- No-one cares about you losing weight as much as you do
People are inconsiderate towards weight loss, because we live in a society of consumption and gluttony. It's considered polite to offer people food, regardless of whether they are trying to lose weight or not.
People may not necessarily understand weight loss as much as yourself, therefore they could be naive as to what you can and can't eat. They don't mean it malevolently(some do), they're just generally ignorant towards what you're trying to achieve.
- A cheat meal doesn't need to turn into anything more
We're all here because at some point, for whatever reason we began to over-indulge. That pattern of over-indulgence is cemented into who you are, and you need to fight with everything within you to prevent yourself from returning to it. It's a default setting that can be over-written.
It's great to enjoy a cheat meal every now and then. But if you're like me, your brain will tell you that a cheat meal is two pizzas with fries followed by dessert. This is insanity, and no human needs to consume that much food. You know prior to eating it that you won't feel good after. You'll feel bloated and like you can't breathe properly for 6 hours, and then spend the night being uncomfortable. On top of that, you run the risk of continuing to eat like this as your insulin response will be off the charts. Your body will very quickly remember how you used to replace whatever was missing from your life with food.
- Lifting weights is not just for meat-heads
Applying resistance to your body periodically is good for you. Your body is one of the greatest weights you have, and you shouldn't neglect strength. Strength is important for a plethora of reasons, but the most important to me at least, is feeling functional. Can i use my body the way i want to? Yes. Could i when i was fat? Fuck no.
Head over to /r/bodyweightfitness for some inspiration if you don't fancy joining a gym. Even 15 minutes a day will work wonders, i promise.
- I don't want to go crazy, just get a little 'toned'
'Getting toned' is the term that pisses me off the most. For whatever reason, it's the term that people use when they want to half ass working out. There is a common misconception that if you lift light weights, for lots of reps, you will become 'Toned'. This is bullshit, don't buy into it for a second. Your body composition and how you look can change in the following ways:
4.1 Build muscle
In order to build muscle, you must lift weight which provides enough resistance to cause the targeted muscles to'micro-tear'. You must then eat enough protein to rebuild these muscles stronger. The general consensus is 1-2g ofprotein per lbs of bodyweight. Every day.
4.2 Lose muscle
If your macros don't contain enough protein to maintain muscle(see 4.1) and you eat at a deficit, you will losemuscle. Muscle is the body's most readily available energy source, therefore it will get eaten before everything elseif you're at a deficit. Ketogenic diets can combat this by putting the body into a state of ketosis. When the body is inketosis, the primary fuel source switches from carbohydrates, to fat. This means that when the body runs out offuel you've put into it, it starts eating into reserves (body fat).
4.3 Lose fat
This has been covered multiple times daily since this sub began, but basically put, CICO. Calories In vs Calories Out.Burn more than you consume and you will lose fat (and muscle depending on macros).
4.4 Gain fat
Pls, no.
So getting 'toned' is arguably the hardest thing to do. You need to build muscle, and lose fat. This means focusing on the foods which give you the most 'bang for your buck', or the most protein, least carbs, and least calories. It really pisses me off when people say "oh, i just want to tone up a bit". Becoming toned (unless you're skinny to start with) is super difficult and takes a lot of dedication.
- Supplementation
Supplements are incredible. Some people think that shakes and 'all that junk' are going too far. See above, what i said about protein per calories. My current protein shake (shoutout to MyProtein impact whey isolate), will give me 44g of protein for 180kcal. So this is the best possible 'snack' i could have. And it's filling. Aaaand it's delicious.
There is a whole world of supplements out there, and each have their place. I guess my point is, don't be afraid of them. It's not crossing a line, or going too far. It's purchasing a product which is designed to aid your journey, embrace it.
- Nothing... and i fucking mean NOTHING, is more important than how you feel about yourself
I really mean this. Your self worth is so, so important. The way you view yourself is projected through everything you ever do. You need to think about the things you do well every day, and be proud of yourself. We're all completely different, and we all have different situations etc. We can't all look like supermodels, and that's okay. I'm not saying that you MUST lose weight otherwise you can't value yourself. What i'm saying is, if you value yourself and you're overweight, you should lose weight. Don't work out because you hate your body, work out because you love your body and you want to get the most from it.
Our physical image contributes to our self worth because of the media and the society we live in. But don't let it be everything (i'll explain more in 7.). Value yourself equally and in a balanced way on varying different accolades: How you looke, how well dressed you are etc, how well do you listen and empathize with others? How often do you help people, or do thoughtless things? Do you give blood? Could you? If you were talking to you, would you enjoy the conversation? Are you engaging etc etc you get it....
- Don't expect your life to change overnight once you reach your goal weight
You will still feel like you, but the way to look at it is this: Over the years you've strayed further and further from your baseline. Your default should be your goal weight. This means you should feel 'normal'. That's a good thing, but normal isn't overwhelming. It's pretty boring, so don't neglect the things that make your life exciting because not being fat, really isn't that exciting. It's normal.
- Consistency
I know, i know. Everyone says it, but cliches are there for a reason. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Consistency is the single most important factor in all of this. Even if you can produce a calorie deficit of 200kcl a day, that will soon add up. If you're busting your ass and you're starving and angry all the time, you won't keep it up. Find something that works for you, because everyone is vastly different.
Fin
If you've got this far, then thanks for reading my rambling post. Apologies if it doesn't read great, i just blasted it out at work.
NSFW PIC https://i.imgur.com/RxXELqi.jpg --> M28, 5"11, 109KG --> 99KG = 10KG lost
I'll leave my progress pic here. I've been through a journey myself, so if anyone wants to PM me questions etc, i'm all ears (although i'm in no way qualified other than my own progress). If not, then enjoy your journey. Every single day, you're becoming a better version of yourself.
Peace x
