When we begin our weight loss journeys, we often think of it as a choice: We want to get better, be healthier, we want to live for our relatives.
Yet, while true, often times we may see it become a necessity, or else we'd suffer the consequences of inaction.
Mine was such case.Beginning in September 2019, my health conditions greatly worsened to such an extent that I could have dropped dead at any moment. All primarily to me weighing 309 pounds.
To give you an insight of such health conditions:
-My blood pressure was consistently 180/110, this is a hypertensive crisis, and I have a significant chance of getting a heart attack and stroke. I frequently had severe headaches, edema in my legs, and chest pressure and/or pain.-I had black patches of skin in my neck, feet, blurry vision, and severe fatigue. As you may know, this significantly indicates prediabetes.
-I could not stand still for a minute without feeling significant pain in my joints and feet.
-I struggled to use the stairs.
-I had a resting pulse of 90/min
-My heart was broken.
I had an appointment with the cardiologist to see if my heart is healthy (thankfully, it was), and he mentioned that if I ever wanted my blood pressure wanted to change and to keep my heart healthy, I had to lose weight.
Beginning in December 2019, I heeded the warnings of prediabetes and blood pressure, and immediately decreased my food intake to 1500 calories/day.
Here is what I did:
Diet:
Besides the regular and necessary CICO and counting calories, there's a couple of things that I did differently than most weight-loss success stories.
-In order to stop me from binging, I had 2 cheat days where I could eat ~2500 calories (This would change with my weight over time). At first glance this may seem counterintuitive, but I ate tons of protein on those days, sweets were also consumed, but at a minimal.
-I completely stopped eating junk food.
-I replaced all drinks with water
-I frequently did cardio exercise
-I played with colleagues at the gym (Badminton, Kickball, Dodgeball, etc)
-I consumed sweets minimally
-I ate whole wheat bread and no-sugar jam for a snack.
-I had biscuits (270 cal) and milk tea (90 cal) for breakfast every day, this gave me enough energy and satiated me for hours.
Psychological:
-The biggest barriers were family, they will be like the devil in your ears, tempting you with the most unhealthy foods you'll ever see, and consistently beg you to eat unbearable quantities of them. To this day, I jokingly say that my family made my diet significantly harder than it should've been; and it's true. Fortunately, it gets better over time, you won't be tempted, as long as you learn to say "NO!"
-The cheat days were seen as a reward for my hard efforts, I'd frequently lose 2+ Ibs with them until very recently. They help you keep control. Whenever I had cravings, I'd frequently say "I can eat this on my cheat day". The majority of the time I'd end up not eating it on said cheat days.
-I frequently put sugary foods in front of me for a specific period of time (often 30 minutes), I'd often try to tempt myself and then resist, this helped up build an "immunity" of sorts over time of practice. This really helps. Not only would I not binge when I get at my healthy weight, but I learned to resist temptations vehemently; not just food, but in all matters of life.
-Envisioning:
I'd often envision how I wouldn't worry about my then health conditions when I lose weight, how I'd look sexy, and, very optimistically, would get all the women. I always kept this in the back of my mind, no burger, fried chicken, or pizza will make it worth it for me to risk diabetes on a daily basis, make my joints hurt, or have my chest pressured and in pain.
-Be busy:
I found when I am sitting fiddling with my thumbs, I'd often increase my eating portions, and thus halt me from shedding the pounds. To deal with this issue, I would often study, research, or watch educational videos.
Not only did this keep my mind and growling belly off food, but it also helped me finish many books and studying large quantities of information in a short timespan!
The Aftermath:
As it stands, I am very slightly overweight, at 205 Ibs, I no longer have any of the beginning health conditions, I sleep better, I think better, it's much easier for me to move, and I am happy on a consistent basis, eating healthy food, and appalled at the idea of eating a single french fry; although chocolate isn't out of the question just yet!
I hope my success motivates any of those currently struggling. Remember that struggling and failing is better than accepting the status quo and doing nothing! Know that your current problems will not last. Be patient, control yourself. Use my psychological methods if necessary.
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