let’s talk about weight loss.
i have officially completed over 65 lbs of weight loss today. since moving to the US i gradually gained 80 lbs and became borderline obese. i spent 10 years of my life feeling fat, unattractive and unhappy. i was a bitter person.
in 2010 we moved to denver and 3 years later i have completed 65 lbs of weight loss. this sounds kind of incredible to me. see, i spent a decade of my life thinking i would always feel unhappy, unsexy, fat.
at my heaviest, i weighted over 200 lbs. and i’m relatively short. 5″6′.
but B. and denver changed everything for me. B. brought me to denver and here, adapting to a 180o. change to my life, a completely different lifestyle, i have regained my confidence, and decided to look for a weight loss clinic. with the help of nutritionists and dietitians i changed my life to a mostly raw food diet. i juice everyday.
it was necessary. it only hit me when i went to the doctor (for something completely unrelated) and my cholesterol was over 330 and the doctor said i was a heart attack waiting to happen.
i wanted to be happy and healthy.
i finally had moved to the only place in the world that feels like home. somehow, brazil and nyc never did.
i’m building my family with the man i love, my best friend, the most fun person i ever met.
i finally had the guts to quit a long time job that made me incredible unhappy and open my own business, dedicate myself to my home, to my love, to myself, to my hobbies and to work that is happy, that focuses on helping people, not hurting people.
and i was told i was a heart attack waiting to happen?
no. i had to change that.
on the course of 3 years i worked hard to change my life.
in 2010 i focused on changing my relationship with food. i was so unhappy in the past that food was my only relief. that was not the case anymore, so i needed to change my dependency on food.
i had to cut portions, become aware of calories, of the quality of food i ingested. i researched a lot. and tried a lot of new things, healthier things, lower calorie things, i cooked and separated a small portion of the food and froze the rest. i forced my self into a discipline that helped me loose 25 lbs that year and never put it back.
in 2011 i had to learn something entirely different: nutrition. my doctors gave me research papers, studies, journals, documentaries, movies, everything they could find to educate me about nutrition.
it was not easy. that year i did not loose as much weight. the motivation starts fading. sometimes, the healthier food is nor the less caloric option. but, if i wanted to keep loosing weight in a healthy way i’d have to learn to change my life, eat more veggies, fruit, seeds, nuts, juice. and the raw food movement was introduced to the casa dos mael.
B. complained. he didn’t want to “drink” all his meals. he didn’t want to eat greens. he wanted “sustenance”. but i couldn’t cook delicious food for him and watch him eat it. i needed to stick to my treatment, my plan. that year i lost a little less than 15 lbs.
in 2012 i introduced exercise to my life. i swear to you, before january 2012 i could not tell you when was the last time i stepped into a gym. i hate gyms. i hate exercising. it kills me.
i created a lot of rules and tricks to get me to go to the gym. a new workout wardrobe, a very colorful one. a subscription of star magazine. it was my moment to be ridiculous and read gossip. {only look at the pictures, really}. i downloaded uk’s top 40 pop songs every week and danced to nicki minaj, justin bieber, carly ray jepsen. call me maybe helped me run a lot last year!
then i discovered barre3. instead of been locked by myself in my condo’s gym, i got to meet people, interact, do something fun, a class that’s amazing and inspired me to learn how to exercise without suffering. i get to bike to my barre3 studio in cherry creek, denver.
i also went to brazil and found out a toroid problem was affecting my metabolism and tried to take care of it. that year i lost another 25 lbs and finally people started to notice it. even B. never said a word to me about my changing body during the first 40 lbs i lost. only after i reached 65 lbs of weight loss he noticed i had lost “some weight”.
more importantly. i went back to the doctor and my cholesterol now is 200. which is considered under control.
i was now, considered a healthy person. my treatment have not finished yet, i have another 15 lbs to go, so i could go back to the weight i had in college. but, i can finally say i’m happy with my body.
the most weird things about losing weight:
1. i lost the majority of my shoes. i never imagined my foot was so much fatter.
2. i lost all my hats. i didn’t ever think about the fat in my head.
3. i lost all my panties and bras. i have no butt or bobbies left. they were pure fat.
4. i lost all my belts and my clothes. i have absolutely nothing to wear, and i’m not been dramatic. i went from a size 16 to a size 8. and i still have more weight to loose so i don’t want to invest on anything right now that will be big six months from now.
5. i lost all my jewelry. bracelets are gigantic and fall through my hands. all the beautiful rings B. ever gave me need to go get re-sized as do watches.
i’m not complaining by any means. i don’t care if i throw my entire closet in the garbage. i could put it all on fire. the way i feel is the most important thing here. and i feel good. i feel healthy, i feel happy and full of energy.
i know that my battle with my weight will last forever. i’m one of those people, i like what i call a “mountain plate” or a “construction worker plate”. i like to eat until i feel sick. and i love food. i’m not one of those people who think food is fuel and eat to survive. one of the things my doctor has worked with me is that i live to eat. and i shouldn’t. he says i should eat to live.
but food is so delicious. i love it! 🙂
my way of dealing with it is been extra healthy at home. controlling my portions. focusing on the raw food movement, juicing. and i live the extra calories for when i go out. then i have hamburgers and pizza, and Mexican food, and tapas without any feeling bad. i also often opt for the healthier restaurants when i’m out, specially if i’m by myself. fresh, true food, have become my friends.
have you struggled with weight loss? one of the most inspiring stories i ever hear was from bri emery from designlovefest. you can read it here. bri is one of the people i admire the most in the blogosphere. she inspire me everyday.
and this post from garance doré here.
i’m working on a before, during, after series of photographs to post here.
casadosmaelblog.wordpress.com 