From powerlifting to poetry, 9 bloggers share what finally helped them lose weight for good.
"How'd you do it?!" When someone loses a lot of weight, they get this question a lot. Here, nine weight-loss bloggers share what inspired them to finally lose the weight for good.
Between his hilarious poetry, inspiring post-it notes, and top ten lists that make Letterman sound unoriginal, reading Jack Sh*T, Gettin' Fit can feel more like your daily dose of comedy than weight-loss advice. Of course you get that too, you're just laughing so hard you don't realize how good it is for you. Check out his post When Harry Met Salad to see what I mean.
Losing 100 pounds is only one thing among many that makes Jen of A Prior Fat Girl so inspirational. After losing her mom in 2009, she showed how to overcome even the most heartbreaking of challenges while still taking care of herself and maintaining her positive outlook. Check out her forums to meet other "prior fat girls" and share your story!
Shelly of the World According to Eggface is remarkable for her 158-lb weight loss, which took her from morbidly obese to healthy and happy. But she's even more inspirational for being so open about something a lot of weight-loss bloggers tiptoe around: her gastric bypass surgery. Check out her A Day in My Pouch post to see what it's like eating after this type of weight-loss surgery.
It's a great accomplishment to lose half your body weight, as Shauna of The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl did, but the real beauty is in how she's mostly kept it off for a decade. After regaining 50 pounds, she confronted her emotional issues around eating and now says, "my philosophy boils down to: Do the healthy thing more often than you don't do the healthy thing. It's not about numbers and scales, it's eating well and being kind to myself. Persistence, not perfection. Getting back up when I fall over. Over and over again!"
A year ago you couldn't find a fitter man than Drew of Fit2Fat2Fit, but then the personal trainer decided to take on a new project in order to better understand what his overweight clients were going through. He gained 70 pounds over six months—going from "fit to fat"—and is now in the process of going from "fat to fit." Along the way he's learned a lot about the mental struggles of weight loss, as well as the physical: check out his post about feeling too self-conscious to dance with his wife.
Sable of Squat Like a Lady is a self-described full-time student and part-time powerlifter, but she hasn't always been buff and tough. After suffering from anorexia as a teen, Sable gained 80 pounds. On her journey back to a healthy weight, she fell in love with heavy weight lifting. Now, her focus is no longer about losing weight—check out her post Don't Call Me Skinny! —but on gaining strength.
At first glance roller derby girl, Punk Rope instructor, and personal trainer Mary of Fit This, Girl! doesn't look like she's ever had to worry about her weight. But six years ago she was 30 pounds heavier and stuck in a corporate 8-5 job. Weight Watchers helped her ditch the extra pounds, and she's since left cube-land to pursue her fitness passion by helping others find theirs. Check out her before-and-after story that arcs from age 3 to present.
134 pounds down during several major life upheavals may be what Erika of the Black Girl's Guide to Weight Loss is known for, but what she is loved for is her sense of humor, tell-it-like-it-is style, and tenacity. Whether you're looking for exercise ideas or healthy recipes, she's there for you. She also covers more difficult subjects like sexual violence, body image, and racism. Her post What a Victim-Blaming World Looks Like to a Victim will really make you think.
Can a food-loving chef lose weight? Tony of The Anti-Jared said yes, to the tune of more than 200 pounds. When he started coughing up blood and having other severe health problems in 2008, the chronic yo-yo dieter decided that he was finally losing the weight for good. And he's made good on that promise to himself. But his primary motivation for the weight loss and for keeping it off was so he and his wife could have another baby. Unfortunately the baby did not survive, but the poignant lessons he learned&mdas;and wrote about in his post The Butterfly—go far beyond losing weight for a loved one.
