Hey, r/loseit! The TLDR and link for progress pics are at the bottom! I'm not the greatest at writing so I'm sorry if this is hard to follow.
I've been lurking here for a while but never got around to posting much. So I figured that, as I approach my original goal when I set out almost two years ago, that I would throw out some wisdom, tips, etc. and see what I can do to help better the community.
Super quick intro: I'm 27 years old, 5' 11" and I'm from Indianapolis, IN.
My story: I was a soccer player in high school. I was fairly fit and lean, usually clocking in around the 180 mark. I HATED working out and really struggled with going to practice, however. I also ate waaay too much. Once soccer ended, my physical activity went way down and my eating habits never changed. I went off to college the following fall and did your typical college things (eating food that's terrible for you, drinking, etc.) and I found myself hanging out around the 210 area. Then I graduated, got my first desk job, and that's when things got really out of hand. I found myself hovering around 250 after Christmas of 2015 and that's when I finally realize that if I don't do something I'm going to be leading myself to an early grave.
THIS IS NOT WHERE MY WEIGHT LOSS BEGINS, THOUGH. For two years I experimented with dozens of diets and workouts. Regrettably, I always gave up after a week or two because I didn't see instant results. I would get frustrated, think to myself that it's never going to work, and go out and have another 1,000 calories fast food meal to feel better.
Finally, in the spring of 2017, I caught wind of the keto diet. (I know there are strong opinions on keto, and it won't work for everyone, but I swear on it and recommend at least trying it for a few weeks.) I slowly started finding carb friendly ways to replace my favorite foods, just one small piece at a time. I like energy drinks, and there are low carb options for that. Rice? Cauliflower rice. Bread? There are a dozen options now. Take your favorite food, google it with the words "keto recipe" at the end, and give whatever comes up a try.
Once I got the diet and food plan rolling, I started setting very small 5-pound increment goals for myself for weight loss and started cardio workouts. Mostly just walking. I've read in several places that every carb that you eat is 4 calories worth of energy, so I would keep track of my carbs for the day and try to walk until I'd burned off AT LEAST enough calories to cover the (Carbs x 4).
After a few weeks, I noticed I felt way better and that I'd actually dropped a couple of pounds and they stayed away. Finally, May 29th of 2017 (my birthday), I crossed the threshold of -10 pounds. 3 months later, -20. Another few months, another 10lbs, and by the end of 2017 I was at 220. 30 pounds is really great progress! BUT.... I fell off.
That's right. After finding the secret recipe and managing to lose 30lbs, I fell off. February 2018 rolled around and I was back up to 240. I beat myself up so much over it. By the time April rolled around, I was finally fed up with beating myself up. I bought a bicycle and started riding on the trail near my apartment. I managed to get back down under 220, and then on September 20, 2018, I logged my first sub-200 weight since high school.
I managed to get down to 190 before the end of 2018. HOWEVER, I hit a HUGE wall. I was stuck at 190 for almost 9 months. It wasn't until the end of September 2019 when I finally dipped below 190 and started my decline again. I chalk this one up to going through an incredibly... fun... breakup that I used more exercise to get through.
So I suppose that leads me to today. My original long term goal was in the 170s, and I weighed in at 176 this morning. I've started lifting over the last month and I've got muscle coming in while fat is still going out, so I'm not watching the scales too closely. I mostly wanted to post this to point out that it's not going to be a smooth or easy process. You can fall off, you can get stuck, and it's ok for those things to happen!
TL;DR: I've lost 75 lbs over 2.5 years doing keto and mild to somewhat strenuous cardio and you can see my progress pics here.
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