What do you wish you had known..

Virkati

I would've told myself that I would get more support online from strangers than I do from family and friends. And that co-workers would surprise me with how supportive they can be and that yes, they're watching the progress.

Eat it because you like it, not because it's "healthy". Force yourself to try new veggies, meats, and fruits. LOVE Bison & Elk. Beef is a take it or leave it thing now. Chicken breast is a staple. Never run out. Always buy on sale, in bulk.

Emotions are for feeling. Food is for eating. They are not interchangeable, not related, and cannot be substituted for each other.

Preparation is key.

Moods fluctuate. So does the number on the scale.

The only power the scale has is the power I give it. I am not defined by the number showing. It is not who I am. It's simply a tool to measure progress.

If I eat it, I log it, then I move on. Berating, belittling, beating myself up does nothing but damage my soul. If I'm not going to let someone else treat me that way, then I can't do it to myself.

marlea_0619

Wow. I love this topic!
What would i tell myself?? So many things!
1. Lift weights! Don't leave that for AFTER the weight is lost! It's made every difference in my journey!
2. Don't weigh yourself! I have not weighed myself in months...and I probably weigh about the same. But I've dropped almost 3 sizes, and have definition in my arms, legs, abs. The scale always made me depressed, so I don't even look at it!
3. I count my calories, absolutely. But mostly, I eat smaller portions of lean proteins and veggies. It's helped me to not berate myself for having a beer or a cupcake.
4. I probably eat a lot less calories than I am supposed to some days, but I am literally not hungry. So, if I am not hungry, I don't eat.
5. Take before, during and after photos.
6. Book a vacation! Seriously. I booked a Caribbean cruise, and that was a total kick *kitten* motivator. I pushed myself hard and wore a bathing suit I'd not worn in several years!

terrybartlettmsn

joeboland wrote: »

1. Carbs aren't the enemy. Your muscle gains are really going to suffer without them.
2. Jumping from one workout routine to another (fitness ADD) isn't going to help. Pick one, and just stick with it. Focus on making it YOUR routine, and concern yourself with the fundamentals, such as progressive overload, good form, and really making the most of EVERY workout.
3. Losing 100lbs in a year and a bit is going to result in a lot of money wastefully spent on nice clothes that you only get to wear for 1-2 months. Buy your "transitional" clothes at Walmart, 'cause you (hopefully) ain't keeping them for long.
4. Sometimes, the pursuit to improve yourself comes at a trade-off with other things. It's not all a bed of roses. You'll lose friends along the way because your interests have changed, and that'll be okay - in time, you'll come to grips with it. It'll turn out that they didn't have much interest in being your friend beyond the unhealthy interests that you had before (mostly going from being a near-barfly to having less than one drink a month).
5. Don't overthink things. Those miserable 2-3 months of near-neurotic nutrient/macro-timing, anabolic window-adhering, late-night carb-depriving resulted in a negligible difference in your weight loss and fitness transformation. Just a lot of unneeded misery.
6. You'll start this journey for what were, in hindsight, all the wrong reasons - but they'll change along the way. You started as a relatively insecure 300-pound male with an aesthetic-driven attitude; this will change into a centred and balanced 190-pound male who is in it more for self-improvement, and most importantly, self-edification. Embrace it.

Solid answers.

kimberlyhurt

I would tell myself that slow and steady is the key to success. I tried so many all-or-nothing, lose-20-lbs-in-a-month crap diets that I gave up over and over and over. If I had just made sustainable changes in the beginning I would have never gotten so big in the first place.
Oh well, c'est la vie! I know now. A 500 calorie deficit is my friend. A pound a week might not sound like a lot, but that's 52lbs in a year!

MindfulNat

Emotions are for feeling. Food is for eating. They are not interchangeable, not related, and cannot be substituted for each other

This is exactly what I needed to read !!

Virkati

momofoli wrote: »

Emotions are for feeling. Food is for eating. They are not interchangeable, not related, and cannot be substituted for each other

This is exactly what I needed to read !!

It's my mantra when I know it's not hunger...it's a feeling I don't want to deal with or feel.

getitamb

What Iifym really meant. That you still have to get all your nutrients. Which eventually just merged into 80/20 for me.

Fiore_

1. What I ate caused me to gain all that weight, it wasn't lack of exercise.
2. Understanding the connection between sugar & cancer, stroke, Alzheimer's, etc. It's not just bad luck, it can also come from bad choices.
3. How important protein is.
4. That eating (good) fat doesn't make you fat, it gives you energy & brain power. Sugar makes you fat.
5. That I could actually do this. My genes nor body wasn't actually preventing me from losing weight. It was just my brain.
6. That almonds taste really good!
7. Popcorn = sugar. (Oh, that's why I always felt hungrier instead of full.)
8. People who I thought cared about me will try to sabotage me / try to stop me from my goal weight / not support me at all.
9. That I can do crazy things like 50+ push-ups, 200+ squats, and run a mile like it's no big deal.
10. To adjust MFP macros & calories based on what I need, not the SAD diet.

Fiore_

11. Sleep is just as important as eating right & exercise. It's the secret third leg of a three-legged stool no one ever mentions.