I had 99 Problems and Losing 30lbs solved 30 of them

Early this year I tipped the scales at 195lbs. As a 5'9" woman, I was shocked and appalled that I was so close to 200lbs and so close to the obese BMI. I've always been athletic and muscular! (note, because I'm pretty muscular I have always trended higher in the BMI scale so I'm quite alright with a 24.4 BMI). Lockdown depression got me bad and 195 is the most I have ever weighed: 10lbs more than my college depression weight and 31lbs more than my "happy and maintaining weight" at 164lbs.

​

In January I saw a post here that said "in March, we're going to start seeing progress posts from New Years resolutions. Do you want that to be you, or do you want to read them regretfully?" I've held that in mind all year! Even though my journey didn't really start until late February.

​

3 months and 25 days later I am happy to announce that I weigh 165!! I started taking medication to help with anxiety which killed my appetite and the first 15 melted off in a few weeks it feels like. The meds also helped me control my hunger and not use alcohol to numb my anxiety.

​

I didn't do anything fancy:

• I started eating more protein and more kale (a big ol bowl every night for dinner with whatever my family is eating on top in a smaller portion).
• I stopped drinking every night.
• I ramped up the exercise with my Dad. We started by taking 2 mile walks to get a "fancy coffee" and now we're doing 10 miles with 2000+ ft of elevation gain to see epic mountain lakes.
• I run once or twice a week on a hilly course near my house. Around 3 miles with 600ft elevation change.
• I recently started swimming again (my true exercise love since I played water polo in college), about 3 times a week.

​

That's it, that's all the changes I made. Yogurt for breakfast, kale for dinner, exercise. I lost 30 lbs in 4 months.

​

Below is a list of problems improved/solved through weight loss and addressing my mental health:

1. No more hip pain (my hips were so tight from sitting all day)
2. Digestive issues solved (I was bloating horribly every night, Kale and activia has fixed that)
3. No more alcohol dependence
4. Skin on my face is CLEAR
5. skin on my back is ALMOST CLEAR
6. ran my fastest mile ever of 8:05
7. all my clothes fit
8. no more back rolls
9. my arms are starting to look almost toned again
10. hiking is easier and more enjoyable
11. regular poops. I REPEAT REGULAR POOPS (so nice, seriously. sorry TMI)
12. I feel attractive for the first time in a long time
13. depression is really improved
14. anxiety is almost conquered
15. developed healthy habits like going for a run when I have intrusive thoughts
16. my bras fit again
17. makeup is easy or non-essential because my face cleared up from clean eating
18. my hair is healthy from clean eating
19. I can tell immediately if I've eaten too much sugar or fat
20. my stomach has shrunk so I get fuller faster
21. I take a break after a serving and wait to assess my hunger instead of automatically shoveling down seconds
22. I've completely stopped binging. After a long hike I will eat a big meal, but it's not out of control like it used to be
23. I feel emotionally detached from my hunger in a way I never have. "oh, I'm hungry? ok I will eat something soon and the world is not ending"
24. I have a beer once or twice a week and it's fun and enough
25. my improved attitude has helped me better support my husband through a tough time
26. my relationship has improved because I feel more confident and more rational in my outlook
27. my sex life has improved because I feel more confident wearing sexi clothes
28. running is actually fun
29. I've become very aware of trigger foods (wheat, mangos, chocolate) and can avoid them for better health
30. overall outlook on life is much improved
31. Edit, I thought of more! my PMDD is basically normal/mild PMS now. I used to have wild mood swings and now I'm just a little grumpy
32. Very minimal cramping around that time of the month. Exercise? Diet? Hormones? who knows, probably all of the above.

​

I think the tl;dr: for me is, take care of the root of the issue, mental health, and the other things will resolve themselves, physical health and weight.

​

Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone on their journeys! I want to lose about 20 more pounds, which would be the lowest I've weighed in a long long time. I think this extra weight will really help my running.

submitted by /u/thisisnotmymain56
[link] [comments]

source https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/o7u7r1/i_had_99_problems_and_losing_30lbs_solved_30_of/