I’m 45 NB, 5’4”. SW: 264 lbs, CW: 224 lbs , GW: 130 lbs. This is my first post here, so hello!
I was fairly fit as a kid, active in sports, could pig out on a burger without many consequences, had that fantastic metabolism most young people take for granted…. I had knee surgery when I was 16 and gave up being a catcher, but I was still pretty active. I kept within 5 or 10 pounds of my ideal weight at least halfway through college.
When I was 21, I had a car accident that resulted in a permanent injury to my right foot, and that active lifestyle ground to a halt. No longer able to handle high impact anything, and depressed to boot, I ate my feelings. Over the next 15 years, the weight ratcheted up—170… 190… 215… and higher. But the last 5 years or so, I took comfort eating to a whole new level. At my height, weighing 264 lbs (119kg) was sooo uncomfortable. I could touch my toes, but I couldn’t breathe while doing it. I could lie on the floor, but needed a couch or hand to grab to get up off it.
March 4, 2022 was Day 1 for me. For the first time, my blood work came back from the lab with numbers that weren’t normal. I was pre-diabetic and showing signs of insulin resistance. That was my moment, the one that finally made me realize “the diet starts tomorrow” meant that day.
I’m lucky that my wife already had quite a lot of knowledge about eating healthy, using apps to track foods, how to find my sweet spot for calories and macros. So I:
Used tdee.com to get the calories I’d need to lose about 1lb a week (1600/day)
Downloaded MyFitnessPal (and accidentally bought a premium membership after the free trial, so now I have to make it work) so I track my food and exercise to keep myself honest.
Started IF (20:4) mainly because I have always had erratic eating patterns and the structure helps without stressing me out about food during the day.
I switched to a diet of as many whole foods as I can get, and I try not to eat more than 100-120 carbs a day.
I do struggle to get enough protein but it’s a work in progress. I’m still sedentary. I still sit in an office chair all day. I still have a messed up foot and knee. In fact, I twisted my knee 6 weeks after my Day 1. I’m in physical therapy again. But now, I’m using it to find ways to get my heart going for a few minutes. To pump some blood. To flex a muscle or two. And I’ll transition to the gym after PT is finished.
This week, I crossed a milestone: 40 pounds lost.
Never lost more than 5 pounds before this. But I’ve realized something. Losing weight is hard, yes. It’s one of the hardest things I’ll ever do. But it’s not all or nothing, win or lose, pass or fail.
It’s one choice at a time.
I’m going to have water instead of soda. A salad rather than fries. An apple instead of a cookie.
I don’t flog myself over a single bad choice, but I also don’t let one bad choice turn into three bad choices. I try to be kind to myself. This weight loss business is hard. I need all the grace I can give myself.
I have around 95 pounds to go. That seems like so much. But then, so did 40 once upon a time.
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