-88 lb
Before
After
Why did you want to lose weight?
The desire to finally feel comfortable with my body had been there for many years. I was just lacking the necessary motivation. I was always fighting a battle with my body, and even as a kid, I had already attended a course that was suppose to help get me on the right path. Unfortunately, I learned how to lose weight and eat healthily there, but not to love and accept my body.
"Don't see weight loss as a fight against something. See it as a process to a happier you!"
After trying countless, very unhealthy ways to lose weight as a teenager, I was able to maintain my weight for a while. However, I couldn't accept myself the way I was and quickly started gaining weight again. I let bad thoughts about my body and weight control me and stopped enjoy everyday activities because i was always "too fat" for them. My shame caused me to miss out on a lot of beautiful moments. The ultimate reason for my decision to lose weight was when I got engaged to my now-husband.
What did you want to accomplish on your journey?
At first, I "just" wanted to fit into a nice wedding dressing and be skinny for the special day I would be the center of attention. The initial thought was to "lose as much weight as quickly as possible" so that I didn't have to buy a plus-size dress. But this thought was quickly replaced with a more general desire to really take care of my health. I never had an exact weight in mind that I wanted to reach. I wanted to be able to look in the mirror without having to look away in shame. I didn't want to have to delete pictures from vacations or parties because they were unflattering.
I wanted to be able to go shopping and find clothes in "normal" shops and have fun expressing myself through fashion. I wanted to eat without a guilty conscience or the thought that my thighs were already too big, instead of forbidding myself from eating an ice cream. I just wanted to be comfortable with my body and finally accept myself.
How did you reach your goals?
With proper motivation and a good support system, I finally reached my goal. I'm certain that I wouldn't have made it if I had continued to focus on my original thought of only looking good for other people. I understood that the important people in my life love me exactly as I am.
Annemarie’s Tips
Don't compare yourself to others.
Treat yourself sometimes.
Believe in yourself.
Learn to be happy with and love yourself just the way you are.
I just had to do that myself. So, I downloaded the YAZIO app, which I came across online. At the beginning, I was surprised at how much I was eating throughout the day and that I could get by with so much less. I never starved myself or ate something that I didn't like. I also exercised, started jogging and went to the gym about 2 times per week.
How did YAZIO help you?
I opened myself up to alternatives and, at some point, losing weight was easy for me. When I was counting calories, I paid more attention to eating the right amount of fat, carbs and protein than I I did to my calories. And I could either do that with half a pizza per day or with a healthier diet throughout the entire day. I've learned that a healthy alternative isn't worse than what I was used to eating and that my body is grateful for healthy food. I developed the understanding that I'm not doing my body any favors when I eat fast food or sweets. Instead, I can reward it with healthy options.
Did you have setbacks?
Of course I had setbacks. There were days that I just didn't want to see a difference or days that I was weak and went over my daily calorie goal. But, I learned to accept these phases and understand that I'm not perfect. I learned that it's okay to eat a scoop of ice cream when my soul needs it. The difference now is that I want to do something good for my body and soul and reward myself with me-time instead of a pizza and soda. In addition, I received a lot of outside motivation from my friends, family and husband. They told me how proud I should be of myself and that they can see that I feel more comfortable and am happier, and that, as long as I'm happy, it doesn't matter what the scale says.
What advice do you have for other users?
Don't see weight loss as a fight against something. See it has a process to a happier you! There will always be someone who can run faster, who is skinnier or who looks better. You can't let that get you down and you have to stop comparing yourself to others. Learn to be happy with yourself and to love yourself the way you are. Once you learn that you're doing something good for your body when you eat healthily, you'll reach your goal weight without any problem at all.
What are your future goals?
My goal is to continue working on loving myself and not to let myself fall back into the old habit of filling my days with self-doubt.
Why do you want to tell your story?
Because, for a long time, I chased the false narrative that I was only good enough if I was as skinny as the models on Instagram. I want to show those users who feel like I did a year ago that it doesn't matter what the scale says. It only matters that you love yourself and that you are beautiful on the inside.
