Hi everyone, this is my first post, so please let me know if I need to fix anything regarding my post.
Quick background: been heavy for most of my 20s. Peaked at 211 lbs when I was 26. Struggled with depression brought on by some setbacks in my early 20s, and I turned to food, soda, and video games for comfort. I'm turning 30 at the end of this year and my goal is to be out of the "obese" BMI range before my birthday.
I took progress measurements for the first time since I started seriously dieting and working out 6 weeks ago. The scale hasn't moved as much as I'd hoped, and it was so frustrating to see that little number hovering around the same 3-4 lbs every week for the 3 weeks or so. Even though I kept telling myself, "It's okay, you're probably gaining a little muscle" I didn't really believe it until this morning, when I took my measurements. A total of 6 inches lost, 3 of which were from my thigh! In an instant, all that work felt worth it. All the meal prep, all the times I drank water instead of the latte or soda I really wanted, it was worth it. I actually cried a little, because that's the most progress I've seen with weight loss in nearly a decade.
As far as my diet goes, I have a daily goal range for each of my macros. For example, my daily protein goal is 140g, but I allow myself +/- 5g. For fat I give myself a range of +/-3g. It makes dieting so much less stressful and flexible. I also avoid processed foods as much as I can, but I don't feel bad if I have some bread or some cheese once in a while, so long as I get my macros within my ranges. I've also quit drinking sodas, and I drink almost exclusively water now. I try to drink about a gallon a day, but that's not always possible. I always make sure to get at least 64 oz though!
Exercise has been ice skating 2-3 times a week (easy skating, nothing really intensive. just working on balance and basic skills), body weight circuits twice a week (one upper body and one lower body), and then one day dedicated to cardio, usually rowing. I might drop the cardio day as I get better at ice skating, because I'll start getting my cardio workouts during skating.
My biggest takeaway is this: take measurements! If the scale isn't moving much, it could be because you're gaining muscle, but without measurements, you won't be able to tell that just from a number on the scale. Also, find a diet that's flexible enough for your lifestyle without indulging your prior bad habits. It took me a while to settle into this diet, but it allows for situations like an impromptu invitation to an office lunch, meeting with a friend after work, an last-second invite to a concert, etc. without feeling bad about it. Just hit your macro range, and you're good to go!
You CAN do it. Just because you haven't seen progress in a while doesn't mean it will never happen. Start with a small change that's not too hard to do, and work from there. For me, that first small change was going from full sugar sodas to zero calorie sodas. From there, I replaced 3 bottles of soda a week with bottles of water. Then I kept replacing my soda with water until soda was totally gone. It didn't happen overnight. It took about a month, but I never felt deprived doing it this way. Keep adding small changes rather than radically shifting your lifestyle all at once. After a few weeks, you might really amaze yourself with how differently you're eating, how you're working out, etc.
Good luck to everyone else on this journey. I'm rooting for you!
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