October 2018 I weighed 355 lbs at 5'8". I was miserable and decided I needed to take control of my health. I spoke with my doctor and she set a daily calorie goal of 1500 calories. My job and my life at this point was pretty sedentary so I started out slow. I would go walk during my lunch breaks and count my calories. I was consistent all month and lost 20 lbs! The Holidays made it difficult to hit my calorie goals but I continued to walk most days. Because of this I didn't lose any weight the rest of 2018. January 2019 I made a resolution to finally be consistent and take my weight loss seriously. I joined a gym and haven't looked back since. I still have a ways to go and would ultimately like to be around 190-200 lbs. I wanted to share some of things I think were keys to my success so far. I posted something similar to this in a comment in /r/progresspics and someone suggested I should make it into a post but I thought this sub would be more appropriate. Some strategies I implement to help consistently hit my daily calorie intake are:
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Use an app to track your calories. Seeing the actual number of calories I had consumed was pertinent for at least the first few months. If I didn't record the food I ate, I found that I would underestimate the amount of calories in something and would often overeat. I personally used the FitBit app because that was the fitness tracker I used but there is a plethora of apps out there. Find the one you like and use it consistently. After months of using it, I knew how many calories most of the food I ate had so I stopped diligently recording my food and now keep a running daily total in my head. The strategies below actually make this a lot easier.
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I eat the same breakfast every day: a turkey sausage, egg, and cheese burrito and a protein shake. The tortilla is low carb, turkey sausage is about half the calories of pork sausage (the Tennessee Pride brand taste best imo) and I use a half a piece of mozzarella cheese. They are 230 calories in total. Protein shake is 250 cal. I do this because I can meal prep on Sundays, there is no adding up calories as it's always the same, and it's a high protein meal that I eat directly after my morning workout.
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Intermittent Fasting. I tend to eat a large lunch, usually the rest of my daily caloric budget, and then fast until the following morning. This works out to a 16/8 fasting interval. My lunches tend to be a variant of grilled chicken and vegetables, usually steamed broccoli. It's filling and high in protein to help maintain muscle mass while eating in a deficit but anything within your budget is fine. If I don't eat the rest of my calories at lunch I will typically have a small dinner, usually another protein shake or a salad.
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If you are going to eat out, look at the calories ahead of time and know what you are going to order. This tends to help me make healthier choices and keep in my calorie budget.
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Don't eat back the calories you burn at the gym. "I worked out today, I can eat that extra slice of pizza". Starting out, I would find myself being more lenient on my calorie intake because I went to the gym and reasoned I could eat more calories because I "earned" it.
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Allow yourself a "cheat meal" every once in a while. It will keep you sane.
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Remember your weight is going to fluctuate, don't let it discourage you into giving up. Been there, done that, I should have stuck with it.
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Find someone to keep you accountable and support you, it really helps. Starting out, I had a friend I would almost daily talk about my weight loss journey. I still do, just less frequently now that I have established good habits of staying in my calories and working out. If you don't have anyone to be your accountabil-a-buddy, a monetary motivation might keep you accountable. Check out HealthyWage.
On top of CICO, I am in the gym 4-5 times a week. This entire process I have been getting my "levels" checked every 3 months to make sure everything is looking normal. I hope that this helps someone! I'm happy to answer any questions!
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