Haven't posted here in a while, but just wanted to offer some encouragement (and brag a little) for anyone that worries they just won't feel good or healthy again or that anyone will notice the difference.
I got to the point where going up a flight of stairs would leave me out of breath. Walking briskly for any distance would leave me sweaty. I wasn't just obese, I was inactive and incredibly out of shape.
Brief recap of my weight loss journey: Thanks to the encouragement and advice of friends, I changed my lifestyle. Started cutting out added sugar, fried foods, heavily processed foods and more. I've always had a bit of trouble counting calories and staying consistent with that, so I became fanatical in my adherence to eating and drinking healthier things. which left me eating less calories and feeling more full from those calories. It was still CICO in the end, just a form that worked for me being undisciplined about logging calories and being unable to resist bingeing on certain foods. (Edit to add: If it was something I had trouble controlling how much I ate...then I just didn't touch it at all any more.)
Started exercising from the start as well. Couldn't do more than a few push-ups against a countertop and some days just walked a thousand steps, but I stuck with it and recorded what I did and made it a goal to always add on more. As I started losing weight and keeping up with physical activity, it got easier and easier and I was able to do more and more.
Found accountability and encouragement with friends in person and on this sub.
There were plenty of extremely hard points, some plateaus, some times where I felt miserable and angry at the world. I started out the experience convinced that that would be the rest of my life. Not really being that much healthier, feeling miserable and unhappy with the food I was eating, and never really feeling good. Basically that it was all pointless suffering that maybe I didn't really need and that wouldn't result in much.
How wrong I was.
Fast forward to today. I lost about a foot off my gut. I work 50 hours a week at a very physically demanding job now, but I keep up easily and have tons of energy. I've been maintaining my weight for 3 months now without suffering from major cravings or all the hurdles I had when I started...this is just my life now and what I do and I love it.
For a while I enjoyed the attention at the new job without saying anything about my past. People would make offhand remarks wondering how I have so much energy. Other guys would look at me and mention how they really needed to get in shape. Off work I'm getting compliments on my physique. Actually had to learn how to process people's hands lingering on me and squeezing my arms after a hug or pat on the back and realizing they're feeling my muscles.
In short, it's amazing and was totally worth the effort to start, finish, and in taking care not to backslide. I'm now that fit guy that people that didn't know before just assume was always fit.
I wanted to encourage others though, which is what led to this whole post. Whenever a coworker makes a passing comment now, I try to share how it's possible. When they don't believe me, I pull up an embarrassing photo on my phone to show them.
So for you, dear reader. Please know it's possible to feel not just good again, but so much better it's almost unbelievable. Know that you're worth it, and you can do it too!
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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2zbmOFF
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