How I Lost Weight Eating Real Food {More Than Ever!}
How I lost weight eating real food – more than ever! Find out the five easy lifestyle changes to lose weight that you can do, too.
Thank you for all your wonderful comments and feedback toĀ my weighty issue! When IĀ decided to do a series here on AOC about weight loss and real food, it was because of this – if I can help even one person get healthy and feel better by my story and tips, it’s beyond worth sharing my struggles. As hard as those are sometimes to tell.
This series will consist of the real, doable steps I took that you can, too, to get to your healthy weight eating delicious whole foods. But first, the pants.
Before I go any further, I want to share about the pants I used for the “big pants” in the series banner. These are a sporty pair of pants from the Gap that I’ve had for a number of years. After my daughter saw these pictures she said, “Yeah, but those were loose on you before, weren’t they?”
Um, no. When I bought these pants they were on the edge of my size, if you know what I mean. I should’ve bought a large, but was so happy to fit into a medium (hello, GAP, this is a medium?), that I bought them, even though they were snug.
Which became tight after washing. So I hung them to dry (classic technique to help your tight clothes fit looser), and then would have to do some deep knee bends after putting them on to stretch them a bit further. But I was always uncomfortable in them, because I knew they were tight.
We took a number of pictures to try and illustrate how baggy these pants are on me now, but it just doesn’t show up very well. Take my word for it – there’s a lot of fabric there.Ā And realizing how big these pants are now confirmed to me that this time I’ve reached a new milestone – this is real weight loss, that works in real life, with real food.
Oh yeah, these fit much better. Except that pose is so.not.me. Brian just thinks “after” poses should look like this, ha!
This is more me. It shows off my “pear” shape more, but it is what it is. I think it also shows that I’m normal – nowhere near the realm of too skinny. Just right for me and where my body wants to be – when it’s being fed real food.
Sure wish I had known that years ago!
How I Lost Weight Eating Real Food
Here are 5 lifestyle-changing things I did – and continue to do – to help me be at my best weight ever:
- Cut portions in half. Everything, even fruits and vegetables, in order to get out of that “all-you-can-eat” mentality. I will do another post with more detail and showing what these portions look like (which you can now read here), but suffice it to say that my portion sizes had crept up over the years and needed to be cut back. It just seemed the most simpleĀ for me to tell myself to halve everything. I’d already tried diets where you write things down, weigh, and measure your food. These things haven’t beenĀ sustainable for me. But eating half a hamburger or only one slice of pizza? Easy. And it’s still easy two years later. But I’m not going to lie –Ā eating smaller portions is a lifestyle change that you have to be diligent aboutĀ because TV, magazines, blogs, and restaurants constantly skew the portions to bigger amounts.
- Eat real, whole foods. I cook with butter, bacon, coconut oil and olive oil – a glance at AOC’s recipe index will give you more of an idea how we eat. I’ve moved to more and more whole foods over the life of this blog, including whole milk and cream, cheeses, and eggs (of course, vegetables and fruits are part of this, too, but that’s not the different part!) and I lost weight eating these foods. That didn’t change. BUT- I was eating these foods a year ago when I was at a weight I wasn’t comfortable with, so this alone won’t help you lose weight. My point is, real food should be one part of a healthy, sustainable, weight loss plan. Weird, processed, fake, or nutritionally light “diet”foods should not.
- Limit carbs and focus on protein. Not Atkins, South Beach, or “paleo,” but when a choice of food needs to be made, I go for a protein. Nuts have become my go-to snack instead of crackers or toast. Half an apple alone never satisfied me in the past, but one with a tablespoon of nut butter will. I don’t care about the buns on hamburgers, so it’s easy for me to use a lettuce leaf instead. We don’t eat a lot of pasta, and when we do, I try to have more sauce than noodles. I make sure I eat the protein and vegetable in a meal first, so if I get full, it’s the carb I’ll leave. But when I do want the carb, I eat it (but just half!). I find that the protein and good fat fills and satisfies me, so I don’t need to overload on carbs.
- Cut down on sweets. Well…duh. This one is typical, I guess. Except that I didn’t cut sugar out altogether. We still end our meals with a piece of dark chocolate. Some nights we have a few chocolate chips (about 1/8 cup measured out) when we’re watching TV and once a week we have ice cream (often homemade with real cream- and no machine). I’ve never gone to someone’s house and refused dessert saying, “sorry, I’m dieting.” I have a very small portion and then I’m satisfied. See what I mean about real life, real food, and really sustainable?
- Use easy “rules” and tricks. I’ve developed some habits that work for me- things I either really thought about or that have developed over the last year and work well towards losing weight and keeping it off.
In fact, I believe that adopting these techniques (or similar ones that work for you) are so important to making healthy lifestyle changes that are sustainable that I’m going into detail in the next installment of Losing Weight With Real, Whole Foods: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques to Help You Lose Weight.
In the meantime…thoughts? Do you agree with the five lifestyle changes that helped me lose weight with real food or disagree? What would you add to the list that has worked for you?
Read the other articles in the series on Losing Weight with Real, Whole Foods:
- A Weighty IssueĀ – My history with weight and body image
- Tips, Tricks, and Techniques For Weight Loss
- More Tips, Tricks, and Techniques For Weight Loss
- Portion Control: Real Life, Real Food
- Is Exercise Necessary For Weight Loss?
- A Simple, Easy Workout {+ Printable}
Happy New Year, Jamie! You look fabulous!!! Just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blogs, emails, and recipes. Your latest blog on how you eat more intentionally really makes me want to get serious about (re)adopting lifestyle changes to re-lose the weight I’ve gained. Those changes include better portion control, fewer carbs and junk food (not that that’s a huge problem), and exercise. Exercise includes toning exercises and playing disc golf regularly (I lost 5 lbs the first month of playing on weekends!) Outdoor exercise is vital for mental/emotional health, too. Thanks for those fantastic recipes! May God continue to bless you and your family in the future.
Thank you, Sharon, and Happy New Year to you, too! I’m glad this is resonating with you! And to be honest, I have to revisit these goals and strategies over and over – the weight creep is never done, it seems. Especially as you grow older. š Since I wrote this I have tried other things, but I always come back to these strategies as the most balanced, easiest way to maintain a healthy weight without obsessing over every little thing I eat.
I enjoyed reading your story about how you lost weight. I’m 63 years old right now and I’ve pretty much ALWAYS struggled with my weight ever since I was in my mid-20s. My mother was a GREAT baker and fed us four kids lots of carbs. (Everything was homemade.) I had to break the habit of eating so many carbs. I’m diabetic (Type 2) and I had two mini-strokes in July 2019. Having those sure did give me a huge wake-up call and I started working on losing weight. I lost a bunch of weight until the pandemic hit and I decided to start baking (I take after my mom in that department). I put on about 75% of the weight I had lost. Fast forward to last July when I was told that I had Stage 3C ovarian cancer. Having to go through chemo treatments helped me lose much of the weight that I had put back on. I’m now on “maintenance” and my weight has crept up by 12 pounds in 3 months. I finally decided to do something about it and have made it my mission to eat much healthier. I’ve lost 10 of the 12 pounds that I put on so far. (I want to lose some more.) I’m on a 1,500-calorie-per-day diet (I use something called My Fitness Pal). Yes, I have to weigh and measure my foods, but I know myself well enough to know that if I don’t hold myself accountable for each bite of food I eat, I’ll turn around and start gaining weight again. Eating this way is benefitting my health, but it’s benefitting my family too. We’re all losing weight. I’m down 109 pounds from my very highest weight. My son is down 113 pounds. My husband is losing much more slowly, but at least he’s trying. We’ve been married for 39 years and it’s important that I try to set a good example for him so that maybe he can get more on board with this kind of eating. He LOVES his ice cream!
Wish us luck as we continue on this journey. š
Wow, I love your story and how you have not given up but determined to take control and do what’s right for your body, Shawn! And for your family, too – kudos to you all!!
It’s not so different from what I talk about here, though, because portion control and deciding to eat healthier foods takes a lot of determination – and it’s ongoing!
I’ve found that as I age (plus menopause) I’m having to adjust, too, and eat more protein and less fat. To know those numbers I have started tracking and weighing protein and use a macro counting app. So we all have to be flexible and continue to find things that work for our bodies in different seasons.
Many blessings to your and your family!!
This is great! I have done a similar thing at age 65 and lost about 15 pounds which I am maintaining and feeling good about! I have always eaten whole foods, but focusing on protein, cutting down on carbs and especially sugar, not shying away from fats (our bodies need it!), concentrating on lots of veggies, and intermittent fasting have been lifestyle changes that work for me. I also walk regularly and do some strength exercises. I always gain a little over the holidays but know it will come off when I get back to my routine!
I agree with this plan, though we have been so conditioned to avoid full fat milk and cream etc. due to the risk of higher cholesterol that I canāt seem to make the switch from fat free comfortably. Anyone else concerned in this regard? I do have to watch my cholesterol. Iām over 65.
Here’s a good article on this, Pam: https://time.com/collection/guide-to-weight-loss/4279538/low-fat-milk-vs-whole-milk/
I especially agree with this quote from the article: “[It’s] one more piece of evidence showing that we really need to stop making recommendations about food based on theories about one nutrient in food. Itās crucial at this time to understand that itās about food as a whole, and not about single nutrients.ā
Hope that’s helpful!
Thank you for the article, Jamie! Amazing to read!
First, Iām 77 years old. Mother of 4 children (2 of which are step-children that we raised), grandmother of 6 and great grandmother of 4-so far. I weighed 98 lbs in high school & was NOT skinny (Iām 5ā tall). After my second pregnancy, I weighed 130 lbs. I played volleyball 2 nights a week. I ate anything & everything I could get my hands on. Slowly, my weight crept to 180 lbs. I did Whole30 and lost 40 lbs. I still somewhat follow the guidelines & have lost another 10 lbs. after stopping volleyball. I would like to lose 10 more. Iām somewhat lactose intolerant (canāt drink milk, but can eat yogurt & cheese). I cannot tolerate the ātolā artificial sweeteners at all. I prefer real proteins, fats, veggies & sugar. My motto: everything in moderation. I was taught to visually weigh foods (palm of hand, tip of thumb etc), which has helped to eat correct portions.
That’s a great tip to use visuals like that to weigh and measure foods, Marge! Thanks for your input. š
Yes! That sounds just like me, Susan – gaining a bit around the holidays and then getting back on track.
That’s one of the reasons it’s lasted so long for me – if I thought I couldn’t have my favorite holiday treats (in moderation), then I’d toss in the towel.š
I do some fasting and regular strength and walking, too – basically whatever I need to do to feel strong and maintain a healthy weight.
Hello Jami,
I agree with your weight loss program. I could have written my story and it would have sounded like yours. I am age 79 and at an annual doctor visit was told that I had type 2 diabetes. I refused to have that. So, I went home with a goal of 25 lb weight loss. I stopped eating anything white, like sugar, rice, flour. I stopped all sugar. I did, however, eat a few sugar free candy pieces, one a day. That helped me stop eating sugar. It was very hard but in 3 months, I lost 17 pounds, eating just like you explained in your article. I also took Shaklee Glucose Regulation Complex. I was checked in 3 months and had a great check up. I am no longer in the Type2 diabetic range. I eat the super foods every day with lots of protein and great vegetables. I eat few carbs. I still want to loose more weight so I am still on my journey to reach that 25 lb loss goal. Your plan really works.
What an encouraging story, Diane!
And I absolutely love your refusal to just keep going on – wow, good for you!
Hi Jami! I love this weight loss series and keep coming back to reread it as a refresher every so often. Eating good, real foods in smaller portions is the only diet that I can actually be excited about and not feel deprived. This time as I was rereading, I found myself wondering what kind of dark chocolate you like. There are so many kinds at the store and the few I’ve tried vary a lot in taste, so I’m curious… can you share your favorite(s)?
Oh – and do you use whole milk, skim, or something in between with your granola?
Whole milk all the way! I grew up on skim, and used 1% and 2% most of my adult life until learning about whole foods and good fats. I switched to whole and noticed not one difference in my weight, but I was enjoying the food (and coffee/tea!) more and felt fuller for longer.
It’s my preference, but definitely experiment with what works for you.š
I’m going to try it! I think it would be much more tasty with the granola. Thanks!
I’m so glad this is still helpful for you, Dawn!
We really like Trader Joe’s big 72% dark chocolate bar – we cut them up and keep them in a jar to have after meals.
We’ve tried lots of kinds over the years and now we’re used to darker chocolate so we stick with things in the 70% range. We have found 80%+ is just too bitter even for us, ha!
Oh, I’m glad you said so. For a while I was trying to make myself like the 85% dark, but it wasn’t really working! I’ve heard people say that it isn’t really dark if it’s not at least 80%, but I”ve gotta believe that there’s still some benefit to the 72%, which is much more palatable. I’ll have to try that Trader Joes one. Thanks!
Yes! There’s no point in it if you don’t enjoy it. š
I’m glad I found your page. I’ve been eating healthy for years and struggled with weight. I’ve not been fat; but not comfortable. For the last 2 months I’ve been eating “less” of mostly what I ate before. I’ve lost 17 lbs & feel and think I look so much better. I’m sure if I continue (which is the plan) that I will lose even more.
I appreciate your page & look forward to using your recipes. (I’ve got sourdough bread rising right now.)
Thanks.
Congratulations, Doris – that’s just great results! I hope you enjoy the recipes – and the bread. š
Hi Jami.
I am curious if you still practice the ‘1/2 everything’ portion control? Would it be accurate to say that sometimes the portions you eat aren’t very big? I am having trouble overcoming the hurdle of how little the portions seem to be when I practice this idea.
Yes I still do! Though I’m first to admit not 100% – maybe 80/20. My stomach has gotten used to smaller portions, though, and usually makes me sorry when I decided to have 2 pieces of pizza instead of one. š I didn’t keep cutting in half, though – I just stick to my half sandwich or burger, smaller bowls for cereal and soup, etc.
You are right that the amounts are small when you compare to what others are eating and what is served in most restaurants. I think it helps to change our mindsets from “I can’t have all this” to “this is all I can eat.” I look forward to leftovers, since I know I’ll enjoy them more when I’m not full. You will get used to it if you keep at it and it will become easier to listen to you body telling you it’s enough.
Thank you for your reply, Jami!
It is very helpful to hear from your first-hand experience!
AGREEDššā¤ļø
Another Oregon gal here! Hi! I love this article! I’ve been on Weight Watchers lately, after two pregnancies back to back, and I lost 10 pounds the first time, then gained most of it back. I’m back on it now, and losing again, but I’ve been feeling uncomfortable with all my fat free cheeses, mayos, and light everything. I’ve known for awhile that these aren’t really healthy, and yet I just really wanted to lose weight without being hungry.
I have been thinking about how I don’t want to track points forever. If I stop, the weight comes back, so it isn’t something that can work long term for me. I saw this article, and then went all over the internet reading about how bad for me all these ingredients are that I’m using. I think I’ll be trying your method.
The bummer thing is, I finally created a blog like I have always wanted to….and I’ve been pretty much putting Weight Watcher recipes on it that use these ingredients! It’s only 4 or 5 though, so not to hard to change at this point in time.
Thanks for the inspiration! Your blog is beautiful too!
I’m so happy to know this was inspiring to you, Christina! Obviously you know I agree with your thoughts here. š And you definitely can go towards healthy real foods on your blog – this is a perfect time to change. I wish you good blogging vibes!
Thanks a lot really nice article!
I was searching for the next diet when I came across your blog. Could it really be this simple after years of being food obsessed? I can eat real food and cut portions in half. I’m going to step back from my diet mentality and give it a try. Thank you for your post. You have given me hope.
I hope so, Tami – it really has continued to work for me! And spurred me on to keep researching healthy eating and living (my latest is getting into fermenting). There’s no “off” though – it’s a lifestyle that I have to constantly be diligent about because the portions seem to just creep back up. It’s easy, though, to start cutting back again and drink more tea. š
Hi I have been trying to eat half portions and I have been wondering if you ate at structured mealtimes such as breakfast lunch dinner or did you just go with the flow eating when hungry?
I do eat regular meals, Kathy! But the timing is not in stone – if I exercise one morning, then I’ll eat breakfast and lunch later. But generally I eat breakfast around 8:30-9; lunch 12:30-1:00; snack at around 4; and dinner at 6:30. If I’m not feeling hungry, I’ll just eat less, but I found it messed with my head if I didn’t eat a meal – then I’d tend to overeat the next. š
Jami, hi. š
I have followed your blog for a couple of years now. Always enjoy your posts even though I don’t garden myself or cook with grains (for health reasons). Because I don’t use grains (and very limited dairy) I had adopted the mentality that AOC was very limited in what I could glean from it food-wise. But I had forgotten about this series! (I know, I know, I need to check all the veggie and meat recipes too!) I have been “trying” (sometimes in earnest, sometimes not) to lose my baby weight for three and a half years now. I was so close a year ago, within 10 lbs, but then I gave up and stopped watching my portions. I have gained 20-25 lbs since then. I recently had to use the clothes money I had been saving (for when I reached my comfortable weight) to buy clothes that fit me now. I have been very discouraged but the Lord reminded me of these posts. I have printed out and taped your tips and tricks to my fridge and am going to use your ideas. I will let you know how it goes!
Hmmm, you can pretty much find anything on the internet, can’t you Scott? And they all contradict each other. š As you can guess, I don’t agree. The idea that pressing an olive to get the oil (or any nut to get more of the oil that you can easily see when you pick one up) is ‘processing’ it, making it equivalent to a processed junk food to me seems like they’re saying you can’t do anything to any food (like cook vegetables). I didn’t watch them all the way through – are they raw food advocates? Because cooking vegetables releases vitamins and enzymes that our bodies need as much as raw.
We need a balance, mostly, and the diet industry makes tons of money off of UNBALANCE – get rid of this! don’t eat that! Do eat only this! – which gets very OLD. Our bodies need fat. There are healthy fats with as many studies to back them up as not. In the end you have to make your own choices. I’ve come to the point where I have to judge on a couple of life-facts (for me):
1. Is it sustainable? (no oil ever? really, how long will that last?)
2. Does it make sense with what I know of the world? (I see oil in nuts, etc.)
3. Can I replicate it at home? (nut oils are easy, so are meat oils – I could probably press olives and coconuts if I lived in an area where they grew…)
4. Is it a real food that’s been around for 100’s of years?
What do YOU think, Scott? š
Jami~
From one “Oregon girl” to another, Thank you for this post! I totally agree about cutting out fake food, diet food, etc. and eating real food, as close to the way God made it as possible!
I’ve been on your website for about 2 hours exploring and I have to say, I really love what you’ve done with your home on a limited budget. Awesome!
Oregon girl currently transplanted to Hawaii ~
Juju
So glad you’ve found it helpful, Juju! And I wouldn’t mind being transplanted to Hawaii… š
Just found you today, THANK YOU! I was beginning to feel alone in thinking that real foods including whole milk and real butter were better for you as well as tasting better! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out if people are actually eating 11 servings of grain a day they will become obese! I am also going to go one further – I feel that alot of the increased autism is related to the increased processed food in diets today.
So happy you found me, too, Laurie! Seems like we’re on the same wave-length for sure. š
Agree 100%. And am working on it, but it does seem to be taking a while! I find that being hungry between meals is the hardest. I think that after I turned 50 it suddenly got vey hard to loose these last 20 pounds.
Hi, I’m new here and truly enjoy your ideas. I especially like your “Tex-Mex” spice rub. I do a lot of cooking here and use rubs a lot. This per mix will save me a lot of prep time. Like all foods this will be easy to tweak.
As for weight and diets. I want to give this little story. At 65 I have put on the tummy most men get. I have always been physically active but years have caught up to me. My wife of 35 years ( praise the Lord) has always been weight conscious and watched her diet. But years have “gained” on her as well. Now for the results. Sorry no before pictures, just some stats. I started with a 42 inch waist and now fit loosely into a 36 waist jeans. My lovely wife has gone from a size 16-18 to a 8.-10 this. Our journey is not over yet.
Now the important thing here is not just our weight and size change, our health. And yes guys to can enjoy great food and loose the weight. We cut out most of the processed foods and a lot of the starchy foods. I read the labels now , and pay close attention to what we eat. We have incorporated a large salad with our dinner. I know what the guys are going to say, “I don’t like rabbit food”. Really guys when you eat a well balance salad with, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, garbonso beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and what ever else you personally like, your taste buds will be in heaven. Now don’t get me wrong, I still love my meat. What we have changed is the selection. We eat more chicken, and fish now. We limit our red meat to once a week and have included more pork into our diet( personnel choice)
The bottom line is that no matter where you are in your own weight issue, you can do it with a personal choice to change. Good luck with your own journey.
Wow, that’s so awesome, Floyd – what a great inspiration!! And that you are at a healthier place without resorting to weird or fad diets, but just paying attention to the types of food you put in your body and eating in moderation (I’m assuming). I love it – thank you for taking the time to tell us your (and your wife’s) story. š