First off, pics! These were taken a few months a part, not the best comparison but it'll do. For a long while I couldn't see any changes but I feel like I'm finally starting to see a smaller me. https://i.imgur.com/yug8HrB.jpg
At the beginning of 2019 I was scheduled for my annual physical at the doctor. I have been seeing the same primary care doctor for almost 8 years now. I love her, she's wonderful. When I showed up for my appointment I was informed that she was no longer at the practice and I had been shifted to a new primary care physician. At first I was pretty pissed, like I never got a letter or anything and I LOVED my doctor!
So I go in and visit with my new doctor. She has none of the warm & tender beside manner that my previous doctor had. She was a straight-facts kind of woman. My new doctor cut right to the chase, she pulled out my blood work and had a pretty frank chat with me about how my blood pressure levels were borderline, and while my good cholesterol was good my bad cholesterol was bad! Oh, and she showed me a BMI chart to explain that based on my current height and weight I was in obese class 1. I was a bit shocked. I mean, I knew I was a little overweight but felt like I had good habits - I did regular activity and so-so exercise each week, cooked a lot of good meals at home, etc...
Anyway, as it turns out my new doctor also specializes in nutrition. She saw that over the course of the past several years I had steadily put on pounds and more pounds and more pounds. My previous lovely doctor never seemed concerned about my weight. While I was kind of annoyed about having this new doctor, it's actually really been the best thing that could have happened. I was about 45 pounds overweight with a BMI of 33+.
She gave me a bunch of recommendations and scheduled a follow up appointment for the following month to check on my progress. I've since gone back to see her each month with continued weight loss progress. She is so proud of me! And I am also proud of me! I'm no longer in the obese class 1 category, I am overweight. I've lost 24 pounds and need to lose approximately 23 more before I'm on the upper range of a "normal" weight (for my height).
Thought I'd share some of the things I've been doing and hopefully get some tips from you all.
- My doctor explained that weight loss is all about math. Consume less calories than your body uses each day and you will lose weight. To do this I would have to keep a food diary to track my calorie intake. She gave a few apps to try (MyFitnessPal, CalorieKing, and MyPlate). I looked at all three and decided that MyFitnessPal was the best option. Since using this sub, I've found that people really like "LoseIt" food diary though I haven't checked that one out.
- I'm not limiting any food groups, only the amounts that I consume. Some folks find that things like keto or Atkins work for them, but those aren't sustainable for me (and again, it doesn't matter WHAT you eat, it matters HOW MUCH you eat). I eat a balanced diet of proteins, fats, and carbs. I have snacks throughout my day and work to meet my calorie goals.
- It is not sustainable for me personally to do intermittent fasting or one meal a day diets, it is about the amount of calories consumed regardless of when. For breakfast I try to eat protein rather than carbs. I used to always eat cheerios and milk, I've switched to eating eggs. Or eggs with veggies. I feel fuller longer in the AM. I have a small snack mid-morning to help me from over-eating a lunch time. I pack a lunch each day. I have an afternoon snack to help me from over-eating at dinner. I have dinner. I try not to eat too much after dinner (mostly because I'm out of calories for the day) but also because I'm no longer doing any activities, only relaxing and winding down for bed.
- I try to drink a good bit of water. I have a glass each morning after I get up out of bed and feed the pup. I like to have another glass of water with my breakfast (as well as a cup of coffee). Throughout the day I find it easiest to get water by drinking seltzers. They're pretty satisfying. In the evenings if I'm feeling peckish after dinner I'll usually grab a seltzer to keep my mouth and hands entertained.
- I weigh myself every morning and record it into MyFitnessPal. I don't focus much on the day to day fluctuations but look from week to week or even month to month at this point since I've been doing it for a while.
That's all I can think of right now. I love this subreddit. The accountability of my doctor has helped keep me on track over the long term, but reading everyone's posts here regularly helps me from day to day. So thank you all. I check this sub pretty much every day. I've been getting a few comments from coworkers about noticing my weight loss but it's been hard for me to see the changes myself (since I see my own self in the mirror each day I guess? not sure...).
Please let me know how things are going for you all.
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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2YreM5t
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