Chris Terrell’s Journey to Sustainable Weight Loss: How He Lost 56kg and Changed His Mindset

KOMPAS.com – A man named Chris Terrell who lives in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States of America has been obese since he was 15 years old, at which time his weight reached more than 94 kilograms.

Terrell has spent decades trying diets to cut carbs, but his weight loss didn’t last.

In the end, Terrell stopped for a moment to reflect and change his mindset so that he managed to lose weight sustainably.

The sudden death of his father was also one of the things that prompted him to make changes.

At his last weight, which was around 131 kg, Terrell realized, everything he had tried before was not working. So, he decided to do the opposite.

Also read: Intermittent Fasting and Calorie Deficit, Which Is the Most Effective for Losing Weight?

Instead of trying to lose weight as fast as possible, the now 38 year old decided to take it slow.

He doesn’t even cut carbs or live on protein shakes as meal replacements, because he wants to eat everything anyway.

“I’m not going to ask myself to stop eating ice cream for 10 years, that’s stupid,” Terrell told Insider.

Instead of setting a complicated diet, Terrell decided to eat only when he was hungry and only weigh himself once a month.

In addition, Terrell gradually built his fitness and began lifting weights, doing gymnastics and running.

Also read: The Key to Success for Jonathan Hodgson Lose 136 Kg

He also lost 56 kg after 2½ years, and so far he has maintained his weight for 1½ years.

Research shows, slow weight loss is more sustainable than fast.

Nutritionists generally do not recommend overly restrictive diets because they are difficult to maintain and can lead to cycles of unhealthy eating habits, or a tendency to overeat.

His father’s death changed Terrell’s outlook

Terrell changed his outlook in many ways after his father passed away in the spring of 2019.

Also read: How Long Does it Take to Lose Weight? This Says a Nutritionist

But, one of the biggest is how it views time.

Terrell realized that always waiting for motivation to get up would not work.

So when her sister-in-law challenged her to move for 20 minutes three times a week, she agreed.

Terrell has even gone swimming three times a week, and he pays close attention to his diet and eating habits.

But not wanting to fail again, he decided to start small by not counting calories and trying to only eat when he was hungry.

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“I thought, if I had just started 10 years ago, I would be finished by now, even if I only lost a pound a month.” he said.

“The last thing I want to do is sit in bed thinking, if only I had just started,” he said.

Terrell didn’t think about dropping his weight by 45 kg.

He only thought of losing half a kilogram and did it repeatedly.

Eventually, however, Terrell managed to lose 13 kg in the first six months.

Take a business-like approach

Terrell said he always enjoyed solving problems, working on multiple projects, and making organizational changes happen because he worked for the chief operating officer of a commercial cleaning company.

“I thought, why don’t I approach my life in the same way?” he said.

He shifted his focus inward and approached his weight loss like a business challenge.

Also read: Saykoji’s Story Loses 35 Kilograms, Becomes Happier

Terrell conducted a root cause analysis to find the main reasons why previous weight loss efforts failed.

“Every time I lose weight, I always gain it back, even more so because I never work on the real problem,” says Terrell.

“I’ve always put on weight because I’m the same person I started out with,” she explains.

It also likens itself to shoveling water from a sinking ship rather than plugging a leak.

This time, Terrell thought about maintaining weight loss before he started to lose weight to ensure he started the lifestyle changes he wanted to continue for at least 10 years.

This was done starting from repairing a bad relationship with food.

Terrell is used to gaining weight and doing a strict diet, so he aims not to gain weight or to lose it slowly, on average less than 0.9 kg per week.

Also read: Success in Losing 163 Kg, Then Excess Skin Problems Appear

“As long as the scale doesn’t go up, I’m moving in the right direction,” he explained.

Reducing stress triggers

Terrell also realized that his lifestyle made it very easy for him to gain weight.

He moves as little as possible, staying up until 2-3am every night to play video games or watch TV, and eats a lot of fast food out of habit.

A self-proclaimed “workaholic,” his meetings also focus on food.

In addition, she also identified stressors in her life including the parts that prevented her from losing weight.

Also read: Bayar Bayarsaikhan’s Journey to Lose Weight Up to 104 Kg

To that end, he takes actions that can reduce negative stressors and help him develop a healthier lifestyle.

Now, Terrell has begun keeping a video journal to document his travels and posting note cards around his house to help keep him on track.

She also shares her journey and advice with others as a weight loss trainer on social media, including TikTok, where she has more than 280,000 followers.

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2023-07-15 15:00:00
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