CoffeeJanitor
Member
Get a scale for the chicken, rice, etc, and track all of that
Youll be in full control once you know how your body reacts
GAF I need to lose weight and I'm struggling
- Thread starter Goron2000
- Start date
- Status
Youll be in full control once you know how your body reacts
Zelenogorsk
Banned
Same boat OP, I'm currently 5'8" and 390 pounds. Four years ago i was 260, crazy how it just sneaks up on you and then all the sudden you realize how bad its gotten. Worst part is i know i can lose the weight (in the past i went from 320 down to 260 and that wasnt that hard to do) its just a matter of actually getting off my ass and not eating garbage. And yet that always seems harder to do than it sounds. Plus my brain goes into a kind of crazy denial state where even looking into the mirror shirtless i still dont seem to be as fat as i know i really am (if that makes sense).
Good luck OP.
Good luck OP.
FreddieQuell
Member
With you weighing 215 I doubt you need to eat 1200 to lose. How often are you weighing yourself? How closely do you count your calories?
Iorv3th
Member
Can you switch and drink something else every other day or 2-3 days a week? Like drink light beer instead?
Rabbi_Vole
Banned
I know exactly what you're talking about with the mirror. My suggestion: take daily shirtless selfies. The camera doesn't lie and it'll keep you motivated.
DizzyCaffeine
Member
Everyday. And I tracked it closely at first, but now I just ballpark it.
It's the beer, isn't it? Dammit.
andthebeatgoeson
Junior Member
Cross posting.
Psychotext
Member
Nice job. I've been doing intermittent fasting (usually 18-20 / 6-4) for the last three or four years. It's not been any sort of magic with regards to suddenly being ripped, but I've definitely been ill far less than I ever used to be and not having to think about food in the day is fantastic.
Made bulking a massive pain in the arse though, can't really recommend it for anyone trying to put on weight.
Made bulking a massive pain in the arse though, can't really recommend it for anyone trying to put on weight.
Audioboxer
Member
The heaviest I ever got to one year was 175lbs. I'm now 140lbs.
I know that sounds nothing to most of you, but I'm slim built and while just under 6ft have a very small frame. What done it to me was a depressive stage of eating lots of carbs via sugary sweets and drinking fizzy drinks (soda).
I was at that weight for maybe almost a year, and lost it all within 4~6 months. Dropping soda was a MASSIVE change for me. I've never really been a huge soda drinker but was then.
Again I know this isn't a holy shit the guy lost 100lbs+ story, just a small snippet that from my experience soda is the worst, as are sweets and other high carb content. Diet changes are what most need to start with, not "just get to the gym bro", and by diet it doesn't need to make you think "shit I better eat grass and carrots only now". Tweak the worst stuff away first, manage a sustainable eating plan as you start to progress. Most dieting seems to fail as people try to make a huge jump instantly and then get wrecked emotionally when they fail.
I've always been able to eat a fair amount and stay slim, but even the soda and suggery nasties wrecked me.
I know that sounds nothing to most of you, but I'm slim built and while just under 6ft have a very small frame. What done it to me was a depressive stage of eating lots of carbs via sugary sweets and drinking fizzy drinks (soda).
I was at that weight for maybe almost a year, and lost it all within 4~6 months. Dropping soda was a MASSIVE change for me. I've never really been a huge soda drinker but was then.
Again I know this isn't a holy shit the guy lost 100lbs+ story, just a small snippet that from my experience soda is the worst, as are sweets and other high carb content. Diet changes are what most need to start with, not "just get to the gym bro", and by diet it doesn't need to make you think "shit I better eat grass and carrots only now". Tweak the worst stuff away first, manage a sustainable eating plan as you start to progress. Most dieting seems to fail as people try to make a huge jump instantly and then get wrecked emotionally when they fail.
I've always been able to eat a fair amount and stay slim, but even the soda and suggery nasties wrecked me.
Psychotext
Member
Uhh... thanks for sharing?
FreddieQuell
Member
I would say get back to closely tracking your intake and give it another week or two before you decide to go lower. Looking again I see you've been stuck for a week, that's actually not too long. Not long enough to necessitate making a change yet in my opinion. And yeah the beer's not helping you, that's a lot of protein you could be taking in instead to ensure you don't lose muscle.
I am in the same boat. I have been trying to get physically fit for what seems like forever, but as of late, I have been pushing myself, and I have successfully dropped a stone within a month, and I did very little alterations. My suggestions:
- Get an exercise watch like a TomTom or Garmin that'll monitor what you do through the day. If you are sitting around, it will alert you to get off our ass n do something. When you see that your "calm" BPM is around 100, you will be scared and it'l motivate you to get off you working.
- Make it a habit to go for a walk/jog daily. Find that time of day where you don't do anything, put some trainers on, stick your headphones on, and go for a walk for an hour. Your watch will tell you how many calories you burnt. Do the same, but increase your calories burnt by a 1/3rd weekly at best by increasing your pace of walk, or go on more steeper hills when you walk. Once you have got to the routine where you are walking and burning good number of calories effortlessly (i.e. I burn about 200 calories from a 60 min pace walk), do a minute jog every 5 mins you walk, and increase that 1 minute to two minutes, etc every week till the point you cant go beyond that. I make sure that I do 1 hour exercise daily, and ensure I atleast burn more calories then the day before, even if its by 10 calories.
- Food wise, just monitor how many calories you eat. You get a good indication of how many calories are in foods anyways such as pasta packets, cereal, etc. Slowly but surely begin to drop your calories that you eat. Surpress that hunger by having something like coffee. Replace your fried food with grilled food, replace your white bread with whole wheat bread, simple things like this have a great impact on your body.
- Take your multi vits tablet during breaky.
- Remove all soft drinks, and replace them smoothies, water, and hot drinks. Hot drinks such as black coffee, oolong tea, or green tea. They are great metabolism boosters. After every meal, have a hot drink. Either warm water or ice cold water when you wake up is also a great way shock your body to work.
I have been following the above and I can assure you my weight has been dropping significantly. I feel better, more confident and more sharper. I actually went through clinical depression a few years back due to something traumatic, however, the more you keep yourself busy, the less you have time to think about the things that have caused you harm
- Get an exercise watch like a TomTom or Garmin that'll monitor what you do through the day. If you are sitting around, it will alert you to get off our ass n do something. When you see that your "calm" BPM is around 100, you will be scared and it'l motivate you to get off you working.
- Make it a habit to go for a walk/jog daily. Find that time of day where you don't do anything, put some trainers on, stick your headphones on, and go for a walk for an hour. Your watch will tell you how many calories you burnt. Do the same, but increase your calories burnt by a 1/3rd weekly at best by increasing your pace of walk, or go on more steeper hills when you walk. Once you have got to the routine where you are walking and burning good number of calories effortlessly (i.e. I burn about 200 calories from a 60 min pace walk), do a minute jog every 5 mins you walk, and increase that 1 minute to two minutes, etc every week till the point you cant go beyond that. I make sure that I do 1 hour exercise daily, and ensure I atleast burn more calories then the day before, even if its by 10 calories.
- Food wise, just monitor how many calories you eat. You get a good indication of how many calories are in foods anyways such as pasta packets, cereal, etc. Slowly but surely begin to drop your calories that you eat. Surpress that hunger by having something like coffee. Replace your fried food with grilled food, replace your white bread with whole wheat bread, simple things like this have a great impact on your body.
- Take your multi vits tablet during breaky.
- Remove all soft drinks, and replace them smoothies, water, and hot drinks. Hot drinks such as black coffee, oolong tea, or green tea. They are great metabolism boosters. After every meal, have a hot drink. Either warm water or ice cold water when you wake up is also a great way shock your body to work.
I have been following the above and I can assure you my weight has been dropping significantly. I feel better, more confident and more sharper. I actually went through clinical depression a few years back due to something traumatic, however, the more you keep yourself busy, the less you have time to think about the things that have caused you harm
Don't quit beer, just drink less. Drink one ipa a day instead of three. That's 400*7=2800 calories a week you save, or 0.8lbs of fat a week (though not quite that simple). It's all about being sustainable, since this is a permanent change and not a temporary one and you shouldn't feel seriously deprived.
As for physical activity, find something you enjoy doing and do it. Again this is permanent so you have to like it. I enjoy weight training and weight training is better for fat loss, so I mostly do that. Have you considered playing a recreational sport? Playing soccer, tennis, whatever is a great way to burn calories and have fun.
poppabk
Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
600 calories just from beer is a pretty big hurdle to get over, if you cut down to 1200 calories total like you were saying, you would only be getting 600 calories from food, which sounds almost impossible to maintain. I would recommend continuing to track calories accurately, and maybe invest in some kind of cardio equipment for your home. I picked up one of these second hand
Its not for everyone as it has a very short stride, but I can just stand in front of the TV and pedal away and its small enough that it doesn't take up a lot of room. I link watching a TV series that already has a couple of seasons I haven't watched (powered through Alpha's and am now going through Banshee) to the exercise. If I want to see the next episode, I have to exercise. Helps to give you motivation by kinda cross-linking it with a different motivation.
I have gone from 174 to 163 in the last month. I have plateaued for a week during that period and then started losing again without any major changes. I'm just exercising 6 times a week and hitting my calorie goal (without counting the exercise calories).
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
All calories are equal, of course. We're talking about a unit of measurement. Your second sentence is not even close to being true, though. It assumes that all food consumed is used equally for energy purposes and that there is some kind of addition/subtraction equation that conveniently occurs at the end of the day to determine whether or not fat is added or removed. It's nonsense and it ignores the myriad of other factors that play into how any piece of consumed food is used by the human body and why.
DivineRage002
Member
Take it step by step, let me help you.
Week one, stop everything that's just empty sugar, such as soda. These drinks and candies bring nothing good to your health, and cutting those can only help you.
Week two, during groceries, look at every nutritional value for everything you buy. If ANYTHING has trans fat, at all, put it back on the shelf and move on, even if it's just 0.1mg.
Week three, if anything is within walking distance, you know what to do. Go by bike if your ankles or knees have trouble.
Week four, this is probably the hardest step, but if you can do this, you're home free for being healthy for the rest of your life, look up nutrition guides, and follow a healthy diet.
This does not mean eating only salad, it means managing your fat/carb/protein intake to a reasonable ratio.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/from-here-to-macros-4-steps-to-better-nutrition.html
This can help, but there are also free apps for android and iphone in which you simply input what you eat, and it tells you what's next.
Week five, go to a gym and start weight training. Yes, weight training. No, not cardio, you're already doing that with your walks. Weight training. Having more muscle accelerates your metabolism, makes you healthier, stronger, more confident, and will help you lose fat faster, since your muscles are the ones to burn the fat away. Again, many free guides on the internet.
This is pretty much a go-to: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/
Congratulations, you are well on your way to be a healthy beast. Keep strict to these five rules and within three months you will see MAJOR changes in your health and looks.
If you need any help or advice on any of those steps, or anything else at all, feel free to ask here or in the fitness thread in the community forum.
Week one, stop everything that's just empty sugar, such as soda. These drinks and candies bring nothing good to your health, and cutting those can only help you.
Week two, during groceries, look at every nutritional value for everything you buy. If ANYTHING has trans fat, at all, put it back on the shelf and move on, even if it's just 0.1mg.
Week three, if anything is within walking distance, you know what to do. Go by bike if your ankles or knees have trouble.
Week four, this is probably the hardest step, but if you can do this, you're home free for being healthy for the rest of your life, look up nutrition guides, and follow a healthy diet.
This does not mean eating only salad, it means managing your fat/carb/protein intake to a reasonable ratio.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/from-here-to-macros-4-steps-to-better-nutrition.html
This can help, but there are also free apps for android and iphone in which you simply input what you eat, and it tells you what's next.
Week five, go to a gym and start weight training. Yes, weight training. No, not cardio, you're already doing that with your walks. Weight training. Having more muscle accelerates your metabolism, makes you healthier, stronger, more confident, and will help you lose fat faster, since your muscles are the ones to burn the fat away. Again, many free guides on the internet.
This is pretty much a go-to: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/
Congratulations, you are well on your way to be a healthy beast. Keep strict to these five rules and within three months you will see MAJOR changes in your health and looks.
If you need any help or advice on any of those steps, or anything else at all, feel free to ask here or in the fitness thread in the community forum.
Been there man. Got up to 298 at 5 10 and depressed now 190 and getting pretty lean. (played rugby pre weight gain, doing bodybuilding now).
What worked for me and it literally took me years to get to this point was changing my mindset from I should get in shape to look good, to realizing healthy eating and fitness should be looked at like brushing your teeth. It is something that everyone must do in order to maintain the best health we can.
Depression messes this up for sure but when you fail just pick yourself back up and do it again and do your best to not fall into the trap of I failed today so i'm going to do whatever I want for a while. Everybody fails not everybody gets back in the groove after failing.
Diet wise counting calories wasn't something that did it for me either it was just cutting out sugars and grains and making sure I was eating enough healthy fats and proteins to stay satiated and tons of vegetables to get all of the vital nutrients your body requires to perform at its best. I got this from reading the book Fitness Confidential, I found it very inspiring. This is just a method that worked for me and i'm not smart enough to debate the science and I wouldn't try. I found I needed to just go super healthy I don't have the mind to count calories but still eat junk and stuff it just led to me overeating.
Workout wise i started doing bodybuilding with a friend who does bikini shows, running long distance once a week and doing hiit 2-3 times a week but this isn't for everyone just walking or finding a sport you like is great too. You don't need it to lose weight you can do that with just your eating choices but I firmly believe in the benefits of fitness.
There has been tons of great advice in this thread and I hope you can do it! Good luck. It takes a while but find whatever it is that works for you.
What worked for me and it literally took me years to get to this point was changing my mindset from I should get in shape to look good, to realizing healthy eating and fitness should be looked at like brushing your teeth. It is something that everyone must do in order to maintain the best health we can.
Depression messes this up for sure but when you fail just pick yourself back up and do it again and do your best to not fall into the trap of I failed today so i'm going to do whatever I want for a while. Everybody fails not everybody gets back in the groove after failing.
Diet wise counting calories wasn't something that did it for me either it was just cutting out sugars and grains and making sure I was eating enough healthy fats and proteins to stay satiated and tons of vegetables to get all of the vital nutrients your body requires to perform at its best. I got this from reading the book Fitness Confidential, I found it very inspiring. This is just a method that worked for me and i'm not smart enough to debate the science and I wouldn't try. I found I needed to just go super healthy I don't have the mind to count calories but still eat junk and stuff it just led to me overeating.
Workout wise i started doing bodybuilding with a friend who does bikini shows, running long distance once a week and doing hiit 2-3 times a week but this isn't for everyone just walking or finding a sport you like is great too. You don't need it to lose weight you can do that with just your eating choices but I firmly believe in the benefits of fitness.
There has been tons of great advice in this thread and I hope you can do it! Good luck. It takes a while but find whatever it is that works for you.
entremet
Member
Yep. That's not good in the long term and it's not sustainable and builds really poor habits.
I find that MyFitnessPal does a decent job of creating calorie deficits without going ultra low calorie.
Megalosaro
Banned
If you hit a plateau wroth you're diet, look into a reverse diet.
The human body is resilient and wants to avoid losing weight, so it will do what it can to stop it. So for once a week, reintroduce calories to your diet. Small amounts, like 50 -100 at a time.
MaiNain this for like 2 months,then start the deficit again
The human body is resilient and wants to avoid losing weight, so it will do what it can to stop it. So for once a week, reintroduce calories to your diet. Small amounts, like 50 -100 at a time.
MaiNain this for like 2 months,then start the deficit again
NealMcCauley
Member
Weighed myself over the weekend after I walked 4 miles on Saturday in near 90 degree weather under a blazing sun and saw I weighed 195. Far cry from 265 a little over a year ago. Still want to lose another 20 but that shouldn't be too difficult. Feels good.
Once I learned to eat every 3 hours dieting became a lot easier. I'd wake up early to eat breakfast, 3 hours later have a apple, 3 hours later lunch, 3 hours later a banana, 3 hours later dinner. I'd also chug a glass of water after I finished eating. It kept me fool and kept me in the bathroom lol. Also, nothing is wrong with allowing yourself 1 cheat meal per week. I'd allow myself pizza, hamburgers etc. once a week. It wasn't enough to hinder my weight loss and it gave me something to look forward to.
I count calories with a phone ap and allow for the occasional binge.
I have been working out the past. now I'm becoming quite fat. just like the OP , I would like to work out with the support of others. Dont know quite how Tho. facebook support group ? Skype group? my biggest problem is some type of passivity that comes from that I work a lot , have children at home . little leisure time. Lack of achivments or gamerscore irl
I live i Sweden btw..
I live i Sweden btw..
I recently started taking Phentermine, it was prescribed by my doctor. It's amazing for weight loss. My appetite is virtually gone, sometimes I have to force myself to eat. No longer crave sugars or fatty foods. And I have incredible energy.
Might want to look into it if you haven't already. Definitely recommend.
Might want to look into it if you haven't already. Definitely recommend.
Oh hey, this got bumped. To be honest I forgot that I had made this thread which is something I do regularly when it comes to being ashamed of my eating, I just carry on eating and repress the bad thoughts. I'm now going to let you all know that I fucked up and gradually slipped off my diet in about 2 weeks.
Thank you all so much for your help and advice, I do honestly appreciate the sheer amount of support I got when I made this thread. I genuinely want to apologise to those that took their time to help me, I have kept that information and I'm going to put it to use again.
I'm going to try this again as that's all I can do.
Thank you all so much for your help and advice, I do honestly appreciate the sheer amount of support I got when I made this thread. I genuinely want to apologise to those that took their time to help me, I have kept that information and I'm going to put it to use again.
I'm going to try this again as that's all I can do.
Find foods with high calorie density. Stuff like nuts, milk, and oil will help you keep a high calorie count.
Mixolydian
Member
EVERYONE does that. Everyone. A lot of people (it's part of being human) let those slips bring them down so low that they end up giving up. Adjust your mindset.
Don't beat yourself up. Tomorrow is a new day, so start fresh.
What went wrong the first time? We can help you find some solutions to the problems you had.
Thank you both. I think what went wrong initially was going back to my home city for a family wedding where there was a lot of alcohol present and I ended up drinking a whole lot. The next day I ate excessively due to the hangover and because I didn't count those 2 days I just decided to forget it (all subconscious of course, their was never a debate in my head) and things just carried on how they normally were.
Frankfurter
Member
Cheat days are okay, but you need to get back to a proper diet afterwards. Start doing sports (if you don't already), do a bit of running or walk 10,000 steps a day, swim, whatever you like. And reduce your calorie intake. Which doesn't mean reduce it to sth. like 1500, but maybe start with 1800 or 2000 and see how that works (really depends on how fast your body burns through calories).
Edit: And please don't take a pill to get rid of the appetite.
I've been on a weight loss kick recently, basically tried to exercise more (mostly walking, but even that has been helpful) and sort out my eating habits.
I've cut out snacks as much as possible, and if I'm in a situation where I'm going to do it (i.e. have friends over for stuff), I try and snack on fruits and the like rather than crisps and chocolate.
I use a calorie counter, basically as a means of eating less at each meal. Obviously YMMV, but for me the hard numbers of my calorie intake is a huge motivator in solving a big problem I have - that I tend to eat not just to sate hunger, but because I can/I'm bored/I'm stressed. With this I've gotten much better at eating sensible meals that don't leave me feeling stuffed.
I'm walking a lot more instead of catching the bus. If I need to go into town, I'll walk. When I'm done in town, I'll walk back uphill. If I don't have anywhere to go on a day, I might just go for a walk anyway.
The first week was hard. Even walking was tiring and painful. I constantly felt the need to eat even though I knew I was eating enough. But over the past few weeks that has diminished somewhat. It's still hard, sometimes I still feel the urge to pig out a bit, but I'm trying to avoid that, or at least do it in moderation as some sort of reward.
In three weeks I've lost 8lb. I still have a long way to go, but just monitoring my progress has been a massive help.
Not sure if any of this helps the OP, I kinda feel like I'm stealth bragging, but this stuff has been genuinely helpful for me. I look better, feel better, and it's even helping my mental health, which I suspect is part of the reason why I let myself get so out of shape in the first place, so it's a positive feedback loop.
I've cut out snacks as much as possible, and if I'm in a situation where I'm going to do it (i.e. have friends over for stuff), I try and snack on fruits and the like rather than crisps and chocolate.
I use a calorie counter, basically as a means of eating less at each meal. Obviously YMMV, but for me the hard numbers of my calorie intake is a huge motivator in solving a big problem I have - that I tend to eat not just to sate hunger, but because I can/I'm bored/I'm stressed. With this I've gotten much better at eating sensible meals that don't leave me feeling stuffed.
I'm walking a lot more instead of catching the bus. If I need to go into town, I'll walk. When I'm done in town, I'll walk back uphill. If I don't have anywhere to go on a day, I might just go for a walk anyway.
The first week was hard. Even walking was tiring and painful. I constantly felt the need to eat even though I knew I was eating enough. But over the past few weeks that has diminished somewhat. It's still hard, sometimes I still feel the urge to pig out a bit, but I'm trying to avoid that, or at least do it in moderation as some sort of reward.
In three weeks I've lost 8lb. I still have a long way to go, but just monitoring my progress has been a massive help.
Not sure if any of this helps the OP, I kinda feel like I'm stealth bragging, but this stuff has been genuinely helpful for me. I look better, feel better, and it's even helping my mental health, which I suspect is part of the reason why I let myself get so out of shape in the first place, so it's a positive feedback loop.
i am unagi
Neo Member
If it is possible for you, I would suggest getting a personal trainer. They are about $50 an hour and in my case I only need to work out with him once a week. We work out in a park so I don't have to pay a gym fee. He holds be accountable and encourages me. He constantly reminds me the scale is not necessarily the best indicator of progress. It's the best investment I've made.
SneakersSO
Member
Okay OP, i'll tell you my story. So, i've struggled with my weight off & on for most of my life. I'm finally getting a grasp on it now though. I actually had done so about 5 years ago, but then I entered a very high-stress, long-hour industry where our lunches & dinners were catered in an effort to keep us in the office for longer periods of time. This caused a backslide in my weight that I decided to recover from about a year ago, when I switched jobs to something far more reasonable.
So, when I started my current progress, I was about 350, and i'm 6'3". I started in late April/Early May of 2015. I had two initial weight loss goals: turn going to the gym into a habit (again) & get my weight down to about 300. My job is pretty sedentary, so I started crafting a workout regiment tailored to me. I did about 45 mins of cardio after lifting for 45 minutes. My lifting routine alternated depending on what areas I wanted to focus on, but my cardio routine was to run/ride an elliptical for 30 mins, then bike for 15. I'd go to the gym about 4-5 times per week.
Personally, the key to this phase was I did not really change what I ate. I did eat less fast food & avoided carbonated drinks, but I wasn't counting carbs, nor aiming to change parts of my diet. The way I figured was my metabolism was already about to get a spike in how much it was burning - choosing to drastically lower my calories by counting might be too much of a shock & my body might trigger a starvation response, something I am very careful to avoid.
So, I hit my goal. Went from 350 to 300, and I even did it with my added bonus goal of doing it by the end of last year. So, once this year started, I spent the first few months changing my diet - I switched my breakfast habits up and began eating homemade oatmeal (non-instant) and I start incorporating new ingredients in order to replace more calorie-rich ones. I probably dropped about 400 calories from my diet per day, which may not sound like a lot, but I have always felt that the key to proper weight loss is slow but consistent progress.
This year, I had set a few new goals. Get to cooking healthier recipes (done), drop my average needed calories per day by a few hundred (done), and hopefully drop another 50 pounds by years end, bringing me down to 250. So far, i'm down about 20 or so pounds, putting me at about the 280 mark. I've noted that I have slowed my weight loss progress down, but this is to be expected. I do totally still feel there is another 30 pounds I have to lose, but if I were to do some more strict dieting (which I have never really done) then I can hit this goal.
I have noticed an increase in progress on the fitness side of things - i'm lifting more, adding way steeper inclines to both my running & biking, and i'm even going at faster rates for longer. When I started, I couldn't ride an elliptical for nearly 3 miles per 30 mins. Now I get about 4 miles in easily.
So, when I started my current progress, I was about 350, and i'm 6'3". I started in late April/Early May of 2015. I had two initial weight loss goals: turn going to the gym into a habit (again) & get my weight down to about 300. My job is pretty sedentary, so I started crafting a workout regiment tailored to me. I did about 45 mins of cardio after lifting for 45 minutes. My lifting routine alternated depending on what areas I wanted to focus on, but my cardio routine was to run/ride an elliptical for 30 mins, then bike for 15. I'd go to the gym about 4-5 times per week.
Personally, the key to this phase was I did not really change what I ate. I did eat less fast food & avoided carbonated drinks, but I wasn't counting carbs, nor aiming to change parts of my diet. The way I figured was my metabolism was already about to get a spike in how much it was burning - choosing to drastically lower my calories by counting might be too much of a shock & my body might trigger a starvation response, something I am very careful to avoid.
So, I hit my goal. Went from 350 to 300, and I even did it with my added bonus goal of doing it by the end of last year. So, once this year started, I spent the first few months changing my diet - I switched my breakfast habits up and began eating homemade oatmeal (non-instant) and I start incorporating new ingredients in order to replace more calorie-rich ones. I probably dropped about 400 calories from my diet per day, which may not sound like a lot, but I have always felt that the key to proper weight loss is slow but consistent progress.
This year, I had set a few new goals. Get to cooking healthier recipes (done), drop my average needed calories per day by a few hundred (done), and hopefully drop another 50 pounds by years end, bringing me down to 250. So far, i'm down about 20 or so pounds, putting me at about the 280 mark. I've noted that I have slowed my weight loss progress down, but this is to be expected. I do totally still feel there is another 30 pounds I have to lose, but if I were to do some more strict dieting (which I have never really done) then I can hit this goal.
I have noticed an increase in progress on the fitness side of things - i'm lifting more, adding way steeper inclines to both my running & biking, and i'm even going at faster rates for longer. When I started, I couldn't ride an elliptical for nearly 3 miles per 30 mins. Now I get about 4 miles in easily.
poppabk
Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
I think you have to get out of the thinking of being on or off a diet. You are always on a diet, whatever that is a good or bad one, and you are making changes to it. Every positive change to your diet, even if it is for one day, is a positive change.
- Status