Thursday, January 04, 2018

My Weight Loss Journey | How I lost 15kg/33lbs in 4 Months ♥

On August 30th 2017 I began on another weight loss journey. I say another as I had been on this journey before, always succeeding at first but then quickly falling back into my old habits.

Something changed within me on the day that I decided to embark on this new effort to lose weight though. I was so sick of feeling down and out about how I looked, having to hide my horrible figure under leggings and baggy clothes. I was always dreading the summer, when I'd have to suffer, sweating under black leggings and long cardigans to hide my unsightly legs and arms and honestly, I was just so sick of feeling this way about myself.

So I set out to change, and I'm pleased to say that I did, for the better.

This is not just a weight loss journey for me. This is a journey to improve my health and make me feel like my old self again, and although I still have a long way to go until I'm back in my size twelves again, I'm getting there slowly but surely and am seeing the changes in the mirror and in how I feel in my clothes too.

So, how did I manage to lose 15kg/33lbs in 4 months?

I got off my ass and moved. Honestly, after years of trying different diets and pills in an effort to lose weight, I finally learnt that the only way to shift it and to keep it off is to get moving. If you ain't moving, you ain't losing!

I now go for a walk most days, pushing my youngest son in his buggy up and down the hills of our town. When the days were longer and brighter I pounded the country roads and hills, but I've since moved into the town as I feel a lot safer on the footpaths during the winter months. I'm desperately longing for those country walks again though.

There are no more excuses for me and although I can sometimes feel like I'm about to drop dead as I read the fifth hill after just walking up four, I know it'll be worth it when I catch my breath and see how well I'm doing.

I also ate a lot better too. Now don't get me wrong, I'll never be able to give up chocolate completely, it's my one weakness in life, but I learnt to moderate myself and not gorge on a family-sized bar all to myself like I had done previously.

I eat a lot of high protein foods - eggs, chicken, green veg and I gave up sugary drinks and energy drinks, which did nothing except leave my stomach feeling sore and bloated.

I drink apple cider vinegar. I never thought I'd be able to stomach apple cider vinegar but it's actually fine when it's diluted with water. It's a tonic for me and I find that it helps to keep my stomach from bloating and aid digestion. I drink Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar as it has the 'mother' which is the good stuff.

I had surgery. Now, I'm not recommending anyone have surgery to lose weight, but I wanted to be honest in this post and state that having gallbladder removal surgery did contribute to my weight loss as I couldn't eat properly for awhile afterwards - so it wasn't all my own effort. My body is still getting used to not having a gallbladder and I'm not sure if it's helping me to lose weight at this stage or if it's making me plateau but it did contribute to my weight loss.

I take supplements. I have been taking supplements for weight loss for three months now and I have been left delighted by the results. The ones I take are the Grilla Fitness Burn Bullets - which are absolutely amazing for energy and the Grilla Fitness Target Zone CLA which helps to fight fat in the stomach area - an area I struggle with. I think these products have definitely contributed to my weight loss, but only through my own efforts with exercise too. These wouldn't have any effect if I wasn't exercising. I also take digestive enzymes as I no longer have a gallbladder to aid digestion.

I changed my mindset. This was a big factor in my weight loss. I really didn't want weight loss to become a chore for me, I wanted it to become a lifestyle change and something which I looked forward to each day. I now see my walks with my youngest as a lovely thing for us to do together - even if it takes a lot of effort to get up those hills. I'm happy being able to walk through the woods with both my boys, running with my eldest and carrying my youngest and feeling strong enough to do so.

I have gone from a size 18/20 to a size 14/16 - I even fit into a size 10/12 pyjamas now too. The jeans which had previously sat unworn in my wardrobe now fit and I can zip them up and button them without feeling like I'm about to burst out of them. I have worn dresses I haven't worn in years. When I wear tights they stay up without me having to keep pulling them up. At one stage I threw out ever pair of leggings I owned and now only have one pair in a smaller size - and I could do with getting the next size down really. My stomach has shrunk considerably and no longer sticks out, bloated and horrible as it once was. I can see my knees getting their shape back and look forward to baring my legs in the summer. I can tie my bras to the tightest straps and not feel like I'm being cut in two. My shoes have become too big as my feet must have been swollen from all the weight I was carrying before.

In that picture up there I'm wearing a size 16 coat which has now become baggy, a size 14 dress that had previously sat in the wardrobe unloved and a pair of tights which I didn't have to keep discreetly pulling up as I walked around the place. In that picture I also have a the hint of a cheekbone - my face was previously like the moon so seeing some definition again has been great. In a way I feel liberated in this weight loss.

I am so proud of the progress I have made so far. I still have a long way to go in my weight loss journey but I am getting there and putting in the effort and in all honestly, the fact that I'm actually trying is the biggest achievement for me.

You can read the other updates from my weight loss journey here.
Share:

1 comment

  1. That's fantastic! Hoping to follow your steps and loose at least 10kg by Easter x

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for reading my blog and taking the time to comment. I appreciate all your comments and try to reply whenever I can.

© Dolly Dowsie | All rights reserved.
Blog Layout Created by pipdig