From Cheese Curls to Cable Curls

My weight loss journey.

We’re going to have ourselves a little look at my weight loss journey; why I did it, how I did it and maybe some tips you can take yourself if you’re on that weight loss journey. In a way just letting you know that you’re not alone.

I’d like to make it clear; I was never a tubby kid. In contrary, I looked pretty underfed as a child, who looked like he could use a plate or two of extra food. So, to say I’ve always struggled with weight is something, I have to admit, I have never gone through as a child. But, I was also doing athletics since the age of three, Volleyball early in my teenage years and, for a period of time at the age of ten, did some swimming as well, so I was a highly active child who did his fair share of sports.

But, as I got older and lazier, sports was no longer the center of my life and I became a lazy teenager who pretty much didn’t do much all day and ate uncontrollably. I blamed that weight gain on me being a growing teenager, as most teenagers did. But, as I got to my mid-twenties, I was still growing, it was no longer puberty. I was dealing with a lot of self-image issues and, though I didn’t feel bigger, I knew I had to do something, but the motivation was not there.

Two and a half years ago, I moved in with my best friend. We were both motivated to get in better shape and we built our schedules around working out together. Keep in mind: this was the first time I was going to a gym, and so the journey began. It was not easy, I’m going to be absolutely honest about that. I had a series of breakdowns, at many times I wanted to give up and didn’t see the point in doing it anymore. Still, there was my friend motivating me, by my side and dealing with my over-dramatic behavior.

He did his research and put together a training plan that really helped us reach our little goals slowly. But, it wasn’t all training – we made drastic changes to our diets. No, we didn’t only eat salads and starved ourselves, we started calorie counting and monitoring what exactly we put in our bodies, how much we consume to make sure our macros were right. I mean, at one point I was eating an ice cream cone daily as part of my diet. But, it was all about calorie counting.

What also motivated me were the compliments; it made me feel better, friends and family complimenting the changes they saw in my body, my physique brought a new sense of confidence that I never had before and I was really a great person. The downside? I had to change my wardrobe, because nothing seemed to fit me anymore and was just way too big, but I actually like shopping so it wasn’t that bad of a thing.

I guess what I’m trying to say is to find what motivates you when it comes to working out, make sure you have a great support system around you and people around you who make you feel good about yourself and are willing to compliment you on your improvements.

Don’t starve yourself. It is important to control what you eat and eat enough. Starving yourself isn’t really helpful and could really affect your weight when it comes to eating. But, most importantly, do it because you want to, because you like to, and because you are motivated to. Don’t let the world around you dictate what you should look like and how you feel about yourself.

So that’s my story I hope you enjoyed it or at least it gave you motivation or an idea of my journey and hopefully start your own journey.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blogpost are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views of Phryme Magazine.