Tuesday, June 30, 2020

What I Can and Can’t Do

This is a long and potentially boring post. While I felt compelled to write it, I certainly recognize that it may not be interesting to a good number of you. I just wanted to share something important to me in the hope that it would be of value to some. TLDR at the end. 5’10 Male, SW 275, CW 205, GW 180.

Recently I’ve had a number of friends and acquaintances ask me about my weight loss. Today I’d like to explore two variants of a question that I’ve received;

Often I get asked how I’ve been doing it, which is a question I love to answer. Other times I get asked how they should be doing it, which is a question I don’t like. I don’t believe I’m capable of giving meaningful advice on weight loss beyond sharing what works for me. Simply put I don’t see weight loss as a “one size fits all” concept.

“There is no one-size-fits-all narrative; everyone’s path winds in different ways” - McBride

My current process, which evolved and continues to evolve, is relatively simplistic by design. I’ve estimated how many calories my body burns at rest, subtracted a reasonable level attributed to my weight loss goal, and ignore the impact of exercise burn. From this calculation, I have my daily caloric target; which I recalculate on a regular basis to address fluctuations in the input variables. I plan out my consumption in advance and monitor nutrition levels and macro objectives. I weigh myself daily and watch the intermediate trajectory; not day to day fluctuations. Twice a day (wake up and before bed) I do a written happiness self assessment in a journal, areas of concern are considered throughout the day and mitigation concepts are developed and implemented.

Easy to describe; but I can’t imagine suggesting that someone else try this approach. It’s highly personal and customized to how my mind works. It’s disciplined and harsh at times, and I imagine many would consider it a form of torture.

In response to requests for weight loss guidance I suggest that they let two basic principles guide their journey;

“The purpose of our lives is to be happy” - Dalai Lama

As I work through the many challenges in life, a positive mental outlook fostered by happiness is a key success factor.

"It seems that perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away" - de Saint-Exupéry

This is a variant or perhaps harbinger of the KISS (keep it simple stupid) philosophy that resonates with me. The more complicated a process, the harder it is for me to be successful performing it.

TLDR: my advice to others seeking weight loss advice is to focus on simplicity and happiness.

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