-112 lb
Before
After
Why did you want to lose weight?
The number on the scale was one of the triggers for my weight loss. I felt more and more uncomfortable in my own skin and started socially distancing myself because of it.
"It is what it is, but it will become what you make it."
I wasn't exercising much anymore because I was ashamed and just sweating the whole time. It was especially bad in the summer. These days I love the summertime.
What did you want to accomplish on your journey?
The most important aspect for me was, of course, my health. Nevertheless, my goal from the beginning was to work towards an athletic body. I wanted to finally feel good again and look healthy, instead of always being a downer. I wanted to dare to go out in the summer and feel completely comfortable in a t-shirt.
How did you reach your goals?
I reached my goals by completely changing my diet from one day to the next. In doing so, I changed to a low-carb diet, only drank water, completely cut out alcohol and replaced my dinner with low-fat yogurt with various flavors. Throughout my weight loss, I didn't cheat at all and strictly adhered to my diet.
Bastian’s Tips
Calculate your basal and active metabolic rates.
Set your macronutrient goals correctly.
Set goals and keep going.
Learn more about nutrition and foods in general.
To get used to exercise, I started by working with TheraBand resistance bands to prepare my body and joints for training. I did a lot of cardio and mainly rode my bike. Gradually I got into strength training, working out 2–3 times a week, because discipline is everything!
How did YAZIO help you?
At the time, someone recommended YAZIO to me to help keep a better eye on my food portions. Once I got used to the app and saw how easy tracking with the app was, I also wanted to understand what each food was made up of.
Once I read about nutrition, micronutrients and energy needs, using the app was so easy. I adjusted my settings exactly how I needed to plan by portions and dishes, and to fulfill what I needed for my goals.
Above all, YAZIO taught me that you have to eat enough and not starve yourself to lose weight. When I look back at my old lifestyle and how many calories I ate so fast, I feel sick to my stomach.
Simply put, YAZIO helped me see everything in numbers, and showed me how unhealthily I was eating before.
Did you have setbacks?
I started one and a half years ago and wanted to live a healthier life. As the first pounds started coming off and I wanted to start exercising, I had to go to the hospital because my left eye was blurry. I found out my optic nerve was inflamed and was diagnosed with MS. That was definitely a setback, but it didn't matter to me at first. I was released from the hospital and everything was okay again, until 2 months later when the optic nerve in my other eye got inflamed.
This time I was shattered. I was demotivated and was scared I wouldn't be able to reach my goals. Luckily, I was able to rise above it! Sensible adjustments were made and, fortunately, apart from some loss of vision, my illness was under control. Since I now know that nutrition and exercise can help fight my illness, I more motivated than ever before.
What advice do you have for other users?
Set clear goals, look for a picture of the figure you want to achieve or set yourself a goal weight.
Self-acceptance is important. After all, only you can make changes and listen to your body. Don't come up with any more excuses or lie to yourself. Have a goal? Then go for it!
PS: The ultimate tips that I give to everyone: Low-fat yogurt for dinner and staying hydrated throughout the day.
What are your future goals?
Now that I've gone from a body fat percentage of 30 down to 10 and can slowly start seeing a six-pack, I want to start building muscle. It's not easy since you have to get used to eating more after losing weight, but no goal, no results!
Why do you want to tell your story?
I've suffered for years because I was ashamed and didn't dare to go out. You start to change and become a more negative person because you're unhappy and don't feel comfortable in anything you wear. You feel like others are staring at you when they look your way, like you've let yourself go. In hindsight, now that I know about my illness, I'm mad at myself for letting myself go all of these years. Complaining is always easy in the end, but making changes isn't. If you don't feel good about yourself, you have to pull yourself together as much as you can and do something about it, look for support instead of throwing your own pity party.
At the same time, now that I've been diagnosed, I want to show everybody that you can't give up and that there's nothing more important than your health. Maybe even help give courage to others with MS to fight for their goals and fight the illness with exercise. Even when mobility is restricted, you can achieve a lot through your diet.
