General weight loss, calorie intake, cheat day, working out

Tigerpaws513

I'd like to start my post off by saying that this is a general opinion and not fact. These are things that I experienced in my nutrition plan and weight loss plan. I am posting this to maybe help someone that is experiencing the same things.

A weight loss journey can be a very frustrating and stressful thing and I think we as humans tend to make it more stressful than it needs to be. When I started I would eat within my calorie limit 6 days a week and have a day that I would "cheat" and enjoy myself. I still lost weight at a stead rate. The I moved into cutting out my "cheat" day, any sort of pre packaged foods, snacks, and stuck to mainly whole foods like meats, veggies, fruits, yogurt, and low fat cheeses. I again lost weight at a steady rate but it started to become a sickness. At this point food controlled my life in the opposite way. Instead of consuming food because I was bored or stressed I was being so strict with food and denying myself treats or cheat days and creating stress. I was to the point where I would avoid family and friends so I wouldn't have the stress off possibly eating bad. I decided that it was enough and I needed to make some changes. I needed to find a stable middle ground where every waking minute of the day revolved around food and diet.

First thing I changed which was hard was weighing myself. I was weighing my self three times a day. I told people I was doing that to see how my body processed food and fluctuated. That was bull ****, I was obsessed and when that number changed throughout the day so did my stress level, and the. It effected the types of foods I would eat. Pick one day and weigh yourself once a week that is enough time for your body to adapt to a new exercise or calorie increase or decrease. It's hard but it will help long term.

Second was the whole cheat day, snacking, candy. I was at a point where a cheat meal or day did not exist. No snacks at all, not even one single m & m because if I eat tht then ill gain all my weight back. If you honestly can take the next 30, 40, 50, 60 years of your life and not eat a single piece of candy, or ever step foot in a resturaunt that's great, but I think in realistic. We are allowed to treat our selves and enjoy...in moderation. If you go out to a restaurant once a week will that be detrimental to your weight loss or maintenance? No. If you have a snickers bar during the week will you gain all your weight back? No. Enjoy and treat yourself in moderation. If you have trouble with moderating then go to a gas station and buy two cookies instead of a whole pack at the grocer store then that temptation isn't there. A day a week or every two weeks will not make to fail! This also plays into weighing in every day. I ate at chilis once the next day I was 15 lbs heavier, I took my body measurements and it was the same. Two days later I was back down to my normal weight. It was waste and sodium. I worked out a bit harder the few days after that and I was fine.

Third, continue to work out. Staying active is paramount. I was thin through high school then gained weight. What happened? I whent from very active to no activity level and drinking beer constantly. You have to stay active and be honest with yourself on your activity level. If an exercise is causing yo pain or you are injured switch it up to stay active. I didn't believe in weight lifting I stuck to cardio at first but once I combined the two I have seen much better results.

The last thing is daily calorie intake. I like alot of people at first found out what my BMR was took x amount of calories off of it and at that amount. Along with working out I was eating below my BMR which is unhealthy and dangerous. Your body needs those calories to function properly. These low cal "diets" set you up for failure. Your body is a machine and needs fuel to function food is that fuel and if you starve yourself it s like running a car on empty. We all know how that works out. Once I checked out websites like fat2fit and scoobys I figured out with my activity level I needed to consume around 600 calories more a day to maintain. I have not gained weight and I have actually lost some body fat. So make sure you are fueling your body properly. It was hard for me to believe because all you ever hear is eat less to loose weight. Not sustainable and not healthy. Plus you are more likely to quit all together and binge.

These are things that I have changed and am still workig on but it has been easier and alot more sustainable log term for me. I hope this can relate to or help someone out who is experiencing the same thing. Again these are not facts but things that I have experienced my sel.

justicekenny

thanks for sharing your experience man .. I can relate to some of the things you wrote. I am in the "If it fits in your macros" crowd .. I treat myself to those vanilla ice cream sandwiches every night .. (so good) . Weekly I get a papa johns garden fresh, and inhale it .. I am consistently losing 1-2 lbs weekly .. As long as I meet my calorie goals, and do not go over them, always room for a nice treat .. good luck, and continued success.. also, every 8-10 weeks I eat at maint. calories for 7-10 days to give my body a rest from being in a deficit .. get those hormones back in balance ..

adm603

I have only been at the healthier lifestyle change/diet since the end of August, how do you not get on the scale every morning? I have to know the # for the day, it is compulsive and don't know how to stop.

heybales

Some great realizations others need to examine themselves for, emotional, and mental, and math frankly.

That unneeded stress probably impacts peoples's fat and weight loss more than they know, along with under-eating they also know nothing about.

Majority seem to compare their calorie goal to 1200, a figure they've seen in several places, instead of compared to what they used to eat, which they probably have no clue about.

heybales

I have only been at the healthier lifestyle change/diet since the end of August, how do you not get on the scale every morning? I have to know the # for the day, it is compulsive and don't know how to stop.

Have someone hide your scale, or put it at someone's house you can visit 1 valid weigh-in day a week first thing in am.
That would be your morning after a rest day eating normal sodium levels.

anaju61

Thanks for the post I can relate to your post 100%.

Tigerpaws513

I had to tell my self everyday not to go on it till I got to the point that I don't think about it. Sunday comes and I weigh in. Depending in how the number is I adjust what I need to do! It's hard I had such a hard time at first but it go easier and took alot of stress out of my life! Good luck and I wish you great success!

Tigerpaws513

Some great realizations others need to examine themselves for, emotional, and mental, and math frankly.

That unneeded stress probably impacts peoples's fat and weight loss more than they know, along with under-eating they also know nothing about.

Majority seem to compare their calorie goal to 1200, a figure they've seen in several places, instead of compared to what they used to eat, which they probably have no clue about.

That's so true, this staple 1200 calorie a day diet is flawed and unhealthy. When it works for a few weeks and then people revert and binge I think that's where the "I guess I'm just destined to be overweight" enters the picture.

Tigerpaws513

Thanks for the post I can relate to your post 100%.

That's also what I was hoping to gain from this post, I know I'm not the only one but it's hard to admit that you've gone off the deep end on the other side of nutrition.

sdreed25

Great post man, especially about the cheats! Totally with you on that. One bad meal/day won't ruin you diet just a one bad meal didn't make you overweight in the first place.

You damn right that I want to be able to have the bad things sometime, and I work hard so I can have them without worrying about the consequences. Moderation and once a week weighing, spot on fella