Losing weight over the summer

Ok ok so basically, I gained a lot of weight over high school. I'm not proud of it, and yes I'm here for body positivity but I literally could not stand looking at myself. I didn't feel healthy, I didn't feel beautiful, and being 40 lbs / 18 kg heavier [i gained 10 lbs or 4 kg each year] was SUPER detrimental to my health, both mental and physical!! So I decided during the summer and my online school terms I would lose weight

I was at 205 lbs / 93 kg around May 31 and now I'm at 185 / 84 kg today :) I'm 25 lbs / about 11 kg away from my goal weight

All I did was start replacing sugary stuff and start hitting a minimum of 5k steps a day. Nothing too crazy! But I haven't checked my weight regularly since about June so this came as a shocker to me LOL

Some things I did for people who want weight loss advice ::

- Cut out soda mostly, but when I do drink it it's zero sugar soda specifically. I only have regular soda as a monthly treat sort of thing when I haven't already gone over my DV for added sugars

- I cannot emphasize this enough - at no point did I ever let myself go hungry. Starving yourself to lose weight is not a good idea. Fasting should only be attempted if you have a strong will and a healthy mindset. Your body needs to eat, so stick to smaller portions that have higher protein contents and less carbs and added sugars

- I treated myself - I did not cut out sweet treats completely, I just made them diet friendly. I do have regular desserts and sweets but only if I haven't had them in a while and [like stated] I haven't gone over my DV for saturated fats or sugars

- I did not use the past as a reference - this is unhealthy particularly for me because I only ever lost weight by starving and living off of water and saltines. Look to the future instead - imagine yourself with your ideal weight, and not being happy because of vanity - but because you put all of that effort in and it paid off. :]

- I GOT 8 HOURS OF SLEEP I CANT STRESS THIS ENOUGH

- I took my dog for a walk whenever I thought about it. Yes it was difficult on some days because I just didn't want to do it but he always got excited so it was worth it to me

Unfortunately I don't have advice on gaining weight because really, all I did was be lazy and eat. But hopefully the advice I gave helps ^^

- carmilla