200 lbs down!

This morning I finally hit it - I'm 200 lbs down! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Celebrate with me!!! This has been a two and a half year journey.

What started my journey: I got long COVID, and suddenly I went from active and relatively normal life to feeling disabled and every pound that was on my body. My blood sugars and asthma were out of control. Two and a half years ago I started keto to control my blood sugars, not really thinking I would lose weight. I lost a bit, and then I started Mounjaro, and the weight really started coming off. Then I went back to the pool (I was an avid swimmer before the lockdowns) and the rest is history. I still do keto, Mounjaro, and swim almost daily. I average 1200 calories daily, eat 100+ g protein, and aim for at least 30 g fiber. This is what I've found works for me best. I have several food allergies so I mostly cook my own food.

My goals for the future: I'd like to lose a bit more, but if I don't I'm happy here too. I feel healthy and strong. My weight loss has slowed to a very slow trickle now, so I don't know what's going to happen now. I have a skin condition (HS) that requires skin surgeries (I've already had two on my armpits, having a third in a few weeks). I am probably looking at a panniculectomy in the late spring and thighs and breasts sometime in the year or two after that. After I have those surgeries I shouldn't lose much weight after that. My doctor says a good weight for me would probably be a BMI of 27, and currently I'm at 29.4, so if I do lose a bit more by then I think it will be okay.

How it feels: amazing and different. I forget I'm a smaller person. I'll buy pants in the next size down (I'm currently wearing a size 14!) and I look at them thinking there's no way that they'll fit, and I go to put them on and they're not even tight! I've been overweight and obese my whole life, I don't think I've been this weight since middle school. I was so scale phobic I don't know for sure, but I was for sure over 200 in high school. My body feels bony and strange, but I also feel confident and good to be able to wear different clothes. If I see someone I haven't seen in a while they react in a surprised manner, and I met someone that had vaguely met me many years ago and I showed them picture of us at an event together and they didn't believe it was me.

Tips and tricks I've learned along the way: When you're tempted to eat something off plan, eat something you like that is on your plan. I do keto, so if I'm tempted by something like cake, I eat bacon or salmon or shrimp (some of my favorite foods). It's easier to resist temptation when you're full of something you love. I've also found some great sugar-free options, I make a killer keto chocolate chip cookie. I've also learned to just keep going even if the scale doesn't move - it will move eventually. One of the thoughts that helped me the most is that time will pass either way - it may as well pass with me getting healthier. I think it's also good to pick a way of eating that works for you. I chose keto because I really like the food, I feel good on it and I like what it's done for my blood sugars. If you're on a plan that doesn't work for you, find one that does. I chose exercise that I love too - it's a lot easier to get up to swim than any other exercise for me.

This page has been such a support to me in my journey, thank you to everyone who has been there along the way. All of us are going to have bad days, stalls, temptations, and disappointments. But we're all on this journey with our goal of health, and I appreciate that we can vent and celebrate and journey together.