Life after a Very Low Calorie Diet
So, one year one from my decision to shift a hell of a lot of excess weight I’m finally approaching the finish line. I’m going to be completely honest with myself, when I first started out (probably my 100th attempt might I add), I was full of so much self-doubt I couldn’t picture that my mindset and achievement would be so great 12 months later!!
Due to the shock I received from my consultant, and the sheer embarrassment at being offered gastric band surgery to save my health (My Journey is here), I made the snap decision to start a total food replacement diet. This meant I committed myself to 600 calories worth of liquid and occasional bars per day. My BMI was a shocking 39 which placed me in the Obese category!
As it was coming up to my 30th that year I had so many great things planned over the summer. My birthday was the end of May which meant I had a solid 13 weeks to follow total food replacement - and I did it! I followed the plan 100% and very rarely weighed myself as I spent the entire time trying to focus on my mindset. This meant I devised a full proof way that worked for me! This stage was not easy believe me. I cried, I cheered my strength for sticking it out, then cried some more. I was frustrated I put myself in the position I was in but time away from all the junk I was consuming meant I gained clarity on why I found myself there in the first place.
After my time on total food replacement my BMI has dropped to a much more acceptable 29.9! This meant I was JUST OVERWEIGHT! No longer OBESE, and I can’t tell you amazing it felt AMAZING when I reached that point.
Following all the celebrations for my birthday I decided to continue with meal replacement until my ultimate goal as it had already served me so well. At this point I switched to a plan which allowed 2 shakes per day and an evening meal. This suited my lifestyle and worked on the recommendation of my dietitian who went through the full “refeed” process with me (click here to see the complete refeed process). Everyone told me I was about to regain all the weight I’d lost… they complained how I was wasting all my muscle mass away (what muscle? I’d not seen an exercise since high school!) and “starvation is bad” for me (never mind the stones in excess fat putting pressure on every one of my vital organs and joints and essentially ruining my quality of life!)
At the point of reintroducing food, I had gained enough confidence and self respect to start to care for my cardiovascular fitness. Less weight meant I was able to do more, slowly… and this how I became a gym addict! I’m still managing chronic conditions but having a new sense of direction kept me motivated every day.
By October my BMI was down to 27! I world away from the 39 I was faced with when the year began!
I struggled to maintain enthusiasm in so many meal replacement shakes at this point and found myself at a long plateau. In January 2019 almost a year from starting chef Jay Tinker took me under his wing and began to prepare and deliver meals for me which would get me to my ultimate destination (Find him here).. I still use meal replacement products after intense work outs for a quick protein hit and the convenience factor and it’s working great for me! My current BMI is 26.1! My ultimate goal is only 13lbs away. It has always been this from day one and I believe will be a fine place to settle! The weight can not rebound as I’ve found an amazing way of life that’s given me control of my Mindset, Body and Soul.
If you’re thinking about starting of with a total food replacement diet – I HEAVILY RECOMMEND 😊
Good luck!
#weightlossmotivation #weightlossjourney #diet #motivation #beforeandafter