The 10 things I learned losing 20lbs

I don't know about y'all, but Quarantine had its way with me. It became too easy to sit around and eat shamelessly, make up excuses not to exercise, and develop unhealthy habits.

January of this year (2021) I weighed in at 217lbs, the heaviest I've been in my whole life. I had done some dieting and sporadic working and a lot of disc golfing out throughout '21, but I could not break the 205lb hump. September came here and I was back up to 213lb. I got serious, started eating better, exercised regularly, lifted weighs, disc golfed more than I ever had, and weighed in last night at 196.4lbs. 20lbs down from the start of the year!

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What I did may not work for everyone, but I wanted to share somethings I learned.

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1. Calories in = Calories out , period.
   1. It seems kind of rudimentary. I used to try these wild low-carb, or extreme diets, and while they worked temporarily I couldn't sustain them because my cravings were unreasonable. When I stopped being afraid of carbs, my life got easier. Eat what you prescribe yourself Which leads to #2...
2. Calculate your macros correctly!
   1. I used an online dieting guide from Jeff Nippard called "The Ultimate Guide To Body Recomposition", to calculate my macros. It is absolutely worth the investment IMO if you have $50 laying around. NOTE: I wanted to keep my muscle mass and lose fat, and this set of calculations is designed to do that. Here's the gist:
      1. Calculate BMR (Mifflin St. Jeor formula) EX: Let's say ours is 2000kcal
      2. Calculate TDEE aka Maintenance Calories(BMR*Activity Multiplier). Guess and check this by weighing yourself and noting if you're gaining(subtract 500 calories) or losing (do nothing unless you're losing >2lbs a week) EX: 2000kcal*sedentary(1.2) = 2400kcal
      3. Estimate Lean Body Mass (LBM = weight * (1-body fat%)) EX: 200lbs*(1-30%)=140lbs
      4. Set yourself up in a 20-30% caloric deficit. EX: 2400kcal*(1-20%) = 1920kcal
      5. Set your protein macros. (1.2g to 1.6g of protein per pound of LBM. 1.2g for higher BF%, 1.6% for lower BF%) EX: 1.2*140lbs = 168g of protein per day *4 calories per gram = 672kcal of protein per day and if you don't want extra protein, multiply your LBM by 0.7-1. EX 140*1 = 140g of protein per day * 4 calories per gram = 560kcal of protein per day.
      6. Determine your fat intake/day (Keep it low, 20-25% max) and calculate your fat intake. EX: 1920kcal*20%=384kcal of fat / 9calories per gram = 42g of fat per day.
      7. Calculate Carbs from remaining calories. EX. 1920kcal - 672kcal (P) -384kcal (F) = 864kcal of carbs per day / 4 calories per gram = 216g of carbs per day
      8. This is how you do it! So from the example above, your macros are: 1920kcal per day, 168g of Protein, 42g of Fat, 216g of carbs. Again, I realize this is a high protein level for most people, especially if you aren't weight lifting. However, an advantage to upping your protein is that protein takes the longest to metabolize in your body next to carbohydrates. Protein and carbs will help keep your metabolic fire roaring even when you're not active.
3. Make time for daily exercise and listen to your body when you need to rest.
   1. Once a day, do something for 30mins minimum. It will keep your body feeling active and overall feeling better! Get used to moving! And when you're spent, NOT TIRED, but spent, rest your body. Everyone is tired. Get used to being tired.
4. Drink water. 2/3 oz per LB of body weight a day(rule of thumb)!!!!
   1. Not only is this a good practice, but it facilitates fat burning and this is how you lose water weight. Any time I had a salty meal I would wake up the next day weighing 5-10lbs more. WTF how did that happen??? If I drank enough water, about a gallon for me, my weight would be lower than it was the day before. Stay hydrated!
5. Intermittent Fasting works!
   1. I thought this one was a bunch of bologna but I attribute most of my success to this diet. I was on a 16:8 cycle and I felt like this was good for me. No breakfast, 11am lunch, and would be finished eating by 7pm. (sometimes the time varied slightly, lets be honest).... If you haven't tried it, do some research and give it a shot!
6. Supplement, supplement, supplement
   1. Vitamins. Take them. Your body will thank you! Have a joint issue? Supplement. Vitamin D deficient? Supplement. My favorite supplement I started was ashwagandha, I took 650mg every morning and it made me feel fantastic! Also, psyllium husk (metamucil). Poop good, live good my homies. It also helps clean you out a bit which makes the scale say a lower number :)
7. Wait for the "whoosh"
   1. Ultimately the most frustrating thing about weight loss was looking at the scale and seeing a number that was WAY higher than expected. You'd be drinking water, eating right, and the weight stays the same. One day you work out, or wake up, and weigh yourself and its drastically less! Idk why, Idk how, but wait for the "whoosh".
8. Make exercise fun!
   1. There is no reason that your workouts need to be miserable. None. Burning calories and getting healthier is not a chore, especially if you want to maintain this habit long term. I incorporate disc golf into my exercise routine 4 times a week which makes my health journey so much fun. Plus with my strength training I have gotten very good DG! Go for a hike, a bike ride, or pick up a sport. HAVE FUN!!!!!
9. Eating the same thing everyday sucks, don't be afraid to get creative within the confines of your diet!
   1. Chicken Breast and veggies.... The meal combo that will get your ripped but also make you lose your sanity. I ate this and still eat this a lot, but its boring... its important to remember that as long as you track your macros you can eat almost anything you want! For lunch today I'm having bison patties and a garden salad, but this weekend I'm having a burger and beers because I planned out my eating and exercising to allow for it. That's all you need to do! Which leads to #10...
10. USE MY FITNESS PAL
    1. If you don't use it, use it. If you do use it, use it better. Track everything that touches your lips. Salad dressing? Add it. Extra oil in the pan? Add it. Use a measuring cup if you're unsure of what a cup is, and get a scale to weigh out your "8oz chicken breast". Be honest with yourself, and if you have to guess, overestimate your intake.
11. *BONUS* Understand this is a process and YMMV
    1. My weight fell right off because I did everything ^ above. But yours may not, whether that's genetics or otherwise. At the end of the day it is your decision to be the adult you want to be and the discipline it takes to do this will test you. So make the weight loss journey enjoyable!

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If you need someone to motivate you, talk to, or help with those macro calculations, DM me! This subreddit has been a great resource to me, and I hope to be the same for you all.

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Take care and good luck with your own journey's!

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Harry

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