My Weight-Loss Diary – Entry #1

It’s been almost three weeks since I started following the Keto Diet and officially began my weight-loss journey, and since I know some of you are interested in following along, I figured why not put it all out there for the world to read, right?

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you may already know that laying it all out there is sort of my specialty. I figure we’ve all got things that we’re not proud of, or secrets that we keep close to our hearts, or stories that are difficult to share. But through sharing these hard things with others, my hope is that I can offer a little inspiration and solidarity. Because whatever you’re going through, you’re never alone. 

Even though we don’t often talk about the hard stuff (extra weight, financial hardship, mental health issues, heartbreaking losses or all of the above), that doesn’t mean we should ever be ashamed of anything we’re dealing with. These things are all part of life and part of being human, and I, for one, am proud to own every bit of my human-ness. Every inch and pound of it! 

That being said, I’m on a mission to lose 50 lbs. (and a few inches) of my physical human body by the end of this year (Dec. 31, 2019). And I want to share my journey with you here for three reasons:

1. In hopes that sharing the real, honest, raw truth of my weight-loss journey will help to inspire others to go after their big goals too
2. To show you that I struggle just like anyone else, but that (hopefully) through perseverance and the right mindset, anything is possible
3. To hold myself accountable. Because nothing is more motivating than knowing I have to check in and share my progress with the world!

I’m not gonna lie, putting myself out there is never easy. I do it all the time because that’s what I feel called to do. But it’s still nerve-wracking.

 

I never know what sort of response I’ll get and I worry about failing and about what you’ll think of me if I do. But I know that the pros outweigh the cons, and every time I’ve been really vulnerable, I’ve received an overwhelmingly positive response from other people who are going through a similar struggle or have similar goals or who maybe just feel alone and are comforted by the fact that someone’s in the trenches with them.

So here I am again, laying it all out there for everybody to see. But I know that in the end it will all be worth it.

 

How I Got Here

So how did I get to be 50 lbs. overweight? The same way most people get there… One ounce at a time.

I’ve never been skinny. My genetics are so that I’ve always had to work out and be mindful of what I eat in order to not gain a ton of weight, but most of my life I’ve been young and metabolism has been on my side. 

When I got married almost five years ago, I decided to hire a personal trainer to help me get in shape for the wedding. And I must say, I got in the best shape of my life working with that trainer and eating a healthy, high protein, low-carb, whole-foods diet. I think I was down to about 125 lbs. and I was fit, strong and healthy.

But over the course of five years, lots has happened and my body has changed. I went back to school right after we got married and became a lot more sedentary as I sat in class five days a week and sat at home writing papers and doing homework. 

Then we moved and my husband was in a major accident on the way to our new home. We lost a pet in the woods nearby when she ran from the wreck and I ended up suffering from PTSD which pretty much halted anything healthy I was doing for myself or any type of self-care whatsoever.

Then, two months after the accident, I got pregnant with our first child. My pregnancy was great and I actually didn’t gain a ton of extra weight, but I did suffer from gestational diabetes and had to learn to manage carbohydrates and blood sugar for the first time. I still ended up on insulin though.

Luckily our first baby girl, Evelyn, was born healthy and happy and she is my reason for living and pushing forward and being the best I can be every single day.

But after I gave birth my body just never really bounced back (anybody feel me on this one?). I had stretch marks, a big ol’ scar from my c-section and I just couldn’t seem to get back to my pre-baby weight of about 140 lbs. In fact, I hovered around the 160 lb. mark, which was only about 10 lbs. less than my total pregnancy weight.

Then I decided to quit smoking once and for all. And of course, as many people do, I began replacing cigarettes with food. Not a lot, but enough that I was consuming more calories than I was burning in a day. And slowly the weight began to creep on.

Then I got pregnant again.

I carried our second child all the way to 24 weeks gestation before we lost him. You can read the full story here, but suffice it to say that it did a real number on my physical body as well as my emotions. My body had an even harder time bouncing back after this pregnancy and subsequent loss. And I was emotional eating for comfort.

Then I got pregnant again, but I miscarried at just a few weeks. I was depressed and had absolutely no motivation to lose weight or take care of my physical self immediately following this loss.

But on top of everything else, I was beginning to feel more and more uncomfortable in my own skin. I was afraid to step on the scale and I hated the fact that none of my clothes fit right anymore. Plus, I knew if I wanted to carry another healthy baby to term (which I desperately want to!) I would have to do everything in my power to create a healthy environment for that baby to grow and thrive in. In short, I knew I had to make some changes. For myself and for my family.

And so I decided just before the new year that this year (2019) is the year I am going to do it.

To be honest, I wasn’t all that serious about losing the weight (especially not sharing the whole journey with the world), until I mentioned my goal of losing 50 lbs. in an email I sent out to my subscribers. I got so many amazing responses from people saying that they too wanted to lose weight and that they were rooting for me, so I decided I was going to commit AND I was going to share it all with anyone who cared to follow along.

As soon as I decided to commit, I got serious. I started to evaluate my food choices and my lifestyle and I knew that there were two main things I needed to change: I needed to start moving more, and I needed to cut out sugar.

I already cook almost exclusively from scratch at home and rarely eat processed foods, but I do like to indulge in sweet treats and alcohol (sometimes) and lots of grains and carbs. I knew this was probably the main thing in my diet that was causing me to gain weight, so after a lot of research, I decided to try the Keto Diet: A high-fat, moderate protein, low-carb diet with a lot of interesting science behind it and a ton of real-life success stories.

I decided to focus on diet first and foremost and slowly start adding in more movement. Which brings me to where I am today…

 

Three-Week Weight Loss Check-In

Okay, let’s get into it. Full disclosure time. Here’s where I’m starting from:

Current weight: 180 lbs.

Current Measurements: Waist – 44” / Bust – 45” / Hips – 45”

This is pretty much where I was when I started three weeks ago. I only took my measurements yesterday so I can’t say for sure how many inches I’ve lost. And my stupid dysfunctional scale says I haven’t lost a pound. In fact, it gives me about three or four separate readings every time I step on it. Yesterday it said I’d lost a pound first thing in the morning. Then I went for a workout and didn’t consume anything except some water and a cup of coffee and it said I’d gained 5 lbs. So I’ve decided not to trust my scale.

I’m going to start checking my weight with one of those proper manual scales because I find them much more accurate. I think they have one at the gym at the community centre. Otherwise I can just stop in to weigh myself at my doctor’s office every once in a while. (Is that weird? Do they allow that??)

Anyway, for the moment, I’m not paying much attention to the scale because if I do it just makes me depressed, and one of the cardinal rules about weight-loss and getting in shape is not to let the scale be the only measure of your progress.

What’s more important at this stage is how I’m feeling!

 

How I Feel

After three weeks of Keto, I’m feeling really good! 

• I’ve got more energy
• My clothes fit better
• I can tell just by looking in the mirror that I’ve lost a little weight

The scale be damned! I know my body, and I can tell I’ve lost some weight. If nothing else, I look and feel less bloated than before, which makes sense because cutting out almost all carbs results in water loss, which means less bloated puffiness. 

Starting Keto has also helped me get the ball rolling on getting back into a fitness routine and healthier lifestyle in general. I’ve started running again, taking some Zumba classes at my local community centre and tomorrow I’m going to try out boxing for the first time! Plus, I’ve been making an effort to focus on self-care in all areas of my life.

I’ve been taking regular salt baths, getting my full 8 hours of sleep, eating a healthy, whole foods Keto diet with lots of nutrient-rich veggies (not just cheese and bacon!), and most importantly, I’ve been giving myself lots of grace. So if I sneak a bite of my daughter’s pancakes or I look at the scale and I don’t see any movement, I still give myself a pat on the back for the positive changes I’ve made and then I pick myself up and keep going.

It’s a little bit crazy perhaps, since I haven’t yet seen the fruits of any of my labour (in relation to weight-loss, turning this blog into a full-time business or many other things in my life), but I believe with all the power of my being that perseverance, grit and determination (plus having a really good “why,” or reason for pursuing your goals and dreams) is all you really need to succeed at anything and everything in life. It might not happen overnight, but I believe that if you have something really important in your life motivating you every day and you have the grit and determination that it takes to persevere no matter what, you will reach your goals eventually.

This doesn’t mean you don’t or won’t fall off the wagon from time to time. We’re all human, right? But it means that when you fall, you get back up again and keep trying.

So that’s where I’m at right now. I definitely feel better than I did just a few weeks ago, but I haven’t seen a ton of measurable progress yet. And that’s just fine. I’m going to keep at it anyway, and I’ll make a point of checking in here every few weeks to let you know how it’s going and what I’ve been doing to get closer to my ultimate goal.

Just like checking the scale, I don’t think it’s the best practice to be obsessing over weight or progress every single day (or even every week), because the journey toward any big goal is a rollercoaster with lots of ups and downs, so some days and weeks will naturally be better or worse than others. But I think checking in on a monthly basis is a good idea for this particular weight-loss goal I’m working toward. So be sure to check back here often or subscribe to be notified whenever I check in with another diary entry, plus receive additional tips and inspiration to help you take control of your health, lose weight and get in shape the healthy, all-natural way too!

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Fingers crossed I have some movement on the scale (or inches lost) to report back next time I check in with you! But regardless of what happens, I’m going to stay on track and keep moving forward no matter what. Because that’s how winning is done.

I would love to hear about your goals and dreams too! Whether they involve weight-loss or health & fitness or homesteading and self-sufficiency or financial independence or anything else, I absolutely LOVE hearing from you! So please leave me a comment down below and let me know what you’re working toward this year.

Thanks again for joining me on the road to better health and wellness.

Until next time friend,