Ladies, Gentlemen, those who lieth betwixt,
I lost 60lbs in 4 months. I was really proud of it. I still am, kinda. But it was unsustainable. I took basically a month off for the Holidays, came back, lost another ~15, and crashed in mid Feb. I still monitored my weight, but I was no longer actively seeking loss. I did a lot of reflecting, and I came to some realizations that are effecting my path going forward, and I feel like they’re worth sharing.
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I was incredibly privileged to be able to lose those first 60 lbs that quickly. I wasn’t in school. I didn’t really have a job. I was actively attending therapy. I was able to dedicate as much time and energy as I wanted toward my health, simply because of luck and support. I don’t know that I would have ever gotten this far, if it weren’t for that period of time. And my heart breaks realizing just how few people will ever have that opportunity. That being said…
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Never. Ever. Do what I did. I was manic. I was getting 35k steps every day, just pacing back and forth in my basement. Not running or going on walks outside. I drank gallons of water and ate <2400 calories a day (at 6’3 310-250lbs), most of which was the same food day in-day out. It was food I liked and that was good for me, but still. In retrospect, I was allowing the same symptoms that caused my obesity in the first place to run my life, but in the other direction. I’ve learned a lot from it, and yes it technically got me closer to where I wanted, but I towed wayyyyyy too close to permanent damage to some of my joints, to my heart and kidneys, and to my sleep. Don’t do it. At least, not this way.
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Almost everything in moderation. For most things, you can’t realistically eliminate something from your life forever. You also can’t grow so narrow focused that you only eat/do a couple different things. Your life, in the long run, is about the balance of all things. Sure, for weight loss, you might need to prioritize specific aspects of your health more than you will in the long run, but it should not consume your life. (Pun fully intended.) You will have to balance your health with the rest of your life, at some point. The more you practice it now, the better you’ll be at it in 5 years. Which leads me to…
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Take. Your. Time. (This is kinda a subsection of 3 but whatever) Most of us are going to be here a while. I’m 25. Barring accident or serious illness, I’ve got at LEAST 50 years left. I’d rather spend another year and a half doing this right, than spend another 6 months doing it wrong, and having to fix it again in the future. It’s going to be ok! Your future self will thank you… probably… hopefully 😅
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You are more wrong than you think you are, and that’s ok. There are very few “whole truths.” Most things are true on a spectrum, and fail at the limits. A lot of things are true, but not-exclusively. This goes for health, but science in general, as well as politics. You will be the fullest and truest version of yourself when you can recognize, analyze, and apply each of these truths.
I’m sure I have more, if I thought about it. Idk if any of this is helpful. I needed to let this out. Thanks for reading, if you made it this far.
DFTBA
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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/1c8je10/reflections_after_60lb_loss_and_a_2_month_break/
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