Hi r/loseit community!! This is a (long) personal victory post as well as a thank you post!
The Before Times:
My (27F) whole life, I've been overweight. Through grade school and college, I did the many different all-or-nothing weight loss plans and believe it or not, failed every time. After college (the past five years or so), I honestly just stopped caring. "If it didn't work before, why would it work now? What's the point? etc.etc.etc." This ballooned my overweight status to 'mildly obese' on BMI standards (just for context, not personally using as a health marker).
The Quarantimes:
Quarantine hits and with it came the binge eating, the <500 steps a day, the horrible feelings of self-loathing/feeling stuck, straight up depression, tbh. As the months went on, without 'regular life' distractions, it was increasingly difficult to ignore myself and how I felt emotionally and physically.
Taking a week off of work around Fourth of July, I spent a lot of time outdoors with the few family and friends in my Quaran-team (sorry not sorry for the puns). That week of hard reset away from my couch, away from screens, outside in the sun with loved ones, I felt a sense of clarity or determination or mindfulness, whatever you want to call it.
As I came back to my 'regular' at home schedule, I turned to this lovely community for resources, self-education, and mainly for all of your wonderful personal stories. Every evening before bed, I would scroll through to read your personal victories, nutrition resources, different approaches to weight loss. It became so less daunting knowing that 1. so many others had done it and 2. it didn't have to be as hard as I was making it.
Time to Quaran-shine
A month ago I started logging in MyFitnessPal, got a scale, took my measurements, took 'starting progress pics' (honestly the hardest part of all this so far), and got some sneakers. From then, I've gone about business as usual, but incorporating small changes here and there.
I found the two biggest influences on my daily/weekly progress were/are:
- As soon as I wake up, I get dressed with sneakers on. (No Pajamas all day!) Starting the day with sneakers on helped me push past all the excuses against walking or chores.
- Every Saturday or Sunday, I physically write out a meal plan chart for the upcoming week and stick to my fridge. Starting the week with a meal plan gave me a sense of security and direction throughout the week. I didn't 100% adhere to the plans, but having it laid out was a huge relief when it came time to prepare a meal.
Starting at 243.4 lbs on July 22nd - I'm now officially at 10.4 lbs down at 233 lbs even! That's about 2.3 lbs/week, which I know is just above the recommended 2 lbs/week, but have also read the starting loss can be at a higher rate than the rest of your journey.
I still can't believe it, but finally seeing a benchmark met, it's so energizing! Not to mention I feel so much better! Less sluggish, my mood is improved, I'm more alert and willing to engage with the world. These same approaches I've taken for weight loss have greatly improved my mental health, with my depression subsiding bit by bit.
Something that started with a bit of mindfulness, some reading, and a realization that it may take awhile, but the time will pass either way, has blossomed into a new perspective, self-kindness, and wellness. I'm so looking forward to the next benchmark and just want to thank all of you for sharing, as it helped me feel WAYYYY less alone in this still very personal journey. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your vulnerability and your wisdom. It's helped me so greatly and I'm so happy to be a part of this community!
Data Deets
27F 5'2"
SW: 243.3; CW: 233; GW: ??
Haven't set an end goal, just working towards feeling better at the moment.
CICO approach, while being mindful but not hard on myself about Macros (Carbs 50%, Fats 30%, Protein 20%). Calorie Intake cap at 1730. (Binging puts me at 3000 on particularly bad day.)
Due to work stress, my appetite is normally suppressed during the day, so an inadvertent IF approach on most week days. Which looks like water and maybe a small coffee for breakfast, then a big meal (home-cooked, veggie based) around 6 after clocking out.
Exercise: Weekly walks, which have increased over time in frequency, distance, and speed. And poi (super fun and a great arm workout) 2/3 times a week.
Weekly small incorporations:
- No takeout/delivery for a week - has turned into three weeks straight now!
- 1 walk a week > 3 walks a week
- As little processed food as possible (no freezer food, no pantry box meals). Going for home cooked, veggie heavy, low sodium meals on the daily.
- Have healthy snacks at the ready (Fruits, dried fruits, nuts, cucumber slices with a touch of cheese)
- Have desert! Within reason! - A snickers bar was ok, but not worth the calories. Noticing this, I switched to homemade sweets/chocolates that incorporate fresh berries as well. Still decadent, still sweet, but more volume/flavor than a quick candy bar.
- Opening up about my new journey with a close friend who also went through the same a few years back. This was tough!! But saying these things out loud to another human helped make it real and her kind response helped me feel supported.
If you made it this far, thanks again and I wish you the best on your journey as well!
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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/3j5nD7s
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