Before I share my story, I want to provide a disclaimer that this is not a lose weight fast story. This weight loss process has taken me over five years.

My story starts the summer after my freshman year of college when I was an overnight camp counselor. During my three months as a counselor, I found that my main source of happiness became food.. and every meal was an “all you can eat” style. I had seconds for about every meal and if I made salads, they were drenched in croutons and dressing. Because I was a wilderness instructor, I relied on the activities I was teaching to keep me healthy, but truthfully I was lazy and this was not the case.

Between my wild freshman year and food centered summer, I had gained 27 pounds..

The years following, I was in denial of being overweight. At one point I told my sister “I don’t want to go to the doctor, I know they’ll tell me I’m overweight”. But I don’t recall ever having confidence issues with how I looked, and honestly, I’m glad.

At this time, I was a cardio junkie. If you saw how much I ran at the gym, you wouldn’t believe it.

What I really believe kept me overweight was being unhappy. I was a pushover with my friends. You could find me out partying three to four nights a week and trying to cure the hangovers with fast food.

Here are the 6 changes I made in my life that have literally made the weight fall off:

1. I got into a healthy relationship.

I stopped chasing emotionally unavailable people and searched for someone with similar values and goals.

2. Food is no longer my main source of happiness.

I find joy in side projects, taking my puppy on adventures, trying new hobbies!

3. I’m more aware of how food affects my mood.

I decide how I want to feel and eat the food will help me achieve that feeling.

4. Loosely intermittent fasting.

I don’t have set times and schedules when I eat, but usually I fast until the afternoon to allow my body to recover before my next meal.

5. Moving regularly and strength training.

I’m no longer a cardio queen. I love my morning walks, but I don’t rely on it alone to keep me in shape. Lifting (very light) weights lol and doing core training has shown me way quicker results than the thousands of hours spent on the treadmill.

6. Aiming to live stress-free.

Now I prioritize my well-being and SLEEP. I think this is a major contributor to my weightloss.

What habits or tricks do you have that keep you feeling healthy and happy?

Thanks for reading!