27(M) 5'10" SW: 295 CW:269 GW: 180(?)
So I just felt like posting my progress and story so far. Signed up at my local gym at the end of November 2020, binged the weekend after Thanksgiving and did a complete 180 starting that Monday (30 November). Prior to the 30th I was eating fast food everyday for every meal and drinking energy drinks and multiple Dr. Peppers every day. The only thing barely keeping me from being a bedridden whale was the fact that my job is physically demanding and 12 hours a day, 3-4 days a week (not counting overtime). That Monday, without even weighing myself or taking measurements or anything I just decided enough was enough, and downloaded MFP again and started tracking my calories, staying at or below 2600 a day (I actually averaged 2200/day for week 1 and 2400/day my second week. I ate oatmeal and eggs for breakfast, chicken rice and greenbeans for lunch and whatever was being made in the house for dinner.
The whole first week I had a perpetual headache (which I attempted to treat with an energy drink each day) and (TMI ALERT!) my stomach was fucked, I didn't have a solid shit for at least a week. I didn't realize just how bad my prior diet was. I could have eased my way into it, taking baby steps but I've always been an impatient, all-or-nothing type of guy (not always a good thing).
Two to three weeks in I was enjoying the fast progress (15 pounds down in 2 weeks) but realized I was always feeling drained and tired and night shifts at work were no longer a breeze (or any shift for that matter). I asked my trainer for nutrition advice, worrying that he would try to sell me some bullshit supplement but he actually said I was eating too much protein for a weightloss plan and should be getting 50-55% of my calories from carbs since they are the best source of energy and would give me the explosive energy I needed at work. I almost fired him to find an actual nutritionist who knew what the hell they were talking about (because obviously I knew what I was talking about đŸ˜‚). I tried it though and sure enough, I felt so much better. So now I shoot for 50% carbs, 30% fat 20% protein (but ultimately I'm more focused on my carbs, not so much my other macros, it's just a bonus if I hit them to).
This weekend though I've been feeling pretty drained again so I started looking at my calories and weight trend and noticed I'm actually losing a consistent 3-4 pounds a week with an average 2400 calories a day. As much as I feel naughty doing it I'm upping my calories to 3400 max on my days at work which hopefully should average to about 2800-3000 per day. I'm feeling pretty good right now so we'll see how the rest of my day goes.
I guess if I had a point to all this rambling it would be to not be so afraid of overeating that you end up undereating and being miserable all the time. Though nothing in life is free nor should it be a walk in the park, healthy living also shouldn't be a daily grind. I feel like it's all about finding the right balance of effective AND enjoyable/comfortable. Sure, you could slash your calories and/or carbs to lose 3-5 lbs a week, but how long can you keep that up, and be honest. Sure you can enjoy all the cake and brownies and fried foods, etc you want but how long will your heart and body allow that before you start paying for it?
Balance.
P.S. Thank you all for your posts and updates and questions etc. I genuinely love reading it all and immersing myself in the lifestyle. I don't have many real life friends so surrounding myself with virtual friends and like-minded people does me good. Never stop posting.
[link] [comments]
source https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/kzmtwt/good_progress_too_good/
No comments:
Post a Comment