(28F, 5'10", SW: 280, GW: 180, CW: 276)
I have been lurking in this subreddit since the beginning of December, and have been using the different stories of this community to implement small life changes. During quarantine I went from 230lbs to my record highest of 280lbs. I felt defeated as a person. Things that used to be easy for me (like going on long walks) became incredibly difficult and painful. It was easier to be angry and feel bad for myself than it was to forgive myself, practice self-love, and find a way to create real change.
I realized if I was going to create permanent change, I needed to start small. No more unpractical life changes all at once that would inevitably lead to defeat. I started writing in a daily journal and outlined my goals. I broke those goals into tiny bite-sized pieces that would be easy to chew and build upon. For example, one of my goals is to be able to walk 10,000 steps a day by the end of 2021. Going from couch potato to 10,000 steps a day was going to be difficult for me and I did not want to set myself up for failure. It started with committing to one walk a day. Even if I only walked down to the end of the street and back, it counted. I had to build the habit.
Once I felt good about going on walks, I added a daily step goal of 3,500 steps a day. I was currently banking less than 1,000 a day so it was something that I could accomplish with a little effort. I track my walks and steps every day in my journal to keep myself on track. There are occasional days when my body tells me it needs to rest, and on those days- I listen. But most days I commit to the walk. When I noticed I was getting bored of my neighborhood walks, I started exploring my local trails for a change of scenery.
During this time I was only counting calories casually, to get a general idea of what my daily intake was. After I felt good about my daily walking habit, I calculated what my daily intake should be to lose about a pound a week. The problem was I completely miscalculated and didn't realize it until a few weeks in when I noticed the scale wasn't budging. I fixed my error and since then have been consuming about 1800kcals a day. Before this, the scale would fluctuate between 277 and 280 pounds and it was starting to drive me crazy. I know that you cannot rely on the scale as a sole indicator of weight loss and it doesn't take into account how much stronger and happier I feel since my daily walks (I also took measurements on January 1st, and will take more on February 1st). But, instead of feeling defeated I pressed on.
This morning the scale read 276.8. It is only .2lbs under where I felt stuck at 277, but it filled me with joy. My tiny habit changes are slowly adding up and it feels good.
If you were like me a month ago and are lurking this sub trying to figure out where to start, my advice is to start small and to start now. Break down your goals into tiny-bite sized habits. Be kind to yourself and forgive yourself when you stumble. You can do this.
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