How I Lost Weight : Find Your Passion

How I Lost Weight

The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself
- Mark Caine

It was 2010. In the midst of one of the worst recessions in US history, I was 24, jobless with a college degree, living at my step dad's house, and deeply depressed. Aside from spending hours each day submitting job application after job application, I sat in seclusion, stuffing my face and sitting comatose in front of the television. Finally, after months of searching, I landed a position at a travel agency. The job was far from ideal and the pay was subpar, but it was a job.

A few weeks after starting the job, I started to shake off the cage of self-pity and despair that had kept me prisoner for so long. I was keeping myself busy, engaged, earning a living, and I had even made a few friends. Still, I looked in the mirror and felt like a failure. I was the heaviest I had ever been. I started to worry about my health and decided that if I wanted to live a full, happy life, I needed to do something about my weight and eating issues.

1. Take That First Step.
Food had long been the enemy. Growing up, I was always thin and was obsessive about my eating habits. From college until several years into adulthood, I struggled to maintain a healthy weight and to develop a healthy relationship with food. Then, when I had this epiphany in 2010, I slowly learned how to fuel my body, focusing less on weight loss and more on health. A close friend of mine wanted to try vegetarianism, so I decided to join her challenge. I also started exercising on a regular basis, starting with brisk walks - small steps. After a few months of this new regimen, I lost about 25 pounds. I felt better, mentally and physically. After keeping that up for about a year, I lost a total of 65 pounds. Then, when I began to feel too weak and tired, I decided it was time to add meat back into my diet.

2. Listen To Yourself. Look inside To Solve Outside Problems.

I continued focusing on eating mainly fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, lean meat and fish. I ate dairy in small quantities. I never worried about counting calories and never starved myself; I just listened to what my body needed and made sure to get moving at least a few times per week. The most effective - and the most challenging - part of it all: learning not to eat my feelings. With the help of regular sessions with a professional counselor, journaling, personal research on emotional eating, and learning to seek more emotional support from family and friends, I managed to get a handle on my emotional eating and lost a total of 85 pounds.

3. Stay Focused.

I have kept the weight off for over 4 years, and I am more active and healthy than ever. Since that first day of my journey, I have developed a love of running. I have completed numerous races over the last several months, including my first half marathon. I went from feeling lifeless, struggling to get through each day - let alone getting off the couch - to finding a true passion. If I go a few days without a run, I feel out of sorts. Nothing beats that runner's high and the solace of the outdoors - just you and your thoughts, spending some quality time with Mother Nature.

4. Find Your Passion. Find Yourself.
I must emphasize that I am not an expert on health, fitness, or life in general. Anyone close to me knows that I am a huge dork with a sense of humor who just happens to be a runner. This story is not intended to provide professional advice, nor do I expect everyone who reads it to lace up a pair of running shoes and start training for a 5K. Maybe you're more into yoga or swimming or curling. Maybe there's something else you've always wanted to do that you've been holding yourself back from trying. Try things out, experiment, explore - figure out what makes you feel alive and just go for it. You will be amazed how quickly your life transforms once you take that first step.