I’m the first one surprised.

Photo byPhoto by Chris Ainsworth on Unsplash

In January 2022, I weighed 150 pounds. Today, I weigh 135 pounds and have for the past semester. I’ve lost 14 pounds in six months, and I did almost nothing to make it happen.

It started the day I finally let go.

I’m 5.8 ft. tall. Even at 150 pounds, I wasn’t overweight. However, I didn’t feel good in my body. Every day when I undressed to shower, I would stare at my hips, trying to determine if they had increased in size. I would monitor everything I ate, counting calories and feeling guilty after overeating or having dessert.

I was not connected to my body. My relationship with food was unhealthy.

I also forced myself to work out. Even when I didn’t feel like moving or was exhausted, I would push myself to go for a run or do weight training in my living room just to “eliminate”. I had no choice: it was either that or feeling miserable until the next session.

Last January, I got tired of it all. I stopped exercising. Except for walking to get around the city. I also started to pay more attention to my body’s hunger and satiety signals. In addition, moving in with my partner and her child, I found myself having more things to do, and food stopped being one of my main focuses.

In February, I stepped on the scale for the first time in a while and I had a surprise.

I found out that I no longer weighed 150 lbs, but 145 lbs. Yet, I hadn’t done anything to lose those pounds. I even had given up on the idea. I was just trying to keep the weight off.

Every week I weighed myself, and the pounds were melting away. Last June, I weighed only 135 lbs. and it has remained stable since.

Here’s how I lost 14 lbs. in six months, almost without doing anything.

“It’s often when you let go that you get what you want.”

Thinking about it, I changed two things…

I couldn’t figure out how this was possible. I had been struggling for five years to lose those hips and now that I had given up, they were gone.

It’s often when you let go that you get what you want.

Thinking about it, I changed two things in my habits. Here they are.

1. I connected with my body, and learned to trust it

With the help of Stephanie Buttermore’s videos, especially this one, I learned that our bodies know better than us. I found these videos in April 2021. Since then, they’ve had time to make their way into my mind.

I lost weight when I learned to listen to my body. And to trust its signals.

• I started to eat when I was hungry, and not eat when I was not, or not anymore.
• I stopped eating breakfast out of habit since I was never hungry when I woke up, and instead ate as soon as hunger struck.
• I dropped supposed “times for eating”: why would I eat at noon if I wasn’t hungry? Why wouldn’t I eat dinner at 6:30 if I was starving?
• I learned to recognize my cravings. For fruit. For vegetables. For dessert.

I no longer restricted myself, so food was no longer the holy grail.

I also learned to recognize patterns. For example, I now know that just before my period, I am much more interested in food, and I crave sugar. I respect this need of my body, and I eat what I like.

The fact that I no longer restrict myself killed my obsession with food: as a result, I eat less than before. But sometimes more often. Depending on the period.

It’s amazing what happens when you connect with your body.

“A year ago, I would have said that I preferred sweet to salty. Today, without a doubt, I say the opposite.”

2. I stopped eating dessert out of habit

When my father was younger, he worked in a bakery. The butter croissants were the ultimate temptation. He dreamed of eating every single one of them. One day, his boss told him that he could eat absolutely anything he wanted. He jumped at the chance and stuffed himself with good golden pastries. Soon, he got tired of it and ended up not eating anything at all.

It was available at any time, so it lost interest in his eyes.

I learned to listen to my body and its cravings for sweetness. So I stopped depriving it of what it asked for. Maybe it was a need, maybe just a sweet tooth: whatever, I fed my body what it wanted.

As a result, desserts stopped being the ultimate reward.

I used to eat something sweet after every meal, out of habit. Yogurt. Chocolate. A piece of cake. Instead, I started questioning myself and my tummy after every meal: was I still hungry? Wouldn’t I rather have that sweet something later, knowing that I could have it anyway?

Gradually, I felt less and less like eating sugar.

A year ago, I would have said that I preferred sweet to salty. Today, without a doubt, I say the opposite.

To sum up

• I eat smaller quantities (because I am no longer afraid of starving), even if it means eating more often.
• I stopped eating sweets at every meal. Not because it was forbidden, but because it was permitted: as a result, I just don’t feel like it anymore since it is allowed at any time.
• When I’m hungry, I eat. And I eat what I feel like eating. The other day, for dinner, I had an odd craving: fruit and ice cream. So I ate two things: fruit and ice cream.
• When I’m not hungry, I don’t eat, even if it’s time to.
• When I’m full, I stop eating. It’s been a long time since I finished a pizza. If there’s any food left on my plate, I just put it in a box in the fridge. I also use smaller portions because I’ve noticed that my appetite has decreased.

I didn’t put myself on a diet. Nor did I use rules. I’ve been doing that for a long time and it has never worked. It has only made me unhappy and uncomfortable with my own body.

I simply learned to listen to myself.

And that made all the difference.

***

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or a doctor. This article is only meant to share what I have discovered about my own body. I do not accept any responsibility for the application of these experiences. Consult a physician before making any changes to your diet.