How I Lost 22.4 Lbs. In 49 Days

sandy72300
May 15, 2017
3 min read

Note: Originally posted at Wikinut on September 2013

Losing weight is never easy. But I also realized, it is not that hard as well. Let me show you how.

My struggle

I have been really fat for about 3-4 years now and I was really having hard time losing weight since giving birth. It is not really about not losing weight that bothers me because I know I lose weight easily if I just put myself into achieving it. The real problem is that I do not feel motivated enough to sustain my zest for trimming down. Most of the time I start with so much energy and excitement but after a week or two, I would go back to binge eating again. Sometimes, I would ask myself, do mothers put so much attention to their children that they are forgetting how to take care of themselves? I for one, a single mother of 3 year old boy myself, seem to have already forgotten to even look at myself in the mirror. With my busy schedule, as a career woman and MBA student, I find it almost impossible to spend a few minutes of exercise everyday, much more to observe my daily food intake. My attitude was that, I am almost working and studying to death 24/7 so I should compensate it with food. So I tend to over-indulge. But we must admit that being fit doesn't always have to be intended for the aesthetics only. In my case, I also have to be fit because I have health issues. I'm hypertensive and was also diagnosed with hiatal hernia which causes GERD. So I need to lose weight really bad.

The Long Awaited Motivation

Good thing our company had this program called the Biggest Loser challenge. It was our company's version of the very popular TV show for losing weight. The mechanics were similar, only, ours had limited duration (run for 49 days only), smaller prizes (Php15,000 for 1st prize, Php10,000 for 2nd prize and Php5,000 for 3rd prize), and it was open to all the employees of our company regardless of weight. So even those who were seem fit can still join. And of course, it was only company wide.

I told myself that time, this is the motivation I have been waiting for. Not only am I looking forward to winning the top prize but also, it thrilled me knowing I would have lots of challengers.

Reaping The Rewards of Discipline

To cut the story short, obviously, I won. But I did not achieve it all too easily. I broke a lot of sweats, and basically, I disciplined myself with food. And oh boy, it wasn't an easy thing to do. So I want to share with you my secrets for achieving this enormous weight loss. Make no mistake about it, I am no expert when it comes to nutrition, and not even well educated in the field of exercise and body building. But who knows, it worked for me, might also work for some of you. So here it goes: 1. I have never hit any gym nor have I been outdoor to jog during the duration of the challenge. I just used the small space of our house to run back and forth until I literally dropped and did my exercise over and over. 2. I ate full breakfast. Coffee, unlimited rice plus any dish (usually meat or vegies) and bread. 3. My lunch would normally be 1/2 cup of rice and any dish. Or one pack of crackers and juice. Fruits at times but they are just bonuses. I do this alternately or depends on my mood. No heavy lunch. 4. I make sure when I get home from work to drink lots of liquids then rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour then work out for 30 minutes to 1 hour straight then rest for 30 minutes before shower. After which I go straight to bed with no dinner. The principle I applied with my routine during the duration of the challenge was: Breakfast, eat like a king. Lunch, eat like a queen. Dinner, eat like a slave. It worked wonders for me. I have tried crash diet before and almost killed myself in starvation. I lost more weight but my appearance was like a disaster. They said I look like as if I am into prohibited drugs or something or I looked like I'm just out of a disease because I looked pale and my skin was dry. Contrary to the effects of my latest weight lost were I looked normal, only lighter. I intend to lose 20-30 more pounds. Hopefully, with a little more discipline, I could achieve it before the year ends. Without the prize and the competition, of course, but for my own personal satisfaction.