Losing weight is about more than cutting back on carbs and getting more exercise. It’s about changing your way of life, not just for the duration of your current diet plan, but forever.
That being said, weight loss is a journey, and while it may be easy to make those initial changes, keeping them up for the long haul is a whole different story. It’s totally normal to make mistakes along the way, but why not learn a few lessons from women who’ve been there, done that, so you don’t have to suffer the same setbacks?
These eight women experienced ups and downs while changing their lifestyles and losing weight, and all of them made discoveries about themselves they wish they had known on day one.
There’s a lot we can learn from their stories:
“I’ve gained a level of self-confidence and a love for fitness that will remain with me far past achieving my goal weight. I wish I knew from day one how much I would fall in love with fitness. How much I would fall in love with my overall progress, and that I would learn to love myself more.
“Every chance I get, I’m trying something I’ve never thought I would ever do. Lately, I’ve chosen group exercise. I’ve found myself taking cycling classes, and because I love to dance, I have challenged myself to do Zumba. Now, I’m also a member of a cardio-themed fitness studio.
“When I think about my adolescence until now, I’m proud because I can think ‘I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in my life in this moment’ and I push myself harder.” —Estriana Bennett, lost 77 pounds
(Dance your way fit with High-Intensity Dance Cardio, the first-ever socanomics DVD!)
“The one thing I wish I had known the day I decided to get healthier was that I couldn’t lose weight out of self-loathing. I had to do it out of self-love. I made this discovery on a yoga mat about 70 pounds into my weight-loss journey. After months of my instructors telling me to listen to and respect my body, because it’s an amazing vessel, I started to believe them.
“That’s where my self-love approach was born. I’m happy to say that it not only helped me lose the rest of the weight I wanted to—it has helped me maintain my mind, body, and spiritual health ever since.” —Jacquelyn Fletcher, author of Dear Body, Love Me, lost 100 pounds
Just so you know: While Women’s Health editors independently select all products we feature, product links may be from affiliate…
