Calorie deficit. That's it. Whatever it takes to get into and stay in a calorie deficit is how we lose weight. Various tools can help get you there. For me, I do IF, daily workouts, and food tracking.
Back in 2019, I tried the Keto fad diet. Trying to cut as many carbs as possible. It worked for awhile. I stuck to it for 6 months, and went from 225 to around 175 pounds in that time. But then I sorta just fell off the wagon and stopped caring about what I ate. I was cycling to work a couple times a week, but that was it for my physical activity.
By the end of 2021 I was back up to nearly 250 lb., which appalled me. Starting right then, I got back to food tracking. I actually joined and followed the Noom program for several months, although in hindsight it's really not required (would not recommend, if they're even still around). I also started daily workouts. First walking, and then running, on days that I didn't cycle. Combined with 16-8 IF (only ate between 12-8 pm, mostly), the weight came back off. By Fall 2022 I was down into the 170's again.
I maintained in the 180's for most of 2023, but then fell off again. I kept doing daily workouts (I've barely missed any days since 2022), but stopped caring about what or how much I ate. 2024, 2025, the weight crept back up. As of 20 April 2026, I was up to 226 again. And I decided to get back to it. Daily food logging (free version of MyFitnessPal), calorie and workout tracking via Apple watch, daily workouts of at least 30 minutes, every day. Only eating between 12 and 8 pm, aside from my morning coffee with splash of half-n-half. And, daily weigh-ins, at the same time every morning. Overall I aim for about 700-900 daily calorie deficit. And no, that does not leave me hungry, at all.
As of today, 5 June 2026, I'm 208, down 18 pounds since 20 April. Hoping to get back into the 170's eventually. I've been there before, and I felt so much better at that weight. A few things I've learned through this journey:
- I HAVE to track calories. I have to know where I'm at. That means using my Apple watch to track active calories, which feeds into MyFitnessPal to track my food and workouts, which then shows my daily calorie deficit. When I don't track, I tend to just eat everything in sight.
- IF has been a big help at maintaining the daily deficit.
- Brushing my teeth in the 8 PM hour also helps me to not sit around and snack at night.
- Daily workouts are a habit at this point. I just do it. Making it a daily habit makes it much easier to not skip.
- Daily weigh-ins also help me know where I'm at. I'm a numbers/stats type of person, so I have to know where I'm at every day, and always weighing under the same circumstances (morning before any food or drink, after the morning BM).
- I try to get in a good mixture of carbs, fats and protein. I don't really track macros at all anymore. Whatever I can eat that will fill me up while still staying in the calorie deficit, is fine for me.
- The Hacker's Diet is another good resource. I read most of it a few years ago, and still use the web-based charts and graphs to input my weight data. I only recently learned of the author's passing a few years ago, but the website itself is still up and running www.fourmilab.ch
That's it. Hope someone might be inspired by the successes (and avoid the pitfalls) I've had over the last few years.
[link] [comments]
from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/vcmP5y6
No comments:
Post a Comment