carb and how much I eat made all the difference.
Meal prepping and mindful grocery shopping has helped 50% to stay on track and inspired me to make it a lifestyle change.
Sipping calories
I was bummed when I discovered how much sipping coffees, milkshakes, and smoothies from coffee shops are the sneaky calorie culprits worth 500 cal — that’s equivalent to a meal. I started making cold coffees and smoothies at home and with time they tasted better than store-bought and I enjoy trying new flavor combinations and it so satisfying knowing that it is possible that something that looks healthy actually tastes great too.
Eating out
This is something I used to struggle with a lot. The flavor and experience when you dine in with your friends or partner are special but oils, condiments, sugar, and salt are relatively high at restaurants and due to this very reason we prefer them. Eating out for special occasions or as a reward is better than making it a ritual every week.
Cooking the same flavor combinations at home, trying new recipes, baking mindfully and having potlucks, picnics, eating out on a beach, barbeque with friends and family gives the same feel-good experience that relates to eating out. It saves money too.
Setting unrealistic goals
Losing 20 pounds in three months might be possible at the rate of your health. It is not sustainable in the long run. I learned it the hard way. By enjoying the process and not checking my weight every week really helped me to lose weight without thinking too much about it. Slow and steady is the way to sustain maintaining the weight.
Figuring out my ‘Why’
Will-power is good for the short-term. I ask myself these questions from time to time are:
Why do I want to lose weight? to stay fit? stay healthy or to fit into a dress or to please someone?
Does my current weight loss plan resonate with my goals and vision?
Enhancing my ‘WHY-POWER’ helped figure out what weight loss really means to me. I want to be fit and active. I want to be a better version of myself.
Drinking too little water
I am one of those who need to be reminded to drink enough water. Drinking herbal tea, fruit-infused water is something I enjoy. We often mistake thirst for hunger so it is recommended to drink 8 glasses of water in a day. I will be intentional with how much water I drink in a day.
Snacking
I am someone who needs snacks between meals. I follow the 80/20 rule, where I stop when I am 80% full hence the need for a snack. I usually plan my snacks. Fresh seasonal fruit, a handful of nuts, homemade Indian snacks, hummus with carrots, celery or crackers, rice cake with peanut butter and banana, homemade banana oatmeal bread or muffin, yogurt with fresh fruit, baked banana fitters or chips, toast with avocado. It usually varies based on my hunger levels but these are usual favorites.
Eating a meal without distractions
It’s hard to eat all meals without TV, phone, talking to someone. I usually eat breakfast without distractions. I make time in the morning to prepare breakfast and eat enjoying every bite. The more I pay attention to what I eat, the easier I find it to stop when I am almost full. I want to eventually plan my dinners to eat in peace.
Working out too much
When I used to be on a low-carb diet, I would work out for like two hours and would be fatigued by the end of the day. I would be restless and would have trouble falling asleep. When I got to know that it’s 70% of what we eat and 30% physical activity that is required to lose weight, I felt relieved and happy that I can take time for self-care instead of spending hours in the gym.
Workouts can be enjoyable. I like to try different types of physical activity. Yoga, brisk walk, strength training, pilates, Zumba, cross-fit are the ones that I like to do. There are free Youtube videos for all of these so I try a different one that is challenging enough every time.
Not having enough sleep
I am a light sleeper and struggle to fall asleep if I am watching TV, or browsing through the phone. Reading a book and finishing dinner two hours before bed has significantly improved my sleep. Since I have a food journal and I know what I am going to eat the next day, I don’t have to plan or think too much before bed.
Sleep is extremely important. With too little sleep and too much work stress, most of us end up drinking too much coffee or eating junk. we feel groggy and tired so we look for easy convenient food.
Tracking my Progress
Becoming accountable has really helped to track my progress. I usually prefer to analyze and track what worked and what did not so, I can define my obstacles and figure out a way to overcome them.
Sometimes I can try a new workout regime with a friend and we keep each other accountable. It could anyone who believes or resonates with you. We all need a coach or mentor sometimes to stay on track and if you find someone like that it will make a huge difference in the way we define weight loss.
Bottom line:
I am learning that there is no ‘perfect diet’ or pill available and if, there was one we all would have known and tried it by now. Everyone’s journey and approach are different but what works is eating home-cooked foods, planning the snack time, and make it a lifestyle change than focussing on quick fixes or short term gains.
I realized Healthy lifestyle habits need time, patience, and consistency. Our mind, body, and gut are connected so it’s mostly our thoughts that can change the way we define food, diet, and exercise. There is no harm in accepting that sometimes we need a mentor to nudge us in the right direction.
Reading books on weight loss or listening to TED talks or documentaries is informative but with time I realized that I am more confused and lost than before. What worked for me instead is tuning in with myself and experimenting with adding and eliminating foods and thinking about the big picture. I started to enjoy this process and this led to self-discovery and acceptance which was not a part of my new year resolution.
