So I began my weight loss Journey in May (before that i had been in the 210-220 range for 2-3 years), and there are things I wish I had done better that I would like to share.
- Everyone says it, but I still didn't listen, take before pictures. I normally don't like taking pictures and I didn't even want to record how I looked at my heaviest. That person wasn't me so why did I want to immortalize that fatty in a photo. Now I really regret it. I am down a certain amount of weight (see next point), my clothes fit better, and I can see visible differences. I still wish I had before pictures so I could compare the difference. This is probably my biggest regret.
- Get a solid/ accurate starting weight. I weigh myself a lot. My scale is in an accessible area, so I end up stepping on it out of habit. The heaviest weight I remember seeing on there was 225. I do not remember if that was with clothes or without. With shoes or without. Morning or afternoon. This makes it difficult to measure progress. I am now at like 206-210 range. I don't know how much I actually lost, and for a while there in the middle I didn't know if I had lost weight or was just weighing myself differently. Get an accurate starting weight and record it.
- Find a pair of clothes or belt to measure your progress. I use several different belts, but i do have a favorite. Sometimes I don't remember how loose a pair of pants was or how tight a shirt was, which makes it hard to determine what gains i made. With my belt though, i am 2 notches down (probably a little more because it was super tight at my starting notch and is now comfortable on the notch I am at now). Find a pair of clothes or belt and record how it feels on you. Update as you make progress.
- TDEE and CICO. It doesnt matter if you plan to track long term or not, but find out your basic calories for a day you dont do anything (sedentary). Track your calories for a week before you start the "diet". It will open your eyes to how many calories you were consuming, vs how much you needed. Then use a calorie tracker to get you better at guesstimating your calories. I don't track anymore, but I am better at estimating how many calories i am consuming because of that first week. I will also do random audits where i will track for 2-3 days, to make sure i am not cheating and staying accurate.
Those are things I think everyone could do which will help you notice how far you have come. Now some tips on how I managed to lose weight.
- Started with a fast. I ate a light dinner on a Friday. Woke up as late as i could on a Saturday and avoided food until it was dinner. By the time dinner came around I noticed a lot of my cravings had gone away. I was able to eat a light dinner and feel full. (No need for my usual sweet snack at the end of a meal). The next morning at breakfast I wasn't hungry so I didn't eat. I ate like at 2ish pm and now stick to this which is pretty much IF, except I am looser with it. If I am not hungry at dinner it becomes an OMAD day. I end up eating at breakfast the next day. I try not to skip 3 meals in a row unless i am doing a reset (next point).
- Resets. I haven't been 100% dedicated to this. There have been several binge days/ weekends in that time frame. After every binge or terrible day I do a 24hr fast to reset those cravings. This really helps me kick that sugar/sweets addiction. It also helps me feel better about falling off the wagon because i caught up to it.
- Fast food. I ate a lot of fast food before this because of being lazy to cook. I found meals that i enjoy at places that are really low cal. I know if i feel to lazy to make something, i can go get one of these meals without sabotaging my calorie deficit for the day. My go to is the Taco Bell power cantina bowl chicken. it has 500ish calories, fills me up, and satisfies my taco bell urge.
- Substitute calories. If you know you will have a pizza night for dinner, skip lunch or breakfast. If you are having a night out, skip dinner. You will get drunk with less, which also means less beverage calories.
My weight loss hasn't been super fast, but i also haven't changed my lifestyle drastically (or at least it doesn't feel that way). I feel like i can keep this up for many months to come. I also haven't hit the gym or done any cardio in that span. I am now going to the gym with cardio and weights. I also now have taken pictures. I hope to do an update post. Good luck everyone.
[link] [comments]
from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2KErgDQ
No comments:
Post a Comment