My first (mini) milestone.

[Ambelleina]

I went to visit a friend in Wisconsin this past July. It was fun, but when I came back and we did our usual photo swap, I ended up in tears. When I saw the photos of me, I couldn't even see myself anymore. I have always been big, but I was at my heaviest and I hated what I saw.

 

I made her promise to never post those pictures online and to never scrapbook them (we are crafting buddies) or do anything with them in any way. She reluctantly agreed. This was the last straw--so many tries before, so many failures, so many tears.

 

Somehow, somewhere, I read the word "Paleo." I kept it in the back of my mind. When my mother mentioned the same word a few weeks later, I jumped on it. 

 

I started slow, replacing one meal a day with a Paleo-approved meal. I then switched to two meals a day. That was 13 weeks ago and now every meal, every snack, every anything is Paleo.

 

In 13 weeks, I have hit my first milestone and lost 30 pounds.

 

It's not major, but it is. The last time I lost this much weight, it took me six months of starving myself (rigid 1,000 calorie a day limit fueled by Lean Cuisine and Crystal Light) and pouring sweat in the gym for 2 hours a day, 6 days a week for all of those 6 months. Really. My mother even recalls that time as, "Yeah, you lost weight, but you had to blow cash and bust your ass to do it."

 

Buying a scale was a milestone in itself; I have never owned one. When I stepped on it, I honestly thought it was defective. At least not calibrated right. 30 pounds? Couldn't be.

 

But alas, all of my clothes are baggy. I'm wearing stuff I haven't worn in a few years. The shirt I'm wearing right now was thrown in the back of my closet, relegated to the ranks of "ain't gonna happen." The severe heel pain (Plantar fasciitis at 27 working a desk job? Doubtful. Fat.) I was starting to get is completely gone. I am now 30 lbs away from the weight I was when I met my fast-food and junk food-loving boyfriend 4 years ago. 

 

It's kind of...odd. I have never been able to lose this amount of weight simply by changing how I ate. I am now psyched to start on the next 30. This weight loss was fueled ENTIRELY by diet change. I have exercised maybe 4 times in the last 13 weeks. But now, backed by the knowledge that THIS IS CHANGING MY LIFE, day by day, I'm ready to go at this with intensity.

[StarGazer]

Congrats and welcome to NF! It's amazing the difference making small changes (one meal at a time) can make in realizing that if you want real, sustainable results, it's a you need a lifestyle change you can maintain, not a crash diet.

 

Good luck with the next 30, you certainly seem to be on the right track!

[BlamedCat]

Wow, congrats!!!  That's the biggest change you can ever make, is the food/way you eat.  As Steve says you can't outrun your fork and it's so true.  I'm proud of you for making your mini-milestone, though honestly, it's a HUGE milestone. Not only is it a physical one, it's also a mental one

 

Btw, don't forget that as you lose weight, start taking measurements too.  Eventually, you'll get to the point where your weight will plateau out, but you'll still see changes in your body composition (this happened to me a couple of challenges ago).

 

Anyway, keep up the great work and welcome to NF!

[tishmartinelli]

Awesome accomplishment. I feel empowered to do the same start with one meal a day, then two, and so on.

Good luck on the next 30, with your will-power I am certain you will be successful.

[Endor]

So awesome, well done, 30 pounds is heaps to lose and takes a lot of determination.

 

It sounds like you have some excellent momentum going, so glad you are enjoying it. Keep up the good work

[SLB]

I wouldn't say there's anything mini about that milestone - it's fab!

There's nothing like photos to show bring us to that 'uh oh' moment when we decide to make changes, I'm so happy for you that you were able to make the changes through paleo and healthy living rather than obsessing over exercising and eating cr@p diet food.

would love to see before and after photos once you're ready x

[Super Destroyer]

Wow!  30 lbs. is definitely not "mini".  That is so awesome.  Paleo really is a lifestyle, not a "diet".  Good luck on the rest of your journey.  Welcome to NF!

[Enathim]

Congratulations... Keep the good work and you will have succes with any future milestone.

 

You are an inspiration for those who just started to change.

 

 

Be good