(Written in June 2021) I've gotten a few questions lately about how I've lost weight over the past few months, so I thought I'd write a post! I'm writing this not as a self-celebration (since it's still very recent, and since I'm still working on it), but (hopefully) as inspiration—because as a 52-year-old lover of food and avoider of exercise, I just really want to share what worked for me.
First, I can't emphasize this enough: Everything I'm about to lay out worked for me, and if any of it helps you or inspires you, that's wonderful. But don't take it as gospel, and definitely talk to your doctor before starting anything new. You know your bod and yourself better than anyone!
Second, "skinny" has not been my primary goal. Though I had gained considerable weight over the past three years and I definitely wanted to slim down for Alex's wedding in May, what motivated me the most was just wanting to feel better and have more energy. In January, just before I bit the bullet and took the leap, I was tired, puffy, and desperate (I will write about my rock bottom sometime; it's quite a story)—and I knew I shouldn't be feeling that way. So while the eighties child in me does not necessarily bristle if someone occasionally says an encouraging "You look thinner!" or "You've lost weight!" I mostly just think about how much better I feel every day and feel grateful that I've made it over the hump.
What I did not do.
To begin, here's what I did NOT do to lose weight. I'm not criticizing any of the following, just listing the methods I didn't employ since they are often used:
I did not do Keto. I've tried it before, and it never worked after the initial 10-15 pounds. Plus, it made me dread avocados, which I always loved.
I did not do Intermittent Fasting. I've tried it before, and it caused me to gorge during my eating window. Since calories matter, this didn't work for me.
I did not buy specialty diet foods. I wanted to eat real food, the food I eat in my household, the food I cook for my family. Packaged foods can really be great in many cases; I just knew it wasn't right for me.
I did not use a trainer. (Unless you count Ladd! More on this below.)
I did not join a weight loss program. Now, I do have friends for whom Weight Watchers, Noom, and other programs have worked amazingly well, with fantastic results—so they are definitely worth looking into! I just know myself and my history, and I know I am not good with programs, logging, checking in, and so forth. I resist meetings as a rule. Ha. (Don't be like me.)
(Updated March 2024) I did not take "weight loss gummies" or other supplements. As many of you know, there were false articles/ads circulated around Facebook that suggested I was selling and using keto gummies, cbd gummies, and/or weight loss gummies. This is part of a "celebrity endorsement fraud" scheme on social media, which uses images of public figures (from Dr. Phil to Trisha Yearwood to Oprah) to scam folks out of money. It's one of the worst things about Facebook (which does not do a very good job of preventing these fraudulent ads) and not only does it rob people of money, it also falsely suggests a gummy/supplement can result in weight loss. These entities are definitely on Santa's naughty list for life.
(Updated March 2024) I did not take Ozempic, Wegovy, or similar medications. I know this has been a big topic in recent years, so I thought I'd add this paragraph. I support anyone who has success using the above medications. I know they have been an absolute godsend for so many people; I have friends who've experienced incredible results. For me, the simple, boring truth is that when I set out to lose weight in January of 2021, I had never heard of that class of drugs. And to be honest, if I had heard of them and had seen all the results that are out there, I might have been tempted to try them. But I simply didn't know those drugs existed then, so I dove in using all the methods below. Today, even though I have gained a few pounds up and down, I still have not chosen that option---for various reasons I'll write about in my upcoming update---but you'll never hear a second of judgment from me about people who choose that direction!
What I did.
So here's how I did it, and this list is in no particular order. I just wanted to number the items so you'd see that I really tackled this from a bunch of different directions. I knew I had to hit it from all sides, because I didn't want to put all my eggs (egg whites?) in one basket, and I wanted to get this show on the road.
1. I ate fewer calories.
"Calories in, calories out." We've all heard it preached, but I have absolutely seen that science play out in real time during the past few months. I tried to achieve a calorie deficit most days, which means I expended more calories (through exercise and just basic daily activity) than my body required to maintain my then-weight. I used online calculators to get a rough idea of what that weight maintenance calorie count might be, (though it's only a general rule), then I tried to undershoot that number on most days. I counted the calories of the things I ate every day (using websites like FatSecret.com or CalorieKing.com) and wrote each item down to get a daily total.
Counting my calories was nothing short of eye opening, and for me it was essential. I'd completely lost track of the calories I was consuming on a daily basis, so it was very helpful to get a handle on what I was looking at. I could tell if it was working by whether I was losing weight over time, and adjusted up or down naturally as I went.
2. I weighed my food.
In order to be as precise as possible with the calories I was eating, I used a digital food scale to weigh my food. Measuring food in grams was much more effective and eye opening to me than just measuring a cup or a pound. And speaking of eye opening—it really woke me up to the portions I had grown accustomed to eating! As with calories, I had completely lost sight of the volume I was eating—so it was an education in those first few weeks.
Note: I still ate good food. I just ate less of it, and I valued the calories more and made sure I ate things that offered more nutritional bang for the buck. And today, while I still weigh food occasionally if I'm curious or unsure, I'm not as meticulous as I was since I now have an overall sense of portion sizes and corresponding (general) calorie count.
3. I exercised.
This was all about "calories out" but it was also about just wanting to move my bod more and not feel so out of shape. I made exercise a regular part of my day, whether I walked with the dogs or did the rowing machine (which is in our living room!). I learned that making time each day to exercise simply had to be done—because, just like having a baby, there's never a good time. I'd gotten so accustomed to excusing myself from working out because of my work schedule or travel schedule...but during the past few months, I just chose to be late on a deadline or put off work until the next day so that exercise could happen. It was a simple shift in mindset, but it was important!
As for what exercise I did: I walked 2 to 3 miles, or did the rowing machine, or did Pilates—but not with traditional Pilates machines! I used to do a floor version of Pilates (Winsor Pilates from the early 2000's, can I get an amen?) and I still remember the exercises, crazy enough. So for the rower and Pilates, I was able to do it in the house, usually while Ladd and I were watching a spy thriller or some other weird movie. Whatever exercise I do has to happen on the ranch, because I don't like to go places. I exercised 6 days a week, sometimes twice a day (morning walk, evening rowing machine), sometimes just once.
4. I built muscle.
I hit a major weight loss plateau about six weeks in, just after Ladd's accident. For a straight week-plus, even though I hadn't changed a thing, I abruptly stopped losing weight. Rather than get frustrated (okay, I was a little frustrated. Okay, I was mad), I Googled and researched and ultimately determined that I needed to build more muscle mass since muscle burns more calories than fat. Until that time, I hadn't done much except some measly bicep curls with five pound hand weights.
So here was the kicker: I asked Ladd, "How do I build more muscle, anyway?" I assumed it was just a matter of doing more repetitions with my hand weights to make my biceps and triceps stronger. But Ladd responded, "If you really want to build more muscle in order to burn calories, you need to build them in your legs and your butt—since those muscles are much bigger than your arm muscles." It made perfect sense. I was 52 years old and had never once considered that concept.
Also, I had no idea how to build muscle in my legs and my butt! So Ladd, while stuck in his neck brace, by the way, showed me how to do lunges, squats, straight-leg deadlifts, and calf raises. And guess what? I was absolutely pitiful when I started. I am a former ballerina but literally could not do a proper lunge without toppling over. I had zero strength in my lower body and my legs trembled and gave out. But I still did it, about four days a week to start, and laughed at my uncoordinated clumsiness every time. And I couldn't walk for the first few days! I wailed and complained, but since I had a husband with a broken neck, I mostly kept it to myself.
Today, a few months later, I am just now able to do a real lunge all the way to the ground. I can do squats! (And I'm not talking lots of weight, either. I usually use either 5 pound or 8 pound hand weights. And started using 5 pound ankle weights when I do Pilates.) It's exciting! And most importantly, I now have palpable muscles in my legs and my butt. It feels good (as someone who isn't a spring chicken) to actually see and feel new muscles in my bod. I thought I was washed up and on the road to nowhere, muscle tone wise. But now, poor Ladd is actually tired of me asking him to squeeze my thighs and comment on their current firmness and taking his hand and putting it on my glute so he can feel me flex it.
Actually, I don't think he's tired of it.
5. I ate more protein.
Another piece of information I gleaned during my weight loss plateau research was that many people successfully push through by upping the daily percentage of protein they consume. It made sense, though admittedly, I'd never thought to track my protein consumption before. Since I was already tracking my calories, it wasn't a stretch to also make note of the protein of the things I was eating on a daily basis. Turns out that on a typical day, I had been landing at around 15% to 20% of my calories from protein...so I pivoted and steered my eating so that I was around 30% to 40% protein. It worked!
Long story short: Between the muscle building and the protein increase, I pushed through my plateau just a few days later (and another plateau a few weeks later)...and those two factors alone really changed the game for me going forward. Eating more protein also made me feel more satisfied (and gave me more energy), so it was a good move for many reasons.
My favorite high-protein foods that got me through: Low fat plain Greek yogurt (add a little sugar free vanilla syrup for a sweet snack, or use it as the basis for veggie dips), low fat cottage cheese, lean beef, chicken, turkey, salmon, cod, egg whites (I'm obsessed), raw almonds, 1% milk, Swiss cheese, homemade protein balls (recipe coming soon)...I love it all! Then to fill in the blanks, lots of spinach (raw or cooked), an apple a day, kale, carrots...the good stuff!
6. I ate less sugar.
This is a no-brainer, but it all boiled down to the eternal calorie-counting question: "If I am eating X calories today, do I want to blow 300 of those calories on a doughnut? Or do I instead want to spend 50 of them on a piece of good dark chocolate to get my fix, then keep eating things with more nutritive content?" (This is basically how Weight Watchers works, but in a points system.) So most days, I made choices that didn't involve a lot of sugar. Over time, it really resulted in quite a reduction of wasted calories.
All of that said, were there days I gave in and had a piece of cake? Yes! I'm The Pioneer Woman and I love food! Ha. But the piece of cake was the size of Rhode Island instead of Texas, and it wasn't an everyday thing.
7. I drank no alcohol.
This was multi-faceted. First, alcohol has calories. Second, I wanted to give my body a rest from booze as I moved into incorporating more exercise in my daily life. Third (this was handy!), Lent happened to fall during this time period, and since alcohol is usually the thing I give up, I got to have an added motivation there. Bottom line, I didn't drink a sip of alcohol for over four months.
I'm back to having an occasional grown-up beverage again, but instead of two glasses of very caloric red wine or a sugary frozen cocktail, I'm opting for a Ranch Water, which my good friend Eddie Jackson taught me about: A little clear Casamigos tequila, fresh squeezed lime (I do like half a lime!), and cold Topo Chico sparkling mineral water, which is super carbonated. All over ice! Tequila has the least amount of calories of any booze, and the mineral water allows me to tell myself I'm hydrating. Ha.
8. I used an app called Happy Scale.
As I said above, I am not into logging things and having to participate too much in programs. I spend enough time texting with my kids and posting on social media (and writing on my computer) to have to spend even more time tracking my eating and exercising. But I somehow happened upon the Happy Scale app, and let me tell you that it was a GAME CHANGER in terms of motivating me to keep going. I will write a whole post about Happy Scale soon, but all it is is a weight loss tracker. It doesn't tell you how to lose weight, and it doesn't track calories, exercise, or anything other than your daily weigh-in.
But what it does, after just a few days of daily weight logs, is keep you posted on your progress: your current rate of weight loss, your overall rate of weight loss, and how that trend will play out over time. It is amazing in its simplicity, but it was the magic bullet for me because it takes away the occasional frustration of natural ebbs and flows of weight loss by giving you your moving average weight along with your literal weight. So if I had a day where I was up half a pound or had a couple of days where the scale didn't budge, it helped me visualize that the overall trend was still moving in the right direction.
I'm a huge Happy Scale fan! It's not ideal if you just want to lose five or ten pounds, but since I had a larger target to hit, it was the right kind of tool for me. And guess what? The weight Happy Scale told me I'd weigh on the wedding date of May 1 (back in January when it started calculating my daily weights) was exactly—exactly—what I weighed on May 1. Not magic, because it involved commitment and work on my part...but a celebration of what happens when you stick to a good, steady, sensible plan. And again—it wasn't about the exact number. But since my weight loss was a reflection of my body feeling better and better, it was one of the gauges I used.
9. I switched to a standing desk.
I was writing a cookbook during this timeframe, and the sheer amount of time I had to be on the computer at my desk was shocking. I knew that would translate to a lot of sitting, so I dragged an old standing desk out of our mud room and stuck it squarely in our living room. It made a huge difference, and what I found more than anything was that when you are working in a standing position, you are a lot more mobile and prone to step away and take breaks—since you don't have the hurdle of having to grunt and stand up from a seated position, haha. So if I'd been standing and working awhile and I felt like moving around, I'd just leave my desk and go outside, go get water, go take a short walk. It helped shave off the cumulative sedentary nature of a desk job, and just helped my overall motivation and movement. (Just tell your boss you're on a wellness journey! That's why you weren't at your desk when your computer chimed! Ha)
(Note: You don't have to buy a standing desk. There are tutorials online for transforming a regular desk or table, or you can always use the kitchen counter!
10. I'm still working on it!
As of today, I've lost 43 pounds. (Update March 2024: I went on to lose over 50 pounds total; will write about that this week too, as I've gained a few back!) I hesitate to even say that number, because for me, the way I feel today, it isn't about the weight loss. I definitely needed to lose weight for my own preference based on where I thought I should be, but it's more about how I feel after a few months of regular exercise, more moving, and more mindful eating. Feeling good is really all that matters, and because of that, the weigh-ins are becoming less and less important to me. I'll keep weighing in every day to have all the information I need going forward, but the number isn't what I'm paying attention to now.
I still love food, I still cook the same food for my family and me, and I'm a real person who realizes I'm always going to be prone to weigh-in ups and downs. But my experiences over the past few months have equipped me with real, doable tools that I feel like I'll be able to whip out whenever things get off track in the coming months and years.
It only took me 52 years to figure it out, but that's okay! (Update March 2024: I'm 55 now! Ha! Update coming soon...)
I hope this helps you, whether in big ways or small. Remember that feeling good, realistic goals, being healthy, and having fun is the way to go!
Love,
P-Dub
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I’m a desperate housewife, I live in the country, and I’m obsessed with butter, Basset Hounds, and Ethel Merman. Welcome to my frontier!
