Something I figured out

lthames0810

I know most people that post questions here are trying to figure out how to lose weight the right way or the faster way, and I get it that in many cases dialing in your food intake and excercise in a very precise way and sticking to that religiously is the solution to their problems. But I suspect there are many others like me, not the most discplined person in the world, that think having a major life makeover and living that way for the rest of your life sounds kind of grim.

Face it, the way to eat while losing weight is the same as the way to eat while maintaining weight with just a little more intake. If you think you can let up on all this disciplined eating after you get to your goal, you will join the many of us who have lost weight in the past only to gain it all back again. I'm trying to use the process of losing weight to also figure out what will be sustainable for me over the long haul.

So here is what I figured out for myself:

I don't have to make this process into a masters thesis. MFP gave me the tools to guide me to a proper plan for eating, including the breakdown of macros as well as my calorie goal. Very simple. Unless I'm just curious it isn't really necessary to take a lot of time to research the vast amount of information (often conflicting) that is out there.

I don't have to become a fanatic about clean eating. I don't like to cook, but I manage to put a healthy dinner on the table. If I have to take a lot more time to prepare meals and adapt recipes to use only unprocessed ingredients, I'll soon become miserable with it and stop. If I have to take a lot more time to pack my lunch box for work, the same thing is likely to happen. So I'm going to continue to use foods and methods I'm comfortable with, even if it mean taking some pre-made meals in my lunch box if I need to.

I don't have to flog myself to go the gym every day. I can do the activities that I like to get excercise. I enjoy walking in the pre-dawn time when the birds start waking up. I can do that a few times a weeks instead of dragging myself to a gasping sweating workout that I dread.

Please don't take this as a criticism of the strict methods that are often suggested in these forums. Some people that have atrocious eating habits do need to crack the whip on themselves. Some people that have difficulty losing and are in dispair over it do need to tighten up the process. Some people thrive on the science of nutrition and the principles of clean eating. Some just want to get the weight off as quickly as possible. To the others, though, be kind to yourself as much as you can.

So, if I lose weight slowly, oh well. I gained it slowly. With just a few calorie tweaks and just a little more excercise than was previously my habit, I'm losing weight and living a life that I enjoy.