I am not sure why but I feel like I should have lost more but it has only been 3 weeks. I am trying to figure out short term goals so my goal of hitting 200lbs doesn’t seem like a super long term pipe dream.
Mostly doing 16:8 but making it to 18:4 every few days without a ton of effort. I am slacking on excersize a lot and know I need to hold myself accountable for that.
What is a good monthly goal? What are some realistic goals for a guy who lives on instant gratification?
I for certain have a food addiction and just saying no is way easier for me then making good choices throughout the day so I see this as a permanent lifestyle but as a former athlete I sometimes feel like I dug myself into a hole that will take years of constant hard work to get to a place where I can enjoy being active like I used to.
Thanks everyone, you all have been great!
Edit: I feel better already and see the scale numbers showing it works but looks wise I see you folks with major differences and I want them too but am wondering when weight loss becomes visable.
IF is a slow burn, especially at the beginning.
Look at it this way, you lost 7 pounds by doing basically nothing. A lot of people would kill to lose 7 pounds. I’m currently plateau’d and would heel-click if I could drop another 7.
As far as exercise, I struggle with that too. I focus on walking, as much as possible. And doing so without much thought. Things like:
Parking in the back of the parking lotWalking to the furthest restroom as workWhen I unload groceries I take one bag at a time from the car to the kitchen
Things like that really add up in the step count and energy expended.
Also, IF can only do so much. It’s not a super popular opinion here, but if you really want to drop, you have to eat somewhat healthy. r/CICO would be a good place to start. Find a calculator online and figure out what sort of calories you are intaking (drinks included! Soda and juice are sneaky bastards!) And what you need to expend. Don’t fall into this trap of “you can eat anything within your window!” - I’m not saying you can’t, but if you really want to drop you need to get into a calorie deficit as well as IF and MOVE. Walk, walk, walk if exercise isn’t your thing.
Dude thats more than 2 pounds a week, thats incredible!!! 200lbs is not a pipe dream at all, I lost about 60lbs in 6 months.
Its definitely a lifestyle, and once you’re in the habit, its second nature. I’m the same and haver issues limiting, so just saying no, or not having it around are easier. At this point I can have a bunch of junk in the house and I don’t care, but I also know the slippery slope if I open it, I’ll eat it (there has been an upopened box of double stuff Oreos hidden over the fridge for like 6 months now lol ), so I just don’t, and fill up with other stuff, but give myself a day a week to not fret. You got this, you should be so proud of yourself!!
Breaking up your goal into milestones definitely helps!!! But perhaps stay away from tying a timeline to it. No one knows how your body will adjust. Just because it’s slower than expected doesn’t mean you’re not doing the rig yet things for your body. Focus on the milestones and feel great about reaching them.
For me, I have milestones that like - reaching same weight as pre-pandemic, then reaching same weight as pre-pregnancy, etc. Lots of people also like celebrating each 10 lbs lost (or even each 5% lost, 10% lost etc). Maybe break up your goal into smaller milestones that make sense to you and are motivating. Think about what clothes size you might be at various weights and use that to motivate you. Whatever makes sense to you.
Stick at it! And remember, going in the right direction - no matter he pace - is still going in the right direction. Don’t rely on motivation alone because that is fleeting. Focus on consistency and discipline and trust the journey. You go this!
For exercise, do something you enjoy. Walking, hiking, swimming, biking, badminton, whatever.
I’m also an instant gratification person and one thing I have been liking is looking at my “underlying” numbers when it comes to health. I really want to improve my cardio health and I’ve taken up zone 2 training. Long, low intensity cardio sessions basically.
I have an Apple Watch and use an app to track heart rate recovery, heart variability and I have seen a massive improvement in my heart health and it feels really good. I may not always have a weight reduction (which also feels good) but I can also see other health indicators improving.
So I would suggest using more than one metric and temporarily focus on which ever one is improving to help keep your discipline up.