It’s no secret to my readers that I’ve lost a bunch of weight recently, and I’d still like to lose around a stone more, but I won’t worry too much about that. I’m still heavier than where I started at the
beginning of all this blubbery inflation, but I fit into UK Next 8 and 10 clothes mostly, with the odd 12, so I’m happy with that. I know I might not be able to keep it up, but for now, I’m in control of my weight.
What I have been most surprised about, was the amount of people who constantly ask me how I’ve done it, as if there’s some sort of magic wand around that melts fat off. When I tell people what I’ve done, they begin to lose interest, then some even turn round and say something dumb, like,
‘no really, what else did you do?’
Or they assume that now my thyroid is in a better way, that the fat dissolved itself away. Now I know having thyroid issues helps with weight gain etc, but losing it isn’t any easier for us than it is for the rest of you when it’s sorted out. My thyroid being in sync now might stop me adding to weight, but it does nothing for losing what’s already there.
It’s simple really. Just CICO. Honestly, all other diets work on basically the same principle. Eat less calories than you expend, and you will lose fat. CICO is simply calories in v calories out. I don’t believe in the real plateau either. It’s impossible to eat more and lose weight as such. Nobody living in a real starvation mode will retain their fat for a sustained level of time, and three or four weeks of the scales not moving, is not starvation mode.
Weight loss isn’t linear.
Just because you eat 1200 calories a day, most people won’t lose 2lbs a week, every week, forever. Some weeks you might lose 3lbs, some 4, then maybe some at 2lbs, a week or two here and there of half a pound, and maybe a couple of weeks gain one or two. And boy, does it get demotivating for the scales not to move at all for nearly two months. Yep, been there, but eventually, if you stick with it, the downward trend begins again.
The closer to goal we get, the longer it takes to shift. It’s a journey, not a fast track to skinny blingdom.
Losing weight should be about health first, and the weight on the scale way down on the list. In second and third place, I prefer to look at fitness, endurance and before the scale, even how my clothes fit.
That’s my view, and you’re welcome to disagree with me. My clothes still don’t fit as well as I’d like around my midriff, and that’s why I’d like to lose a bit more fat, but on the whole, I’m happy enough with the rest of me.
You can’t outrun a bad diet?
Hmmm, well, I see this all the time on the internet, yet it’s possible that it’s completely wrong too.
Certainly, you can’t outrun a diet where you take in far more calories than you burn off by running. And given a mile roughly equates to around 100 calories, then a fairly long run won’t even make up for a pig out session in front of the TV with a good sized pizza.
What you can do, with exercise, in increase the size of the CICO calorie deficit, which means you can eat a little more on those days. If your daily target calorie count is around 1400, and you run for 6 miles, you could technically eat 2000 calories that day and still be in a modest deficit of calories.
Some diets are better than others.
Of course they are, but some are absolute tosh. Any weight loss diet has to have you eating less calories than you use up in a day. Whether you count in points, pounds, kcals or packets, it all adds up to the same. I’m not a fad of diets that replace the calorie with a fancy name, and it isn’t any way to help someone maintain their weight when they’ve finished losing it in the first place. If you find something healthy that works for you, then go for it. Otherwise, learn portion control and nutritional value of foods and work it out for yourself. I learned that I’ve spent much of my life with far too little protein. I’ve fixed that.
There’s no easy weight loss method.
Losing weight sucks, big time, but if you’re determined and ready for it, nothing will stop you. Good luck to anyone on a journey, and I hope you feel as good about yourself as I do for what I achieved over the last year.
The few things I’d say having lost weight and kept (most) of it off for years is that forbidding anything makes it utterly irresistible. Secondly you can’t ever go on a diet and expect to keep it off. You can only change your life. Whatever you do has to be sustainable for life. Thirdly, and this is bad news for dieters, dieting changes your metabolism. Someone who has lost weight to be a size 12 will not burn the same number of calories as someone who has been a size 12 for years. Exercise can help though.
As you say, there is no secret really and it is achievable. Whatever your weight there is no real excuse to be honest. There isn’t some magic thing which makes it easier for one person than another. In fact, the more overweight you start with, the easier the first pounds will be because you need a massive calorie intake to maintain a high weight and also the point where you go from no exercise to some will have a massive and quick impact. The key is finding something you can sustain for life.
I agree with you completely. It’s a life change, but not so big for me as it is for some people. Mine was more around getting some exercise and getting the right medication helped me not to be so tired all the time. Food was a bigger challenge as I’d got into the habit of eating on the go, rather than eating well.
I do think though, that someone has to be ready to lose weight. No matter what I did pre meds, I’d struggle, and being in the right place mentally is key. So many people use food for comfort, and I’ve been guilty of that in the past. I wish I was like my middle child, who eats to live, but that’s not me. I have to fit in nice food as well, or I’d struggle to keep up lower calories. For me, around 1400 is maintenance, with an hour run every second day, so I can’t get away with much at all.