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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

    Thank you so much for the sweet comment my friend – you made my day!! xo

  2. Liz O. Avatar
    Liz O.

    Hi Liz,
    I found your web site from Monique at Ambitious Kitchen and I’m so glad I did! It seems we have a lot in common. I’m Liz and I too lost 60 lbs 3 years ago and have kept it off. I live in California but my heart is in Michigan. My family has a cottage on Elk Lake, which is just outside of Traverse City. It’s where I recharge my batteries every year. Thanks for sharing your inspiring journey, it’s what I needed to read right now. After the holidays I got a little off track and it’s encouraging to see that the ups and downs are all part of the journey. In fact, I’m heading out for a run right now :-) I love the Healthy Habits section (great idea!) and I look forward to trying your recipes too!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Oh my goodness I’m so glad you introduced yourself, Liz!! Great name. ;-) Congratulations on your weight loss success!!! That is incredibly inspiring. I love that you are a Michigan girl at heart as well!! Isn’t Northern Michigan the best kept secret? Thank you again and keep in touch!

  3. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
    Liz DellaCroce

    Thank you so much for reading, Amanda! It was not easy to publish but if it helps encourage or inspire just one person, it will be worth it.

  4. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
    Liz DellaCroce

    Thank you so much friend!! I appreciate it!

  5. Joanne @ Fifteen Spatulas Avatar
    Joanne @ Fifteen Spatulas

    This is wonderful, Liz. I am just starting calorie counting again, it is the only way I have ever lost weight. It’s too easy to not pay attention to what you’re eating and eat too much!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Thank you so much Joanne! I totally agree with you on calorie counting. It’s amazing how quickly tastes, bites and licks adds up otherwise!! :) Thanks again for reading. :)

  6. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
    Liz DellaCroce

    Thank you so much for your kind words. I really appreciate your support friend!! I hope you like Healthy Habits and I also hope you’ll let me feature you. :) xo

  7. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
    Liz DellaCroce

    Thank you so much for the kind words, Stefanie. That means a lot!! Happy New Year to you!

  8. Sherry Avatar
    Sherry

    Thank you for sharing your story. I’m in the mood to get some weight off. Last year I lost 20 pounds through dogged determination! I’ve got to do it again! Trouble is, I’m too good at cooking! I’m too good at eating! I’m too good at sedentary activities! So that is a combination to overcome! I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I am looking forward to getting something done again. I have really liked your approach with food.

  9. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
    Liz DellaCroce

    Thank you so much, Sandy!! I appreciate the support. :) xo

  10. lauren kelly Avatar
    lauren kelly

    Liz I had no idea! You are a true inspiration!! You were beautiful in both pictures but your confidence is pouring out in the second picture. I am so proud of you!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      You are so sweet, Lauren – thank you so much!!! It really means a lot! xo