TL;DR: the unexpected benefits of making changes have the most impact on motivation.
First time poster, lurker for years.
I'm 6'3 and 350 lb. I've been struggling with weight loss since I graduated high School in '10. I have gone through multiple phases of losing weight and working out, only to be discouraged by not seeing progress physically.
I would go to the gym 2-3 times a week, and watch my food intake. However, I never really saw much weightless after a couple weeks. I know it's not going to be an overnight change, where I wake up with a six-pack of abs and no fat after working out for a day. However, I never realized how long I had to stick with it to see the physical change.
Last year I started working as a 911 dispatcher for my city. I did not realize how sedentary the job was going to be. Couple that with 12-hr shifts and mandatory overtime, it takes a toll on you mentally and physically. Since starting in March '18, I gained at least 60 lb, going from 290 lb to my current 350 lb. I started getting winded just walking up the steps from the first floor to the second. I would leave work and stop by a fast food joint and get something quick so I could say I had something to eat before going to sleep. Fast forward from March to now, and I had no energy, was becoming depressed, hated myself, hated other people that weren't "like me", i.e.: overweight.
I started working out with a personal trainer this year. I had worked out with him in previous years to recover from a shoulder injury and to get in a place physically to pass the firefighter physical test. Eventually, I was able to pass the test, but was not picked up. I'm still trying to get to the fire department, but I'm starting at ground zero again with the same trainer.
I've become friends with my trainer, he is only 7 years older than myself. Since working with him, he has become my biggest support when I have questions about anything related to food, working out, or even just struggling mentally. We talk about everything from meal prepping to what I ate for breakfast to how much I work.
Allow me to put in to perspective how much I did work (I've cut back how much I work now). I worked 6 days a week at a local butcher shop from 10 am to 6 pm for 3 years after graduating high school. I worked there less during high school as it was my first job when I was 15. I learned from the guys there an amazing work ethic. So when people asked me what my hobbies were, I always said working because that was all I did. Fast forward to a month ago, and I was eorking 70+ hours every 7 days. It was way too much. It was starting to take its toll.
With only 1 day off every week, it was not enough time to meal prep, workout l, clean my apartment, grocery shop, see friends, and mentally decompress from my job. I started only working 5 days a week and keeping 2 of 3 days off. I realized I needed to change that.
1ST UNEXPECTED CHANGE
A month has gone by where I only work 5 days a week. I have finally started to find a new hobby that gets me out of my apartment. I am not rushed on my 2 days off to get everything done before my work week starts, i.e.: laundry, planning lunches, working out, decompressing from the previous work week, etc.
I started to notice I'm more rested, even during the work week. I work the night shift, but I sleep through the day with little to no interruptions. It's increased my drive to want to make changes to better my health.
2ND UNEXPECTED CHANGE
I have been working with my trainer since mid-February of this year. I was not doing my best with watching my food intake. However, I've started to notice when I do make the bad choices, like eating fast food. I've also been able to start a simple meal prep for myself. I make a little salad and have either chicken or a little steak with it, and it's filling; along with some healthier snacks like fruit throughout my shift. I eat breakfast every morning now, so no more McDonald's chicken biscuits anymore. I meal prep my lunch ingredients, so I can just put a salad together add my protein and keep going. I struggled making fancy meal preps. I realized SIMPLE is easier, less stressing, and just as good as any other meal prepping.
3RD UNEXPECTED CHANGE
I have not seen any physical change. My pants still fit the same and struggle to put socks and shoes on. The most recent change and the one I think that had the greatest impact on keeping me motivated occurred last week.
I'm a big guy and am not a fan of running. So I would walk on the treadmill and rarely use the elliptical machine in the gym. I only used the elliptical when a friend and I were there together so we could chit chat. I noticed the machine kept beeping at me saying workout paused. It was because I was not going "fast enough" to keep it on. According to the machine my speed was 2.0. It was very discouraging, so I stayed away from it.
I got done working out with my trainer last Wednesday and he says make sure to do some cardio. For some unknown reason, I got on the elliptical. IT WAS THE BEST DECISION I MADE THAT WEEK. I started running or gliding (does anyone actually know what the motion is on an elliptical?) and I was going for 15 mins, fully expecting it to beep at me and pause. I went for 15 minutes and the speed stayed above a 3. It was the greatest feeling not hearing that annoying beep every 5 seconds.
What I'm trying to say in a very long and drawn out story, is that while we might not always see the changes we are expecting, like better fitting clothes or less fat. There are the little changes like actually walking up steps without being winded or putting shoes on without struggling to bend over, that have a huge impact on making our day better than expected.
It really is the little unexpected changes that have the most impact. So, keep going for the big goal at the end, but remember at some point you started to run that mile instead of walking it, started to tighten the belt so your pants wouldn't fall down, started taking stairs instead of the elevator, and realized you were making healthier food choices.
I CAN DO THIS. WE ALL CAN DO THIS.
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