As of May 23rd I have officially lost 50 pounds. FIFTY. FREAKING. POUNDS. Had you asked me back in December when I started MyWW if I thought I would get to this point so fast, I probably would've said hell no. I would've thought that I'd have given up on MyWW like I had given up every time before when I tried to lose the weight. It hasn't been easy, but I am so proud of myself and so hopeful for the future and how much more I can lose this year and beyond!
It hasn't been easy though! I started MyWW on December 11th, 2019 and lost my first 10 pounds quickly, and mostly kept it off. However, through the rest of December and early January I didn't it seriously and stayed at about that 8 to 12 pound mark. The holidays and my seven day a week work schedule made me not care as much about my health. At the end of January however I told myself that I needed to commit to this and decided I wanted to lose 30 pounds by March 11th, my next doctor's appointment. I was determined to accurately track, stay within my healthy eating range and workout more. I knew that it was going to take a lot of work to lose 20 more pounds in a little over a month and a half, but I knew I could do it, and I did!
Then COVID hit. I was sent home from work on March 24th. At that point I had lost about 36 pounds. I told myself that no matter how hard staying home got, no matter how tempting it was to let myself relax the rules and not worry about my weight loss, that I would not let myself go back to less than 35 pounds lost. I didn't need to lose a crazy amount during this time, but I wasn't going to gain. I was going stay in my healthy eating zone, exercise as much as I could handle, and get through this no heavier than I was that day. I did not expect myself hit that 50 pound mark until the summer when we went back to work. But MyWW works y'all, and just maintaining my points and moving as much as I could, even if it wasn't full workouts, I reached that mark.
Like I said, it hasn't been easy. I've had some days where I slip up and don't track all the jellybeans I eat in a day (ummm... maybe this was yesterday...). But what has mattered is that I still keep going. The fact that I ate a lot of jellybeans yesterday that I didn't have the points for doesn't derail all the work I've done. I should've tracked them so I could see what I actually ate yesterday when I look back, but that isn't a huge deal. I. KEEP. GOING.
Here are some of the things that have helped me on my journey.
Eating Whatever the Hell I Want - This is one of my favorite things about MyWW. There are no "bad" foods. There is nothing that I am "not allowed" to eat. Food is food, and you need food to live. If I want a pop-tart for breakfast, I eat a pop-tart and then adjust the rest of my day around those points. This morning I ate leftover takeout which was more points than a normal breakfast for me, but I still could have a big lunch and dinner today too. It's all about eating what your body wants, in amounts that are not too big.
Drinking a Ton of Water - We all should be doing this anyway. I drink half my body weight in ounces of water most days. Staying hydrated has not only helped my weight loss but my energy levels and skin as well! Plus I just genuinely like water (I know, weird since it's tasteless), so sometimes if I think I want a snack water is the only thing that actually sounds good (again, I know, I'm a freaking weirdo).
Giving Myself Grace - Some days I need to eat the damn jelly beans. Some days I can't bring myself to workout. Some days I can't drink all the freaking water. That is okay. I am not a bad person. I did not sabotage my progress. I AM HUMAN.
Celebrating My Milestones - I have a lot of dance parties in my room right now. I celebrate so many little milestones in my journey. That dress I bought in February is too big for me now? DANCE PARTY! I lost a pound this week? MORE DANCE PARTIES! I look fly as hell in this crop top? SO MUCH DANCING! I have a lot to be proud of and so I celebrate even the weird small things.
Sharing My Progress - I created my HealthByKaylaXO instagram for accountability. But it turns out I didn't really need accountability (I'm an Upholder, I don't need someone else to help me keep a promise to myself, I can do that alone), I really needed to see progress in front of me. I share to this account more as a diary for me to look back at. I appreciate the feedback and love from my little crew of followers, but I'm not seeking it. I only share big milestones like this on my main social media because though my weight loss is important to me and I want to share it with my friends, I know some of them can't handle being bombarded with weight loss content. So I have my other account to post frequently because I'm a social media addict, and I save my weight loss posts on my main page for big celebrations.
I am so proud of myself. I should be, I've worked hard. I understand that for some people the way I've lost weight would be incredibly damaging to their mental health. I absolutely understand the criticism of programs like MyWW and have been vocal about them in the past. I started MyWW on the recommendation of my physician, and IT WORKED... FOR ME. My body is not the same as yours and I would NEVER recommend anyone try something just because it works for my body and my goals. This is my journey, and I am grateful for the support along the way, and if I inspire someone to work on their health that is great for that person! But that is not why I share. I am not here to inspire you to lose weight. That is a deeply personal decision and has to be handled with care. The times I have "tried" to lose weight when I wasn't ready have been incredibly detrimental to my mental health. This time I was finally ready and I had my doctor's support. Know yourself, know your body, and don't start a journey for anyone but yourself.
xo,
Kayla
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