May 15th, 2019 is when I started the Whole30 diet (or restarted after a cheater wine and S'mores night after a week of it), and really, really started my body transformation. I had made it a new years resolution for all of 2019, but it didn't really go that well at first. But, May 15th, I devoted all of my self control into doing the Whole30 diet that I had read a lot about. I followed that diet for 90 days, which the book says is often better for your first time on the diet.
Now, some of you are asking, what is the Whole30 diet? It is an elimination diet, created and researched by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, who are both Certified Sports Nutritionists. Dallas is also a licensed physical therapist, and a functional medical practitioner. Basically, for 30 (or 90) days you cannot eat dairy, sugar, legumes, grains, alcohol, and anything artificial, like Splenda or MSG. These foods are shown to cause problems in many bodies, which is why you take them out. Anyone who has attempted the Whole30 will tell you that the first week is hell. You literally feel hung over for days. But then you feel more awake. And your stomach stops hurting. And you feel better, even though you didn't realize that you felt bad.
Then, once your days are done, you slowly add back in the food you think your body is okay with. I'm lactose intolerant, so it's rare that I eat dairy (now at least, I use to just let my body suffer). So I started by adding gluten back in. My body didn't like it. Like, so much stomach pain didn't like it. I am not one of those people who is going to start saying I have Cilliac disease (I don't know why people think they're doctors and can just label themselves with no testing) but I think it is fair to say that I am at least a little gluten intolerant. So I did another 30 days to reset, then tried legumes. And I felt weird. And I didn't like it. So I reset again. Tried sugar the next time. And I was back to craving it all the time. Alcohol I didn't miss, except for a few special occasions.
I don't know how many people are out there who just, kind of permanently do Whole30, but that seems to be when my body is happiest. I have cheat days sometimes, like Thanksgiving and my birthday. I enjoy all the old things, and then I'm hungover for a week getting back to my norm.
I also started the Healthy4Life program based at St. Mary's Medical Center in Hobart, Indiana. Which starts with checking my weight, different blood levels, and my metabolism. All doctors always assume I have a problem with my thyroid because I'm over weight, but it functions just fine, thank you very much. But the program involves six visits with the doctor, three visits with the nutritionist, and three with this exercise-ologist lady who's title I could never pronounce. The nutritionist put me on 1,800 calories a day. The exercise lady talk with me and we picked which sorts of exercises I should focus on to lose weight from the places that I carry most of it.
I lost a very nice amount of body fat, and I am still going. I plan on resigning up for the program (you get a discount the second time around), so I can get my metabolism and things reread, and know exactly how much healthier I am.
I would be getting into a good rhythm with the working out, and then something medical would happen. My increased Endometriosis pain that led to my doctor agreeing to my Hysterectomy, then a back injury at work, that took over six months for them to fix. But I have recovered fully from the Hysterectomy and I am currently in recovery from back surgery I had at the end of April. I am suppose to take a walk every day, adding steps as I can. Then, as soon as we can find a place that is open, I will start physical therapy. Then, with the increased step count, the stretches and exercises I'll be given, and slowly adding in some basic work outs that I can handle, I will improve physically, because weight and body wise, I've pretty much done all I can through diet alone.
With the walks, therapy, and decreased pain, I can't wait to get back in the gym once they open. Also, now that I'm back in college, I can use their new, very fancy "free" fitness center. Is it really free if I'm paying thousands of dollars worth of tuition? Not really, but I'm still glad it's there. I plan to go there and work out with my friend Anna at least one day a week, at the Westville campus, then Ben's membership at Planet Fitness lets him bring friends, so I can work out with him once or twice a week, I'll be at the Hammond Campus one day a week, so I can get in a workout there by myself or sign up for a class (they have Zumba!) and then do some stuff on my own at home as well.
But even with my different setbacks, I am still very proud of my progress. According to my weight-loss app, LoseIt or loseit.com, my maximum weight was February 22, 2019. I was 411.4 pounds at 24 years old. Your 20's are suppose to be so fun, but I wasn't having fun. My body was hurting. And I was the one hurting it. Food is delicious and amazing. I have always loved food. But, please, believe me, cooking and eating nothing but healthy food feels so much better. And still tastes really, really good.
One thing I talked about with my nutritionist after I started the Whole30 was that I didn't have to completely cut out sugar like I was doing, I just needed to make better choices. Don't buy, then sit and eat, all of a huge family sized pack of cookies. Save your sweet treat for a delicious home made cookie instead. But here's the thing, we didn't have home made cookies very often in my house growing up. Usually we did around Christmas or Thanksgiving, but since it was a special occasion, I would always over do it.
Over doing it seems to be my forte. Special occasion where I plan on cheating? I plan the food way too much, and usually too much of it. A cheat meal or evening turns into a few cheat days so that I can get the stuff out of my house. But I'm not just gonna throw it away, that's so wasteful! So I eat it all, and I feel like absolute garbage, because I'm doing unhealthy things to my body on purpose. So, I go back to just being ridiculously strict on the diet. But I think I'm finding a good balance. I eat something with a little bid of wheat in it, or some sugar, but not often and not a lot.
In one year of pretty much just diet, I have lost 116.4 pounds.
And I feel good!
Why is that big and bold Gretchen? Cause I am damn proud of myself!
But I'm not at my goal yet. I have avoided telling people my goal for how much weight I wanted to lose, because people who have never been bigger think it sounds like too much. They assume I would be eating-disorder small if I had just come out and said that I wanted to lose 200 pounds.
But I do. I want to lose a total of 200 pounds.
That's 14.28 stone, if we were in the UK.
90.71 kilograms if we lived in any other country but the US.
And yes, that seems like a lot. Especially if you are someone who has never weight 200 pounds or more. Which I have. Way more. But even when I lose that weight, I will still have a BMI of 29, which is still considered overweight, but is literally one point away from being considered obese. Where when I started, my BMI was 57.4! That's not even on the majority of BMI charts. Right now my BMI is 41.6, so it went down 15.8 points. Just 12.6 to go!
Being healthy in the doctors eyes doesn't matter as much as how proud I am of myself. I started using LoseIt! in January of 2012, when I was just 15 years old. But if I lose 33.1 more pounds, I will literally weigh less than I did when I first thought I was fat. And that will feel so, so good.
I love how I look now. I usually am humble, but damn it, Imma say it. I look good! I am doing absolutely amazing! The only way I am going to go, is up. Or really, in this case, down.
Back when I started losing weight, I started a board for it on Pinterest, different random types of water that claims to help you lose weight. Weird ways to move your bodies as little as possible to gain the most muscle. But I didn't really follow any of those. But one good tip I saw was having a visible representation of how much weigh you have lost. So here's mine. One vase broke and I had to replace it real quick, but it still shows.
Soon, I will move those last 85 rocks to the 'Pounds Lost' jar. I already have to move one more over from when I took that picture verse right now. And I will reach my goal. But for now, I'm just really enjoying my progress and the confidence it's bringing me.
Then:
1/31/19 408lbs Size 4 leggings and bra set Torrid
4-30-19 407.5lbs Size 4 T-shirt Torrid Size 28 leggings Lane Bryant
5/2/19 411.4lbs Size 5 shirt and leggings Torrid
Now:
May 8th, 2020 296.6lbs
I owe a big thank you to everyone in my life who has helped hype me up every step of the way. You taking that time to like or love my updates means so much. And those comments fill my head as I push myself a little harder to be the woman who earns them.
“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”
―
May, 13th 2020 size 2 leggings and shirt from Torrid
Thank you all for reading. Comment down below with any questions or comments. Let me know if you'd like any more information on anything mentioned above. And feel free to share this post if you'd like. Inspiration can come from anywhere. I started Whole30 because I was doing it with my best friend, Anna. And Anna was inspired by her mother and sister trying the diet.
My point being, if I inspired you or you think I could inspire someone you know, please feel free to share. Thank you.
-Gretchen
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