I've struggled with my weight for a long time. I grew up poor on food stamps, which unfortunately does not lead to healthy eating as many of the cheapest foods are among the worst for you in calories and nutrients. I averaged around 215 lbs in high school. In college I got my weight down to the upper 160's, but I was exercising all the time and ate like an Olympic athlete (easily ~3,000 calories a day). Because I lived across from the gym, I never taught myself healthy eating.
I worked night shift after college and slowly regained the weight. My first major job after that was extremely stressful, 5 directors in as many years, and my weight ballooned to 226 lbs (at one point I got back down to 194lbs, but regained it all because of the stress of that job). When I finally changed jobs at the end of March last year, I had fought back down to 206 lbs.
This morning my weight is 159.8 and I am so proud of myself. My target is 146 because it would be 80 pounds down overall from my peak weight and it is so close.
I've been keeping track of my weight for years in an Excel spreadsheet. It helped me understand that fluctuations of 2-3 pounds could be water weight and that to lose weight I needed to watch for gradual declines over the course of weeks. (I've even had two 5 pounds swings if I was dehydrated one day and had a buffet with a friend the next). Having metrics is key.
Calorie-wise, it is recommend that I eat about ~2400 calories a day. I've learned that I will gain 1 pound a week doing so. My job and lifestyle are simply too sedentary (assuming I do not exercise at all). 1800 calories is right for maintaining my weight. 1500 has been my target for losing weight. On occasion, I have gone as low as 1200 calories, but I do not recommend it and my understanding is that it is unhealthy to do so long-term.
Fiber has been great for reducing how many calories I eat. When I max out my daily fiber, I do not feel the hunger from lowering my overall calories. It has made all the difference in allowing me to maintain my calorie goals.
Personally, diet was the big part that I was missing. I did purchase gym equipment for my home several years ago, which I know puts me outside the norm. I have a weight rack (dumbbells), power bench, exercise bike, and treadmill. I do much more cardio than strength training to be honest. I try to go for at least 30 minutes a day (easy enough to read a comic book or watch a tv episode on the treadmill!). I've also taken up a bit of jogging. This alone has resulted in a steady 1 to 2 pound weight loss per week (a bit more if I exercise more as well, but I never wanted to burn myself out).
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