How I Lost 80 Pounds

Years ago I set out on the most amazing journey of my life, and lost 80 pounds. Being overweight and living an unhealthy lifestyle most of my life, I committed myself to get healthy and living active. I lost 80 pounds, not by choice but through commitment. After committing to eating right and exercising for over a year, I went from a size 14 to a size 2 and lost 80 pounds.

Looking back, I see my weight loss was a pivotal moment in my life. It transformed me beyond my physical body. It changed my view of the world, taught me that weight does not define your self worth and led me to pursue my ultimate dream goals. I learned to cook healthy recipes, became a food photographer, writer, nutrition practitioner, and group fitness instructor. If it were not for my 80 pound weight loss, you would not see the woman you see today.

More importantly, I discovered who I am and learned to love myself.

After struggling with my food and weight practically my entire life, I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to experience a healthy way of living. It's made me a better person and I want to share my story to inspire you. Weight loss is truly a cumulation of small lifestyle changes and sticking with them for a long period of time. It's a lifestyle, not a diet. Here's how I lost 80 pounds.

I walked everyday.

One day I started walking and that day one changed my whole life.

When I started walking, I didn't have a gym membership or attend fitness classes. I was too embarrassed to workout in front of others. So I walked. A lot! In fact, my weight loss never began with the intention of losing weight. It began with wanting to be happier and feel better about myself.

Through walking, I discovered physical activity made me feel really good physically, mentally and emotionally. I was more focused, more alert and had more energy. Walking became a pillar of my day. It was something I looked forward to and later, motivated me to live a more active life and explore other forms of fitness.

So when people ask me what fitness they should do when they are starting their journey, I tell them "just walk."

I changed how I was eating.

When it comes to weight loss, what you eat far outweighs anything you do. I focused on eating more lean protein, drinking more water and adding in more veggies. I never deprived myself. I ate a Kashi cookie for lunch every day, and had popcorn or ice cream after dinner.

I kept myself accountable with what I ate & how much I ate by tracking my calories (which I still do today) using the LoseIt app. Tracking what I ate made me aware of how much I was overeating, and taught me how to eat proper portion sizes. It also helped me understand what balance of foods made me feel best.

I realized there's no diet like my own.

Everyone always asks me what diet I followed when I was losing weight. The truth is I followed no diet. When it comes to eating, there's no one size fits all (something I help the women that work with me understand) & nothing better than simply eating healthy for you and your body. The trick is finding what works for you. What worked for me, may not work for everyone.

I embraced the lessons that came from losing weight.

With weight loss comes many lessons. Lessons about how to eat, what to eat and how to find the right balance. For me, I was able to improve my relationship with food, eat proper portions and identify the cause of food cravings. Throughout I figured out what healthy foods I liked and did not like. Weight loss is about learning. In order to achieve sustainable weight loss, I realized I had to be patient going through the process and embracing the lessons along the way. It's so much more than getting fit or changing the number on the scale.

I got "kitchen-ed."

Believe it or not, before losing weight I didn't really cook. I had zero interest in cooking a meal much less creating my own recipes. I'm sure that surprises many of you who follow my recipes.

Losing weight, motivated me to get in the kitchen and get creative. I never liked vegetables or healthy food. Everything always tasted bland to me. I knew the key to sticking with it long-term would be creating meals that I would look forward to eating so I wouldn't fall back on old habits.

Now years later, I'm creating my own recipes, styling food and photographing it. And to think I used to hate cooking. It's a testament to never say never!

I changed my environment.

Before I lost 80 pounds, my free time on the couch, watching tv, snacking mindlessly on a bag of chips. Once I took an interest in walking and cooking, I found myself spending less and less time in front of the TV. I was going out with friends more, taking up new hobbies, traveling and willing to try new things. Now I'm so busy I spend maybe an hour in front of the TV. Sometimes the smallest change in your habits or routine, can make a huge difference in achieving your goals!

I got out of my comfort zone.

Getting a gym membership was a pivotal moment for me. I had already lost a lot of weight but still wasn't that confident in my body. I feared everyone at the gym would stare or judge me for not being fit and over weight. The truth is the exact opposite happened.

No one stared and people were more than willing to help when I asked for it. Conquering my fear of going to the gym being overweight not only boosted my self confidence, but motivated me to tackle other fears in life. I learned that stepping outside my comfort zone and asking for help, gave me the self confidence to motivate me toward my goals.

I set boundaries.

Work and stress has always dictated my life. Everything came second to my career. It took me 18 years of working in corporate America to realize a successful career is meaningless if I'm not healthy and not living life. I finally realized it was my choice to be stressed out, to stay in a job that demanded long hours, to be inactive and to eat unhealthy foods. So, I set boundaries, made health, fitness and ME a priority for once!

I decided I was worth it.

I spent the majority of my life trying to please others. I chased their approval because I lacked self confidence. When I realized I didn't need anyone's approval other than my own, and that it wasn’t selfish to want a healthy body, I no longer felt guilty for not meeting someone's expectations.

I told myself "you are worth it." I allowed myself to experience life without a set of rules or expectations. I made me the priority.

Want To Lose Weight & Keep It Off For Good?

I now have a degree in nutrition and counsel women over 35 to lose fat for good without cutting out foods they love in my weight loss coaching program. If you're a woman who is done with diet culture and tired of struggling with food and how you feel in your body, you're in the right place because I get it and I've been there.

I've now counseling over 1000 midlife women one-to-one to help them create sustainable, healthy ways of living that are enjoyable while losing fat. Read more about how I help women create a sustainable way of eating to lose fat.

About Megan

Megan is a certified nutrition practitioner, author, freelance food photographer and fitness instructor living in Phoenix, Arizona. On her blog, Skinny Fitalicious she shares EASY, gluten free recipes for weight loss. Follow Megan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.