How to Lose 10 Pounds | Progress Photos | F/35/5'5" [145-135 = 10lbs] -

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Updated: 12/2/2020 | How to Lose 10 Pounds

2020 brought us the coronavirus. It’s also the year of the rat (my year, born in 1984). I wanted to lose weight so that I would look and feel better as I enter my late thirties. Yay to turning 36!!!

I decided losing an additional 10 pounds would do the trick. I had already started my weight loss journey in 2019, but was not really disciplined. I would yoyo back and forth, especially when on vacation.

So when 2020 rolled around, I looked up my normal weight range and saw that I was still considered “mildly obese” for my 5’5″ height. I looked and felt healthy, but also knew that I could do better.

2020 would be the year that I lose that additional 10 lbs and be in my happy range. Below is my journey on how I lost 10 pounds to look and feel better in my thirties.

What Does 135 Pounds look like?

At my heaviest, I weighed 168 pounds (76.2 kg) in 2019 (not pictured).

Here are my progress photos at 145 (65.77 kg) to 135 pounds (61.24 kg).

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At 145 pounds

If you’re wondering what a 135 cisgender female body looks like, lo and behold. I am 5’5″ (165 cm) tall for reference.

Here are my stats: F/35/5’5″ [145-135 = 10lbs] GW: 135 lbs

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At 135 lbs

I really did not see much of a difference. My body has always looked athletic and strong, but I definitely looked slimmer in the body and face when I went from 168 to 135 lbs.

Here is a more recent photo of me from September 2020. Gained a bit of weight but still happy and strong overall! I also learned that weight numbers really don’t mean anything. I look more toned and muscular than when I was 135 lbs.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFAR2MwhSfb/

How did I lose 10 pounds?

#1 Reducing Meal Portions

I shaved off a lot of my weight by reducing my meal portions by half and even to 1/3 at times.

Food consumption had the biggest impact on my diet. Cooking at home and maintaining portion control were the biggest factors.

I never avoided “bad foods.” I still ate what I wanted and would portion out my meals yet eat regularly throughout the day.

When eating out, I would eat 1/3-1/2 of my meal and take the rest home for another meal. I would also always opt for filling salads. I never omit dressing. Matter of fact, I would like some lettuce with my dressing, please. Yum!

I also made it a habit to split my meals with my partner. This prevented me from wasting food or gobbling down the whole plate.

I had to change my mindset and discipline myself. But I found it was easy to discipline yourself when you consumed what you enjoyed in smaller amounts, instead of eliminating it altogether. The elimination diet never works and typically makes you miss out on delicious food.

Portion control your meals and you’ll do great!

#2 Regularly Exercising

I started to exercise 3-4 times a week for 45-60 minutes via Zoom with my friend Tim or on my own.

My workouts consisted of 15-30 mins of yoga, then an additional 30 mins of weight lifting, bodyweight and mat exercises, and walking my dog.

I also signed up for the ALO Moves, Les Mills (Body Pump and Flow) and Openfit apps for convenient and challenging online workouts. I plug my wireless earphones in and workout in my living room. Who needs a gym?

Related: Home Gym Checklist

I also take protein while exercising. Protein helps you lose weight too!

#3 Fasting

I set my eating period from 12 PM to 8 PM. I set a 12 PM alarm to “start eating” and another one at 8 PM to “stop eating.” That’s literally what I name my alarms so there’s no confusion.

This method of fasting is known as the 16/8 intermittent fasting method. By fasting, I eat less and only when I need to.

I thought I would miss food, but I still eat what I want and limit it to just between those hours.

#4 Take GI Supplements

I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and sometimes I am constipated and other days I have diarrhea. It sucks! I have to take GI supplements to regulate my bowel movements.

One product that helped me a lot with GI regulation and bloating is Purify by Body Fuse. You take 1-2 pills per day and these GI cleansers remove mucoid plaque from your intestines and help you poop! If you’re brave, feel free to look up what mucoid plaque looks like.

I ended up losing a huge chunk of weight (6 pounds) from taking Purify for 4 days straight.

It’s PURE magic and really helps when diet and exercise just don’t cut it.

#4 Count Your Calories

Ultimately, it’s about how much energy you expend and how much you consume.

Use calculator.net‘s calorie calculator to determine how much you should be consuming per day in order to meet and maintain your weight goals.

Afterwards, use the Lose It! App to track what you eat. I tracked daily for weeks. Eventually, you will be able to guess when to stop eating.

For me, my caloric chart looks like this:

The tool will recommend how much you need to eat in order to lose a particular amount of weight per week, which is really helpful if you’re doing regular weigh-ins.

Maintain weight	1,861 (100% of daily consumption) Calories/day
Mild weight loss 0.5 lb/week	1,611 (87%) Calories/day
Weight loss 1 lb/week	1,361 (73%) Calories/day
Extreme weight loss 2 lb/week	861 (46%) Calories/day

How long did it take to lose 10 pounds?

I started at 145 lbs on 4/1/2020 (no joke) and reached 135 lbs by 5/6/2020. I was essentially losing 2 pounds each week.

Final Thoughts

And now we play the maintenance game. I stick to my redacted meals “diet plan.” I still eat everything that I love and drink alcohol (1-2 drinks max per day).

From time to time, I take my Purify pills for 4-6 days consecutively just to reduce bloating and clear my GI tract.

Losing weight takes some behavioral change and discipline. It doesn’t mean that you need to eliminate the things that you love in life, it just means you can enjoy it in smaller doses.

Resources I used to lose weight:

Lose It app to track food consumption
Imperfect Foods to order fresh groceries delivered to my doorstep. Perfect for mandatory shelter in place orders.
ALO Moves and Openfit apps for online workouts.
We use this digital Bluetooth scale by eufy. It takes 14 measurements which are tracked through their mobile app.
Workout online with friends! We connected via Zoom and workout together.
I joined the subreddit r/progresspics for some major inspo! They have over 1 million members and some have lost a HUGE amount of weight. Check them out and post your journey there.