Estimated Reading Time: 13 Mins
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Introduction
Before we get started, I’d like you to take a look at my before-and-after photos below, and then I’ll explain the process I followed to get me there.
The Unpopular Path to Weight Loss
It’s something we all know we should do, but in practice, living a healthy lifestyle can be challenging, especially if you’ve spent years doing the opposite.
I was certainly in the latter bracket, and it had a disastrous affect not only on my physical appearance, but also on my mental wellbeing.
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The human body is both sophisticated and fragile, so it’s important to service it to achieve optimal function.
Whether you’re a homeowner, tenant, or driver, you understand the importance of maintenance — and the human body is no exception.
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In my post ‘PMDD for beginners’, I spoke in detail about the challenges of the condition itself.
However, the unhealthy lifestyle that I was living only compounded the impact it had.
I transitioned from a life of self-neglect to one of self-love, largely because I was tired of losing the battle against myself.
Image by Styves Exantus on pexels
So, if you’ve been contemplating adopting a healthier lifestyle, losing weight, or improving your mental wellbeing, I strongly encourage you to step out your comfort zone.
Begin to pursue the change you want with intention and purpose.
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Beyond the Quick Fix
Before I started this journey, I used to spend hours watching content from people who were already where I wanted to be.
It would motivate me to get myself in shape; however, my biggest obstacle was wanting results immediately.
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I think it’s fair to say most of us have this desire and it’s quite natural to want to see results quickly.
However, if we want long-lasting results, quick fixes are often unreliable.
We should focus on the fact that our goals are achievable.
If we can commit and persist, even when it feels like nothing is happening, change will come.
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We’re all familiar with the saying “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is”.
This couldn’t be more accurate when it comes to a lifestyle change because meaningful change never happens overnight.
Extreme weight loss tactics may deliver quick results but are rarely sustainable.
Let’s be honest, maintaining that kind of approach long-term is incredibly difficult.
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As was the case for me, you’ve likely spent a significant amount of time living a certain lifestyle.
Consequently, we must recognise that if we want lasting change, it equally requires lasting action.
Meaningful change takes time, and much of the work lies in the dedication you apply.
Creating or breaking habits requires ongoing consistency and proactive discipline.
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Starting Misguided, Ending Aligned
When 1st January came around, I would tell myself I was ready to turn my life around.
A new gym membership would be in place, a ‘fast weight-loss’ plan chosen — all backed by my determination to shed the excess fat.
I would become obsessed with weighing myself daily, desperate to see the number drop on the scales, and I’d keep this up for a few weeks.
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Then one morning, I’d step on the scales and see it had gone up by 2lbs.
My sense of hope would collapse, the disappointment would overwhelm me, and I’d simply give up.
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The hit to my enthusiasm would cause me to revert to my old ways, while convincing myself my lifestyle wasn’t all that bad — but I was only fooling myself.
The hardest part was that I repeated this cycle on and off for years, without ever making any real progress.
Image by tohamina on Magnific
It was deeply disheartening, and I felt like a failure time and time again.
The self-deprecating thoughts worked overtime until they eventually began to impact my overall confidence.
My ego was crushed.
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Redefining the Direction
I eventually carried out a personal intervention, taking a closer look at what I was doing and why it wasn’t working.
Why did I want to lose weight in the first place?
Was it purely for aesthetics, or did I truly want to live a healthier life?
Image by Magda Ehlers on pexels
I needed to break free from the mindset that fast results meant success and slow results meant failure.
In truth, I had to acknowledge that real success would come from steady, consistent effort.
My vision changed and I recognised that the only time constraints were the ones I placed on myself, largely influenced by societal expectations.
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Time will pass regardless of what we do.
Making gradual changes along with moving time, will see us eventually reach our goals, no matter how slow progress feels.
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If we want our future selves to be different from who we are today, we must learn to be less impatient and more realistic.
Most importantly, however, we must commit.
The actions we choose to take don’t need to be extensive from the start — we simply need to be willing to begin, even if we don’t feel ready.
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Indulgence to Intention
They teach us that weight loss is 75% diet and 25% physical activity.
For years, I struggled to understand how this could be true, but after consistently improving my diet, I found that it couldn’t be more accurate.
Image by Khwanchai Phanthong on pexels
Even though I wasn’t fully convinced at the time, I decided to test the thesis observing significant changes once my diet was adjusted.
Extreme dieting only revealed my disdain for such drastic measures.
Rather than cutting out entire food groups, I made smaller, gradual changes that aligned with my lifestyle and finances.
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Meal prepping became a major catalyst in the progress I made.
For many, the temptation to eat fast food is usually encouraged by the absence of readily available home-cooked meals.
Image by Erik Mclean on pexels
In addition, the convenience of delivery apps only adds to that temptation while encouraging unnecessary spending in the process.
We have to build and create a desire for quality food.
One way that I did this was by researching vegan meals I could prepare myself.
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Despite being an omnivore, I chose this approach because I felt vegan meals offered more flavour due to the intentional absence of meat.
This encouraged a greater intake of better nutrition.
Even though I still included meat, I suddenly found myself eating more vegetables, pulses, fruit, fibre, and essential nutrients.
It was everything my body needed to not only look better but function better.
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I managed to stay consistent and within the first six months, I had lost just over a stone.
It was the greatest weight loss result I had achieved in years.
And the best part was that it didn’t feel time restrictive.
Rather, it was becoming my new way of life.
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My six-month result may not sound like much to others, but for me, it meant a great deal.
I had started at 16 stone being 5’5” in height so it felt significant.
More importantly, I was losing the weight gradually, which helped me avoid the burden of excess skin.
Image by Tim Samuel on pexels
For once, I was doing things the right way.
My confidence grew, and the changes started to radiate.
Before long, compliments began to follow.
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From Avoidance to Acceptance
After maintaining my new style of eating for over a year, I, like many others, found myself facing the dreaded weight-loss plateau.
Rather than becoming discouraged, I saw it as an opportunity to implement what I had been avoiding for much of my adult life — exercise.
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For the most part, I worked from home and relied on driving in all other scenarios.
What I failed to notice was how inactive and unfit I had become as a result.
It was time to push myself beyond the norms of my existing limits.
Image by boom/pexels
I knew I was slowly getting older, but I wanted to experience the ageing process in the best way possible.
To be 65 later, without looking or feeling a day over 45, felt like a decent target to work towards.
If I simply started where I was, I could potentially invest the next 30-plus years into truly becoming that person.
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Built to Last, Not to Impress
There were a few reality checks I established when I started out.
Firstly, I recognised that I wasn’t a ‘gym person’, and due to financial constraints, I didn’t want to travel to or pay for a gym at the time.
I also didn’t enjoy outdoor exercise because of the unpredictability of the weather.
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In outlining my concerns, I wasn’t trying to make excuses.
I simply knew I needed to be realistic, and more importantly, focus on finding solutions.
My perception of commitment had changed, so choosing something I could really stick to became essential.
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Eventually, I decided to start small at home, and I remember it like it was yesterday.
All I had was a skipping rope and resistance bands, and all I could manage was 70 skips and three sets of 20 before losing my breath.
I had a lot of work to do.
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As the months passed, my stamina improved, and eventually I was doing far more than I did at the start.
Alternating between home HITT workouts and my own routines added variety, giving me better structure.
The pounds continued to drop, and I reached the lowest weight I had been since my early twenties.
The main observation I made from it all was that my progress throughout had been gradual.
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Summary
Improving our wellbeing involves many elements, one of the most important being our health.
We must focus on extending our lives and sustaining our productivity — a continuous process requiring us to compete against ourselves.
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If you have people who depend on you, you can increase your effectiveness when you take care of yourself.
Remember that you are the most valuable asset you have after God.
Recognise your value and make it a priority to invest into your life — mind, body, and soul.
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Getting healthier and in shape comes down to the discipline we’re willing to apply.
Don’t let the world sell you a dream.
It takes work, it takes time, and most importantly, it takes you.
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For further messages of encouragement, remember to follow me on my Instagram, TikTok and YouTube platforms.
