I’ve been getting tons of traffic and new readers as a result of the Four Hour Body experiment I did. I figured it was a good time to re-introduce myself to new readers.
I’m Lisa, 31 years old and I live in Portland, Oregon. I’m originally from Seattle. I spent the first 19 years of my life in Seattle before heading to Oregon. I live with my boyfriend Michael and two cats (one is referred to as Fat Kitty–he has a bit of a chubby belly these days).
I used to weigh over 250 pounds. Most of my 20’s were spent being significantly overweight and eventually obese. A wake up call regarding diabetes and high blood pressure was the shake up I needed to make a change.
I counted my calories.
I swam laps in the nearby community pool.
I eventually started using the elliptical machine at the gym.
Those things propelled me forward in my journey to lose over 100 pounds. It was a slow process. I wasn’t expecting to lose the weight over night. But seeing immediate progress on the scale motivated me to keep going!
If you found me because you’re striving to lose weight and struggling, DO NOT FEEL DISCOURAGED. Make small changes. Join Weight Watchers. Join a gym. When you see progress, you will be motivated to keep trying! Read some of the tips I’ve shared about what has helped me.
This blog is partly about how I lost 110 pounds. It’s also about how I maintain the loss while living my life and enjoying the food I like. It’s been over 2 years now since I stepped on that scale 100 pounds lighter and my lifestyle has changed completely.
Instead of weekends spent on the couch, I ride my bike. I hike. I run epic races like Hood to Coast.
I’ve had some ups and downs. I’ve hit weight loss plateaus. My workout routine is:
- Swimming 2 times a week
- Running a few times a week
- Weight lifting a 2 times a week
- Snowshoeing in the winter
- Cycling and hiking whenever I can!
I was on the cover of a magazine about my weight loss!
I’m currently training for two bike competitions: The Gorge Ride in June (very hilly 40 miles) and the Portland Century in August (100 miles!). In order to train I’ve started commuting to work by bike weather permitting.
Most of all I want to show that living a balanced, healthy life is a good (and achievable) thing!
The Four Hour Body didn’t work for me for a lot of reasons. Partly because I didn’t need to lose much more weight. Partly because I work out a lot and I think my body holds onto food because of that. The diet is working for my boyfriend Michael and I am happy to support him in his efforts. I’m going back to what worked for me: counting calories, watching portion sizes and enjoying life on a smaller scale. 🙂
I hope you stay and read more. I’m not a nutritionist and I don’t offer a quick fix to losing 100 pounds. My goal is to inspire you. If I could do it, you can do it!
QUESTION: If you are a new reader to my blog, please leave a comment introducing yourself and tell me what brought you here!
Heather
I just found your blog yesterday (through someone else’s blog). I’m so excited to be reading it. I’m a 34 wife and mom of 4 boys. Four years ago I lost 75 pounds and kept it off for over a year. Then I got pregnant with baby #4 and put 60 of those pounds back on. Now I’ve 35 more pounds to lose to get to prepregnancy weight and 57 pounds to lose to reach my goal weight.
Thanks for sharing your journey and being an inspiration.
Lisa Eirene
Hi Heather! Thanks for commenting. Congratulations on losing 75 pounds and congrats on the new baby!
Diane Fit to the Finish
Great post and so nice that we are both part of the lost over 100 pounds club! I hope many of your new readers find inspiration and encouragement!
Louise
Firstly – Hi Lisa,
I’ve been hanging in the wings for a long time now but thought I should speak up after your specific invitation. I’m from the UK and also have lost a lot of weight (80lbs). I’ve been a healthy weight for the past 7 years (I’m 45yrs old) and like yourself developed a love for an active lifestyle, in particular running. I was particularly struck by your comments re friends, as I had a very extreme version of this. In brief a few friends (a couple of whom I would describe as chubby) were initially extremely supportive of my weight loss effort, but as I started to get thinner than them they changed. Not only that, they positively victimized me to a point were I had to leave my job (despite being there boss!!!). It took me a long time to recover from that and it’s what got me running. I find a great deal of support and inspiration reading certain blogs and love that distance is no object. In my ordinary life people are not generally aware of my previous weight struggles and sometimes treat me as if it’s easy for me – they see me as a healthy fitness freak!!! People who have had these struggles have a different way of being.
sorry a bit long winded
Lisa Eirene
Hi Louise, thank you for reading and commenting. That is fantastic that you got healthy and found a love for running. It really is amazing how inspiring it is. I’m sorry you struggled with friends not being supportive. Unfortunately that seems to happen more often than not.
Katie @ Up Fit Creek
Not a new reader, but I enjoyed this post and learned some things I didn’t know before. Thanks for sharing (again)! 🙂
Laurie
Hi Lisa! I’ve been a lurker on your blog for the past couple of months, love it! I’m in my 40’s and I get very discouraged because I try to do everything right, drinking only water, portion control, exercise when I can, etc. I went to the doctor the other day and of course my weight is the same and I just cried, she told me basically that once you get in your 40’s you’re not going to lose weight like you did in your 20’s, because your metbolism is just not the same. I realize that, but darn it I don’t like it! She told me low carb and eat less. I might try that diet you and your boyfriend were on, because I need to lose around 40 lbs. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa Eirene
Hi Laurie! Thank you for de-lurking. I know it’s frustrating when you’re first getting started and you think you’ve done everything right, yet the scale doesn’t reflect that. I went through that a lot. Have you tried counting calories? If you think the Four Hour Body diet would work for you, definitely give it a try. Michael is steadily losing weight on it and he’s really happy with the diet.
Celeste
Hi!
I just found your blog somehow through Livestrong and I’m absolutely inspired! I just turned 40 and am doing the usual self-evaluations the age brings with my health at the top of that list. I am a mom of 6 that used to be an avid runner and dancer. My last two pregnancies took a huge toll on my body…(but I have healthy munchkins :)!) and I find myself minimally 40 pounds over the weight I thought I’d never reach and literally 100 pounds over a healthy weight. Sigh. I just started training for a marathon (I set my goals high) this week by walking 30 minutes each day hoping to build back to jogging soon and then running this month. When I saw your post about kaizen, I lit up. It’s what I have finally decided to do in many areas of my life to get healthier and happier. :)! I so want to dance again and I love hula so the idea of fitting into a bikini is smile-provoking. If I could get to a better me in five years and under 150 pounds, that would be so great! I’m really glad I found your blog!
Lisa Eirene
Wow that’s cool that you found me through Livestrong. I wonder how…?
That is SO great that you are training for a marathon! Good for you! I bet you will feel even more inspired to get healthy as the training continues. I know it did for me!
Thanks for reading Celeste!
Jill Mace
Hello! I just stumbled upon your blog from the blogroll of the blog Fashionably Fit. I cannot stop reading your story. What an inspiration you are! Over the past 6 years I have lost 80 pounds. I am struggling with the dreaded “last 10”. Due to a surgery and an injury I have not been able to exercise for the past 15 weeks. While I was doing all this sitting- I started a blog. I never knew that blogging could be so therapeutic. The community out here is so loving and supportive. I don’t feel so alone anymore. Thank you for being so honest(and funny) about your journey. I look forward to following your story and getting inspiration from you!!! Thank you!
Lisa Eirene
Thank you for reading Jill! Congrats on losing 80. That is wonderful. And you are so right about the community!