the new year is here and i'm going to just guess that there'll be more eyeballs in this sub for a bit. for those venturing down this journey, here's just a few things i've learned along the way to hopefully save you some time and stress.
by way of background, i'm 48m 5'9" and went from 213 to 179 from the onset of the pandemic. after yoyoing up/down most my adult life, this time i've been able to sustain the loss for an extended period. this is what works for me and not everything will be applicable to everyone, but there's some general lessons here that i hope can be useful
so here's my bulleted list of lessons learned (the hard way). i'll split it up into 3 parts: diet, activity, and mental
DIET / EATING
- drink water. before a meal i drink a couple glasses of water, preferably about 15-30 minutes beforehand, maybe while preparing the food. this starts the clock on the delay before feeling full. want a snack? sure, just drink water first. the plain water is important here. not soda/juice.
- personally, i know i don't do well with deprivation diets. meaning, the no meat/no carbs/no fat/etc diets don't work with me long term. so i eat whatever i want, just half of it. the last bite of (anything) doesn't taste nearly as good as the first bite anyway
- i prepare half of what i want to eat. so if i want a sandwich i only make half a sandwich. this doesn't mean making a whole sandwich and cutting it in half, i literally only make half a sandwich. if i still want more, i get to eat it, but i have to make the other half from scratch just like the first half. my laziness works to my benefit there.
- tv snacks are my weakness. so i eat something healthy before junk food. i'll nom nom on some carrots, nuts, or pickles cuz i like salty crunchy. if i still want chips, sure thing. but i put them in a bowl instead of eating straight from the bag. if want more i just have to get up to get it. again, my laziness is my ally here. over time the volume of junk food just kinda decreases on its own. if you're into sweets, fruit works wonders. for real. good fruit is tasty AF
- useless calories sneak in all over the place. sauces and beverages pack a punch. i still have em, but just less of it. i mean, jeez my food has to taste good. i'd rather have a little salad dressing than a lot of vinegar.
- i want to keep things appetizing. there's no point in conditioning myself to hate the healthy stuff.
ACTIVITY / EXERCISE
- nothing epic for me. i mean, you want to run a marathon or ride a century? yeah man, have at it. those are amazing goals. but it's not for me. i opted for smaller guaranteed successes.
- small things do make a difference. parking farther away. choose stairs instead of elevators. go to the office bathroom further away. the activity that worked for me was just to incorporate it into mundane life. when i make the hurdles smaller i don't have to think about it.
- walking is super underrated. no need to run marathons if you get the daily steps in. i guarantee your phone has a step counter built in and i further guarantee that you always have your phone with you
- i also know i get bored in a gym. so instead of 'working out' i play games. i joined my county parks volleyball/softball/kickball leagues and have a blast. some seasons are more physical than others, but it's really fun and i get to be outside. i realized later on that this also compels me to get dressed, leave the house, park, walk to/from whatever, reduces idle screen time, met cool people, etc. small things, they add up.
- it's all about making my day to day life more active, not suddenly pretending to be an athlete.
MENTAL / ATTITUDE
- run a mile. if you're like me, you have to slow down pretty quick. most of my weight loss fails were because i focused too much on the beginning and not enough on the rest of the distance. the weight loss we seek is a lifelong change and thinking i could sustain that early enthusiasm was unrealistic. the run a mile thing is just an illustration but if you actually do it, it's a good image to go back to along the way.
- success stories on the internet are dramatic, but the fact is, is that most of our successes are modest, quiet, and very personal. but those small successes stack. they stack like crazy. wins can be hard to come by, celebrate them.
- go easy on yourself. don't beat yourself up if you gave in to a craving or missed a gym session. if you're really in this you absolutely have to give yourself some grace.
- no one can do everything at the same time. diet and exercise works but that does not mean starvation and labor camps.
- have real expectations. weight loss waxes and wanes. you'll have periods of great success and times when the weight reverses or plateaus. it's all part of it.
- unappetizing diets or exercising for the sake of exercising, all in the name of weight loss, could become a grind. that's why i focus more on the fun parts.
TLDR
- i eat what i want, just less of it
- i make my daily life more active, not epic
- chill. it's all good
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