40M; 5’ 7”; SW: 256lbs, CW: 233lbs, GW: 180lbs. I have struggled with my weight my whole life and it is a constant source of anxiety and disappointment. By the end of 2020, my pandemic eating habits caught up with me and I reached an all-time high of ~256lbs. In January 2021, I decided to deal with this problem seriously. Things went well at first. I started using Noom. I obsessively logged all my calories. I stuck to a CICO approach, sticking to foods with low caloric density (lots of chicken and veggie stir fries with rice) and maintaining a calorie deficit every day. I closed all the rings on my Apple Watch for months-long stretches. I regularly attended Orangetheory classes in my neighborhood and even won the weight-loss challenge there in the spring. While my weight loss trend slowed after that, by the end of June, I was down to 218lbs.
I attributed much of my progress to the lack of social interaction those days (because of pandemic fears and restrictions), which gave me more time to devote to diet and exercise, but also kept me away from temptation and the frequent food binges that come when I drink too much. As the warmer months arrived, that changed, and so my weight loss slowed. In the beginning of July, I went on a road trip with a friend for about two and a half weeks. During that time I pretty much let everything slide. I also got sick then (not COVID thankfully), which put me out of commission for the rest of July.
By August, I was back to 230lbs and felt absolutely terrible about it. I had lost control of my diet. My cardio fitness had almost completely reverted back to my 2020 levels and I could barely run a mile. Moreover, the Orangetheory classes had been taking a serious toll on my body (I had previously needed two bouts of physical therapy for exercise-related neck and shoulder issues) and I have been classes much less frequently. I’m planning to quit this month, as $200/month is a steep price for a gym that I barely attend. I quit Noom, as I found it largely unhelpful, apart from the calorie counting and weight tracking functions. My weight continued trending upwards and after a recent trip, I was back at 236lbs last week.
Long story short, I’m trying to recommit to my weight loss, but I’m not sure how to proceed. I don’t want to go back to my old plan, so I’ve started doing Keto again, because I know it works, at least in the short term. I’ve also been going for long walks in the neighborhood. No real exercise plan beyond that. However, with the holidays coming up, I don’t know if it’s sustainable, and I might just be setting myself up for failure. My weight has cycled up and down over the course of my life and my biggest fear is that my metabolism is now in permanent starvation mode, and just like the Biggest Loser contestants, my weight will rebound faster than I can lose it and I will never be able to reach and/or maintain my goal weight. Should I continue Keto or go back to my previous plan? I would definitely appreciate advice from people with similar histories.
[link] [comments]
from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/30iDew2
No comments:
Post a Comment