How I lost 20 lbs. without a diet and restrictions.
This was me back in 2012 living in Chicago:
20 lbs. overweight and with alcohol always in hand.
I did not cook at home. I always ate at restaurants, got takeout or ordered food in.
I did not exercise. Every January I would get a gym membership though, then months later, I would realize I never went and was wasting money, so I would cancel it.
I didn’t deal with my stress. I did not take care of my mental health.
I did not prioritize sleep. I was always chasing the next party or event, stay up late, and then wonder the next day why I was so tired.
On and on I went on this cycle of not prioritizing myself and my health at all.
Until one day, I realized I couldn’t keep living the way I was anymore.
I wanted to feel good.
I wanted to look good.
I wanted to be happy.
The first thing that I wanted to tackle was my weight.
Not only did I want to lose the 20 lbs. that I gained due to my habits but I also wanted to be strong in my body.
The first thing that came to mind was “I wonder what diet I should do.”
I’ve been there before. I’ve done diets and have seen all the women in my life diet their life away or restrict themselves from carbs.
Then it started to dawn on me, these diets don’t work. I want to actually love my body and understand the way food works. I don’t want to restrict myself anymore or drink milkshakes and take a bunch of supplements in order to lose weight (I am thinking specifically of the Reset Diet). It just seemed like a waste of money.
So I decided I needed to get to work.
I started to buy every book about health, self-help and watched documentaries (podcasts and social media weren’t so popular back then it was just getting started).
The first book I got my hands on was A Return To Love by Marienne Williamson. I had a gut feeling that losing weight had to do with more than just the food on my plate. It had to do with how I felt about myself.
Turns out I was right. I had an entire narrative about myself that wasn’t so positive.
I truly did not love who I was nor my body.
So I started to do the work. The work as in peeling back the onion layers.
I started to meditate.
I started to go to the grocery store.
Then went on by making nourishing meals for myself (mostly lots of smoothies at first).
Then I fell in love with yoga. I will never forget going to the Core Power Yoga Studio that was down the street from my apartment.
That first class did something in my mind that changed it all for me.
I kept coming back for more and just kept having these moments of peace within myself and appreciation for my body that I don’t know how to put into words.
The more I did yoga, the more I wanted to buy green juice for example.
From smoothies, to green juice then I went on to salads.
From salads, I went to quinoa bowls, etc.
It just felt like one foot in front of another. It was exciting. An entire new world I didn’t even really know much about. All I knew was that it felt good.
It wasn’t a diet. It was a way of living.
I didn’t need a scale. I didn’t need to count calories or stop eating bread.
I actually still enjoy bread, pasta, and all of the things with no guilt.
I appreciate food on a much deeper level now, and understand my body.
I understand it’s hunger and fullness cues.
I understand how certain foods make me feel good and others not so much.
I understand that outside symptoms means I need to get to the root of the problem on the inside.
I understand how exercise doesn’t just help my body but it helps my mind tremendously and if there is 1 big thing I have learned along the way is that the mind and body are connected.
There is no other way around it.
I also started to prioritize sleep.
Sleep deprivation made me want to reach for sugar, caffeine, it made me cranky and not so nice (to myself and others).
Before I knew it, I lost 20 lbs. Without even realizing it.
This is me now after 2 babies:
The inside job took care of the outside.
The way I describe it here sounds way easier than it actually was though. It took a lot of discipline and getting past my mind that wasn’t motivated at all.
Which as we all know, it can be incredibly challenging.
What kept me going though was that when I would go backwards, I would feel it.
I would feel like absolute crap, so I finally started to connect the dots:
What I eat, what I do, what I say, anything I take in, is directly correlated to how I feel.
Loving yourself and your body takes time.
But it is so worth it.
One of the benefits from the Live Well Longer Membership is that the more you do the work, the more you start to cultivate that loving relationship with yourself and your body.
Leading to weight loss. Long-term.
Without a diet and without restrictions.
You will finally feel free while adding quality years to your life.
What is better than that?!
Until next time!
XOXO,
Alejandra at Living Well Co.