Hi everyone.
First, a little introduction for those that want some context, but you can skip to the end for the actual question.
About me: I’m in my late 20s, female, 5’11” and currently 320lbs. I’ve been obese since childhood and trying to lose weight on and off for a long time. I’ve tried a lot of things and have never managed to keep the weight off for more than a year, but did temporarily okay two times. My first success (around 2014) was very unhealthy (started at 260, lost about 80lbs in 6 months eating 1200cals a day and doing an hour of cardio + work and school). This was obviously unsustainable so I gained that weight back + more! The second time (around 2018) was better but not sustainable (this time started at 340, lost about 80lbs again over 6 months, eating 1200-1500 a day and doing lifting/cardio daily, obsessing over numbers and tired all the time). Both times, I was 100% exercising and restricting to lose weight faster, without thinking about what I needed to sustain my body and health. Nowadays I have a much healthier relationship with myself and my body (thanks therapy), and I’m not focused on a specific number, but in getting fitter, healthier, and maintaining mobility so my future is better.
Now, the issue. I learned last time that I really really like lifting heavy and getting stronger. I have been doing so consistently (following StrongLifts) for about two months. In that time, I haven’t tried to restrict my calories, but have focused on hitting the gym daily (alternating cardio and strength training), eating nutritious foods, especially more greens/vegetables and ordering out less. I have noticeably lost some inches and been improving on all my lifts, but my weight hasn’t budged. I know it's not possible that I've gained pounds and pounds of muscle, so I guess it might be water weight, but it's been 2 months and I have a high starting weight, so I'm not sure how feasible that is. I also weigh enough that I think I should start focusing on actually losing weight as well- for health benefits, to ease pressure on my joints, etc, so at this point, I think I probably need to start calorie counting again. To be totally honest, I’m really scared of obsessing over lower and lower numbers again- I always tell myself I'll do a small deficit but I inevitably find I want to reduce it more and more to lose weight faster and that always makes me miserable, anxious, and exhausted. I do want to lose fat and get to a healthier weight, but I also want to support my interest in fitness- it's not only motivating, but it also gives me the structure I need to build new habits and encourages me to make better choices in food/drink/sleep. Ideally, I'd continue my workouts and better eating, and start cutting calories a little, but I'd like to do so without setting myself up to obsess and ultimately fail again.
Questions: Has anyone lost a substantial amount of fat in a way that doesn't involve strictly/constantly counting calories? Alternatively, has anyone been able to maintain a lifting program and gotten stronger while losing weight (even if slowly)? How did you do it? And finally, is it likely that the weight I haven't lost is just water weight, since I'm still losing some inches? Your thoughts in general are very welcome. Thanks so much for reading and your thoughts!
Note- I understand that weight loss is ultimately CICO and that I can't outrun my fork/etc. I just want to figure out how to balance my calories-in without spiraling as usual...
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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/3kzsLTH
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