How I Lost 13kg... And Gained It Back

Step 1: How To Lose Weight

March 2012, I look in the mirror, and I don't like how I look like. No muscle; fat sighs; I can see my belly hanging down there.

I thought I was the fattest person on the planet. 56 kg at 166 cm and 14 years old — what a dreadful sight. That's right, I was just a teenager back then: shy and introverted, ashamed of having a body that is not perfect and not model-like. I was not happy with myself at all.

So, my teenage mind couldn't think of anything better but to take up a strict diet. I stayed up late nights reading articles on the internet, and I came up with the following: eating pure protein and light carbs in turns every 2-3 hours. Apple at 9 am, chicken breast at 12, another apple at 14, egg at 17, another apple before bed with some green tea. That was truly brutal. But at the same time it was life-changing. I managed to survive on that diet for almost a month, strictly more or less, and get my metabolism going: 2 kg less.

But then I broke and started eating normal foods (a.k.a. sweets and fats) again, although feeling quite guilty this time. That's when I decided to take up sports: I booked 10 sessions with a personal trainer at my gym. The exhausting 3 weeks that I spent there got me truly pumped — I could feel the muscle pain, and I loved it. But there was no weight loss whatsoever. I liked to reward myself after the workout with some sugary coffee and roasted nuts (not the best combo for those on a diet). I still wanted to indulge in my foods, so I started experimenting with different diets out there. For 2 or 3 months I followed the Dukan diet (you can read up everything about it online), which allowed me to eat the things I liked, but was quite troublesome to follow because I essentially had to cook every meal. I gave up. I lost another 1-2 kg during that time.

I remember that unfortunate period after the Dukan diet when my family used to go out for all kinds of dinners, and I didn't hesitate to finish everything on my plate these days. Disgraceful. I gained back the KGs I lost, and I was so angry with myself after a couple of months. I grew a little bit older and more responsible and I decided to make a change.

For the next months, I went to the gym 4 times a week, religiously. Thirty minutes of cardio (running) + weights (5-6 machines, 3 rounds) + cardio again (normally 20 minutes of spinning). It was a sacred routine that worked very well. I swear I had an actual six pack back then.

At the same time, my diet couldn't be stricter:

Morning: Two tablespoons of oatmeal, no milk, no sugar, black coffee.

Snack: an apple.

Lunch: vegetable soup.

Dinner: salad, no dressing, boiled chicken breast.

I did that every day. Without exceptions. I didn't even go out to eat with my parents anymore. And with friends, I would just order green tea — simple!

Though it made my weight go down to astonishing 42 kg in a matter of couple months... It was the worst thing I did to my body.

One morning at school, I felt a slight stomach ache. I excused myself from class to visit the school doctor, and I fainted while going down the stairs. Being a new girl at this school, that was quite an embarrassing first impression.

Since then, back in late 2013, I have been gaining my weight back, and I have several conclusions to make out of this.

Step 2: How To Gain Weight

My mom was terrified: imagine a call from the school principal saying your daughter had fainted on the staircase. Thank God I was perfectly fine, other than malnourished.

For the next couple of weeks, mom made me start the day with a heavy milkshake and finish it off with a creamy pasta for dinner. She cooked me all kinds of fat things, put spoonfuls of butter and jam on my toasts, etc., etc. But I didn't seem to be gaining any weight. Annoying, isn't it?

The culinary extravaganza continued until after I started uni. I ended up in Canada for the start of my undergrad, and there, it was truly impossible to maintain weight. Burgers and fries, oh that famous poutine, the peanut butter cookies... All the junk food that you can think of went right into my belly. I tried to keep up with the gym, but the unhealthy diet was getting the better of me. I moved to the UK after one year, but the habits lived on. After 3 years I found myself back to 57 kg (that's actually +1 to what I was in 2013).

This made me scared again, but not because of my weight or what I looked like (though I actually didn't look that bad). Rather, I was terrified by the amount of junk food I had and the unhealthy lifestyle I led: stuffing myself with crisps in front of TV, going out drinking all night long and having Chinese takeout at 4 am. That was miserable and that also had to stop.

Step 3: How To Lose Weight Right (Cross Out Step 1)

Actually, I am still in the midst of figuring that out!

Since August this year, I lost 3 kg — weighed myself at 54 kg this morning, woohoo! But I still have some of the not so good habits that I would like to get rid of.

The changes I made were primarily concerned with the amount of food I consumed. Now, I mainly have two meals per day: late breakfast and dinner, or lunch and dinner, or breakfast and late lunch. In between, I snack with a cup of milky coffee (full of fats and protein to keep me going). I also work out, not as intensely as before, but at least 1-2 times a week to keep it up. My 2018 resolution (surprise, surprise!) is to hit the gym three times a week and cut on guilty pleasures such as brunch and pizza — I love both...

I am sure to lose another 4 kg this year to bring me to the desired 50 kg. There I will stop and maintain a healthy weight with a healthy lifestyle.

Sounds too easy on paper? Perhaps, after being through the ups and downs of weight loss (and weight gain), I realise the importance of health above all the publicised images of the perfect body. You need to look after your skin, your hair, your health; you shouldn't even know what indigestion really is.

All this to say: please, don't overeat; don't sit in front of the TV all day; don't eat in hurry on the tube; but also don't burn yourselves. Please, don't lose your head on a strict diet. After all, there's a bit more to life than a boiled chicken breast. I dare you tomorrow to start living healthier without sacrificing but with a positive mindset. My example shows that it is possible to get in shape quickly and drastically: then the question is, is that really what you want?