I disappeared for a bit out of sheer frustration with always being peppy and positive and not seeing any results. I threw a bit of a tantrum, stopped calorie counting one week, then went back to it, but stopped exercising that week, went back to it.... I didn't give up, I was just frustrated that I'd need to go to the doctor and find out how I could be doing so much and weight loss wasn't happening.
Well, finally I made a breakthrough. That scale said 198 and I broke through the 'less than 200' milestone in one angry week.
People say "don't punish yourself, make it fun" but that works for THEM. I'll tell you right now, I had to quit making it fun and really focus on not only calories, but what I was getting from them. Fat, carbs, protein, where do I go? Fats had to go up. I know it sounds counterintuitive but this was actually something my body might store on level Expert, but it sure as hell wasn't using, simply because I wasn't taking in the right kinds. Proteins? Get those up a LOT more. Tuna, eggs, cottage cheese are terrific sources and I fuel up big in the morning, then try to hit 80g before the day is out. Harder than you think without some kind of disgusting powder to shoot that up. Carbs... Look, carbs win. I hear people talking about some golden carb low of under 50 and I'm lucky if I can stay under 200. I gave up trying to eliminate them and just focused on the kinds of carbs. Fruit is really good for you, but it will destroy low carb diets. I wasn't willing to give up carbs so I focused on aiming for those complex carbs and reducing but not eliminating white bread consumption.
If your head is spinning and you're wondering if you can do it because it sounds so complicated, you're right , it is, but if people could figure out how to get healthier overnight, you wouldn't need personal trainers and Weight Watchers and these amazing apps they offer if it were easy. Our bodies were made to store fat because there was once a time when our ancestors might not get to eat for a while and if there is ever an apocalypse and your world of processed foods and conveniences disappears, your body still stands a chance of dealing with the inevitable shortage. You don't want your body staying skinny no matter what-- the people that deal with that have it as a side effect of being ill, some unlucky genetic inheritance or allergy. Allergy? Yes, or have you noticed that rather than our bodies adapting to processed foods and such, more often than not, you're seeing the opposite-- that some people are allergic to things like gluten and flours and so on. Yes, there are plenty of natural allergies and they do make up the bulk of that, but allergies didn't used to be such a widespread thing. Some are even caused by the fact your parents haven't ever had a natural diet and your genes say 'we don't need no stinking strawberries' or something.
I'm not one of those people that sneers at other people's consumption of processed foods, but there are some observations and studies that hold water and the truth is, if we're waiting to adapt to a life of excess, don't hold your breath.
Second, it is also possible to lose weight without exercise, but don't. Unless you like saggy, sickly skin and hate eating. If your life is sedentary or you only get exercise from your job, you'll be miserable with how little calories you have to stick to just to go that route. On days where I just throw in an hour of cardio or a long walk, my calorie budget gets more generous. You might think, hey, I'm just going to bank those because 3500 calories lost is a pound gone! True, but listen to your body. You will lose weight by always making budget too and if you keep eating like you're sedentary and think you can still bank calories when you're exercising, you're going to feel like crap. Also, guess what? Muscle is your friend! Even when you're like me and don't want to get chiseled, it is super important. If you find weight loss is slow but you're working your ass off, you're either facing a serious health issue or you're losing inches instead of weight because of all this muscle you're putting on. But don't worry! Unless you're pounding protein (and like 3 times what I mentioned I aim for) and training to be a body builder, it's lean muscle. Not only does lean muscle start to burn faster once it's optimized, but the weight of it being more than fat starts to help you start losing fat weight more than all the calorie deficit you can stomach.
It's so important-- don't starve yourself if you're a foodie. There are days where I have exercised more just so I can enjoy a bigger meal that day. Not a junkier one, just a more fulfilling one. There are days when I've had to forego exercise and eat less. Not my favorite. And days where I'm not up to eating or exercise? The worst (this involves being violently ill, not making terrible health choices).
I've learned a lot with research, trial and error, getting by on the skin of my teeth and challenging myself. Fad diets don't last. No one can promise you results and you might very well end up in my shoes where you didn't everything right and wasn't seeing weight loss. I don't measure inches though I probably should. I step on the scale maybe once a week or every two weeks because my goal isn't just about healthy choices but ditching the overweight range. I know the inches are changing but one thing I didn't want this to become was a numbers game. I let the apps do all that for me and take the information I need out of it to plan.
Yes, I made that milestone, but the fact is, I still have at least 50 lbs to go. It's going to suck, it's not going to be fun, but I tell you now, once I stopped being frustrated with food and made exercise a routine (unhappy or not) when I sit down to write or crochet or draw or design, my entire day has felt better. My focus, my energy, my outlook is vastly different, even when I get discouraged, my body is working better and handles it better. I already like my changing shape better. Things are shrinking and my favorite curves are poking through again. I will succeed and I will maintain and I will hate it sometimes but ultimately, I will love myself more because how my body works keeps making more sense.
Hate the process, love yourself, if that's what drives you. Don't let any program tell you there is only one way. on closing, even after you succeed... Don't be one of those douchebags that hated being fat so much that you become a fat-shaming piece of shit. Remember the struggle. Don't encourage unhealthy body issues by any means, but don't fucking make it your mission to be the food police. This process was personal and you never needed permission to love your own body. They don't either.
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