31M 5’10 SW: 260 CW: 185 GW: 165
progress pics: https://imgur.com/pwnLskE
So what can I say, I hit age 30 and suddenly became self-conscious that I looked old. I started this journey sometime in April 2021 with the goal of making sustainable changes to my habits, because I've attempted weight loss in the past just to regain the pounds back. It was always a conscious effort that required more willpower than I can ever hope to have. So my plan this time around was just to make this process an unconscious effort, where habits and routine would override motivation. I followed a lot of the advice presented by Dr. Jason Fung in his lectures which you can find on Youtube.
So what really worked for me was continually adding something new to the routine once I adapted to it. This started with avoiding drinking my calories and cutting fast food, processed food, and all my typical junk and snack foods, and of course sugar. I've learned my difficulties related to weight loss may be due to insulin resistance. I've done Keto in the past which worked but once I lost the weight I went back to eating how I used to. This time around I approached it more like a lifestyle choice. I gotta say to anyone else attempting it, the sugar withdrawal makes the first 3 weeks the hardest but you get used to it. Once 2 months into this routine I added 18:6 Intermittent fasting where I had 2 meals and 1 small snack per day from 9 am to 3 pm and fasted the rest of the day. This was also difficult to adapt to but broke through after 2 weeks of adjusting. You would be surprised what your body is really capable of if you give it the benefit of the doubt. Next with some newfound energy, I started walking 4km around my neighborhood at least 3 times a week and increased it to 5, I even attempted to run and jog a few times.
At this point, I'm losing roughly 10 pounds a month creating a positive echo chamber in my mind where I'm seeing the positive changes in my efforts, which make me want to continue. I did have cheat days once every month to celebrate my weight loss milestones but also to remind myself of the type of foods I used to eat and how shitty I felt afterward. Now with some confidence, I join a gym with Covid restrictions lifting and get into resistance training and weight lifting slowly building a routine off of fitness YouTubers. I now make it a habit to go a min of 3 or 2 times a week and it consists of 1.5 hours of resistance training and 45 mins of cardio. It took 2 months of going on a regular basis but I've actually become kinda addicted to going like I feel unwell when I don't go. Now the last thing I've incorporated that has been just as beneficial was CiCo where I'm averaging around 1500-1600 calories a day. I've become kinda lazy with my cooking and end up just eating the same things as I already know how many calories they are. Now I'm not perfect and have indulged and caved into peer pressure a few times but I always end up returning to my routine or what I like to call my system of accountability consisting of keto, fasting, and CiCo. My weight loss is now slowing down to around 2.5 pounds a month but the differences are just as noticeable. At this point, these habits are just ingrained in me now and I can't see myself going back, I definitely feel like a new person sometimes, which also seems to be the case when I see old friends and family that I haven't seen since the pandemic.
Motivation is nice and all, and it does get the ball rolling, but I found it's your habits and routines that really get you the consistent results that make you want to continue and provide a positive echo chamber. If anyone else is just starting out on their journey just start making one change at a time till it's a habit.
[link] [comments]
from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/ZrxAmf9
