How I Naturally Released 40 Pounds
A Journey of Joy, Listening, and Healing
Recently, several people have asked what I’ve been doing to release weight—and I want to share that this process has been entirely natural. No pills, no strict nutrition plan. It’s been about tuning in, healing from the inside out, and building a new relationship with my body.
I began in April 2022, two years post-menopause and emerging from the stress of the pandemic. Hiking had already become a regular part of my life—especially during the years leading up to my dad’s passing. It helped me move through grief, stress, and emotion. Hiking brought me joy, and that joy became foundational to my healing.
What I’ve learned is this: movement matters—not just for physical health, but for emotional release. Daily consistent movement (30 minutes or more) helped shift my mindset, ease emotional patterns, and reconnect me to myself. The key is finding movement you enjoy. For me, it’s hiking. For you, it might be dancing, walking, birding adventures, yoga—whatever brings joy and gets you moving.
As I moved more, I began listening to my body about food. I didn’t follow a specific diet—I simply asked, “What feels right?” I’d stand in the grocery store and let my body guide me: which vegetables, fruits, proteins, or supplements felt like a “yes”? Over time, I adjusted and refined. It wasn’t always linear—there were steps forward and steps back—but I stayed committed to listening.
This journey has been about changing my focus. Instead of trying to control the number on the scale, I tuned into how I felt. I chose presence over pressure. I paid attention to emotional eating patterns, questioned the “why” behind my cravings, and began to replace old habits with more nourishing ones.
I realized my cravings for sweets were actually about craving sweetness in life. When I brought in more joy—through new trails, new grocery stores, new choices—I created new neural pathways and broke free from emotional ruts. As my protein intake increased (from both traditional sources and protein powders), my sugar cravings eased.
In the past six months, I added resistance training 2–3 days a week at home with loop and resistant bands along with taking a class one-day a week for three months. This has helped tone and strengthen my body, but it’s also been another practice in presence and listening: asking, “What does my body need today?”
Since starting this journey, I’ve released 40 pounds, dropped my BMI by 7 points, increased my body’s water percentage by 9%, and protein intake by 2.8%. More importantly, I’ve created a loving, joyful, and nourishing relationship with myself.
So, what have I been doing? I’ve been shifting my focus—from weight loss to whole-person healing. From control to curiosity. From pressure to presence. And most of all, from self-judgment to self-love.
