Weight loss journey isn't perfect, and there will be 'cheat' days, but it's possible
I have been on a journey to lose weight over the course of two years dating back to September of 2021.
For background, I am 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 275 pounds at my heaviest. I am down 75 pounds and currently weigh 200. This isn’t my lightest so far, but it is where I am today.
I’ve been working as an ad sales rep at the Star Herald over the past year, and I really wanted to use this space to give others the motivation they may need to start their health journey or to continue it.
From my experience, a lot of people will either quit after their first mistake or cheat meal. So my advice would be not to let one cheat meal turn into a cheat week or a cheat month.
Another piece of advice I would offer is not to stop doing things you enjoy because you want to start dieting. The goal is to work the diet into your daily living.
When I first started dieting, I would turn down going out with friends because I didn’t want restaurant food and drinks to “ruin” my diet for the week.
However, when I did that, I felt myself feeling down and resenting the diet, and it made me fail in the diet even worse than if I just went out with friends for a night.
Losing weight is as much a mental hurdle as it is physical or just choosing better food options. I learned when I first started this journey to stop overthinking bad days or bad food choices. Everyone has them occasionally.
An occasional craving for a Taco John’s breakfast burrito or a Pizza Ranch Buffalo Chicken Pizza on thin crust can be satisfied … As long as it doesn’t turn into a week, a month or even a year of unhealthy eating.
I still have a fair number of miles to go on this journey ahead of me, and there is a lifetime of healthy choices I’ll need to consider along the way.
Meanwhile, I hope “my two cents” can help other people on their journey toward weight loss and healthier living.