I think weight loss for a lot of people is really uncharted territory. There are so many unknowns when it comes to our current health, food intake, proper exercise, what is a healthy lifestyle relative to where we are. We might have a goal weight in mind, but we usually don't know what it's like to live in that body.
With all that in mind, when I started at 260 lbs, I knew I would have to "move the goalposts" to make this work. Rather than shoot for 100 lbs lost in a year, I set mini goals to break through first and then adjust as I learned more about my body in that time. Because 260 lb me couldn't possibly understand what it takes to maintain weight at 240 lbs let alone under 200 lbs, and setting a long term goal like that makes it feel like double maraton with no end in sight.
Now that I've hit my latest milestone of 180 lbs (for a couple months here), I now realize more than ever that I have to find new ways to keep finding new goals. That doesn't necessarily mean shedding more weight. Would I love to get down to 160? Maybe, but I don't know if that's what's best for my body or if it's the physique I want or can maintain while living a balanced, healthy life.
Enter my grading system. Every day, I grade myself on my diet and my physical activity.
(I am not advocating this exact system for everyone. But this is what works for me)
There's no true system that I've set up that tells me I must do this to obtain such a grade. But general markers of achievement are worked in to my baseline of just going to the gym.
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If I go to the gym, I get a C+ for the day for simply going there and doing some activity. I heard Terry Crews once say the best way to get in the habit of working out is to just get in there. And so far that's true, because if I put in the effort to go there, I'm at least doing 1 hour of work.
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If I work for an hour, no matter if it's just cardio or a mix with weights, I add half a letter grade.
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Setting a new record on weights and working til I fail, is another boost.
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Pushing myself to do extra reps beyond my predetermined set (i.e. 25 reverse crunches turns to 35).
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Accomplishing a new PR on a 5k or faster mile or swimming for a record length boosts me a whole letter grade
None of this is scientific. But it just goes based on my general sense of accomplishment.
There are times I've gone to workout and I decide to just stop at 10 reps on the bench even though I know I could have done two more reps. That didn't push me enough. I know I should have tried more, so that day might just be a C+ for doing the minimum.
The same kind of scale goes for my diet too.
- Eat within my calorie limit? B grade
- Meet my macro levels for protein/carb/fat? B+
- Also get enough micronutrients, veg/fruit? A
- Drink enough water too? A+
- Had some extra sugar because I had a medium Blizzard and pushed myself 500 calories over my TDEE? That might be a C because that one day isn't bad, and it didn't set me back a week. It's fine.
And I don't know what I will justify as an F or a D grade yet. I haven't had to have the conversation for myself, and I hope that I don't have to.
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