I love this sub, but sometimes I get a bit disheartened when I see posts about people losing the weight I have lost in a fraction of the time, or who have starting weights that are my goal weight.
But when I focus on my own progress, and see how far I have come, it feels amazing! I have now lost 30lb and just got into the "overweight" category, and it feels so much better! So this is for you slow losers, and people with high goal weights!
If you want to stop reading here, the tl:dr is 1. Going from obese to the top of overweight, via calorie counting and walking or light weights 5x per week, has really helped my fitness, confidence, stamina, libido, and general mood. It's not optimal being overweight, but it is still so much better than where I was before! Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. 2. Going slow feels so frustrating at times - when you first see a round number on the scale and it takes 2 months to actually get past it - but when you see the trend over time, and compare to where you were 6 months ago, your see how far your have come! My graph looks really dramatic, but I can fluctuate between the same 3 lb for a month!! 3. I have tried and then stopped losing weight many times before. This time I really tried to think for MYSELF why I had failed previously before starting, and that really helped. 4. Not lying to myself, and treating myself with understanding & compassion have been key.
Background: I started around oct/nov counting calories, as I was 197lb - that is right under the class 2 obesity for my height (5'3). I had tried this many times before and always quit, but did some things differently this time (under). Now I am 167 lb, it took about 9/10 months, so 0.5lb per week. My next subgoal is 160 before I go on a holiday in autumn, and ultimate goal is 147lb (last time I was this it was about 13 years ago!). It is high for my height. But it is MUCH healthier than being very overweight, I think it will be possible to maintain, and I feel good about how look there. I can always reevaluate.
Things I did differently this time: 1. Paid less attention to diet advice and really thought for myself about what I can do, and can't bear to do. Then built a system around that. Like, i know that swapping out chocolate with fruit is just not going to work for me at this stage. I will crack by week 2. It's just not realistic, so I should stop trying to think "this time if I just have enough willpower!!". No, face it, i won't. So I need room in my calories for a little chocolate every day. However, I'm not really a snacker, and I don't like breakfast foods. So I can skip those. Another example, signing up for the gym and not going. Why? I can't muster motivation to leave the house after work and it rains a lot where I live. So why do I keep trying?? Instead I got myself a walking pad and use that all the time! I always thought I had to follow a certain plan before, but learning my own strengths/weaknesses and playing to those is how I think I have stuck to this for 10 months.
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Tracking. I weigh myself everyday using libra - slow loss is so up and down that if I didn't have a tracker it would feel like it never moved! I count calories everyday using lifesum and my activity 5x per week using a habit tracker - I love keeping a streak. If I go over my calories and don't know exact numbers I still try and track something in the right ballpark, just to keep up the habit/streak.
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Low ambition level: my goal is to stick around my calorie goal (1500). I try to eat vegetables and limit (not cut out) fast food. But that's it. I often go over my goal on weekends, and up to (or over) maintenance on social/special nights. I'm happy with losing slower if it means I'm actually able to stick to it! I went over too often? Ok, that just means I won't see a change in the scale for a while. I will get back on it now, because a) I am still tracking and in the habit b) I don't beat myself up about it c) I don't hate my diet so it is not horrible to go back to it. The key is not to lie to myself, and not to beat myself up. They go hand in hand.
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Exercise. I belive that weight loss happens in the kitchen, BUT I think exercise has been central to my progress this time. It helps my mood a ton. I feel so much fitter and confident in my body, even though I'm still overweight. It's an incentive not to gain weight, because walking has gotten easier with weight loss and it feels so good! Note that these changes were just from regular walking and some body weight exercises - nothing crazy! I aim for 30 mins 5x per week, which is the general health guidelines from WHO.
This got kind of long, but I hope that maybe it might provide a bit of inspiration to any of you people who are losing slow, have high goal weights, or anyone really! Keep at it!! If you are doing any small step in the right direction, you are doing great. Treat yourself like a small child that you love and want the best for 🧡
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