-57 lb
Before
After
Why did you want to lose weight?
I've always tended to be overweight and my two pregnancies only worsened the problem. I'm a person who loves to cook and to eat. I've never been very athletic and various, very restrictive diets wreaked havoc on my metabolism and slowed it down.
I've already tried super restrictive high-protein diets that helped me lose up to 22 pounds a month, but I would gain them back even faster and more significantly as soon as I stopped. As I approached 40 years of age and saw my body getting more out of shape, I decided to take control of my life but, for once, in a smart way.
"The secret of living well and long is to eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure."
I started by downloading the YAZIO app. It was finally THE solution since I didn't have to restrict myself. I just had to weigh and enter everything I ate, making sure I didn't exceed my daily calorie goal.
In the beginning, it was a bit of a hassle, I have to admit. At the same time, I also decided to start working out on a regular basis. I have spondylitis and my lack of physical activity worsened my symptoms.
So, at first, I forced myself to walk at least 10,000 steps a day and, at the same time, I joined a gym that offers cross-training. The combination of a balanced diet and regular exercise was the beginning of my success.
What did you want to accomplish on your journey?
I had three goals. The first one was to feel better about myself by losing at least 45 pounds.
The second was to reduce my spondylitis symptoms. And finally, I wanted to enter my 40s as a fulfilled, happy woman.
How did you reach your goals?
Several factors allowed me to reach my goal, which was to lose weight. First, I was driven by a strong will. I knew that it was going to take a little longer than all the other restrictive diets I had tried in the past, but I also knew that it was the only way to avoid gaining the weight back even faster.
Alexandra’s Tips
Weigh every food and log it with the YAZIO app, even when it seems tedious at first.
Don't get frustrated and always enjoy yourself, even when things don't go to plan.
Relax and don't weigh yourself every day.
Exercise regularly.
Don't focus too much on the scale.
I tried to be as diligent as possible about tracking in the app and weighing everything I ate. Each of my meals was composed of a large part vegetables, proteins, and carbs (I preferred pasta or brown rice). I ate carbs with every meal (something I avoided in the past). At the end of each meal, I drank a coffee and let myself have something sweet. For example, a piece of dark chocolate (at least 70%).
If I felt a little hungry between lunch and dinner, I would eat a piece of fruit and/or a piece of chocolate with a cup of coffee.
I have a problem with water. I don't get thirsty, so I forget to drink. I forced myself to drink a bottle of water a day. I didn't shy away from socializing with friends or going to restaurants where, of course, calorie counting was more complicated. Sometimes I allowed myself to let go and eat without counting. The next day, I started my routine again, both in terms of food and exercise, and this had no impact on my weight loss.
At the same time, I opted for intermittent fasting. I stopped eating breakfast and did my workout on an empty stomach. In the beginning, I went to my cross-training gym three to four times a week, combined with a regular walk (10,000 steps). I didn't take the elevator anymore but took the stairs at work. When I started to lose weight and it was going to be less impact on my joints, I traded walking for running, which I always did on an empty stomach.
I gave myself one to two days off per week. The combination of a balanced diet and regular exercise definitely helped my weight loss take off and transformed my body, which was changing from day to day.
How did YAZIO help you?
YAZIO definitely helped me become more aware of what I was eating and helped me eat in moderation. Weighing and entering every food I ate into the app made me realize that, in the past, I was eating unbalanced and too much.
Did you have setbacks?
I hit plateaus in my weight that sometimes made me feel a little discouraged. I had the feeling that I was determined and rigorous and, still, the needle on the scale would still go up sometimes. It was frustrating! But I didn't give up and the slimming process would start again.
I believe these plateaus are inevitable and the result of several factors. In the end, they don't mean real weight gain. It also taught me that you shouldn't weigh yourself every day.
What advice do you have for other users?
The key to success is, above all, the will to succeed. Remembering that if it works for others, it can work for you, too. Falling short has less to do with the method and more to do with a lack of regularity and sloppiness. Even if a balanced diet isn't really a diet, and it allows you to eat everything, you still have to eat in a balanced and healthy way, and you need to exercise regularly.
Weighing everything may seem restrictive at first, but in my opinion, it is an unavoidable step to become aware of what you are eating. There is no secret or miracle formula. To lose weight, you have to be in a caloric deficit and, therefore, calculate the calories you consume by taking into account the ones you burn.
What are your future goals?
I hope my story will motivate some people and remotivate others who have tried before and then given up. I've definitely adopted a healthier lifestyle. I will never let the pounds creep up on me again because the more you let yourself go, the harder the fight feels. When I look at my pictures, I almost don't recognize myself and wonder why I was mistreating my body for so long.
Nothing is impossible as long as you have the will to achieve it! Nothing should be taken for granted in life. You have to be aware of this in order to maintain good habits and not let yourself go. The sustainability phase is, without a doubt, the most important step in order maintain your victory. I was dreading going on vacation because it is easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a dynamic daily routine when you're at home.
So, I started out with the goal of continuing to work out every day but also, and above all, by enjoying myself. I stayed off the scale for three weeks and came back only having gained two pounds on top of the 57 that I'd lost. These vacations were proof that life goes on and that, as long as you stay reasonable and continue to be physically active, enjoying oneself is not synonymous with gaining weight.
Why do you want to tell your story?
I wanted to tell my story because I am proof that nothing is impossible in life. In the same way that a person quits smoking, they will only succeed if they decide to and have the will to do so.
I want to be a source of motivation for those who haven't made the leap yet. For the first time in my life, I lost weight by eating everything and never getting frustrated! There is nothing better than feeling good about yourself, and I hope my journey will inspire others to succeed and give them the courage to try again if they have tried and given up in the past. Victory is yours. It all starts with the will to succeed.
