The Ten Most Frequent Questions I've Been Asked After Losing 100lbs
- Chelsea
- Jun 10, 2020
- 7 min read
Going through massive weight loss often comes with lots of attention, people want to know how I did it and what type of diet I followed so they can do it too! Here are my top ten most frequently asked questions and their answers:
How'd you lose it? By spending the time to educate myself on what foods I was putting into my body, simple as that! I started by watching a documentary called sugar coated and continued to research the dangers of processed sugars from there. I then started SLOWLY** (very important step,) by aiming to eat a little less from the inside isles of the grocery store and by targeting my most consumed sugary item - juice. I went down from one full jug of juice a day (you 100% read that correctly,) to one small glass at dinner then one small glass at dinner on the weekends only until eventually I just forgot to grab my one small glass period. This whole time I instinctively got more active by doing things like taking the stairs more often, or taking a walk more often, but I never actively worked out. I wanted to make sure I had a hold on my food before I started to work out consistently (you can read more about that here.)
Are you more confident now? Totally, but not because of why you think! I don't attribute my weight loss to my new found confidence, but the fact that I was able to stick to it truly helped grow that confidence from within. I believe I always had the potential to be confident, but couldn't see it until I had a small amount of faith in myself that I could actually accomplish something. The closure I got to my goal weight, the more confident I became everywhere else. My self image went up because I felt like if I could lose weight, any amount of weight, I could do so many other things too! Losing weight was always something that seemed ultimately impossible to me, as I've said in previous blog posts "I thought I was destined to be obese," so when I broke that destiny, everything was possible. I now live in a world where I will constantly try new things without fear (example; finding bouldering and actually enjoying a sport for once in my life.) I've gone after jobs, found new hobbies, revisited my creative side, and even finally started the blog I've always wanted. I don't blame this on my weight loss, but it did kinda act like the jumper cables to my confidence engine if you know what I mean.
What's next? Honestly... I'm not sure. I would like to lose a bit more and get a bit stronger but with my 30th birthday coming up, there has definitely been a lot on my mind as to where I'd like to see my life go from here. I love where I'm at now... I love helping others and sharing my story with the world on social media. I love showing others that there are ways to naturally lose weight without a super strict diet, and there is nothing that drives me further than a message from someone who has started to love their body because of a post I made. I love my positivity and the confidence that's come along with all this craziness and I can't think of my life without it.
How did you find your willpower? I don't much like that word... willpower, because I don't believe that willpower is truly the driving force in all of this. How did I grow my mindset... now that is a better question. I truly believe that my mindset is a big part of my success in losing the weight. I decided early on that I was losing weight for myself, by myself, and stopped relying on others for help and support. I knew that I was the only one in control of my body and if I was unhappy with it, I needed to do something about it. When I gave myself the power and stopped beating myself for all the times I fell off track (which trust me, happened a lot as I worked through my addiction to sugar,) the weight kept coming off. It wasn't like I just hit a magic switch though, it took a lot of time and effort to get there. I constantly wrote messages on mirrors to remind me that I'm strong and capable, I kept a journal, and I listened to many other like minded people as they worked through their own mental challenges with weight loss.
When are you going to stop? Frankly... I'm not. The way I eat, though more relaxed then it was when I was actively dropping weight, will always be driven by my health. I won't ever go back to eating out constantly and eating whatever I wanted without batting an eye. My fridge is now filled with fruits and vegetables instead of junk food and juice, certain things will never change but I'm completely okay with that because I chose a "diet" I could actually enjoy. If you're looking at your diet and wondering when you'll be able to stop eating this way... you're on the wrong path. I say diet in quotations because I despise diet culture, I don't think you should have to pay for a plan to follow that's heavily restrictive and it almost always leads to you cutting things you actually enjoy. You should never feel bad for eating a piece of cake at a birthday party, or making baked goods with your family. I refuse to live a life where I can't have doughnuts... just sayin'.
Do you miss carbs? Oh my dear friend, I eat carbs every single day... and did throughout my entire journey. There is many low carb dinner options that I have incorporated into my meal choices, but it was because I actually enjoyed those recipes, not because I felt like I had to remove carbs to lose weight. Half of my daily food is fruit, I love the stuff and so does my body. Carbs give me energy for the day and as I said in the question above, I refuse to live a life of heavy restriction.
Did you follow Keto? I love this question, but no, not at all (as you can probably tell from my answers above.) I believe that people can follow keto successfully and can see major changes, but only if that's a lifestyle you like! I am not a heavy meat eater and never have been, but any heavily restrictive diet that you do not enjoy is sure to lead to one thing and one thing only... failure. For me, keto would ultimately lead to the same place every other diet lead me to... a space where I gained more weight then I lost, where I beat myself up to the maximum for not having the "willpower" (see what I did there) to succeed, and I would ultimately give up. Many are surprised that I didn't find success with Keto becuase it is currently leading the way for the diet industry.
Can you eat that? Totally! I eat cake at birthday parties, cookies at Christmas, and chocolate at Easter. I buy a treat here and there if I've craving it, or stop for doughnuts as a surprise for the family (man, that sentence made me miss "normal" life, haha!) Just last night I made apple crisp because we had some apples that were too soft to eat. I love sweets and I hate sweeteners so I never make anything sugar free, I'd rather eat a small portion of something sweet then be sad that I can't enjoy it with the rest of my family.
Has it changed you? This was a huge worry for me, I remember looking at Rich several times and asking him if he was worried I was going to change throughout my journey. We've both watched a few people go from being reserved and happy to stubborn and full of themselves after finding their confidence through weight loss and fitness. I was terrified that I would wake up one day and not be the same person I was before. I didn't want to lose my innocence, my sweet demeanour, the things that I've always been complimented on... the things that made me well, me. Even though my confidence changed and I became happier and felt better about what I saw in the mirror, I never once changed what truly mattered... my morals. I changed in many ways, but the part of me that I was worried about changing, truly didn't. As long as you have awareness of what is truly important to you, nothing will change the morals you live by. There is a saying I love and believe in... "everyone has the power to change, but only if they truly want to." - unknown. I have mostly heard and have used this saying while referring to those who need to change in a positive way, but this could easily be used to describe the opposite. You should not worry about changing unless you truly want to change... so if you're worried about becoming something you dislike, think again. Only you can choose if you become that person or not and I promise if you don't want to become that person, you wont.
Are you worried about gaining it back? No, I honestly can't say that I am. Since I took the time to learn about what foods I was putting into my body and educate myself on healthy eating, I no longer live under a blanket of illusion. I know that if I eat nothing but doughnuts and pizza and drink nothing but juice and pop, I'm going to end up in a place I don't want to be again. I've changed the way I think and know that if I have some days of bad eating, it does not make or break the work I've already done. I know that if I gain any weight, I can do everything I know and end up back where I was without worry. I don't worry about going back to being obese because I know there is no way I would let me mind allow me to get back there. Having hard times in life can lead to some weight gain and old habits, but completely going back to that person is a thing of the past and there is no way I will ever get back there.
So there you have it, the top ten questions I get asked the most and their answers. Did I miss one? Is there something not on this list that you'd be interested in hearing my answer to? Write it in the comment section down below or send me a PM on instagram! I always love helping others find their strength and drive in weight loss!
Comments