This probably isn't some novel thought but I wasn't sure if it was said on here before, and it really helped me and people I know, so hopefully it helps someone else.
Losing fat sounds simple in theory, it's just about creating a calorie deficit. The hard part is sticking to it in the long run. It's also true that, at least in most cases, when it comes to calories in vs calories out, dieting properly is the single best way to create a deficit. This perhaps leads us to thinking that starving ourselves and feeling like shit is the best way to lose fat and improve our lives. At least that's what I thought, and I found out that although it works, it made my life living hell. There's a better way to lose that fat instead of feeling weak, starved and miserable.
Imagine you were just starting to play an RPG. You're level 1, and there's this really cool thing you want to buy and it costs like 1000 Gold. But the quests you get now give you like 2 gold. So you have to sit through these damn quests like 500 times to get the gold you need to buy that thing. It's so grindy and you'll probably lose motivation halfway through. However, imagine if you just forgot about that thing for a while, and focused on getting your character stronger. You go and do all sorts of cool and difficult quests instead of just this one, the quests get challenging, but you also get stronger and you get rewarded more. Fast forward some time, you're level 100 boss. Now if you wanted to get that item, shit, I mean your quests each give you like tens of thousands of gold. You can easily finish some level 20 quest for 1000 gold, you can do it while chilling, you don't even need to pay attention really, you're so OP in this stage.
Creating a calorie deficit is like that. It's really hard for you to lose 800 calories because you're level 1. If you're thinking "I should just have a 500 calorie deficit per day so in a few weeks I'll be [insert number] % body fat" you have it wrong. Your focus shouldn't be on losing fat or creating that deficit. It should be on improving your overall fitness and adding muscle. This is especially true if you're "skinnyfat" like I was. The thing is, if you improve your overall fitness, eat healthy foods etc., you will just get better at expending calories, so even if you gain a few pounds in the short run, you will get very good at losing that fat in the long run. Cardio won't feel like it's killing you anymore. Athletes can eat a full pizza and just go run and burn it off. If you ate a full pizza, you probably can't run that much because you're not fit enough to do it, it'll be very hard for you. Yes, to some extent you will still feel a bit deprived when you're in a deficit, but it's way easier to be in a 500 calorie deficit if your TDEE is 3000 calories instead of 2000 calories.
I know people want instant results. We're always looking to lose those pesky 5, 10, 20, insert number pounds, in a few weeks. But that's just not how it works, and even if you did successfully starve yourself to looking shredded, you won't last long before you end up letting lose. If you want sustainable results, you're not in it for weeks or months. You're in it for years and years. You're in it for a lifetime. Exercise shouldn't be about trying to fulfill a quota, it should be about training your body, pushing yourself to become better every week. Set and chase fitness milestones. Life is a lot more enjoyable when you live like this. At least it is for me.
And look, I won't lie to you. At the end of the day, losing fat IS all about calories in vs calories out. So it is reasonable to just cut down your diet and create a deficit like that. But for me, it's just not worth it to live on a 1700 something calorie diet. If you can, that's great. But for me, living on so few calories made me feel like I was always starving. Many of the low-calorie dense options just didn't feel as enjoyable. It just felt like getting fit wasn't worth it. When I focused on performance, my TDEE naturally increased. My muscle mass increased and increased my basal metabolic rate. I could eat more, and still burn more fat at rest. And burning that many calories through cardio was easier once I got fitter. And most importantly, there was a sense of purpose to my training. It wasn't a chore, I wasn't fulfilling a quota for the sake of it, it was a lifestyle I chose to better myself every week. It's not a cakewalk, I will never take it easy, but now it means more. I want to be level 100 boss.
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/ln55t8/an_analogyshift_in_perspective_that_may_help_you/
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