unconventional weightloss and fitness journey: 5'2, 124 - 108lbs in 7 months!
Thought I would share my weightloss and fitness journey on here since this subreddit has been so helpful and inspirational for me since I started! It's a bit unconventional - no calorie tracking, no cutting carbs/specific foods long-term, not a typical workout routine, etc, but it's one that worked for me!! And I've been happier and healthier than ever :)
I started at 124 pounds and pretty bloated - at this point in my life, I had a major sugar addiction and a very warped relationship with my body. I grew up with a lot of emphasis on beauty and looks (daily comments telling me to get plastic surgery, to workout, to learn how to do makeup), and as a result refused to work on my body as an act of defiance. After moving away from family, I realized I was just eating whatever I wanted and lived a very sedentary lifestyle (hybrid but mostly remote job at a desk). And as a result I felt lethargic, unhappy, and generally bloated all the time.
That said, strict maintenance and calorie counting was out of the picture for me. While tons of people can use calorie counting as a healthy tool and most do for weight loss and fitness, I knew I would get obsessed unhealthily and it also just seemed to suck the joy out of eating for me. One thing I really wanted to preserve was my love for food and its importance to my cultural identity and community connection, and I hated the idea of ruining that for me from obsessively calorie counting at functions.
Instead, I focused on two key things: resetting my body's dependence on food for dopamine, and intuitively eating after that, with a focus on shifting to high fiber, high protein foods where I could.
Knowing that sugar consumption was the biggest issue, I cut out all processed and added sugar for 2 months at the start of my workout journey. This was probably the hardest for me, since I used sugar as a way to self medicate my ADHD. Since I expected it would be hard, I let myself go easy on other forms of easy dopamine - short form media content, playing games, etc., even though I had goals to curb some of that too, especially around new years. I was initially grumpy and irritable at first as I was adjusting, but immediately felt the difference and lost probably 6-8 pounds in the first two months alone. I was also able to slowly move my forms of easy dopamine into more stable, long lasting ones, such as investing into my hobbies (jorunaling, music, etc.).
It was important to me that I knew I would be able to eat sugar later and I NEVER planned to cut it completely from my life. This was to regulate the amount I was intaking and reset my body; with the amount of sugar I was consuming, I was just getting more and more desensitized to how sweet things were. When I eventually introduced sugar back into my diet in February, I was shocked by how things I used to eat and drink were so so sweet, and this reset really helped me stop my habit of using sugar for dopamine, since at that point I found other ways to find joy in my life.
At the same time, I focused on shifting to high fiber and protein foods. I made a different switch every other week - one week it was from white bread to whole wheat, one week was from ham to low sodium turkey, and so on and so forth. I made my decisions based on what I'd miss the least! So I still eat with regular mayo and soy sauce, but was happy to move to whole wheat bread and multi grain rice, for example. I also had an emphasis on eating more probiotics to help heal my gut health, with Greek yogurt (sweetened with honey) and kimchi as my main staples! If I switched to something that I hated I absolutely didn't force myself to change it (e.g. plain Greek yogurt, kombucha, and reduced fat milk were a big nos for me). While I ate with changes in my daily groceries, I had no restrictions for eating out at all, aside from cutting sugar in the first two months. This meant that I never had to skimp off of my cravings, to have partial of something I wanted, or had cut and then binge later moments. It also really prevented yo-yo dieting for me. Instead, I focused on portion control. I very intentionally started eating slower (since I used to scarf down my food) and didn't stuff myself when I went out. I'd save the rest of my meal, however small in takeout, even if it'd only amount to a small snack, or give it away to friends and family. I also pushed myself to not feel pressured to finish my meal or eat as much as my non petite friends, even if we were eating family style. I found that I often ate past my limit and by simply reducing my portion size instead of cutting out foods I loved, I could still have the best of both worlds!
One other major change for me was having a fun drink alongside water. I had a huge problem before with over intaking sweet drinks, whether that was milk tea, juices, or soda. I knew I still wanted to have my fun sweet drinks, but realized I didn't drink water nearly as often. So if I had a fun drink at home, I'd always also have a cup of water. Same thing when I went out, I'd ask for a cup of water too or bring a water bottle. That way, I wasn't using sweet drinks as my only form of hydration and I naturally drank less of it.
That's pretty much it for me on diet! A lot of it was very simple changes and working out what was best for me, since food is so much more mental and emotional than we often expect.
On fitness, I was also a bit unconventional in that I didn't have a weekly workout plan or goal. I wanted to focus on making moving my body as accessible and fun as possible, since I wanted the changes to be long-term! In the beginning, I ordered an indoor walking pad (under $100) and some small weights. I took to walking as often as I could, but did run into some trouble - I was too under stimulated while walking. TV, I always loved to curl up on the couch with my pets and friends, work was too much to do. Finally, I realized that singing while walking was my solution!! I would listen to music out loud or on my earbuds and sing to it, which helped me focus on my breath and was entertaining enough to do. It's the only way I can get about an hour of walking in, every other day! Realizing music was key for me to movement, I also started dancing a lot!! Brushing my teeth, making food, any time I had available I would listen to music and just dance freely. These two ways of working out were super accessible to me and really fun, which was important to me.
The weights didn't go as well - they just felt like such a burden to do manually. Instead, I ordered weights that attach to your body (ankle and wrist weights), and would play fitness games!!! My favorites are Wii Sports, Hatsune Miku Boxing and Taiko no Tatsujin (a rhythm based drum game) but there are so many that are pretty affordable and accessible (especially compared to paying for fitness classes or a coach). Most of these games I could also play with friends which was a huge bonus and very motivating, but were accessible in that I could play anytime by myself at home too! Where I could, I tried to work fitness into group hangouts as much as possible, from hiking with friends, to a pool hangout, etc. This was hugely motivating and made the time go by so fast.
The results on my body and health were so amazing. I felt so much less bloated and lost so much visible fat on my body - especially on my arms, boobs, and stomach where most of my fat usually is. My waist measurements went down over three inches, and I went down nearly one full boob cup size!!My legs and butt were much more toned and I even lost fat on my face and neck! I also gained a lot more muscle and feel very toned! I'll always be an inverted triangle who carries most of my fat and weight in my arms, boobs, and stomach, but I feel a lot more balanced and toned now. Most importantly, I felt more energetic and happy with my body and health! And a lot of my gut issues were solved (shoutout IBS...) in the process!
Ultimately, I don't have the perfect body or diet by any means and it was a very windy and weird path to get here, but I'm so much happier and healthier 7 months later! And I only anticipate more happiness and progress on my body as I go on. Huge appreciation to everyone here sharing their tips and tricks (as well as their beautiful progress!!!), as well as folks on r/ABraThatFits for helping me figure out a good sports bra for my fitness journey (which was initially a nightmare as a petite girl with bigger boobs). I wish everyone good luck on their health and fitness journeys and that you all find the perfect rhythm and routine that works for you, no matter how unconventional or slow it takes!