(I mention this later in the post, but I wanted to preface this by saying that I understand losing weight for health reasons is completely different than losing for aesthetic reasons. The first 30lbs I lost were for health- I struggled to walk upstairs and was almost in the obese category. I know that if you feel unhealthy and are overweight/obese, you might be more inclined to try to lose at a faster pace. Do what works for you always!!)
From 2019-2020, I (26 female 5’9) went from 195 to 165. I did this by cutting my portion sizes down, eating when I was hungry/stopping when full, and walking 10k steps a day. During this time I felt great- mentally I had balance and was motivated and happy, and I did it in a very healthy way vs previous weight loss efforts that were always extreme all or nothing.
After I hit 165, however, I decided I wanted to lose more fat and work towards ab definition. That’s when I started noticing a change in my mental attitude towards fitness. I started getting into my all or nothing mindset again, comparing myself to others’ progress (online), obsessing/fixating etc.
What was happening was that I would go 110% and then burn out. When I look at my weight trends, it’s been a few times now that I’ve gotten to a lower weight, then end up gaining some of it back. Obviously this isn’t sustainable and I realized something needed to change.
So what I did was I took a few weeks of relaxing with my eating and my workouts. I took time to think about what needed to change and where I was. I realized social media (fitness influencer IG & YT) wasn’t doing me any favors- it caused me to compare myself to others and second guess everything I was doing. I also realized that putting a time frame on my goals (which I was doing by trying to do cut/bulk cycles and lose a certain amount of weight by a certain date) put unnecessary stress on me. Finally, I realized that when my life is stressful or I’m not doing well mentally, it directly correlates with my attitude towards fitness because I start to hyper focus on being perfect.
Something else I realized was that losing fat for aesthetic purposes is different than losing it for health. I always knew that- but it hit me that I don’t need to be in a rush to lose the ‘aesthetic fat’. I’m lucky enough not only to be at a healthy weight, but I’m confident about how I look and feel to where I don’t have to rush. I can just enjoy the process. I know not everyone is there, but if you are trying to lose fat for aesthetic reasons, you can take it slow. Even if you are still overweight/obese you can take it slow if you need to/choose to because losing it slowly is still so much better than not losing it at all.
So NOW - I am still wanting to lose fat, but I am doing it without putting a time frame on it. I’ve been losing on average about half a pound a week and that’s OKAY! I’m enjoying summer. Eating chips, candy, ice cream- sometimes more than a little! I’ve stepped back from lifting for a while to give my body a much needed break. Most importantly, I’m not fixating!!! Not constantly thinking about food, my next workout, tracking what I’m eating, etc. I’m just doing what I need to do and letting the process happen slowly. I’m also spending significantly less time on fitness IG/YT and that has made a big difference for me.
TLDR; You don’t have to lose 2lbs a week or lose this much weight by this date. It’s okay to take it slow. Slow progress is still progress and it’s so much more sustainable, easier on you mentally, and makes life more enjoyable.
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