This Eating Strategy Helped Me Finally Lose Nearly 40kg and Keep It Off

Before: 136kg
After: 97kg

THE LIFESTYLE

Food was always my biggest outlet for sadness. If something happened at school or with my family, I’d eat fast food and drink soda to feel better.

I also had thyroid problems, which led to me losing a lot of muscle and gaining a lot of body fat. At the peak of my thyroid issue, I weighed 163kg. (I’m 5′ 11″, by the way.)

When I graduated high school, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do next, and I ended up in a relationship that wasn’t great.

THE CHANGE
After I ended my crappy relationship, I realised I’d lost myself with the other person, and I wanted to figure out who I was. I knew I hated being overweight, but I never felt like I could actually do something about it. But I put my foot down and decided to try.

FOOD
Learning how to watch my portions and cutting out soft drink were the biggest changes I had to make. I didn’t go on a diet, I just cut back on the amount of food I was eating. It was crazy to find out how much I was eating versus what I should have been eating. I also bought smaller plates to make my reduced portions look more normal.

Quitting soft drink was really hard. For a while, I was going to 7-Eleven to get a Double Gulp (that’s 1.9L) consistently. When I made the switch to unsweetened iced tea, I dropped 3.6kg in one week, and I just felt better. Once I saw those results, I didn’t really want to drink soft drink anymore.

Once I mastered smaller meals and snacks, I started incorporating healthier foods. I searched online for info about how much protein, carbs, and veggies I should be eating. Google has been my best friend through everything.

THE WORKOUTS
After I started losing weight by eating better, I worked some cardio into my routine. At first, I hiked a 2km outside, three times a week. I started small because working out is harder when you’re heavy. Then I joined a gym and used the elliptical. I’d occasionally use the treadmill, though running has never been my thing. Once I started getting into a routine, I began working out for an hour to 90 minutes, five to six days a week.

A year-and-a-half after setting out to lose weight, I hit 95.2kg all by myself!

Though I’d lost 40 kg on my own, I really wanted to see 90kg on the scale. I thought working with a trainer could help get me there. After training with him once a week for two months, I hit my lowest weight of 85kg.

When I was 136kg, all I wanted was to be skinny. But once I got to 83kg, I didn’t feel as happy as I thought I would. I felt really weak and frail.

So, I stopped working with a trainer, put a little bit of weight back on over the holidays, and started lifting.

Today, two years after setting out to lose weight, I weigh 97kg.

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