To quote Laozi, the ancient Chinese philosopher, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. My weight loss journey began with a single wish – to fit into my old pair of jeans.

 

A glance at my 102 pounds weight loss journey…..

I began my weight loss journey in 2015. At the age of thirty-something, it wasn’t my first weight loss attempt, but I hope it remains as my last one.

 I had struggled with my weight all my life. I was a plump and pampered child who grew up to be overweight. At school, I was the butt of many jokes due to my weight. During my teenage years, I found it hard to fit in dress sizes appropriate for other girls my age. When I landed in college, I became all the more aware of how big I was. Throughout my years at college and university, I was constantly trying to lose weight. I succeeded in dropping a few pounds quite a few times, but the lost weight always came back. The whole thing frustrated me no end and somewhere along the way, I let go of my weight loss goals.

When I got married, life took on a new turn. I was having a great time and my weight began to climb even further. I was hitting nearly 195 pounds when a visit to my gynaecologist brought me back to my senses. So, once again I pulled myself up and began to bring down my weight when a pee stick turned positive. The result: my weight loss goals flew out of the window as motherhood came knocking on the door. My post-pregnancy weight further contributed to my dimension.

 

 

Over the next few years, the scale continued to move up and I didn’t do anything about it. In 2015, I was nearly 233 pounds, which was my highest. My weight frustrated me more than I cared to admit. But it wasn’t until I saw myself in a group photo that reality punched me really hard. It left me wondering how I had allowed myself to reach that terrible state. That’s when I decided to get serious about losing weight and transforming my life. The final thrust came from my sister, who literally pushed me to take the plunge of weight loss.

 

It’s not about diet, it’s about lifestyle change…..

My weight loss journey involved incorporating several changes in my life, one at a time. For the first time in my life, I was walking regularly, eating healthy food, learning about nutrition, and keeping track of my calorie intake. I swapped snacks for salads, opted for green tea in place of coffee, and completely gave up on processed food and cold drinks. Getting enough sleep and drinking enough water became a part of my daily routine, something that I hadn’t been doing for quite a few years at that point of time. Soon I started seeing the results and they thrilled me no end.

 

 

Three months into my journey, I hit my first weight loss plateau. No matter what I did, the scale refused to move. After trying for weeks and failing, I finally added more fruits and vegetables to my diet and surprisingly, my body responded positively. Once more I was back on the track. The next few months were a journey through a range of many such struggles, setbacks, and frustrations, but I didn’t allow my motivation to dissolve.

After continuing on my weight loss journey for more than 13 months, I was down by 102 pounds. Oh yes, my wish to fit into that old pair of jeans did get fulfilled at some point during this journey. But now that same pair is too loose in the waist for me to wear! Did I say I am glad?

 

What feels like the end is often the beginning…..

It felt incredible to get rid of all that extra weight. My confidence skyrocketed. The euphoria of losing weight carried me through my maintenance in those initial days. But when the heady feeling started to wane, I realised that my journey was not over. In fact, it was just the beginning of a new journey – one that involved discovering the balance of health and happiness. It was then that my relationship with healthy food began to evolve further. I started experimenting to bring the magical balance of health and taste to my food. I am still on that journey and each day continues to be a learning experience for me.

 

Motivation gets you started, habit keeps you going…..

Till date, I am down by 102 pounds and it’s an exhilarating feeling. Achieving something that I had always wanted to and holding on to it has filled me with a sense of confidence to continue on this healthy route undauntedly. By completely adopting the lifestyle changes and committing to them wholeheartedly, I discovered the key to enjoying a balanced life.

 

 

Believe you can and you are halfway there…..

It’s amazing how easy it is to cross the bridge of your insecurities and begin exploring your possibilities once you start believing in yourself.

Weight loss may not be an easy journey, but trust me it’s worth every effort in the end. If you keep walking consistently, you will reach your destination, sooner or later. Remain focused and do not forget to celebrate the little milestones you achieve along the way.

Having been there and done that, I have three things to say to anyone who is facing a weight loss struggle:

• Adopt the changes as a way of life: A short-term diet will only give you short-term results. By adopting healthy changes as a way of life, you can ensure the long-term transformation of your body and life.
• Set small goals for yourself: You didn’t pile on all that weight in one day and they won’t go away in a single day. Instead of panicking about the big goal that seems so out of reach, start off by setting yourself small achievable targets.
• Commit to being on track today: Thinking about all the days ahead when you will have to watch your step and continue on this journey can be quite overwhelming. The best way out is to commit yourself to doing your best just today. Do not allow the thoughts of tomorrow’s dinner date or the weekend brunch or the next month’s get together cloud over your motivation today. Make sure that you remain on track today and the rest will fall into place.

That’s what kept me going.

 

 

Well, that’s my story. If you are someone looking for motivation to lose weight, I hope my story inspires you in some small way. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with your comments, questions, and frustrations. I would love to be of any help that I can.

Let’s keep supporting each other on this journey of health and happiness, okay?

Love you all,