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How I Lost 59 Pounds (And Kept It Off)

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LIZ DELLA CROCE

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How I lost 59 pounds and kept it off – my personal weight loss journey and success story including tips, advice, and suggestions to help others.

Liz Della Croce weight loss success story

There is a story behind every blog and today I am honored to finally share mine. As you can imagine, there is a reason why I am so passionate about creating healthy food that is not only good for you but is also delicious. Grab a cup of coffee, get comfy, and join me as I open up about the true inspiration behind every leafy green, whole grain, and clove of garlic that embodies The Lemon Bowl.

How I lost 59 Pounds (And kept it off)

Life as an overweight child:

Like many sedentary Americans, I spent much (all) of my early years as an overweight child. Believe it or not, we always ate healthy, homemade meals. We drank skim milk, shopped at the farmer’s market, and filled our plates with bright colors and lean proteins. White bread was not an option, pancakes were made with buckwheat and our oats were steel cut. (I love you, Mom!)

buckwheat pancakes

Ultimately, though, if you eat more than your body needs for fuel, you will gain weight. Despite a love for softball, volleyball, and skiing, my athletic ability was lacking and I often got cut from the team. After years of dance lessons, I eventually quit performing because squeezing my body into skin-tight spandex costumes became too much for my pre-teen self to handle.

As the years went by, I gained more weight and eventually graduated from high school weighing over 220 pounds. I had no idea how big I was until my first post-college doctors visit when I learned I had lost 23 pounds my Freshman year of college. How on earth did that happen? One reason: I didn’t have a car and had to walk every single day. By incorporating daily movement without making any other changes, the weight fell off.

Liz Della Croce weight loss exercise

During my Junior year of college, I moved to London to study abroad and travel through Europe. When I returned home 5 months later, I had ballooned up to a size 20 and was stuck wearing Men’s Gap pants size 42.

Despite being overweight, I graduated from college and began a successful career in hotel sales. In 2001, I met my husband and we got married in 2005. With a great career, plenty of friends and a wonderful love life, I was fat and happy.

Tracking & Exercise:

My weight loss journey didn’t officially begin until 6 months after my wedding, at the age of 25. I saw a photo taken of me at a friend’s wedding and couldn’t believe what I saw. The photo was worth 1,000 words and within minutes I did an online search and discovered MyFoodDiary, a website that helps you track calories and exercise to gradually lose about one pound/week.

In addition to weighing, measuring and tracking food calories for the first time, I also began exercising regularly. Just 30 minutes, 3 times a week is exactly what sold me on joining Curves. Within 18 months, I lost 35 pounds and was just 5 pounds away from my goal weight when I moved back home to Michigan with my husband to buy a house and start a new job.

Unfortunately, as anyone within sales can attest, my life was soon filled with client dinners, food-filled trade shows, and networking cocktail receptions. Instead of nipping the problem in the bud, I kept living my life and ignoring the scale. Within a year of moving home, I had gained back half the weight and my brand new work wardrobe no longer fit.

Life changes:

In 2008, I was laid off from my dream job. All of those horrible things you hear and read about losing your job are true. It was one of the lowest points in my life. The good news? I joined a gym to help cope and fell in love with group exercise. Each week I took Kickboxing, Boot Camp, Yoga, and Spin. The bad news? I was making lots of friends and taking advantage of my “pre-baby” life with too many nights of drinking and 2 am snacking.

Lesson learned: it doesn’t matter how many hours a week you exercise if you spend your weekend drinking vodka sodas.

Fast forward to 2010 – we were expecting a baby! For the first time in my life, I had to be comfortable watching the scale creep up each week. In 2011, we had our beautiful baby boy and I was officially over 200 pounds again (after he was born.) Something had to give.

You know the phrase “If it worked once, it will work again.”? Two weeks after my son was born, I re-committed to logging and tracking my calories on MyFoodDiary. Six weeks after giving birth (with my OB’s blessing), I was back at the gym. Was I taking boot camp classes? No. But I was moving again and learning to be more mindful of what I put in my mouth.

Slowly but surely, the weight came off. The feeling of accomplishment and setting a good example for my son was so motivating that I was able to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight just six months after he was born. Riding the wave, I decided to keep going and I am proud to say that I am now 20 pounds lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight. (And yes, I’m still 5 pounds away from the ever-elusive goal weight.)

The icing on the cake? On January 2nd, 2013, MyFoodDiary featured my official Weight Loss Success Story on the front page of their website. In my interview, I answer questions such as “What has been your biggest challenge along the way and how did you overcome it?” and “What has been your greatest reward of weight loss?” After reading so many success stories over the years, it is very surreal to be on the other end.

Thank you for reading my personal weight loss journey. I encourage you to read other posts I’ve written along the way:

As always, thank you for being here. It is an honor and a joy to interact with all of you every day.

xoxo,
Liz


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129 responses to “How I Lost 59 Pounds (And Kept It Off)”

  1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
    Liz DellaCroce

    This comment really cracked me up!! I always said “I can’t even stand it” – haha. You are so sweet – thank you for cheering me on and supporting me. :) xoxoxo

    1. Rachael {Simply Fresh Cooking} Avatar
      Rachael {Simply Fresh Cooking}

      Hiya Liz… I just wanted to update you that I lost 60 pounds in 7 months!! Your story and your site have been a huge inspiration to me AND many others, I’m sure. :) I’m hoping to get back into blogging again soon and recovery from Candida overgrowth and other issues is going very well… just taking lots of time. Hugs to you! xo

      1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
        Liz DellaCroce

        Oh my goodness CONGRATULATIONS Rachael!!! So good to hear from you – thank you so much for the update!!!!

        1. Rachael {Simply Fresh Cooking} Avatar
          Rachael {Simply Fresh Cooking}

          Thanks, Liz! :) You’re awesome! xo

  2. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
    Liz DellaCroce

    You’re right – it’s all about making it a habit. I know you can do it! Keep me posted.

  3. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
    Liz DellaCroce

    Thank you Rachel!! I appreciate all of your support and friendship. xo

  4. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
    Liz DellaCroce

    Wow what an incredible story, Barbara – Thank you so much for sharing. I feel for you and your daughter on so many levels! Please do check out myfooddiary and let me know your thoughts. I am happy to help in an way!! Best wishes for a successful 2013, Barbara!

  5. Carrie Avatar
    Carrie

    You photo alone gives me the motivation I need. Thank you!

  6. Angie Avatar
    Angie

    Thanks for this. I have been overweight my whole life and last year I finally decided to do something about it. I have lost 37 pounds since February with calorie counting and exercise with a hope to lose the final 20-30 pounds this year.

  7. Melinda Avatar
    Melinda

    Thanks for sharing your story, Liz! It’s so inspiring to read about “real” people who have had success with losing weight. I’m on a similar journey, and am happy to say I’ve lost about 25 pounds so far and can’t wait to lose more. Like you, I’ve become addicted to healthy lifestyle changes, and am so glad I did this early in my kids’ lives so they grow up learning healthy habits and don’t have to struggle the way I did (and still do) to re-learn how to live.

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      So proud of you – congratulations on the 25 pound loss! I’m so glad you’ve caught the healthy lifestyle bug and are now addicted! That’s definitely the trick to success. Keep me posted on your journey!!

  8. Nikki Avatar
    Nikki

    Thank you for sharing your story! Congratulations!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Thank you for reading it, Nikki!! :-)

  9. Anne Avatar
    Anne

    So proud of you Liz! You look amazing slim and fab! I am glad you can help others reach their health goals. xoxoxo

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Thank you sissoo!! I love you and appreciate all of your love and support always!!

  10. Ashley Sampson Avatar
    Ashley Sampson

    Just read your post. Loved it. Congratulations. Just wonderful.

    I, myself am about 125 lbs from my goal weight and it seems very daunting to say the least. It has always been hard for me to stick to things for more than a month or so and this venture would take a year at max effort all the way through.

    Now I am pregnant with our second child and am being very careful to make sure I gain the least weight possible with still staying healthy. I have been doing yoga and eating better. I have never eaten breakfast and I realize that’s a big no no in any hope of weight loss. I am trying. I need to start walking but it’s so damn cold outside lately!

    Anyway, I really appreciate your story and look forward to reading more from your blog. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Ash (aka ashface1980 on Instagram)

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      I’m so glad you told me your story, Ash. I know that goal can seem daunting but take it one day, one calorie at a time. Focus on one goal a week and build from there. If its harder to exercise, be spot on with your eating and eliminate as much processed foods as possible. Of course, consult your doctor but you know the drill – fill that baby up with whole foods and avoid the junk. Drink lots of water. When you start craving sugar, that’s a sign you’re tired – go to bed! Drink tea. :) You can do it!! Please keep me posted and congrats on baby number 2!!