SW: 242. CW: 172. GW: 154. 22M. 5'6" tall.
I feel my path is a little bit different from what most people here did.
I started my weight loss journey officially on January 2, 2020. Basically, I wanted to be healthier, to avoid the diabetes that has affected most of my older relatives, to look better, specially in my alternative fashion style, and to cosplay....yes I'm a weeb.
From January 2, my plan has been pretty simple and straightforward: Eating around 1500 cals a day, while focusing on incorporating veggies and fruit, and reducing fats and most sugars massively, as well as exercise for 30 minutes a day each and every day.
Unlike most people, I don't really track absolutely everything I eat, I'm fine with the value being 1400 one day, 1600 the next...I do know the exact calories of some of the food I eat, but for most of them, I don't. And I think this sort of approach has actually been benefical for me. I haven't had a single serious relapse or wish to quit in 9 months, and I mainly attribute it to how easy to follow my current alimentation plan was. Could I've lost more than 70 pounds in 9 months? Probably. But I saw this as a permanent lifestyle change. And, being permanent, it had to be something I could stick up with for the rest of my life, a happy medium, if you will, between eating healthy and eating tasty food (although, as months went by, I found out both often overlap, and I'm now having occasional cravings for stuff like a nice whole-grain rice salad)
I also like cheat, or as I like to call them, treat days, unlike what I've seen from most posts. Unhealthy/greasy/sugary food still tastes delicious to me, and the fact it's now a once a week thing instead of what I eat almost every day makes it ever the more special and makes me enjoy the meal even more than before. But I've learned the ropes of moderation. Yes, I can eat a Big Mac with french fries and coke once a month. Not twice a week, like I used to when I was bigger. Yes, I can have Diet Coke twice a month. Not thrice a week, like I used to last year. And I don't really have cravings, to be honest. I feel excited when my weekly treat day arrives, but I don't really crave that food for the remaining of my week. I think about what I'll get a couple days before and that's it.
Another thing I thought I would never happen is me finding joy in exercise. I've hated physical activity for almost the entirety of my life, yet I ended up loving it recently! I used to ride my static bike for 30 minutes while listening to music every day. It's now broke, so I've switched to 100 crunches, 100 pushups, and 100 squats a day. I would love some exercise tips or suggestions as, honestly, that's the part I'm the most clueless about right now.
I'm also soon to start consultations with a dietician to get the help I think I need to lose the final pounds!
So, in a nutshell:
Things I've learned/noticed
- JUST START. There's no better day than today. It doesn't matter what happens, you'll thank yourself after 3 months.
- Perfection is the opposite of possible. Screw ups, weight gains, binges, plateaus, and more are normal and part of the process. Cry if you need to. Shout. But then keep going.
- Diet Coke now tastes better than Regular Coke.
- Healthy food CAN be delicious if done right (Old me would've scoffed at the idea of a salad being tasty)
- People do treat you differently when you lose weight. I've noticed quite the increase in female attention. In some cases, girls who haven't even seen me or know I've lost weight, so it's not really about my body being more attractive, I think, but about me coming out as much more confident overall. I'm now in a relationship with a girl after a year or so of being single.
- No matter what clothes you wear, you'll look better in all of them if you lose weight.
- Same goes for whatever hairstyle you rock.
- Being able to fit comfortably in clothes I didn't wear in a bit under a decade is one of the best feelings in the world.
- Same with buying cute new clothes many sizes smaller than what I used to wear, and going from XL to M shirts.
- Finding jeans my size is not a nightmare anymore!
- My resistance to heat and hot temperatures has increased, my resistance to cold has decreased.
- Body dismorphia is a thing. I still see myself as fat sometimes, even in progress pics.
- Losing weight can turn your whole mentality around if you mean it. I've become a more positive, confident, and all-around better person because of my weight loss. I don't know why. I can't really explain it. But it happened. I have people telling me I'm an extremely possitive person, after being depressed for quite a long time.
- If you need help, seek it. If you want validation, seek it. There's people out there going through the same thing as you are going through, or who have gone through the same thing, or who are starting their journey and may be on a similar page from where you are or used to be. Socialization and communication are key on this.
Things I'm learning or want to learn next (that's right, I'm not perfect and I'm far from being perfect)
- To not have a small breakdown if I gain 2-4 pounds in a week due to water weight (which ended up coming out naturally throughout the following week)
- To not get THAT frustrated if I plateau, like it's been happening to me right now.
- To develop a proper workout routine (maybe weights?)
- To take better pictures
- To not compare myself to others (I'm quite close to that one!)
- To love myself and my body (Definitely around 80% of the way there!)
All in all, the one thing I regret is not having a good-quality starting photo. It's all blurry and it was taken by someone else because I just didn't feel like taking a starting photo back then for whatever reason. Other than that, losing weight is probably the best decision I've taken in my life, and I'm 100% commited to continue this for the rest of it. It's also nice to have this little space in reddit to support each other, so I really appreciate that :3
Good losses everyone!
submitted by
/u/Kazumiguchi
[link] [comments]
from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/34luLa3
