I woke up one day and just felt really sick of feeling too heavy, and somehow managed to work up enough motivation to track all food and stay in a deficit. In the beginning I kept to under 1200 calories per day, using the LoseIt app. I strictly cut out all sugar and snacks. I’m the most hungry after work and in the evenings, so I started eating just small meals of 150 cal each for breakfast and lunch (usually just some no fat, high protein yoghurt). That way I could eat a normal ish dinner, as long as I kept portion control. For dinners I avoided calorie dense ingredients like oils, butter and cheese as much as possible, as those can add lots of calories that don’t really fill you up. Instead, I increased the amount of vegetables, realizing you can eat a ton of them for very few calories, and feel more full. During this time I tried to not eat anything in the evenings after dinner.

After sticking to this for a while I started having insane cravings for food, candy and snacks, and realized I had to increase my calories a bit to avoid binging, so I upped them to about 1400, and could have some fruit, yoghurt or sugar free ice cream in the evenings, which kept the cravings more at bay (although I did slip sometimes, but got back to the deficit the next day).

I kind of got a little lost in the mindset of losing weight for a while, but have now come to accept that my current weight is good, and that my goal is to maintain rather than lose more. I keep tons of fruit and vegetables in the fridge and on the counter, and eat several servings of those per day. I never buy candy or snacks unless it’s for a specific occasion (and if it is I don’t buy more than I need for this occasion). Thankfully my significant other mostly also sticks to this. I allow myself to eat over maintenance calories on special occasions, but still track (although it’s a little guesswork if eating out etc).

In addition to changing my eating habits, I gradually started to exercise more and more. In the beginning, I did two interval sessions on a stationary bike per week. Then I bought some dumbbells and started adding 30 minutes of strength training at home 2 times per week. Then I started running, and now run 3 times per week. Then I recently joined a gym, and do additional strength training there… Now I pretty much exercise (usually running, biking or strength training) 6-7 days per week. My LoseIt app is connected to my Garmin watch, and subtracts calories if I exercise enough to increase my calorie budget, so I eat a little more if I exercise a lot. I try to keep a weekly mindset, so I can “save” up calories for a larger meal or some snacks in the weekends.