Portion control helps me to maintain my weight. I eat on small plates.

I started my health journey on January 1, 2022 with a diet I called "No Excuses". I cut down on my portions and the rule was that if I messed up, that was no excuse to throw in the towel. If I didn't lose one week, that was no excuse to give up. I didn't have the benefit if a scale when I started but I estimate that I weighed about 227 when I started. I lost 50 pounds but I think it took 20 months. During this time, I joined Planet Fitness to aid in my journey. In July of 2023, I decided to see an endocrinologist. Long story short, tests showed that I was insulin resistant and I was put on a Keto diet. I reversed the insulin resistance and decided to stay on Keto. As of last summer, or before, I had lost a total of 89 pounds. I weighed 138 but found it to be too hard to maintain. I am just a few pounds up. It is very important to me to keep on this health journey. My voice is stronger and I no longer struggle to get up from a chair or the floor. I workout 3 to 4 times a week. I have the black card at Planet Fitness so every workout includes a chair massage. It's such a treat! My brother turned me onto Goodwill's dollar deals on Sundays about 2 years ago so I was able to buy smaller clothes as my size changed. Goodwill changed their Sunday deals to $2 and $3 for the colors of the day. So my wardrobe keeps me on track too.