I Lost 50lbs With 2 Simple Rules

I have wanted to lose weight for a long time, but it is easier said than done.

In 2022 I weighed 195lbs and my eating habits were inconsistent. One day, I'd order a salad, but the next day, I'd order a milkshake. I felt like the majority of my meals were fast food. I knew how to cook, but it was an effort.

Cook Healthy and at Home

When I began my weight loss journey, I made more of an effort to cook my own meals. When I go to the store, I often end up cooking for more than one day as I buy a lot of food, including salmon and vegetables.

As I did that, I started preferring my own cooked food over fast food.

I began reading I'm So Effing Hungry: Why We Crave What We Crave—and What to Do About It, by Amy Shah. I found this book helpful because the author explains why we eat the things that we do.

When she explained that fast food is manufactured to make us want it more because of all the sugar and salt within it, something clicked for me.

I followed the author's advice and began replacing fast food and processed foods with healthier versions, consistently, for a long time, and I stopped craving unhealthy and processed foods.

For example, I used to hate bananas, but now I crave them. I cut out fried food and pork. I'm not a big snacker, so I stuck to my meals.

I love alfredo pasta. But I realized I liked the sauce most of all, so I started replacing that meal with a dairy-free, low-calorie sauce on top of whatever protein I cooked for the day. It's not quite the same, but it did satisfy the craving for a saucy meal.

Honestly speaking, I used to dislike cooking. I always preferred Chick-fil-A or a pizza. But now, I prefer home-cooked food over going to restaurants and eating fast food. I still of course go to restaurants with friends for social gatherings, but other than that, I don't.

I like being in control of what I'm putting into my body. I've always exercised, but I believe that the majority of weight loss comes down to 80 percent of the foods that we eat and 20 percent exercise.

Within a month of working out and changing my diet, I had lost a substantial amount of weight. The combo of eating right and moving your body is key. I eat two full meals a day with fruit or a protein bar, without fasting.

I feel that if we're not eating what we should be, our exercise goes to waste. After switching my diet, I currently eat a lot of lean meat and vegetables. Within a year, I lost 50lbs. During that time, I learned to be patient with myself.

I didn't really count my calories as a whole, but I was very aware of the things I was eating.

Find an Exercise You Enjoy

I also picked up cycling, which is my favorite thing. In order to lose weight by exercising you have to find an exercise that you enjoy, so that you can keep doing it consistently. I do not like going to the gym or using the treadmills, but I love cycling because it's fun.

I like more intense workouts like cycling. I was working out by cycling in a studio three times a week. I consistently burned 600 calories per session, but it depends on the coach.

Above all, being patient with myself helped me the most, as I had been accustomed to eating a certain way for my whole life. I understood that it was going to take time for my body to adjust to a different way of eating.

I believe that if you wait for a perfect scenario, you'll never be ready.

What helped me stay on track is that when I was putting on my clothes, they were becoming looser. This motivated me to keep losing weight.

Overall, a few other things also helped me on my weight loss journey. One is staying active in any capacity. Another is drinking lots of water, as it helps you lose weight by flushing out toxins and helping your metabolism.

Stepping on the scale every morning also helped me, as I saw firsthand when I messed up or when my progress was slow. Of course, this depends on the person because stepping on a scale every day can be mentally challenging.

Confidence

Currently, I don't feel like I'll gain weight without noticing because I'm not changing the routines I've put in place for myself. And if I do gain weight, I now have the tools to get it back off.

I feel more confident in my skin. I was at this lower weight for most of my life, so when I gained 50lbs, unfortunately, it really changed how I viewed myself.

I'm now able to wear the items I wore before I gained weight, and I feel so much more free in my choices when purchasing clothes. There were a lot of clothing items that I stopped wearing such as crop tops that I now feel confident in.

One thing I'd say to someone who wants to lose weight is that anything you put your mind to is possible. Your current situation does not define you.

Take one day at a time and any goal you have for yourself will come to fruition, whether that's weight loss or not. You are the most important, don't give up on you!

For the past nine years, Taylor Anise has created digital content that showcases her journey in the beauty and lifestyle industry. Her beauty content aims to show others how to create amazing hair and makeup looks from home. Through her lifestyle videos, she showcases what life is like living in the Miami area including weekly vlogs and videos sharing her journey through weight loss and weight maintenance.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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