Three Things That Helped Me Lose 100 Pounds

My Health Journey: Losing 100 Pounds and Finding Wellness

Where I am today on my health journey is a very different place from where I was when I started nearly eight years ago, back in 2016.

I often tell people, “Yeah, I’m about 100 pounds lighter now than I was when I first started all of this.” Losing 100 pounds is a significant accomplishment, and it’s a challenging journey to start and maintain. I get asked all the time, “How did you do it?”

I’m going to talk about the three things that helped me the most on my path to losing 100 pounds and becoming a healthier person. People also frequently ask me what “diet” I follow. The truth is, I don’t believe in diets anymore. I haven’t dieted for at least two years.

Since I stopped dieting and moved away from a “diet” mindset, my health has improved year over year and month over month. I’m at a point in my life where I am healthier now than ever as an adult—mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Are Diets the Only Way to Lose Weight?

I used to hear my doctors tell me that I needed to go on a diet to lose weight. To accomplish this and to “improve” my health, they would often recommend the same thing repeatedly:

• Eat fewer calories overall.
• Eat more fruits.
• Eat more veggies.
• Focus on whole grains.
• Minimize your fat, especially saturated fat.
• Eat less red meat.

The sad thing about this advice is that it completely disregards the fact that everyone is different, and there is no one way to eat that is “right” for everyone.

What’s So Bad About Being on a Diet?

Being on a diet usually indicates a short-term change in eating behavior, often done with the sole goal of losing weight. The thing about getting healthier and improving overall wellness is that it’s not a short-term journey, and its sole goal is not just to lose weight.

The truth is that the most unsustainable way of living is a life where you’re always hungry, which is what happens to most people on a diet.

So, If I’m Not Dieting, How Do I Lose Weight and Get Healthier?

For me, turning to God and understanding who I was as a valued child of God was the single biggest turning point. Instead of approaching my journey toward health as a “diet,” I changed my mindset to focus on living differently.

So, How Did I Do It?

It wasn’t easy, and honestly, I did it wrong the first time around. I didn’t eat enough protein, I didn’t prioritize easy-to-digest, bioavailable animal protein, and I didn’t turn to God first.

If I had to do it over again, these are the three things I would focus on to make the journey to lose 100 pounds easier:

1. Turn to God First and Foremost
Pray to understand why I wanted to do what I was doing in the first place.

2. Prioritize and Eat Enough Bioavailable Protein
Focus on eating animal protein and consuming enough of it—at least 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight.

3. Lift Weights and Focus on Strength Training
Engage in strength training at least three times per week.

Everyone’s journey is different, special, and unique.

The important thing is to focus on your journey and the progress you have made. The changes I’ve made didn’t happen overnight. Healing takes time, but even the slightest change in a positive direction is a good thing and should be acknowledged and celebrated.

The single most important thing you can do to improve your health and wellness is to choose to take your first step.