Just wanted to post a success story and hopefully inspire some folks here on the weight loss journey.
Began losing weight strictly through diet January 6th of this year. I was a 5'8, 234 pound, 28M (looked about 200 since I had a fairly good amount of muscle still). I didn't follow a fad diet; I focused on a caloric deficit and cut my sodium intake to <1500mg a day.
Come June, I had dropped down to about 185 with no exercise. Beginning in July, I started doing an hour of cardio about 3 times a week. Come August, I started doing 3 hours of full body workouts a week, and 5-6 hours of cardio (I call it HISS; typically going for 60-90 minutes at a sustained HR of 140+). Come Thanksgiving, I was down to 154 and had dropped to about 16% body fat. I got married December 5th and weighed in at 150 the day before my wedding, and went from wearing a size 38 waist and 17.5" neck to wearing a comfortable size 32 and size 30 in some pants, with a 15" neck. Once I shift into maintenance, I'll need about 3000-3200 calories a day to maintain based on my rate of loss the 6 weeks before my wedding (roughly 1.5-2lbs a week).
I didn't follow a fad diet. I was typically still ingesting around 225-275 carbs a day on a 2200 caloric budget. I had cheat days a couple times a month. I enjoyed holiday food. Once a week I went and got my favorite milkshake or burger from somewhere. It's all about the downward trend. Don't beat yourself up over enjoying food with friends and family or eating what you want every once in a while. Weight loss, just like weight gain, isn't linear. Your body does not do perfect math with calories, whether you are cutting or trying to gain weight. Everyone is different. Don't think of food as JUST fuel to get you to the next meal or day; it is also something to enjoy in life. Don't worry about comparing your losses to someone else; the fact you are even trying to lose weight is more than most people can say. Keep at it and remember that you don't need success right this very instant; it takes time. You didn't gain all that weight instantly and you aren't going to lose all of it instantly. Reward yourself on milestones and don't look for fast methods or cheats to lose weight. You'll enjoy it more in the end.
P.S. - If I had to do it over again, the only thing I would change is perhaps not cutting the sodium so much. There is some conflicting evidence about the effectiveness of <1500mg sodium a day diets on those without cardiovascular issues. My doctor believes I may have developed a salt sensitivity, as I went on my honeymoon and gained 38 pounds in 8 days and am holding on to so much water weight that I look like I'm 200+ pounds again. This was after walking an average of 11.5 miles a day and being awake for 18 hours minimum, so I was definitely burning some calories and was only maxing out at probably 5-6k a day on the heaviest eating days. My entire physique has become puffy and bloated, and having anything more than about 2300mg of sodium in a day shoots my RHR from 43-45 up to around 90+. Once the new year comes around I'll be going on a far less drastic cut to lose the holiday weight and honeymoon weight, but I was told to expect it to take at least a month for the excess water to be expelled if I have truly developed a sodium sensitivity.
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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/3nDoOxs
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