I Lost 60 Pounds and Regained It All Back - Here’s What I’m Doing Differently This Time To Lose the Weight Forever

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Weight loss can sometimes seem like an endless journey. One of the worst parts of that journey is the rebound weight.

I know this first hand. After losing over 60 pounds 3 times (yes, really!) with various restrictive diets, insane exercise plans, and weight loss products, I’m working on losing the rebound weight yet again, and this time keeping the weight off for good.

In this blog post, I’ll share the things I’m doing differently this time around to ensure that I lose the weight easily, and keep it off forever. I’ll cover:

·         How I lost 60 pounds 3 separate times

·         What rebound weight is and why it’s harder to lose

·         Why I no longer follow a premade meal plan and what I eat instead

·         5 quick hacks to lose the rebound weight

If you’re sick of losing weight only to put it back on, feeling deprived on diet plans that weren’t meant for your life, or scared you’ll never reach your goal weight and stay there, don’t worry, I got you! Things are about to change!

How I lost 60 pounds 3 separate times

I was never the thin girl growing up. It wasn’t until college that my weight just started to go up and up though. By the time I got married, I was about 30 pounds overweight, and was definitely not happy with that. At 25, I was hit with two life-changing tragedies in a row, and food became my comfort. I quickly gained 30 more pounds. I was eating desserts every night, having tons of ice cream and junk food, and never doing anything to move my body. And I was miserable. I felt sluggish, swollen, tired, and unattractive.

Eventually I realized it was time for a change. I signed up for a popular portion control and exercise program and surprise – it was almost easy. I lost about 60 pounds in about 8 months. And I thought I had made it. Everything was going to be great. But all I had done was put off the binge eating for a few months. When I got pregnant with my second child and stopped dieting, my weight shot right back up.

Wash, rinse, repeat. I lost all the weight after having the baby. This time it was harder, it took longer, and I fell off the wagon a lot more. Then baby three came along, and the weight went back up again. The final time I lost the weight, I went on the most restrictive of the plans I could find. I was desperate to get thin. I was eating tiny amounts of highly restricted food types at set intervals, and working out more than an hour a day. It was awful. And like all the other restrictive plans I used, once I stopped, the weight ballooned back up.

I am now in my fourth time losing the same 60 pounds, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. I want to share with you how I’m finally losing the weight for good in a sustainable, easy way.

Struggling to find an eating plan that works for you? Maybe you need to go simpler! Check out this Intermittent Fasting Plan to make your life easier.

What rebound weight is, and why it’s more difficult to lose

Simply put, rebound weight is the weight you gain after a weight loss attempt. I’m sure you’ve heard the statistic – about 95% of diets fail. When you restrict what you eat to a severe degree, you change how your body approaches food. If you ever deviate from that strict meal plan, the pounds just come back.

There are a variety of hormonal and physiological reasons that rebound weight is harder to lose. Severe or chronic dieting can interfere with your hunger hormones (which is why you can’t resist that pint of ice cream that’s calling your name). Mentally it’s more difficult because you’ve been there once before. Not only do you know how much you (probably) hated dieting the first time, you are demoralized by the prospect of doing it all over again.

Does this mean that losing weight is hopeless? NO! You just need to approach it with a different mindset and motivation.

Why I no longer follow a pre-made meal plan + what I eat instead

Ok, I might get a lot of flack for this. “But I WANT someone to tell me exactly what to eat to lose weight.” Oh, I hear you. And like, same. But I found that when I followed a meal plan someone else designed, I started to get obsessed with being “perfect.” If I ate something that was off plan even in the slightest, I ended up throwing the towel in for the day (or week, or month) and saying I’ll start fresh – AND THEN PROCCEED TO EAT EVERYTHING I HAD BEEN CRAVING, effectively erasing any progress I had made.

I truly believe that for me, pre-designed meal plans were a huge part in triggering my binge eating cycles, and a huge part in my rebound weight.

Now I do intermittent fasting. I’m not a fan of breakfast, so I skip it. It’s as easy as that. I typically try to fast from 7 pm to 11 am, so about 16 hours.

The rest of my day looks like this:

11 am: protein shake or smoothie

3 pm: apple and sugar free peanut butter or string cheese and carrots

5 pm: healthy(ish) dinner with my family. No matter what I cook for them, I try to make sure I have veggies on my plate.

7 pm: 1-2 Dove dark chocolate squares. Totally kills my sweet tooth at night and keeps me from binging!

Most importantly, I don’t meticulously track portions or worry if I go “over” a certain amount! I’m learning to trust myself and eat without worry.

5 Weight Loss Tips to Lose the Rebound Weight

I love things I can simplify. So here are my favorite simple weight loss tips:

1.       Water. I’m sure you’ve heard this. Water makes everything in your body work better. Flushes out the fat, helps you stay full, and keeps your skin looking great. I drink 1 gallon a day. Check with your doctor for how much you should have!

2.       Find exercise you love. If you don’t love it, you won’t do it. Even walks are great! Just get out there.

3.       Go SLOW. I know, we want to lose the weight like yesterday. We think we can quick drop a few pounds with the newest “amazing diet” and everything will be great. But we’ve proven to ourselves that that doesn’t work. Slow and steady helps your body and hunger cues adjust, and also keeps you from burning out mentally.

4.       Don’t be all or nothing. I know, the latest craze is going all in, hardcore, obsessed with getting results. DON’T DO IT! All or nothing means you’ll be more tempted to quit or tell yourself you’ll “start over on Monday” and then binge the rest of the day or week. If you have something that might not fit your definition of healthy, great! Savor it, and then move on.

5.       Find a reason to keep going. The mental game is the biggest part. Do you want to be healthy for your kids? Live a longer life? Do things you physically can’t now? Find a reason. Then ask yourself well why does that reason matter? And again, why does that matter then? Keep going to get the “why behind the why” until you’ve found something that truly motivates you at your core.

After following these tips, the weight is coming off again, and this time, it doesn’t feel like a struggle. I’m finally learning to live a truly healthy lifestyle. And I feel better than ever! My cravings are down, my energy is up, and my binge and restrict cycle is a thing of the past. With these weight loss tips, I’m finally losing the rebound weight for good.

I want you to be able to feel the same! Weight loss doesn’t need to be hard, or complicated. I fully believe we are making it harder on ourselves! That’s why I know that Intermittent Fasting is the game changer for me, and so many others who struggle sticking to a diet. Change when you eat, not what you eat! Learn more about IF here and get a copy of the bestseller Eat Stop Eat!

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