'I've Been On My Weight Loss Journey For 1.5 Years, And Using A Food Scale Still Helps Me A Ton'

My name is Megan Faraday (@meggsmetamorphosis), and I’m 25 years old. I’m from Ontario, Canada, and I own a sign post installation company. After struggling with my weight and self-esteem for years, I decided to try a version of low-carb dieting called “lazy keto.” I’ve now lost 107 pounds.

I struggled with my weight my whole life. I remember my mom putting me on diets from as early as 10 years old. I was constantly trying to lose weight with no success. I had gotten my weight down in high school for a short period of time but gained it back shortly after. No healthy plan ever stuck, and my weight held me back from experiencing a lot of things in life.

My weight had the biggest effect on me mentally. I had absolutely no self-esteem and had uncontrollable social anxiety. I just felt uncomfortable in my skin 24/7. I would make decisions based on my weight and what people would think of me. People made negative comments to me about my weight my whole life, and it really affected every aspect of my life and the choices I made.

In addition, I really had no energy or desire to do any sort of physical activity and knew that something had to change. Just walking up the stairs would get me winded, and I just thought: Enough is enough. My heaviest weight was 265 pounds at the age of 23. I was ready for a better life.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA2bTedA01w/

I woke up one morning in September 2018 and said to myself, I am going to do it this time.

I started that day and never gave up. I had said that same thing to myself a million times over and tried to do it in a million different ways, but something just *felt* different this time. They say that you have to truly want something for yourself first before you can put in the work to get it, and I can tell you that this is 100 percent true.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_7SBAkgnVe/

At the time, I had seen so many people talking about the keto diet and I had done a lot of research on it.

I decided that I would try something similar by tracking calories and cutting carbs. I started by eating 25 grams of net carbs per day and a calorie count that works for me.

I would make a lot of keto recipes, but I did not follow the standard keto diet exactly to the plan—I did more of a “lazy keto” diet. I’ve now started to reintroduce carbohydrates back into my diet, aiming for 75 to 100 grams of carbs per day. This works for me because I am still losing weight, but in a way that I will be able to sustain for the rest of my life.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_X0XJ-AmbZ/

Here’s what I typically eat in a day:

• Breakfast: Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate chip baked oats

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_pVYWZgE-r/

• Lunch: Turkey bacon wrap on a low-carb tortilla
• Snacks: Protein bar, no-sugar-added yogurt, or fruit salad
• Dinner: Chicken fajita casserole

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_vW6wJguo0/

• Dessert: Halo-Top ice cream bar

I started exercising about two months into my journey after losing 20 pounds just from changing my eating.

I was too nervous to go into a gym in the beginning, but my friend Sarah had encouraged me to join her gym, and I started to go with her. Eventually I found the courage to go alone.

I started working out three to five times a week in the gym, doing a mixture of cardio and weight training. I still work out three to five times a week but I am able to do so much more. I can run faster and longer, and I even go for runs outside. This is something I never had the confidence to do in the past.

Exercise is also such a great way to see my progress. It’s so motivating and it feels amazing to see myself progressing and conquering personal bests.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B86zIc3goeU/

These three changes helped me see the most noticeable results in my weight loss.

Change one: I stopped expecting the scale to go down every week. The first few times I saw the scale at a stand still or even spike up, I panicked. But that is all part of the process! Continue on and stay dedicated to your plan, and it will move.

Change two: I started drinking lots of water. Everyone goes on and on about getting your water in, but it has truly made all the difference on my journey. I drink 100 ounces of water a day, and on the days I don’t, I really can feel a negative difference.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAKvdP3ArvA/

Change three: I weighed my food with a food scale. I began using a food scale instead of measuring spoons and cups, and it is so much more accurate when you’re tracking. It’s so easy to over-scoop and go overboard on portions in the beginning while you’re learning portion sizes, so it was really helpful for me to weigh my food. I’ve been on this journey for 1.5 years and I still do it.

Overall, I’ve lost 107 pounds, and I’m still working towards my health goals.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBDVf0ygXsJ/

Losing the weight was one of the hardest things I have done and definitely one of my biggest accomplishments. Every hard day that got me to this point was worth it, though. The confidence that I have gained is incredible. My weight no longer holds me back from doing fun things with my family and friends.

I wish I could go back to the woman I was before this journey and tell her to love herself more, wear the cute clothes, and not to miss out on fun things just because of her size. It took me losing over 100 pounds to learn that, but that’s okay too! Sometimes we need to do these things for ourselves to appreciate who we are inside and out.

Source: Read Full Article