Sara's Second in the Biggest Loser

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I probably could have not shouted out my status in the Biggest Loser in the title of this post, and built up to my second place status, but I haven't been this proud of myself in a long time. I have always made excuses about not losing weight, but with a bit of focus, I've been able to do really well with it this time. It started off pretty rocky.

Diet Day 1: I ordered a salad for lunch. It was sad not getting a burger.
Diet day 2: I ate lettuce wraps for lunch. That's what sadness tastes like.
Diet Day 3: Hunger is real. All day, every day. Serving sizes are totally unrealistic.

It definitely took a few days to adjust to my new healthier, less food-driven lifestyle. I was hungry all the time and never felt like I was ever satisfied. But my body adjusted. I got used to less food. And you know what? It's crazy how little food you actually do need, once you adjust your body to less food. I'm about to list some tips for healthier eating, but by no means am I qualified to offer suggestions, other than the fact that I've lost a "stone" (which is what the British woman at work said to me, and I thought was so cool I texted several people about my lost stone). To us Americans, that means 14 pounds, which is about 7% of my bodyweight.

Yes, thats 7% less of me to love, but we can get through this together. Anyways, here's my list of diet suggestions:

  • Follow serving sizes. Yes, they seem small, but they're there for a reason. They mean something.
  • Work out. I don't think it really matters what you pick, just move. I've done zumba, walking, running, ellipticals, weigh lifting, rowing, aerial yoga, yoga on the ground, barre and cardio classes. Just do something and do something as many days a week as you can.
  • TREAT YO SELF. But sparingly, and smartly. My splurge days are the weekends (shocking, I know). I'll let myself eat actual carbs and drink some wine. I may nibble on some cookie or a sweet. But eat one cookie, drink one glass of wine (wine, not beer), eat one quesadilla and be content. Dip a toe in the water, don't dive in.
  • Eat little things throughout the day. Since I am hungry all the time, I eat little somethings all day. I start off with a black cup of coffee, two gummy vitamins (I am a child and can't handle real vitamins) and some oatmeal. Then a few hours later, I eat an apple or greek yogurt. At lunch, I eat lettuce wraps, salads or maybe a chicken breast. If I'm going wild, I will eat a sandwich. Then I may need a snack to get me through the gym, and then we're onto dinner.
  • TREAT YO SELF PART 2. I told myself if I bought new workout pants, I'd go more often. So, I bought new pants and have held myself to the standard that I now have to use them more.
  • Stop drinking. Woof, is that one hard. I still do it, but I drink a lot less and a lot less often. It's actually interesting being the sober one in a crowd of drinkers. I can't say I hated it.

I can tell you that my heart skipped almost totally out of my chest when I saw my new weight at the first weigh in. I can tell you how I almost jumped for joy when the numbers came in even lower the next week. I can tell you how good I feel now that I'm 14 pounds lighter. And I can tell you that I am happier because I am feeling healthier. But the feeling of standing on that scale, and knowing that your hard work is truly paying off, that you are the master of your own body, that you can do it, is something that words don't capture. It's something you need to do yourself, when you're ready. But I can tell you, it'll be worth it.