Starting Over

[Ecliptic]

Hi,

I had been using fitbit and stopped. I became unemployed and depressed so I just stopped. I in the last couple months have gained all my 42lbs back plus a little. I really dont have the courage for this but I feel I must begin again. I still dont have a steady job but really need to get my life back on track. Here we go....

[divedragon]

Hi Ecliptic,

I too experienced a set back this year.  I didn't loose my job, but I came off a really bad project and into the frying pan, so to speak.  Then I spend a lot of time working at home with minor project that didn't have me earning much.  I became somewhat depressed.  This is on top of my fitbit initiation last Christmas being my initial battle back from the loss of my parents and a weight gain into the 240 mark.  Since Christmas, I had lost 35 lbs, but then gained back 21.

It was 7 weeks ago when I pulled myself up and started again, just as you are attempting to do.  I pushed hard and started to average steps, not only at my goal, but above it.  The weight came off very slowly and I was stalled at the same weight for 2 weeks straight.  3 weeks ago, I discovered and began a protocol known as Intermittent Fasting (IF).  Its very simple really, you establish a 'feeding window' in which time you consume your daily calorie allotment, then you don't eat again until the next window that begins, typically, 16 hours after the first window ends.  The most common is eat from 1pm to 9pm and then no more until 1 pm the next day.  Basically, you're skipping breakfast, but this has to be consistent.  No calorie intake outside your feeding window.

Within the feeding window, you eat your allotment.  For me, that is 1500-1800 calories.  I have actually reduced my window to 4 hours and in it, I feel like I feast every day.  I play mind games with myself so when I feel the hunger signal, it's not hunger - it's my body burning fat.  By doing this, I can embrace my hunger and make it a positive experience.  So far it's great!  I've lost 3 lbs a week for two weeks.  I also have unbelieveable energy.  In the last two weeks, I've cleaned my basement and my garage, pressure washed the outside of the house, installed wall hangers for all my gear and assembled several new storage devices.  On top of all this, I've been able to average 14-15k steps per day and last weekend over 2 days walked/jogged 55k steps.  Today I did 25k.  In 7 weeks, I am back to where I was when I fell off the wagon.

So far, I can't say enough good things about IF, especially when coupled with weight loss and consistent exercise.  I've adde weight training and HIIT to the routine as well.  I do weight training 3 days a week and only 6 exercises, all compound movement.  HIIT is 1-2 days a week integrated with my walking (I run uphill as hard as I can).

 It will provide you with the energy and the positive re-enforcement to make you feel in control of your life again.  I got my sister doing IF and she's already saying she's stoppped taking afternoon naps and feels more energized.  Give it a try and good luck.  Let me know if you have questions or just need to talk.  We've all been there dude.  This too will pass!

[Jaems]

I gained and lost weight several times.  The cycles tended to be work-related; I completely understand where you're comming from.  I lost a chunck of weight 3-4 years ago and didn't regain it.  It sounds like you know perfectly well how to loose weight quickly (excercise like a fiend).  I'll offer my 2 cents on how to loose weight permanently.

For me, the critical observations were:

1. Don't diet.  Diets are meant to be temporary and quick.  Don't be in a hurry.  Try to loose weight as slowly as possilble.  Focus on permanent changes to your lifestyle and your eating.  Don't do anything that you don't intend to stick with permanently.

2. Sugar is not your friend.  Seek to eliminate sugar from your diet.  Eat more protein and fat.  This is not a 'diet', as it isn't meant to be temporary.  Once you break the cravings (which takes days not weeks) you will start loosing weight and you won't want to go back.  Alcohol is another issue, although I haven't found it necessary to completely avoid alcohol.

Everyone is different and you have to find what works for you.  All the same, unless you excercise a great deal (which is the sort of thing you stop doing when work gets terrible), you won't be able to hold your weight if you eat much sugar.  Unfortunately, sugary foods are cheap, while protein is expensive.  I don't have an easy solution for that.