I was going back through some old blog posts and got to thinking about hitting 100 pounds lost. That wasn’t the end goal I wanted, but that was a huge milestone for me. When I looked for that post, I went all the way back to 2008! I cannot believe it was that long ago.
I’m standing next to 100 pounds of coconut oil in that shot for comparison.
Today, I am 10 pounds heavier than that, but that means that I have kept the majority of the weight off over 9 years. My weight has gone up and down a bit over the years, but never back up to where it was or even anywhere even close to that. Also not down to my very lowest point, either.
I thought I would do a winter coat comparison as I don’t have too many current full body shots. This was old 250-pound me:
Then back in March or Feb of 2017:
Just a little different – even though some days I still feel really big. I would have thought after all these years that feeling would be gone, but it still pops up now and again.
My blog has certainly changed a lot. I don’t post my daily eats anymore and put more of my life on the blog. Maintaining has been a struggle at times and then sometimes not a struggle. I will always love food. There are going to be times when I overeat food. I accept that and am okay with that. I will stress eat again. That’s just me. I also will bounce back and rein things in. I’m pretty confident that I will always do that now. Sometimes it just takes me a little longer than I would like LOL!
I won’t lie and say that I don’t miss eating whatever I wanted whenever. Sometimes I get really tired of weighing the pros and cons of eating – and I do really have to think about it every day. That part hasn’t gotten easier because you can’t just not eat. It’s not like quitting smoking.
I am so much more physically active now, which is great. Now that I’m 49, I find I have gotten more injury prone – very annoying. I want to age well, though. Activity is going to be a huge part of that and I’m going to stay as active as I can for as long as I can.
Maintenance is not impossible. It takes as much, if not more work than actually losing. And it’s pretty mundane. You don’t get the excitement of seeing a loss on the scale to celebrate and keep you motivated. You just have to do it day in and day out.
Thanks for hanging around with me all this time!
Congratulations for keeping it off! Thanks for sharing your life on the blog too.
Congrats, Lori. Health is certainly a marathon, not a sprint, and you are doing great. Here’s to 9 more years, and then 9 more, etc.
Great job keeping the weight off all these years! Not many people do that something to be very proud of. You are a weight loss success story.
I love your honesty.
Here fitness is like everyotherdamnthing.
sometimes easy. often NOT.
Again I will tell you how I love your self assessment. You’re just so matter of fact and then accepting of the facts. I need to be more like you.
Congratulations on this wonderful achievement! It is truly remarkable especially since most of us can’t take off 30 pounds and keep them off.
I’m with you on trying to age better and keep moving. Even if the intensity or type of movement changes, it is so important to just keep moving!
Great post to see on a Monday morning! I think you have lots of wisdome to share and I always enjoy reading your posts.
You have done a remarkable job over the years. What you wrote about maintenance is so true.
It’s always nice to see a realistic update – life isn’t as simple as magazines and Instagram would leave one to believe in terms of weight loss and maintenance. Love how you noted your activity level…to me, that is a huge change afforded when you lose a lot of weight, and it sure makes life more fun, right?
You are a great role model for maintenance, Lori. I love that you are sensible, but still make room in your life for the treats you like – bagel Wednesdays and cupcake rides, etc. It’s all about balance, and you seem to have that part down pretty darn well!
You are such an inspiration Lori!!!! And like you even after many many many many years – I still want stuff I used to eat all the time. Every day it is a conscious thought process although everyday life… but still… Honestly, the older I get & closer to leaving this earth, the more I want to eat again 🙂
You are doing an amazing job! You truly are an inspiration. I have to constantly remind myself to take it one day at a time. I love food. I suspect I always will. My struggle is to be active enough. I , too, am 49. I lost 50 lbs. in 2011 by eating healthier and less. I have recently gained 10 lbs. I’m afraid this is a trend….
Love this post! Happy anniversary! I love that you share your ups and downs. Maintenance can be easy and it can be very hard. I think you make a good point that you never gained too much, but also never really got back down to your lowest, either. I am the same. Not including gaining 30-ish pounds when I was pregnant (and struggling to lose all of it after), I never gained more than about 10 or 15 and always lost it. But I *never* got back down to my very lowest weight. It just wasn’t a sustainable number for me!
Lori, you are so insightful and so honest in your thoughts. I am going through that struggle now and know it will never go away. Please keep blogging. Mary in Cincinnati
I appreciate your blog Lori.
Congrats on your achievement!
You have much to be proud of! Thanks for sharing your story and all that you share on the blog. I like your style!
I am amazed and encouraged by you. Im just now coming to terms with the fact that I will aways in some form or another “think” about food. Every single day 🙁 Not like a normal person would as in “what am i going to eat for lunch?” for me its more like “what should I eat? Is that a healthy choice? Is that a healthy portion? If I chose that cupcake have I exercised any to offset it? Todays Friday and Ill prolly go out to eat for dinner so I should eat a light lunch. What would be a good light lunch choice? God i WANT that donut. I shouldn’t have it tho!! I don’t eat enough veggies. I need to eat more veggies” The internal dialog is N E V E R E N D I N G! grrrrrr Its my cross to bear in this life. I need to just suck it up and do this!