Weight Gain and Hormones, Losing the Fat

In my last post, I promised you details on how I lost the weight I had gained during a hormone imbalance.

After finding a more positive mind-set and reaffirming my self-worth, I lost all the weight and got in shape by doing the following:

I purchased a one-month supply of Herbalife products.

This included meal replacement powder, vitamins, and other supplements. While I don’t think meal replacements and supplements are necessary for weight loss, they were for me. I needed the help to jump-start the loss. Once I lost 20 pounds, I had regained control of my appetite. I was so motivated by my new look that I didn’t need to continue the meal replacements, energy boosters, or appetite suppressants.

I scheduled exercise.

My good friend and I made a “date” at least 4 times a week at her house to use her treadmill and exercise videos. She’d do one and I’d do the other, then we’d switch. Of course being single with no kids, I had more time for this than most people probably do. Scheduling the time and considering it an important appointment that you must keep really helps.

I ate less, and what I did eat was healthier.

Obviously, I was eating fewer calories while on the meal replacement shakes. I drank a shake when I arrived at work, one for lunch, and my mom made me a healthy dinner each night. I kept myself busy after work by doing my exercise. Before you eat is a great time to exercise, and you will actually burn more of your food calories that way.

I didn’t starve myself.

The meal replacements were heavy on protein, which helped suppress my appetite. I did get hungry while working though, and kept a tube of saltine crackers on my desk. While they aren’t the healthiest things in the world, they are relatively low in calories. When combined with massive amounts of water, they filled me up. (Though I should probably recommend fruit and veggie snacks, crackers worked best for me.)

I drank as if my life depended on it.

Seriously.  Luckily, the office I worked in had a full kitchen with a sink and the best weight loss tool — water. I filled up a pint sized plastic cup and vowed to finish one of those for every hour I worked. It was easy, even while doing my job as a receptionist and billing clerk. Did you notice what I did to make it easy? I scheduled my drinking. By making myself empty and refill the cup once each hour, I ended up drinking a full 128 ounces of water over the course of my day. That’s 16 cups of water, 2 for each hour I worked! I can’t even begin to explain the benefits of water while losing weight — that in itself deserves its own post.

That’s it. That’s what I did. Perhaps I was in the minority by having family support, exercise equipment at my disposal, and time to put myself first — but those are all very important parts of successful weight loss. Of course, as you probably have guessed by now, I did gain the weight back eventually. Such is the life of someone with obesity written in the genes. You might be asking why bother then….

I kept that extra weight off for about 4 years, and the only reason I gained it back was because of my first pregnancy. During those 4 years, my thyroid hormones stayed at a normal range, I was at less risk for heart attack and stroke, and I felt energized and healthy.

It was worth the effort.