When I first lost significant weight about 10 years ago, I got "comfortable" being in my 160s. That was the bottom of "overweight" BMI for my height, but I carry my weight well so no one ever really thought I was overweight. Although I had arbitrarily set 130lbs as a goal, that seemed impossible and even unnecessary as I totally looked and felt fine. This resulted in, over the next 3 years or so, getting up to high 190s, which was even higher than I had started weight loss. For the next 5 years I stayed in the 195-205lbs range.
Until this year. Starting January, I started CICO again, exercised, etc. By mid-May I dropped to 159.4lbs. I was ecstatic.
Then, I got comfortable again.
Again I felt I looked fine. Everyone was congratulating me on my weight loss. I started indulging more. Skipping exercise. Then for the first time in my weight loss journey, I went more than 30 days without losing anything - in fact, I gained 2-5lbs (accounting for fluctuations).
Thinking I will "maintain" without trying too hard was my demise last time, and I am determined to not let it happen. I've started 5:2 to make CICO easier, and will be making sure to exercise on my non-fasting days. Here are some of my reflections this time around:
- It's fine to celebrate being able to indulge more now - but continue to watch yourself. I am grateful for my January-May self for having made so much progress that now I can indulge in what I like more often than I used to. But as I said, I started to gain weight. I only noticed because I continued to still at least guess my calories everyday and weigh myself several times a week. When I re-gained weight that first time, honestly speaking, I did not notice! For a really long time! But as I continued to at least get an idea on how much I was eating/expending, and how much I weigh, the alarms began to sound pretty quickly as soon as I realized it wasn't just fluctuations.
- Your TDEE goes down - this doesn't mean you keep cutting to nothing, but that it's just going to be slower. Obviously we know this - the less you weigh, the less you have to eat in order to create that same caloric deficit. It was discouraging the first time to know that I would have to keep cutting my calories - even below 1200 - to maintain the same speed of loss. That's what made me "comfortable" with staying in the 160s. But now I'm focusing on the fact that I still need to see a downward trend, even if it's slow. I went a month and saw a definite GAIN - that's on my increased intake and decreased exercise.
- Within reason, there isn't really a weight your BODY is comfortable with - it's in your head. This is the biggest thing. I had my family members tell me I would NEVER reach 130lbs even though it is smack in the middle of a normal BMI for me - and I think I believed them. Because it's easier to. But the weight I was "maintaining" without thinking - so the "comfortable" weight, I suppose - was 195-205lbs (obese). Before all of this, it was 180lbs. And I've now thought at least twice that 160s is that comfortable range. The truth is, within reason of course, there is no certain weight that your body is "comfortable" with and will easily maintain. Your body will adjust to whatever weight you have the longest, really. And as you lose or gain weight, it will be that new weight. At low 160s right now, it's hard to imagine doing enough to get back to 200lbs any time soon. Why not the other way around?
Am I proud of my weight loss? Hell yeah. I lost nearly 40lbs in 5 months. Do I feel good and feel okay about how I look? Yes. But I know I can be more fit, lose excess weight, and be (and maintain) a normal BMI. I refuse to be comfortable.
Posting this 6/23/2020 - I will report back on my status a month from now to prove I did not stay comfortable. Wish me luck!
[link] [comments]
from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/3hT8ZQF
No comments:
Post a Comment