Restarting my Weight Loss journey

[MrLang]

I've lost about 20 lbs in the last 3 months. I realize that's not much, but here's why it's significant:

I'm not doing anything "to lose weight" - that's how you set yourself up to fail. That's how the loss is unsustainable. My weight loss is a function of 2 simple ideas combined with a couple of important facts.

Facts:

Your heart is the most important muscle in your body. It needs to be active to stay strong. Forget losing weight. You want to have a healthy heart, right? Activity is the only way to achieve that.

When you gain weight, your body doesn't ever 'reset' itself like a lot of people believe. When you reach 295, even if you get down to 150 lbs, 2,000 calories a day will return your body to your highest weight. Your metabolism 'adjusts' upwards, but not downwards. This is scientific fact at this point in obesity research. You can't ever lose weight and then 'return to normal' and eat like those wretched skinny folks. If you get skinny and return to a 2,000 calorie diet, you'll balloon up. This is why so many people 'YO YO' as you called it. It's quite sucky, but it's true and you HAVE to internalize it. You want to be a lower weight than you are now? You're going to need to eat a reduced calorie diet FOREVER. Instead of having to 'be vigilant forever' just rebuild your lifestyle. It's quite easy. Similarly you could offset that with a higher than average amount of physical activity. Again, this would be a change in lifestyle and not a forced habit. My internalization was realizing that any single pound over my highest weight ever I go, I have to eat that much less and be that much more active to maintain a healthy weight FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. Don't dare get discouraged at that moment.

Shift in perspective:

Your weight is a simple function of calories in over calories out. What you eat and how active you are. You set yourself up to fail when THAT'S THE FOCUS POINT, though. Instead, consider changing your perspective to simply be a healthy person. Don't do it for the weight, do it because life is better and easier this way.

Food is for sustenance. Anyone who goes out for dinner with friends and 'pigs out' is in the wrong perspective. Food is for energy and to return nutrients to your body. You care about the quality of feeders you give to your pet snakes. You need to care about what you put into your own body. Remember, this isn't about losing weight, it's about becoming a healthy person. Your body is your temple, you are what you eat, etc. Internalize it. Food is not fun. It can be, but it's not meant to be. Good food and eating healthy are not mutually exclusive, as well. You just need to have basic consciousness for what you're eating. REALLY think about what it is you're putting into your mouth and swallowing. A lot of the best foods become instantly disgusting. The last time I thought I wanted a McDouble I took 2 bites and almost threw up. That's how I knew I am doing this right.

Being active can and is fun if you do it right. Am I going to the gym? Hell no. The gym sucks... Am I running around outside and bursting sweat everywhere and being miserable? Hell no. We live very sedentary lifestyles though. My perspective changed on physical activity when I realized it doesn't have to be one or the other. I don't know what things you enjoy, but nature and the outdoors are very important to me. I like going fast. I like seeing things and getting places. I picked up a pair of rollerblades from a yard sale. I liked that when I was a kid. Sure enough, I still love it! I couldn't believe how much more fun I had zipping around on rollerblades in a parking lot than I had been having watching TV after work. I bought a pair of hiking boots. I go hiking now quite regularly not because I need to get my workout or activity in, but because I ACTUALLY ENJOY IT. There are plenty of active hobbies you can pick up that aren't 'exercise.' Think about what you liked as an active child and try them out again.

One last note about food perspective that was nice to me. Good food choices are much easier than people make them out to be. You only need to make those choices for like an hour every week or 2... when you're shopping. Eat a solid meal before you go. Forget your hunger. Use your brain. A diet should consist of something like 60% fruits and veggies, 30% carbs and starches, and 10% fats... whatever the food pyramid says lol. That's the loose outline I use. Again, food is for sustenance and a whole bunch of very smart scientists figured out what the ideal diet for a human is. You look up care sheets for your pets? Look one up for yourself. As I shop, I make sure to spend my time and money appropriately. YOU KNOW what foods are bad. DON'T BUY THEM. JUST DON'T. Don't buy = don't eat. You only need to control yourself in the supermarket to win on that one. You'll save money by not buying food out. Go into a convenience store. Water is the only item in the whole place you have any business ingesting into your body. Do some research about the foods you find there if you don't believe me. It's gross stuff. Just internalize that.

I lost 20 lbs and counting by being conscious of the foods I am ingesting for sustenance. My body isn't a trash can. No garbage or waste goes in it. If I'm full, the food goes to the trash. If it's already trash, it doesn't go into my body. Sorry African children. Next time I will make a smaller portion. Eating a proper human diet has loads of positive side effects. I don't wake up having to crap my brains out all the time. I don't have gas all the time. I don't get weird raging hunger pains. I don't feel all gross and bloated all the time.

I lost 20 lbs and counting by doing things I like that happen to be active more. Rollerblading, hiking, and kayaking are way more fun to me than sitting on the couch. I used to think I was so tired after work all day. It's simply not true. When you're not in a food coma all the time you'll be surprised how your energy levels change.

Did not mean to write a book here, but I don't feel like editing any of that out since I'm already struggling to fit what I've got to say here. If you want to talk more PM me Good luck and if there's one takeaway from this:

You want to become a healthy person. Weight loss is going to be a satisfying side effect of that process.