100 lb Weight Loss: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Since I’ve lost 100 lbs and have been maintaining it for almost 20 years, here are answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about weight loss that I often hear.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Losing Weight (& Keeping it Off!)

You may be wondering why your weight loss is on a plateau, how to make healthy food choices during a busy life season, or why you keep reaching for junk food. Here are helpful answers to your most important weight loss questions.

Please note: I am not a medical professional and this is not meant to be a replacement for medical advice. Speak to your doctor about what is suitable for you.

Do you have a question that is not listed here? Please ask it in the comments below, and we will respond.

Does your family eat healthy and exercise, too?

Eating healthy and exercising together has been a challenge for our family, as I have written about in this post, My Family Hates Exercise. Over the last year, we’ve adopted a more clean eating approach, which I outlined here: A Healthy, Realistic Family Eating Plan.

How much do you exercise now?

Currently, I’m exercising about 30 minutes during 4-6 days per week. I do strength training and walking outside.

My teen son and I go to Planet Fitness twice a week.

In the past, I’ve trained in Tae Kwon Do and I’m a second degree black belt. I’ve completed 50+ triathlons, including a Half Ironman and distract cycling events of 100 miles or more.

Now, I exercise much less than in the past, and I actually weigh less. With the level of fitness I’m doing now, I’m finding I’m more easily able to moderate my weight and eating.

Do you enjoy exercise?

For all the years, I wouldn’t say I liked exercise, but I enjoy it now. While there are days I’m not incredibly motivated, overall, I really do appreciate it. I feel great afterward and miss it when I don’t go.

Do you worry about what would happen if you couldn’t exercise, like from an injury?

I used to really freak out when I couldn’t exercise, such as during periods of rest or injury. It doesn’t bother me nearly as much now. I’ve been through surgery, periods of rest, and family crises, and my weight has stayed stable. I’ve learned to moderate my eating to accommodate.

Are you nervous you will regain the weight?

I’m intentional about monitoring my weight, but I also don’t freak out about it.

I’m not afraid of regaining ALL the weight, but I do pay attention and keep my weight within a healthy range.

Enough time has passed, and I’ve had enough success to know I won’t regain the weight. If I started to put on more than 5-10 lbs, I know exactly the strategies I would use to lose the weight and get back to where I am now.

Did you have surgery to remove excess loose skin?

I haven’t had surgery for loose skin, but I have considered it. See photos of my loose skin here.

Did you have to buy a whole new wardrobe? Even bras and underwear?

I have all new clothes, yes even underwear! It happened over time, so I kept going to the thrift store for new items. (Not the underwear. I bought brand new ones. Thank you very much.) I went from a size 26 (which was tight) to an 8-12.

The only things that still fit me from before I lost weight are jewelry and a few pairs of socks. I weigh less now than I did when I got married.

Did you have weight loss surgery?

I did not have weight loss surgery, but I have no issue with people who go that route. Hard is hard is hard. People who have surgery still have to modify their diet.

I’m also not opposed to weight loss medication.

What do you eat on a typical day?

A Day in the Life of Maintaining a 100 lb Weight Loss describes what I eat in a typical day.

How long did it take you to lose 100 lbs?

I lost 80 lbs in the first year. I plateaued for about 6-9 months, and then I lost 20 more pounds over another year.

What program did you use?

I used the Weight Watchers Online program for the first year. The second year I wore a Body Bugg (similar to a Fit Bit) and tracked my eating with their online food tracker. Currently when I am keeping track (I don’t always, only from time to time as a check-in), I use the My Net Diary app on my phone.

Currently I alternate between counting calories and using the WW points system.

Do diet pills or shots work?

I’m not a fan of over-the-counter diet pills because they are unregulated, so you don’t know what you are getting and in what amounts.

Prescription weight loss medication, including GLP-1s, might be a right choice for you. Talk to your doctor.

Is there a certain type of diet you recommend? Should I eat low carb?

Some newer research shows that a higher protein/lower carb diet may be somewhat more effective for metabolism, but overall it still comes down to calories in vs. calories out.

The best program is the one you can stick with for life. I love carbs. I’ll never be able to give up all bread, desserts, and other items that taste wonderful. Everything is in moderation.

Does it matter when I eat? A lot of programs suggest not eating before bed.

There may be some metabolic benefits to fasting for a set period each 24 days, but it’s small. I find that fasting or restricting food to set hours can trigger binging for many people, so I generally don’t recommend it.

Should I count calories?

I’m a fan of keeping track of calories on an app such as My Fitness Pal or My Net Diary. Keeping a food log has been proven in studies to be one of the most effective weight loss strategies for long-term success.

Here is the reality about counting calories, all diet plans, and genetics. If you put me on a stranded desert island with little or no food, I WOULD LOSE WEIGHT. It’s as simple as that.

Eat less than you burn, and you will lose weight. If you are not losing weight and you are overweight, you are eating too much.

It’s complex, but then again, it’s pretty simple.

Should I focus more on cardio or more on weight lifting?

Ideally, you should do some of each, but if I had to pick one for weight loss, I would go with weight lifting. Muscle mass is metabolic, which means it burns calories even at rest, while fat just sits there.

Cardio fitness (walking, running, biking) gives you a great calorie burn at the moment, but you only get what you are doing at the moment.

Are you hungry all the time?

Continual hunger has been a problem for me for most of my life. Is it head hunger (thinking I’m hungry, but my body is full) or stomach hunger (actual physical hunger)? I’m not sure.

All I know is, my body signals that it’s hungry a lot. I know I eat for emotional reasons, which I’ve dealt with in therapy for years, but I also have a body that has a high hunger drive despite all my emotional therapy work.

Research shows that people have a set point for their body weight, and when someone has lost a lot of weight, it seems that the body wants to try to get back to that set point. This has gotten somewhat better for me as the years have passed, but it’s been a challenge.

Modifying the type and amount of exercise I’m doing has helped. More exercise is great for calorie burn, but it means more hunger.

Changing my eating patterns has also helped. Even after I lost 100 lbs, I still continued to eat in a very restrictive manner, which led to binging, which led to eating in a more stringent way. (See the pattern?) Once I learned to eat more moderately, my hunger became more manageable.

Can I still lose weight if my genetics are against me?

Yes. Many of my extended family members on both sides are or were overweight. Both of my parents struggled with weight. My brother is at a healthy weight but has to work very hard to maintain it.

Genetics is one factor, but it’s not the main one. Diet and exercise are still the most important factors for weight loss.

Is your husband just so excited that you lost weight?

My husband is really happy for me that I feel great. He’s super supportive of my exercise and speaking endeavors, but he was totally supportive of me before.

He’s always told me I’m beautiful and sexy no matter what size I am. I’m so blessed! (Check out this post: Why to Stay Married, Even When It’s Hard.)

Is maintaining harder than losing?

I’ve heard the saying, “Losing weight is easy. I’ve done it 100 times. Keeping it off — that’s different.”

At first maintaining was harder than losing. There weren’t those instant rewards of weight loss. I wasn’t buying new clothes. I wasn’t seeing the scale go down each week. People stopped giving me compliments.

Maintaining was the same amount of really hard work, with what felt like little reward. It got kind of boring and painful.

For me, that’s when new goals became so important, such as moving from Sprint triathlons to Olympic, challenging myself to cycle further, or lifting more weight.

Things like buying new clothes were great, too. I needed to keep seeing the rewards of weight loss in front of me to get through the tough stuff.

Now, twenty years later, maintaining my weight loss is easier. Most days I don’t give it much thought at all. (What a miracle!)

Exercise has become an ingrained part of my life.

Eating a balanced diet has become a natural part of my life, too. Eating will always be more challenging for me, but it’s still much easier than it used to be. I can have foods like cookies or ice cream in the house and not binge on them.

How has this experience changed your self-esteem?

I’m more confident now. I’ve always been outgoing, but losing 100 lbs has given me the confidence to realize there is little I can’t accomplish. I’m willing to take on almost anything I want to try. Why not?

How did you find your therapist? I’ve been to therapy and it didn’t really work for me.

Fortunately, I found a good therapist through a list from my insurance company. Look for someone with experience with eating disorders.

Be willing to try more than one therapist. Not every therapist is the right match for every person. I saw several therapists about other topics before I found one who was right for me to delve into my eating addictions.

Plus, you have to be willing to do the work. One hour of sitting in the therapist’s office doesn’t do much. Taking what you learn in that hour and applying it the rest of the time makes the difference. I put my heart into this process. I gave it my absolutely everything.

Online therapy is now a reputable option. You can text, video, and chat with a therapist on your timeline, and it’s cheaper than traditional therapy.

How has losing 100 lbs affected your faith?

I believe God wants to heal us. God does not want us to stay stuck in unhealthy patterns and addictions, and it is possible to recover.

I had been overeating and binging for my whole life (30+ years), and I felt so stuck. I was sure I was destined for a lifetime of eating addictions and food obsessions.

That was the enemy whispering in my ear. It’s precisely what he wanted me to believe, and it was a lie.

God had something so much better in store for me and has something better planned for you, too, if you are willing to trust Him, obey Him, and do the work involved in getting well.

• Weight Loss Motivation for How to Lose 100 Pounds
• 100 lb Weight Loss: How I Gained (Then Lost) 100 Pounds
• Do You Need a Weight Loss Miracle?
• How Can I Lose Weight When I am Exhausted?
• What It’s Like to Attend Therapy for Weight Loss
• Is Your Weight Plateau Due to Self-Sabotage?
• 100 lb Weight Loss: Defining Moments — Paul’s Story
• How to Run a 5k When You Are Not Athletic
• 100 lb Weight Loss: How to Learn to Love Exercise
• 100 lb Weight Loss: Why the Finish Line is Not the Toughest Line
• Motivational Words That Changed My Life
• Fitness Trackers for Women: How They Help with Plateaus
• 100 lb Weight Loss: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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