How I Lost 40 Pounds and What Actually Worked
This is the story of how I lost 40 pounds sustainably and naturally, and you can too! Growing up I was the tall, gangly girl. At 12 years old I was 5’9” and 115 lbs soaking wet. I totally thought I would be the girl who could eat whatever she wanted forever. I also thought working out was gross and sweaty and had no idea why people did that for fun. After my first year of college I started to gain weight despite me not changing anything. By the time I was 21 I was married, had a baby boy, and had gained 75 lbs by the end of pregnancy. I knew things needed to change and not only wanted to lose 40 more pounds after the “baby weight” came off, but knew I needed a transformation of my lifestyle.
In this post:
My first steps and my biggest setbacks
The mindset shift that kickstarted my 40 pound weight loss transformation
What I actually did to lose 40 pounds
The hardest part of losing 40 pounds+
My top tips for trying to lose weight
Products and Tools I recommend
My first steps and biggest setbacks
After my first son was born I tried to lock in on losing the “baby weight.” Thankfully a good 30 pounds came off within the first few months but then it all went stagnant. That left me with over 40 pounds extra that I couldn’t figure out how to lose. I started with becoming more aware of portion sizes and that a box of mac n cheese is not one portion, it’s like 5! I didn’t realize how many calories I was consuming and that most of them were carbs. (You can check out my about page to see what my favorite food still is!) I tried doing at home, made up work outs for 5 minutes but no routine stuck. Then I got pregnant again when my oldest was 10 months and suffered a miscarriage shortly after. I was blessed and got pregnant again within a few months and had my second son during 2020 and the Covid crazy. I gained another 60 lbs with him. By the time he was 10 months he was finally sleep trained and I got a little energy back. (You can read about that journey here!) I knew it was time to take getting in shape seriously.
The mindset shift that kickstarted my how I lost 40 pounds
Now that I had two boys I didn’t want to be the mom that couldn’t run and jump and play sports with them. I hated how self conscious I felt and chose to start small and only commit to 15 minutes of movement a day. I did 15 minute YouTube videos 3-4 days a week and tried to eat a little bit better. Running and cardio were the Bain of my existence but surprisingly I didn’t totally hate weight lifting. There were a few random dumbbells in my basement that my husband had and I brought them up to my living room. I did my YouTube workouts by the couch while my boys played. I lost some weight but then I got pregnant. Again. My fourth pregnancy in 5 years. I felt so discouraged but tried to keep my small goals and routine through my last pregnancy.
What I actually did to lose 40 pounds+
Now having three boys and even though I had better habits, I was still staring down the barrel of another 40 pound+ weight loss journey. This is when I found Sydney Cummings on YouTube and so many things changed and clicked. She released a new work out every day, 5 days a week! Sydney had already put all the thought into the programming and scheduled it all out which took out the guess work on my end. She talked on her channel about macros and the importance of protein. It all started to make more sense and didn’t feel like I was just fumbling in the dark and not knowing what was working and what wasn’t. I downloaded the free app My Fitness Pal app and put in goals and macros. I started really focusing on protein and now had a reliable fitness routine weight lifting. Finally the weight started coming off. I still use a ton of her videos which, I will link here, and you can read my work out routine and my journey to maintaining my loss and recomposition here.
The hardest part of losing 40 pounds
Truthfully, the hardest part of how I lost 40 pounds was the mindset. My body learned to crave movement. It feels so good running with my kids, helping my hubby lift things and actually being a help, and playing recreational sports. But the mindset and motivation was and is hard at times. Sticking to my macros deemed to be the most challenging, especially when we were out to eat or in a group setting. It was easy to make excuses for why I should eat whatever I wanted. I would say I would start again on Monday. I learned how to do this better over time without having an all or nothing mindset. If I know I’m going out to eat that night, I try to eat higher protein, lower calorie meals for breakfast and lunch. This way I can eat more of what I want at dinner and not worry about hitting all my macros perfectly. I refuse to give up pizza, or mexican, or some ice cream in the name of “being skinny.” There is always a way to have both in moderation!
My Top Tips for Losing Weight:
- Find some form of movement you enjoy. Walking, lifting, jogging, etc. Start there.
- Download My Fitness Pal and genuinely log your food for a bit. It might surprise you.(P.S. undereating can be a thing too, you can read about my maintenance and recomposition method I’m using now here)
- Focus on protiein. Eat way more than you think. At least 100g per day!
- Bring a water bottle with you everywhere. Buy a cute one, my favorite is here, and carry it like an accessory.
- Be patient and consistent. You might not always have scale victories but your pants fitting better or not being out of breath when you walk upstairs are huge!
- BONUS! Try not to have an all or nothing mindset. You go out and eat too many tacos one night or eat a whole pint of ice cream? Who cares?! This did not derail your progress nor do you need to “work it off.” Just get back on track the next day. Give yourself grace. Life is hard.
Conclusion
My journey took me years to get where I’m at and although it didn’t have to, and I could have done a lot of things differently, I’m so thankful this is now my lifestyle. It has become sustainable for me to keep my results. I think we live so much in a quick fix world. I have been tempted before to just starve myself for a few weeks or months to quickly drop some pounds but here’s what I’ve learned: 1. that is super hard on your metabolism and will hurt it in the long run. 2. This is not sustainable. You might lose the weight but you haven’t built the lifestyle to support it. This will eventually lead to a regain and the process will have to start over. It takes time but I promise it’s worth it.
Products and tools I recommend:
- Sydney Cummings workouts https://www.youtube.com/@sydneycummingshoudyshell
- Water Bottle https://owalalife.com/
- My Fitness Pal app
Disclaimer: I’m just a mom who has tried and learned a lot through this journey. This is not medical advice and should not be taken as such. If you have concerns reach out to your medical provider.
This is so awesome, EB! I can relate to not loving to run. 😂 I’m staring on a weight loss journey myself, so it’s great to read what worked for you! 👏🏻
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions! I’m no expert but have failed a lot and have learned a lot through this whole journey! proud of you for starting your own!