Alright, let’s talk about this 168/197 thing. Man, seeing 197 on the scale wasn’t fun. Wasn’t a specific moment, more like a slow realization that things had gotten way off track. Clothes didn’t fit right, felt sluggish all the time. You know the drill.
So, I decided, really decided this time, I had to actually do something. No magic pills, no crazy fad diets I’d just quit after a week. Just had to start chipping away at it.
What I Actually Did
Honestly, it wasn’t rocket science. Looking back, it was pretty simple stuff, just needed to stick with it. Here’s the gist of it:
- Stopped drinking soda. Like, completely. Switched to water, maybe some black coffee. That alone was huge, I think.
- Cut down on the obvious junk. Less fast food, fewer chips, less late-night snacking. Didn’t ban anything forever, just made it less frequent.
- Moved a bit more. Didn’t suddenly become a gym rat. Started with just walking. Tried to get more steps in every day. Park further away, take the stairs sometimes. Little things.
- Paid attention to portions. Didn’t measure everything like a hawk, but just tried to use smaller plates and stop eating when I wasn’t hungry anymore. Sounds basic, but easy to forget.
Now, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were days, plenty of them, where I just wanted to order a giant pizza and call it quits. Especially hitting plateaus, where the scale wouldn’t budge for like two weeks. That stuff messes with your head. Felt like I was doing all this work for nothing. It really sucked sometimes.
I remember one time, about halfway through, I went to a family get-together. Everyone’s piling their plates high, and I’m sitting there with my smaller portion. Got a few comments, you know, “Oh, you on a diet?” or “Just have a little bit!”. It’s tough when you feel like the odd one out. But I just reminded myself why I started. Had to power through that awkwardness.
Getting to 168
So, yeah, kept plugging away. Some weeks were better than others. Progress wasn’t always linear. But eventually, woke up one day, stepped on the scale, and there it was: 168. It wasn’t like fireworks went off, more like a quiet nod. Okay, made it this far.
Feels better, definitely. More energy, clothes fit again (had to buy some new ones, actually). It’s still a work in progress, maintaining it is the next phase, right? But getting from 197 down to 168, yeah, that was a journey. Mostly just involved showing up every day and making slightly better choices. That’s pretty much the whole story.
