I lost 125 lbs by enjoying my favorite foods — how I did it

August 3, 2023

An Arkansas man who struggled with his weight for most of his life has lost 125 pounds (and kept it off) without throwing away any of his favorite foods.

Chris Terrell, 38, of Jonesboro, watched the scale tip over 200 pounds when he was just 15.

He spent years trying different quick fixes to shed the unwanted weight, but couldn’t keep it off until he took a hard look at his life when his father died in 2019.

He weighed 290 pounds at the time.

Terrell decided he was done with restrictive diets and wanted to find a realistic solution to his problem.

Chris Terrell before and after — Chris Terrell, 38, struggled with his weight for most of his life until he got serious about his health when his father died in 2019.

“I’m not going to ask myself to give up ice cream for 10 years, that’s dumb,” Terrell told Insider.

“Every single time I lost weight, I would always gain it back plus more because I never addressed the real problem. I always put the weight back on because I was the same person as when I started.”

Terrell finally took note of the choices he made that contributed to his unhealthy way of living.

He was a self-proclaimed “workaholic,” rarely moved around, stayed up until 2:30 a.m. every day playing video games or watching TV, and ate lots of junk food all the time.

He also admitted to himself that his job and relationship were making him unhappy — and left both.

Terrell knew that cutting out certain foods or switching to fad diets didn’t work for him, so instead he simply decided to note when and how much he ate.

“I told myself: I can eat whatever I want, but I have to be hungry. And when I’m no longer hungry, I have to stop eating,” Terrell told Insider in a separate interview.

“I didn’t deprive myself of foods I enjoyed, but if I wasn’t hungry, I told myself to wait until I was and eat it later.”

But he clarified, “Hunger never gets overridden.”

Terrell holding up a pair of his old jeans — He lost 125 pounds in two-and-a-half years, which he’s been able to keep off for a year-and-a-half.

Kathleen Nio, a registered dietitian and commercialization manager at Thistle, cited a study by Cornell University that found that Americans are less inclined than other cultures to eat in moderation or intuitively listen to their bodies and therefore may be more likely to gravitate towards restrictive fad diets, which can result in an endless cycle of weight loss and weight gain.

“The key to living a full, satisfied and healthy life is learning to listen to our bodies and give them what they’re asking for while setting healthy and attainable boundaries,” she told The Post.

For his part, Terrell’s brother-in-law even jumped in to help the newly motivated man become more in tune with his body. He challenged him to move for 20 minutes three times a week.

He began swimming, video journaling to document his progress, and placing note cards around his house to encourage himself.

This time around, Terrell was determined to stick with it for the long haul instead of setting unrealistic short-term goals.

“I thought, if I had just started 10 years ago, I’d be done by now, even if I only lost a pound a month. The last thing I want to do is sit there on my deathbed thinking, oh, if only I had just started,” he said.

Chris Terrell before and after weight loss — He decided to reevaluate his relationship with food instead of trying another restrictive diet.

Instead of thinking about losing 100 pounds in a few months, he aimed to just lose 1 pound at a time. He ended up losing 30 pounds in the first six months.

After two-and-a-half years of dedication, Terrell lost 125 pounds, which he’s kept off for a year-and-a-half.

He still has to be vigilant to maintain a healthy weight, but is conscious to make smart choices, especially when food is readily available.

“I tell myself, ‘Just serve yourself way less than normal, and when you’re done, wait a few minutes, and if you’re still hungry, go back and get more,’ ” he explained.

The only time he allows himself to overindulge is Thanksgiving — as most Americans do.

Chris Terrell at a healthy weight — “I didn’t deprive myself of foods I enjoyed, but if I wasn’t hungry, I told myself to wait until I was and eat it later,” he said.

“I knew I ate my feelings, but I didn’t realize just how bad I was until I drew that line in the sand and said: ‘Anytime I crossed that line, I have to understand why I crossed it,’ ” he said.

Journaling and analyzing his actions made this final effort to lose weight successful, but it wasn’t a quick fix as he really had to dig deep into his mind.

“That’s why this took two-and-a-half years. I had setbacks,” Terrell admitted.

Despite the long journey and obstacles, Terrell is finally maintaining a healthy weight he’s proud of and is helping others as a weight loss coach.