Rant+ self hate + advice post!
Background: I have been trying to lose weight for the past 10 years. The only time I actually stuck to A plan was when I did Keto and I lost nearly 20kgs. I was 89 kgs and went down to 72 kgs. I lost all this weight in a matter of 4-5 months. That was 6 years ago. I am 5’4.5” male.
I now weigh 76kgs with a 24% body fat. I have an embarrassing belly. I hate that about myself. I am also an amateur stage actor and hate looking like the way I do with my paunch.
I have also been working out resistance training at least 3 days a week but keep missing for weeks together. I also follow an 18:6 routine. I follow a one meal a day routine religiously, hoping that magically, I can lose all that fat/weight by doing that. I think I tend to over eat my one meal. My meal is at night. An hour before I sleep. There is always a craving for sweets when I eat that one meal. I also consume a can a beer every two days (on average) in that meal. I am disgusted with myself.
No need to be disgusted. You are a normal human, subject to stresses and needs and desires.
Try this to start: on the bad stuff especially, try doing Half of what you were doing. So, if you LOVE beer, try to see if you can do half a beer, slowly. If you normally eat a bar of chocolate, eat half a bar. Small steps.
One day, see if you can cut out frequency or an item, and sub with something LESS bad. Ie, instead of beer every two days, now try every 4th day instead. Or replace a sweet with a LESS sweet thing, but still a sweet.
Measure what you eat. This can have profound effects.
Try to shift your eating window down to dinnertime instead of bedtime. You can make it from 6 to 12. Then, sleep for 8….bam, you are already at 14!
Go watch Jason Fung’s videos. And please, be kinder to yourself. Your weight isn’t all you are.
There seems to be some self-flagellation going on here. If you are in a 18:6, why squish everything into one meal? That sounds like a recipe for overeating, and there is nothing magic about OMAD. It is not more effective for weight loss if you are eating 2500 calories doing it.
The beer — look. I love beer, but I know it is going to screw up my goals. I would try to cut that out, because it will help. You don’t have to, but if you are getting discouraged, why do something that is going to slow progress? Also, there is evidence that having your last meal more like 3 hours away from bedtime is better— check out the Huberman podcast on fasting.
Finally, stop with the self-hatred! It isn’t going to help you get where you want to be. If that were the ticket, you’d be skinny!
Best of luck to you.
Shouldn’t be disgusted at all. You’re doing everything you can and with the best intentions.
The only potential change which may help, if you’re able to do it, is move the meal so you have longer between when you finish eating and when you go to sleep.
If not, don’t loose hope and keep going. Progress takes time and this isn’t an overnight fix. It’s a lifestyle and changes will come over time.