I started trying to lose weight through tracking calories and exercise at the end of my college school year on April 28th. Since then I have lost 8 pounds! In the past, I would not have been very excited about this but I will tell you why I am now:

  1. This is the first time I feel like the weight I am losing is coming off for good. I’ve lost weight in the past but it has never felt permanent because I wasn’t building good habits.

  2. I’ve adjusted my goal on the LoseIt app to 1.5 pounds lost per week instead of 2. Having the extra 300 calories per day has really helped me to keep on track steadily. Progress not perfection! I also am no longer tracking my exercise calories but eating more when I feel hungry, as long as it’s mindful and nutritious. I’ve found that the amount I eat this way is less than I would eat if I track the calories. (example: went on a 26 mile bike ride and “earned” 1,300 calories - logged the exercise - ate a full pint of Ben and Jerry’s to celebrate even though I wasn’t hungry for it VS. went on a 20 mile hike and burned 2,600 calories - did not log the exercise - ate 1,500 calories over the day of fruits, bars, and protein - I was satisfied and felt full). Seeing the extra calories on LoseIt makes me want to eat them even if I’m not hungry, but going over “into the red” makes me evaluate if I’m really feeling hungry or not.

  3. Now that I’m steadily losing weight instead of doing it super quickly, I’m building long-term sustainable habits that I haven’t before. I am actually eating fruits and vegetables and making sure I get enough protein. I even let myself go “into the red” sometimes for a treat or if I am hungry. In the past, I would have restricted no matter how hungry I was or no matter how much I wanted a food. Now I eat until I feel full and make sure to have the foods I want. I don’t want to eat an apple when I don’t want it and then end up eating ice cream anyways. I think it’s better to have just a little ice cream and move on. BTW, Aldo’s Low Fat Fudge Ice Cream bars have been the perfect 90 calories treat!

When tracking calories before, I restricted my food severely and even dipped far below 1200 calories per day. One time I lost 10 pounds in a month. I was super excited but quickly gained the weight back because I was overzealous and not building sustainable habits. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have a healthy relationship with food.

The main takeaway here is to always remember: PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION!! Food should not rule my life but neither should dieting. Making healthy choices slowly but surely is the best way I have learned to make a lasting change. And it seems that when I adapt my own plan and do what works for me, I have the best results. Feel free to decide what works best for you and your body and stick with it! But of course, I will update as I learn along the way!

And for my NSV, I completed a sprint triathlon today! 750m swim, 5k run, and 12mi bike. I haven’t felt this strong and healthy since I was in high school and taking better care of myself. I’m happy to have lost weight but I am also very happy to be feeling great and more connected with my body.

Much love to everyone out there on this journey!! We got this!!

submitted by /u/moesuave
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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/3cLLJAA