2 months and 40 pounds, my thoughts

zman1313

I'd like to start off by saying hi. My name is Zack, I'm 21 years old, and for the last 2 months I have been doing what I have wanted to do for the last 7 years! I have finally taken control of my relationship with food!

On March 1st of this year I looked in the mirror and finally decided that I had seen enough. I am 6' 1" and on that day I weighed 276lbs. I didn't use MFP for the first 20 pounds or so. For that first month I was eating very few calories, I want to say it was in the 1500 range. The first 20 pounds melted off like butter on a hot pan, but then I plateaued...enter MFP!

I didn't know there was a forum section of the site until very recently but I have been logging for a little over a month now and I'm doing great!

I'd just like to share my thoughts on what has been working for me and what hasn't so that I can potentially help others on their weight loss journey. Here is "my list" of things that I have noticed over the last 2 months and things that have made this recent attempt different than the rest.

1.) Everybody is different!!! Being informed is great, but thinking that what works for someone else has to be true for you isn't the case. I can count the number of times I have looked at my macros on one hand, but others swear by this method. I am a pretty picky eater, so I tend to have higher sodium each day, but my workouts cancel that out. Calories are calories. Once I reach my goal and begin lifting I will have to work on the macros more.

2.) I always...ALWAYS leave some calories unused each day. Maybe this has to do with me being anxious about the whole process, but it seems to be working. Guilt is the killer for me, and if I even THINK that I MIGHT have gone over for the day, I will beat myself up over it (a big reason why I have failed in the past.)

3.) I never eat back my exercise calories. I really don't feel the need to, honestly. Since I don't eat them back, I allow myself to have a cheat day every Saturday. Most times my "cheat" day is just one greasy meal, but every once in a while I go crazy. Last weekend, for example, me and somefriends grilled brats and then I drank 10 beers. Still lost 3 pounds on the week.

4.) Eating similar means each day. I know this probably will not work for a lot of people, but for me it is a huge contributor to my success. Since I eat prettymuch the same things each day there is less room for error and less chance I will be tempted to go over!

5.) Finding a good work out plan that challenges you, yet you also enjoy. For me, I always hated running, but I also enjoy a good challege. I decided that I was going to conquer my hatred for running. I started walking on the treadmil @ 3mph; 15* incline for 30 minutes each day. Slowly I progressed to doing my incline walking and then running after. These days, mytypical workout is 20 minutes @ 3mph, 15* incline, then drop the incline and run for a minimum of 10 minutes. Last week I completed the first 3 mile run I have EVER done in my entire life. Very rewarding!

I still have about 50 pounts to go,but now that I have made it past the first couple months, which IMO are the hardest, I have confidence I will see this through to the end ( speaking of that 6' 1" guys, what is your goal weight? I'm thinking 185)

Just wanted to share some things that have worked for me and maybe help some others in the process