Monday, December 2, 2019

Good habits make good maintenance

Progress Chart

I started my weight loss journey last year. My weight had increased slowly after college thanks to way too much beer and a diet heavy on pasta and tortilla chips. I decided I wanted to enter my 30s in a healthy place. My deeper motivation was somewhat less wholesome: I wanted to look good for a guy I liked. And I started the journey because he went on a date with a pretty girl. But hey, burning jealousy is a hell of a motivator. I can’t complain too much - it got me here.

That motivation kept me very consistent for the first two months of dedicated CICO and 3x/wk lifting. I rarely cheated on my diet. I quit alcohol. This was the time when I learned new recipes, read every nutrition label in the grocery store, changed my typical grocery run, and formed new habits.

I lost 15 pounds in 5 weeks, which achieved my main goal. I lost another 3-5 gradually over the course of six months and have been maintaining around that weight since. You’re never really off the wagon in maintenance, but happily I’ve let pizza, pasta, and beer back into my life (occasionally).

The best changes I made in that initial phase were the changes to my typical grocery run, because those became habits. I eat more chicken, fish, and frozen veggies than I ever did before. I drink less alcohol than I did in my 20s (a real money saver!) and I snack on fruit, popcorn, a packet of tuna fish, or a protein bar if I’m really hungry. I generally know how many calories are in things I eat, and I keep myself generally in check, but I don’t stress too much about it.

Find the low calorie foods that work for you, and make them a habit! It will serve you well in maintenance. Good luck with your journeys. And may you turn your jealousy into productivity :)

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