I lost 120 pounds in less than a year — these 5 small habits kept my weight loss on track

• After my college football career ended, I lacked structure and started to gain weight.
• Rather than relying on extreme regimens, I made small lifestyle changes to keep me on track.
• Making healthy food swaps and instituting a "24-hour rule" helped me lose 120 pounds in 10 months.

After my Division-I football career ended, my lifestyle changed drastically.

I'd built my whole identity around being a committed athlete, but when that chapter came to a close, I lacked routine and purpose. I gained weight, reaching 300 pounds, and everything — from my body to my thoughts to my future — felt heavy.

Rather than following an extreme diet or weight-loss plan, I relied on forming small habits to shape a new routine and help me get back on track.

The changes didn't happen overnight, and some days were harder than others. They were always worth it, though.

These habits helped me lose 120 pounds in 10 months and get back to a version of myself I didn't think existed anymore.

Tweaking healthy recipes added variety and helped me avoid burnout

Understanding how crucial a healthy diet is for weight loss, I made an intentional effort to find meals that were simple to make, nutritious, and tasty enough that I'd want to eat them on repeat.

For breakfast, I'd have a combination of eggs and egg whites with toast or oatmeal. Lunch and dinner were almost always ground turkey or chicken with vegetables and rice or potatoes.

The key was making one small change to my meals to avoid growing tired of them. I rotated topping my meals with small portions of hot sauce, sugar-free barbecue sauce, and yum yum sauce. I also dressed up my meat and vegetables with taco seasoning, garlic, Buffalo sauce, and other marinades.

At their core, the meals stayed the same, but the flavors changed, making the dishes feel new and exciting. Small switches kept me consistent, and that consistency stabilized my hunger.

I tried a sport that previously intimidated me

My football training program always had me in the gym, so I was used to lifting weights and conditioning. However, I'd always been curious about combat sports but too intimidated to try.

Walking into a boxing gym for the first time terrified me. I felt like I didn't belong in such an intense environment, but I stuck with it because I needed a new physical and mental challenge.

The conditioning I got from boxing also helped me shed weight. The pad work and bag rounds kept my heart rate high for extended periods and combined cardio with strength training.

The sport challenged me to move my body in new ways. I had to rotate, push, and pull while staying light on my feet, and it helped me burn more calories than traditional cardio ever had.

Eventually, I fell in love with boxing. I went from being nervous to walk through the door to boxing competitively.

Reaching my daily benchmarks became nonnegotiable

Before I committed to my fitness, I used to snooze my alarm, back out of workouts, and make excuses to justify unhealthy habits. When I stopped negotiating with myself, I started seeing results.

I gave myself a few clear benchmarks I had to hit, regardless of my motivation level. Every day, I had to get at least 10,000 steps, complete 40 minutes of cardio, and get at least seven hours of sleep.

My routine didn't waver based on motivation. Rather than feeling restrictive, it kept me from making emotion-driven decisions that didn't align with my long-term goals.

I fit my favorite foods into my meal plan

Restriction can backfire, so I wanted to find ways to eat my favorite foods without getting in the way of my weight-loss goals.

The first thing I did was remove unnecessary calories and sugar. So, I cut out sugary drinks, heavy sauces, and calorie-dense snacks that didn't satisfy me. Then, I made a list of foods I loved and asked, "How can I make these healthier?"

I love pizza, so I made low-carb tortilla pizzas with low-calorie sauce and fat-free cheese. I swapped regular soda and high-calorie condiments with versions that tasted good but didn't work against my goals.

That way, I never felt like I was depriving myself of the foods I love.

Sticking to a 24-hour quitting rule kept me from giving up

My motivation levels fluctuated throughout my journey, particularly in the beginning. Every time I wanted to quit, I told myself, "If you still feel this way tomorrow, you can quit. Just make it through today."

By the time that deadline arrived, I'd refocused on my long-term goals. Eventually, I recognized that frustration and lapses in motivation would pass. I became progressively better at pushing through them.

As days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, I still hadn't quit, even though I always gave myself the option of the "24-hour rule." I just never took it.