19kgs down in 6 months, 2 to go...my experience

PAA73

Hi

So like many guys who turn forty I got fat and it became a vicious circle of feeling miserable, drinking too much and eating too much. I was really fit in my youth and 20s to my early thirties, I never stopped going to the gym but the sessions got more meaningless with no structural likewise I would bounce from injury to injury as I was too heavy (96kg) to run or do any hard cardio. Evenings became awful so sat and ate, drink and festered getting more unhealthy by the day.

In Sep 2016 I decided to change that. I was fed up with clothes not fitting, looking like crap and generally being incredibly unhealthy. I'm still not there, a few pounds / kilos to go but here's my thoughts:

• It's a marathon not a sprint; you don't wake up 50lbs overweight, so you can't expect to lose the weight in a couple of weeks.
  
• Weight loss is unpredictable. Some weeks you loose, some weeks you lose big, other weeks you stay the same, which is very frustrating. Stick with it.
  
• Get a clear vision and strong motivation. I found strength in YouTube motivation videos, but I accept that these are not everybody's thing. Remember motivation just starts you off, discipline is what keeps you going.
  
• be obsessive about diet & nutrition. Log every single thing that goes in your mouth. Don't cheat yourself, check the macros and cal counts on MFP and common sense is sometimes needed as some entries on MFP are wildly out. If you have access to scales weigh everything.
  
• Be obsessive about exercise too and get your body moving. You don't need to run a marathon a day, I started by walking 30 mins a day, which turned into a walk-jog-walk, now, only six months later I can confidently run 6 miles in 50 mins. Remember, always tell yourself a 30 min walk is better than 30 mins on the couch watching TV.
  
• Protein is king. I bought protein powder (very cheap) and supplemented my breakfast with a protein shake everday. Low fat, low carb and makes you feel full until lunch. Better still, the additional protein slows / prevents muscle wastage - better to lose fat then muscle.
  
• This is a personal one that works well for me but I appreciate may not fit everybody: early mornings are golden time. I used to get up at 7, rush around, skip breakfast,arrive at worked stressed and hungry...no wonder I'd slam in a double macchiato, choccichno and a large muffin at 9...but there are 24 hours in the day and the best ones are always free...I now wake up at 0445, do an hour of exercise, have a really decent breakfast and start the day relaxed and on good form. Oh yeah, it's tough, but it also forces bedtime at a good time, not sitting up watching junk, eating junk and drinking wine!
  
• lift weights, and heavy, as heavy as you can go. Start with compound exercises and then move to isolated muscle groups as you get stronger. If you don't you'll end up skinny flabby.
  
• You'll have good & bad days. You'll sin and fall off the straight and narrow. But get back up and get back into it straight away. Put it down to a bad day and pledge to be better today than you were yesterday. Remember the hard work you've put in so far, don't undo it...
  
• Enjoy...its been a wonderful challenge. If you want to do it, start tomorrow. No excuses. Just do it...!!
  
• Good luck, welcome your feedback!!

SageMolokai

Thank you for posting! I've learned (and am learning) a lot of this through my own journey and it was great to see it here this morning in black and white. I needed reminded.

yobeme

Thanks for posting this as lessons such as these are worth sharing, especially coming from someone who has stuck to it for 6 months. A lot of these I've found you have to learn for yourself through your own experience but it's a good reminder.

Shull_rachael

Inspiring! I always have to remind myself it's not a sprint I tend to get into such a hurry! Good job of your life changes. Keep up the great work!(=

kickingitup

Thank you for the motivation!!! I really needed this today. This morning I got up, workout, did my measurements and got on the scale and nothing changed. I was a bit disappointed and we all know where disappointed takes one. Thanks for the reminder to keep going forward. Congratulations on your success!!!

PAA73

kickingitup wrote: »

Thank you for the motivation!!! I really needed this today. This morning I got up, workout, did my measurements and got on the scale and nothing changed. I was a bit disappointed and we all know where disappointed takes one. Thanks for the reminder to keep going forward. Congratulations on your success!!!

Stick with it. Remember the effort you've put in so far. It will be worth it.