Unlocking Sustainable Weight Loss: My Journey to 25 Pounds Lighter with Real Food and Mindful Portions
Well, have you guessed from the title what this deeply personal series of articles is about? Yes, I’m about to share something incredibly intimate here at AOC (An Oregon Cottage). I must admit, I’ve started writing about my weight loss journey countless times, only to have the drafts languish in a desktop folder. This topic is profoundly challenging for me to address publicly, and frankly, without a significant push from my wonderful sister-in-law, I might never have found the courage to publish it.
So, why am I finally taking this leap? It’s not merely to divulge personal details; there’s a much deeper purpose. Just like everything I endeavor to do here at AOC, my ultimate goal is to inspire, encourage, and demonstrate that if I, an ordinary person without any extraordinary skills, can achieve something significant, then you absolutely can too. This time, that “something” happens to be sustainable weight loss, achieved in a way that defied conventional wisdom and felt entirely natural.
Today, I stand 15 pounds lighter than I have ever been in my entire adult life—and that includes my high school years. This isn’t a small feat; it’s a monumental one for me. What’s even more remarkable is that I accomplished this without adhering to any restrictive “diet” or consuming peculiar, unnatural foods. In fact, I’ve continued to eat all the regular, real, whole foods that I frequently write about and photograph right here on AOC. This approach has proven to be not just effective, but incredibly satisfying and truly sustainable.
I plan to delve into all the intricate details of my process in a couple of forthcoming articles (update: you can find direct links to every post in this series at the bottom of this page). But before we get into the “how-to,” it’s essential to provide some background. Understanding my long-standing struggle with weight will illuminate precisely why shedding those 15 pounds—which I had never managed to lose before, bringing my total weight loss since last summer to 25 pounds—is such an immense personal achievement for me.
My Lifelong Journey with Weight: A Personal History
Like many of you, weight has been a persistent, underlying concern throughout my entire life. I’m making an assumption here, but having lived for a number of years (*a-hem*), I am quite certain I am not alone in experiencing this silent battle. While I’ve never been what one might consider “huge,” I have consistently carried an extra 20 to 40 pounds more than what was generally considered healthy for my frame. This wasn’t just a physical burden; it was a constant mental one, influencing how I perceived myself and interacted with the world.
Of course, I suppose not always. It’s improbable I carried 20 extra pounds when I was the two-year-old depicted in the photo above. However, even as a very young child, I’ve been told that I experienced such severe rashes where my thighs rubbed together that regular Vaseline applications were necessary, especially during warm weather. This early experience, while seemingly minor, was perhaps one of the first indicators of a predisposition to carrying extra weight, setting a subtle but definite tone for my relationship with my body.
Looking back at childhood pictures, like this one with my brother (I believe I was in third grade), I appear relatively normal to an outside observer. But that’s simply not how I felt then. My internal experience was dramatically different, colored by deep-seated anxieties and perceptions about my body that began at a very young age. What I vividly remember are moments like these, which shaped my early body image:
- Walking down the bustling halls of a new school towards the first-grade classroom with my mom, consumed by the fear that I wouldn’t be able to fit into the desks. I have no rational explanation for where this specific fear originated, but it was a very real, tangible anxiety that I have never forgotten. It speaks to an early awareness of my size in relation to my environment.
- Gazing admiringly at my beautiful third-grade teacher and optimistically thinking that if my thighs just stayed the same, they would magically look like hers when I grew up. This thought now strikes me as particularly naive and even a little crazy, but it was a genuine aspiration at the time, highlighting my nascent comparisons and desires for a different physique.
- Shakily trying on a new pair of the latest, in-style jeans when I was twelve years old and being utterly amazed that a size 13 actually fit me. Thirteen was the largest of the junior sizes back then, and my body image was so profoundly skewed that I genuinely didn’t believe I would fit into junior sizes at all, even before I had officially entered my teenage years. This moment underscored a deep insecurity about my body that was present long before societal pressures truly intensified.
During my senior year of high school and continuing into my college years, I truly did pile on the pounds. At one point, I found myself a significant 30 pounds over what I referred to as my “set point.” This “set point” wasn’t an ideal, healthy weight, but rather the maximum weight I could reach before my attempts at dieting would usually bring me back down, creating a frustrating cycle of gain and partial loss.
How did I gain this weight? In the most classic, old-fashioned way possible: I simply ate too much. Furthermore, I developed a habit of being a “secret eater,” often indulging in junk food when I was alone. Most times, I would mindlessly consume snacks directly from a bag while engrossed in a good book or movie. It wasn’t until I started feeling genuinely sick to my stomach—and discovered the bag was completely empty—that I would realize just how much I had consumed. This mindless eating was a major contributor to my weight struggles during that period.
I managed to get back to my established “set point” for my wedding in 1988, and impressively, I maintained my weight within a few pounds of that point for the next four years. My primary strategy during this period was a simple but effective one: I consciously stopped eating mindlessly directly from bags or boxes, forcing myself to be more aware of my consumption. This small shift made a significant difference in preventing weight creep.
This period of stability continued until what I affectionately, if somewhat ruefully, call my “childbearing years.” Ah, the pregnancy weight—a truly formidable opponent. It arrived with my first child, lingered stubbornly for three years, and then made a resolute return with my second pregnancy. This was a challenging time for my body image.
It was actually quite difficult to locate a photograph of myself (within our carefully curated family albums; I’m certain our extended family possesses some more “revealing” ones!) from that era where I wasn’t cleverly hiding behind other people or my children, or where the picture wasn’t solely focused on my face. I’m sure such photos existed, but they were almost certainly edited out of our albums. Who truly wants to be constantly reminded of carrying extra weight, especially during a time when you feel less than your best? However, looking back now, oh my goodness, isn’t that little face just absolutely scrumptious? That precious little boy, and his sister who followed, were truly the answers to my deepest prayers. I don’t begrudge the weight I gained for a single moment; the joy they brought far outweighed any physical changes.
I simply needed to find a realistic and sustainable way back to my “set point” once my family was complete.
And eventually, I did. When our daughter was of preschool age, I contracted a persistent stomach bug that lingered for about a week. While unpleasant, this illness inadvertently forced me to consume significantly smaller portions of food. During this period, I became acutely aware of just how large my typical portions had become, a realization that truly opened my eyes.
That particular experience marked the fundamental beginning of my shift in emphasis towards the amount of food I ate, rather than exclusively focusing on the type of food (which is characteristic of most traditional “diets”). This was a pivotal moment in my weight management philosophy, moving me away from restrictive food lists towards mindful consumption.
For the past 10 years or so, I’ve pretty much maintained my weight within 5 to 10 pounds of my “set point.” Whenever I noticed the scale creeping up by about 10 pounds, my clothes would start feeling uncomfortably snug, serving as my personal alarm. At that point, I would consciously begin to re-evaluate my portion sizes to gently bring my weight back down. However, despite these efforts, I never managed to go below my body’s seemingly stubborn “set point.” I had resigned myself to believing that this was simply how I was made, and truth be told, I felt perfectly fine and comfortable at that weight.
That was the case until last winter, about a year ago. The pounds began subtly creeping back up, and this time, I found it unusually difficult to return to my familiar “set point.” I had often heard anecdotal warnings about the challenges of losing weight as one gets older, and a wave of nervousness started to set in. I began to worry, wondering why the weight wasn’t coming off as it usually did, and if this was a new, permanent struggle.
The Unexpected Trick That Revolutionized My Weight Loss
Then, last June, a familiar pattern re-emerged: I contracted another stomach bug (do you see a recurring theme here?). Once again, I couldn’t eat normally for about a week. This time, however, I made a conscious and resolute determination: I was going to cut my normal amount of food—almost everything—in half. This wasn’t a temporary measure; it was a deliberate strategy to reset my eating habits and my stomach’s capacity.
Yes, almost everything was subject to this reduction. Instead of a full sausage, I’d have half. A hamburger became half a patty. I’d opt for a chicken leg over a larger thigh. For my beloved Easy Artisan Bread, I’d take the smallest end piece. My comforting 1/3 cup of favorite morning granola was reduced to a 1/4 cup. And here’s what felt like the absolute clincher—at least for me—even salads and vegetables were eaten in smaller quantities.
My core rationale for this drastic, yet simple, reduction was straightforward: I absolutely did not want my stomach to re-accustom itself to large amounts of food again, regardless of the food type. I wanted to establish a new normal for portion sizes, retraining my body’s hunger signals and its physical capacity.
Crucially, other than mindfully reducing my portions, I ate whatever I genuinely wanted. This included satisfying fats like butter, bacon, and cheese, full-fat whole milk, nutrient-dense roasted vegetables, and even indulgent treats like dark chocolate and our occasional desserts. The key distinction was that these were all real foods. I consciously avoided processed items and, significantly, I rarely ate anything directly out of bags. If there was a bag of something somewhere, I had learned my lesson: I would take a small, pre-determined quantity and place it in a bowl, preventing the mindless overconsumption that had plagued me in the past.
And something truly amazing began to happen over the course of the next six months.
For the very first time since my high school days, I went below my long-standing “set point”! The weight loss was gradual but consistent: first five pounds, then ten, and finally, a full fifteen pounds. I honestly couldn’t believe it was happening, and for quite a while, I hesitated to buy any new clothes or even tell anyone, convinced that the weight would inevitably creep back. This cautious disbelief stemmed from years of hitting that same plateau.
But it didn’t return. And it hasn’t. My sister-in-law, observing my transformation, rightly thought I should share what my “secret” was—and I wholeheartedly agree. This is vital to share because, for once, I finally DIDN’T do all the things the medical establishment typically advises us to do to lose weight: namely, following low-fat or no-fat diets, embracing high-carb regimens, or relying on various fat substitutes. My approach was almost antithetical to these conventional methods, yet it proved profoundly effective.
This time, the weight quite literally fell off. Over the years of maintaining this blog, I’ve received numerous comments about “the way you eat”—a diet that includes bread, healthy fats, occasional sweets, and eggs—which made me realize I needed to take a risk and share my unique experience with all of you. One commenter even explicitly stated she couldn’t “wrap my head around the way you eat—it goes against all we read and hear.”
And sadly, she’s absolutely right about the prevailing narrative. My method often contradicts mainstream dietary advice. I am certainly not the only one advocating for this approach, but I am here to stand firmly with other “real food” advocates to emphatically tell you that if you consistently feed your body real, whole foods, and pay attention to honest portion control, truly amazing and transformative things can happen to your health and your weight. It’s a message that needs to be heard and understood more widely.
Stay tuned for more in-depth details in upcoming posts, including a comprehensive look at what I eat in a typical day and how I manage it. And PLEASE, I encourage you to chime in either in the comments section below or over on An Oregon Cottage’s Facebook page—I’d genuinely love to know I’m not alone in my experiences with weighty issues, and to build a supportive community around this journey!
Explore More of My Series on Sustainable Weight Loss with Real Foods:
- How I Lost Weight Eating Real Food {More Than Ever!}
- 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}