Hey guys, I've been on the weight loss track for almost exactly a year now (don't remember the exact day in January when I started last year) and I've seen some incredible gains in many parts of my life.
First, I'm down 65 lbs. Started at 260lbs and now I'm down to 195. At 5'11" this still puts me in the "overweight" category but holy macaroni do I look and feel better. I've had to replace or tailor every single article of clothing I own including underwear (well, not socks). I've been counting calories and tracking exercise using Lifesum and Google Fit. I find that I hit my weight loss goals by eating roughly half of my "exercise" calories back. What I mean by this is Lifesum estimates ~1750 calories per day and Google Fit might add another 500 for walks, bike rides etc. so I'll eat 1750 + 250 and keep on track. This might not work for everyone but it does for me.
The gradual reduction in my allowed calories as my weight decreases has definitely been tough. It was easy to keep in my budget when I started, but now I really have to pay attention to what I have. A minor slip-up can make for a disappointing dinner. However, despite not initially focusing on eating "healthier" I have naturally gravitated that way. I feel a lot more satisfied after 500 calories of healthy food than I do after 500 calories of junk so gradually my food intake has become healthier by accident.
One thing I have really started doing is getting back into cycling. When I was younger I rode bicycles all the time, and even during my heavy years I kept going out but I didn't really put in the effort. Instead of riding cross-country I would go to the bike park and ride the lift for example. Since January last year I've started riding my bike everywhere, rain, snow, sun, doesn't matter. I put in at least 20 minutes of time on the bike every day and walk at least an hour every day. My endurance has literally never been better. I went from panting after walking up a flight of stairs to climbing 800 vertical meters on my bike in a day without ever getting seriously winded. I'm doing things I thought were reserved for "athletic" people. In a year I went from the slowest hiker among my friend group to one of the fastest.
On the professional side of things, people take me more seriously now than they ever did before. I've had an easier time landing clients and when I speak at conferences I've gotten increasing amounts of follow-up despite not changing the content of my talks at all. I know it is partly because I feel more confident, but I also know it's because people respond to people who take care of themselves as well.
Long story short, even if you feel like it is a long daunting road ahead. It doesn't take long to start seeing real results if you stick with it. You'll have different milestones than I do, but damn is it worth it!
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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2Ru9ozw
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