Holger's success story with feastr

Hello Holger. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

By the time I was in my late 20s, I had become very overweight. I was consuming excessive amounts of sweets and various sweet drinks, such as sodas and iced tea. I was eating very irregularly, sometimes even just one meal a day, but with a very high calorie density. According to my BMI I had an obesity level of III. But I couldn't really find a way out, and I was stuck in my treadmill.

What was the trigger for you to lose weight?

As cliché as it sounds, a newspaper article that could be found in the local newspaper in mid-2019. My mother is a subscriber to the paper, and an article about feastr caught her eye. She then handed the paper to me with the words: "Maybe this is something for you". Without going into detail. When I got home, I read the article and first had thoughts like: "Oh, mom, really?!" But somehow I got more cautious by the hour and decided to "take a look". I downloaded the app and just started.

What goal did you set yourself?

In the beginning, the goals were formulated rather vaguely - in the sense of "Let's see what's possible and for how long". But after some time and the first successes, the goal of a 2-digit number on the scales had settled in my head

Awesome! How did you manage to lose 120 lbs?

The short version: With a lot of perseverance, a long time frame and also a bit of stumbling in between. To go a little more into detail: I noticed quite quickly that the meal sizes were sufficient, and I just stopped consuming all the sweets (apart from minor exceptions, but more about that later) and in terms of drinks I switched completely to water. This was surprisingly easy for me. The shopping list doesn't really tempt you to buy more than you need. After about 2 months, I weighed myself for the first time, and it showed a number of 280 lbs. I don't know my starting weight, but calculated backwards it should have been about 300 lbs. By the end of 2019, I stuck to my 3 meal a day program. I ate breakfast and lunch at work, and cooked a warm recipe at home in the evening. The idea of a quick meal at lunchtime has been a great benefit to me. My weight had also reduced considerably to around 220 lbs. The start of 2020 was rather mixed, and I was not able to continue with my 2019 success. I fell back into my old pattern of just eating 1-2 recipes a day, but I stuck to the reduced portion sizes. At the beginning of October, I was able to motivate myself to tackle the goal of losing weight again and also started cycling. My starting weight was 230 lbs this time (only about 10 lbs weight gain during my lazy time). Since then, I'm shedding pounds like crazy.

How did feastr help you to stay motivated?

The fact that you don't have to go hungry despite losing weight is just great and gives you a great feeling. Even if a meal felt a bit tight, I always had in my head that the portions are enough for me. Since I usually had these issues during dinner, I distracted myself and then it was bearable. By morning, the nagging of the stomach had subsided.

What tips do you have for other feastr users?

Set achievable goals, or if you need it, get an outsider to kick your ass from time to time. Try to stay with it and don't let setbacks throw you off track. From time to time, you can treat yourself. I treated myself to a piece of cake or candy a few times. But then I either reduced other meals or even left them out. You just have to be aware that they are not a dessert, but should replace a meal depending on their size and thickness.

What's next for you now? Have you set any other goals?

The long-term goal is to maintain the weight of 160 to 170 lbs, and if the circumstances allow it, to see a gym from the inside. I want to redistribute my remaining love handles and strengthen my loose.

Who do you want to motivate with your story?

Preferably, people who also have the goal of losing weight and have not yet been able to find the incentive to do so. You can do things that some people don't believe are possible. It's an indescribable feeling when, after almost 2 years, you get new clothes, a fresh hairstyle and meet friends you haven't seen for a while. The reactions from those around me were simply indescribable.