Losing 100 pounds in one year takes a lot of hard work and dedication. But I’ll let you in on a secret, when you’re truly aligned with your goal and are truly excited about changing your life, losing weight isn’t so bad. 

When I first started my weight loss journey, I was excited for change. I researched as much as I could about how to lose weight and be healthy. 

I was 14 years old without any money and zero experience having ever lost weight before. So, how exactly did I lose 100 pounds in one year?

First, let me tell you what I didn’t do. 

1. What I Didn’t Do to Lose 100 Pounds In One Year
   1. 1. Count Calories
   2. 2. Count Macros
   3. 2.  Follow a Specific Diet Plan
   4. 3. Hire a Personal Trainer
   5. 4. Stop Eating Carbs
   6. 5. Use Supplements or Weight Loss Drugs/Surgery
2. What I Did Do to Lose Weight
   1. 1. Walked Everyday
   2. 2. Worked Out at Least 3 Times Per Week
   3. 3. Made Gradual Changes to My Diet
   4. 4. Portion Control
   5. 5. Drank Only Water/ Non-Caloric Beverages
   6. 6. Wrote Down My Goals
   7. 7. Never Accepted Failure
3. Weight Loss Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated
4. Check Out Whitney’s Book!

What I Didn’t Do to Lose 100 Pounds In One Year

1. Count Calories

Counting calories was a foreign concept to me when I first started my weight loss journey. I knew by this point that too many of them were bad, but didn’t fully grasp how to track them and calculate my calorie needs. 

I think counting calories would have been too advanced for me at this point. Up until this point, I had never once even thought about what I was eating before. I had given in completely to my food addiction, without even realizing that I was addicted. 

Having to calculate my calories most likely would have been too complicated for me when I was first starting out. 

2. Count Macros

Just like counting calories never occurred to me, counting macros was also never on my mind. Again, I knew so very little about diet at the time. 

Understanding macros and what percentage of them I needed daily would have been too confusing and less helpful for me in my then mindset. 

2.  Follow a Specific Diet Plan

I didn’t follow any kind of diet plan for the majority of my weight loss journey. I’m sure I tried a few meal plans that I found in fitness magazines, but never for a significant amount of time. 

Again, I think having to follow a certain meal plan with only certain foods would have been too overwhelming for me. I was just trying to focus on eating healthier, not eating in a specific way. 

3. Hire a Personal Trainer

The idea of hiring a personal trainer never occurred to me. Back then, I thought only rich people and celebrities had personal trainers. I was 14 years old and would never have been able to afford one. 

I knew going into my weight loss journey that I would be on my own in the fitness department. 

4. Stop Eating Carbs

I didn’t stop eating carbs or eliminate any one food group from my diet. There were no guidelines for my diet other than me trying to eat healthier. 

5. Use Supplements or Weight Loss Drugs/Surgery

Weight loss drugs or surgery were never an option for me. Surgery sounded way too scary and drastic a measure. 

As far as weight loss drugs and supplements go, they also sounded scary to me. I believe even today that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

What I Did Do to Lose Weight

1. Walked Everyday

The first thing I did when I decided to lose weight was go for a walk. I walked two miles that day, then I did it the next day, and the next day, and everyday for the next two weeks. That first two weeks I lost about 10 pounds. 

Walking played a huge role in my weight loss as my main form of exercise in the beginning. I tried to get as much walking in as I could and still do to this day. 

2. Worked Out at Least 3 Times Per Week

I made a rule for myself early on to stick to a consistent workout schedule of at least 3 times per week. At this point, my workouts were mainly cardio (walking and working up to running) for at least 30 minutes at a time. 

I made this work no matter what, even when I was tired after school and the last thing I wanted to do was hop on the treadmill.

3. Made Gradual Changes to My Diet

Instead of going on a specific diet plan, I focused more on eating the things I knew I should be eating versus the things I shouldn’t. For example, I knew an apple was better for me than French fries so if given the choice, I’d choose the apple. 

The more effort I put into making healthier choices, the easier it became for me to refuse foods that didn’t align with my goals. I certainly wasn’t perfect at first, but I built up my discipline over time.

4. Portion Control

Though I never counted calories during the year I lost 100 pounds, I did measure out portion sizes. It was the first time in my life I read the labels on the back of food containers and learned what a single serving was. 

Portioning out my food helped me control mindless snacking and understand what a normal amount of food actually was. 

5. Drank Only Water/ Non-Caloric Beverages

I was a soda drinker as a kid (my favorite was Sprite), but sodas and juices were one of the first things to go when I decided to lose weight. Once I learned that sodas and juices were just empty calories, it didn’t make sense to keep drinking them. 

I saved hundreds of calories this way, which helped me keep my weight loss goals rolling. 

6. Wrote Down My Goals

Writing down my goals set me up for success. There is power in writing down your goals, almost like magic. 

One year before I started my weight loss journey, I wrote a list of goals I wanted to accomplish in my life, weight loss being the most important one. A year later, I accomplished most of them. 

Physically writing down your goals has power, I can’t explain it but I’m right. 

7. Never Accepted Failure

Call me naive, but I never thought losing weight was going to be hard. I didn’t know it was supposed to be. When I started my weight loss journey, I never thought about failure, only my success. 

I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to reach my goal, but I didn’t care. The timeline was not important to me, just the end goal. 

When something didn’t seem like it was working or I hit a weight loss plateau, I didn’t think of it as failure. I just tried something different until I got the result I wanted. Failure was never an option for me. 

Weight Loss Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated

Losing weight doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need to follow a strict diet or workout like crazy 5 times per week. What you do have to be is consistent. 

You must be consistent with the work you put in and consistent with your mindset. Believing you can do it is half the battle, if not the hardest part of the battle. 

Transformation is possible, but you’ll never know until you start.

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Thanks for reading! If you’d like to hear more about my weight loss story, check out my book 1 Year 100 Pounds. 

Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram, Tik Tok, and YouTube for weight loss tips and workout motivation!

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Check Out Whitney’s Book!