The Weight Struggle is Real
I wanted you all to know that I'm not perfect. Nobody is. Below is my most recent weight struggle after meeting my husband.
It can be hard to change things in your life even if it means to better yourself. I’ve been there myself. An article written by the Low Carb Dietitian wrote a post titled 14 Simple Way to Stick to a Healthy Diet. Number 2 on the list is a favorite of mine. “Think About What Really Motivates You”. Sadly for me growing up, it was to be thin and healthy to be able to attract guys. It is sad to think that way, but it is the truth.
Weight Struggle
I met my husband when I was in shape and happy with my body. (Previous to this, I had gained and lost weight.) We then got engaged. It got easier to not push myself as hard and allow myself treats more often. I also went back to school for another degree during our engagement. Workouts got less and less and my routine was no longer. We still ate healthily but I slowly increased my weight. I stopped working out, I splurged more on treats and may have just eaten more than my body really needed. I was around 130 pounds when my husband and I were dating (2010) and I crept up to around 160 for our wedding (June 2012). I wasn't happy with myself or how I looked.
My husband still loved me of course and still thought I was beautiful, even though I didn't feel beautiful. We were both sad that I wasn't happy with myself. Even though I was still eating healthy I mostly maintained and crept up to my highest of 180 in January of 2017. Seven pounds of that was a cyst that grew in me for probably close to a year.
We learned about the cyst because I finally went to the doctor to get my stomach checked out for the symptoms I was having and were getting stronger. I was nieve when I first felt what seemed like a rock in my stomach when I laid on my stomach 6+ months prior to the start of 2017. Somehow I thought this is what it felt like when I gained weight. HA.
Becoming Healthy Again
In January of 2017, I had surgery to remove the cyst and that was the start of my weight loss. Losing 7-9 pounds from sugary was pretty awesome. The recovery wasn't so awesome though. haha. I had learned about the Keto diet from a mutual friend of mine and thought it was crazy and wouldn't try it. However, something in me changed and I started to research this way of eating. It started to make sense of what I was reading and what I had learned in my dietetics schooling. I thought heck, why not? It might help with some weight loss and then I can get back to a balanced diet of carbs, protein, and fat.
However, I have 0 ambition to stop eating a keto diet now. I love how I feel eating this way. When I get adequate sleep, my energy is great, I don't need to eat every 3 hours like I once used to, my heartburn and sore shoulders are much less, and many other reasons. I have stalled some with my weight loss, as I may have been eating more than I need to, to be able to lose, or I need to adjust my macros. I have been maintaining at 145 pounds though through the holidays. The most important thing though is that I am happy again with myself and how I look. Looking a certain way is not everything but it is still nice. 🙂
My Why/What Motivates Me
My current reason to keep this way of eating is not only because I feel better but for my future family. My husband and I currently have no kids but in time we want to. I hear energy is important when you have kids (haha) and I would like to stay healthy enough for them through my life.
Helping You
I also feel like going through the struggles of trying to lose weight benefits me to help others as well with their weight struggles. You truly have no idea how hard everything is until you go through it.