How I Lost 36 Lbs With A Cheaper Diet

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The weight gain

During my pregnancy with Baby FAF, I gained a whopping 57 lbs, going from 115 lbs to 172 lbs.

Even after giving birth, I was still 46 lbs over the pre-pregnancy weight.

I breastfed Baby FAF until he was one. My main concern was to have extra milk for him rather than looking good.

I kept eating and eating to make sure I had plenty of supply.

Motivation

A couple of months after that eating and pumping frenzy was over, I looked at myself in the mirror and just couldn’t find the skinny girl with a slender figure I used to see.

I used to weight only 115 lbs. Now I was 156 lbs. But It didn’t bother me a great deal until one day.

It was during in summer of 2016, and some of my female co-workers were wearing form-fitting dresses to the office.

Once I saw them, my first thought was: “Those dresses look really nice on them.” Then my second thought was: “I used to look like that too.”

I realized just because I’m married and became a mother doesn’t mean I can allow my body to go downhill. I had to take action.

The start

From that day, I put myself on a diet. I didn’t want to go to the gym, but I did about 40 minutes of walking to and from work every day.

On the weekends, I would walk to the mall near my house and just wandered around for about 2 hours. That’s what I considered to be my workout.

Below are some examples of what I ate every day:

Breakfast

1/3 of a sweet potato + 2/3 of a cup of organic soy milk 

Most of the time I’d have 2/3 of a cup of organic soy milk with 4 tablespoons of cereal.

Lunch

3 tablespoons of rice + 2 tablespoons of canned beans + 2 boiled eggs + a banana 

I usually mix up the combo, so it’d look something like this:

Dinner

Tofu and radish soup + 3 tablespoons of rice + 1 orange

Salad

Romaine lettuce from Costco. I’d usually dip it in soy sauce, not dressing. 

The process

I ate 3 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I didn’t snack. And I didn’t skip meals.

During the first 3-4 days of the diet, I’d feel hungry all the time. Sometimes I felt like I couldn’t walk straight or was about to pass out.

After 2 days, I lost 4 lbs.

On day 5, my body started to get used to the new diet. I was hungry but didn’t feel dizzy anymore.

By the end of the first month, my body would be happy with a small amount of food and stopped protesting like crazy for more. I was used to the new diet.

After the first month, the weight loss slowed down. I’d hop on the scale 5 times a day to see if there was any changes. It was a bit obsessive.

But I just kept the same diet and saw a drop of 2 lbs every couple of days for the first 3-4 months. After that, I’d lose 2 lbs every week or so.

I’d still feel hungry and want to eat throughout the day, but the hunger wasn’t as intense as before. Most importantly, I’d try to use my will power to try not to think about eating or to focus my energy on my work.

Conclusion

It was a long process to take back my body. But I’m glad I started on it and got to where I am today at 120 lbs.

I could have easily maintained the old diet and reasoned that that’s what happens when I became a mom and a wife. But I saw another option.

Another source of fun motivation I didn’t mention above was watching Victoria’s Secret fashion show videos on Youtube for more inspiration.

But you need to be careful when watching those videos. Be inspired, not discouraged, by those beautiful models who look so perfect. Just keep with the diet, and you will see the result even after one week.

Related:

How I Lost 4.2 Lbs Over 2 Weeks

5 Unintended Results of My 40.2 Lb Weight Loss

Why We Sent Our Son To China

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