Walking and counting
I had lost 72 lbs. I went from 207 to 135. I kept it off for a year.
I got out if the habit if tracking, lost a job that was very physically demanding, went on anti depressants, and birth control (for medical reasons) and had some medical issues.
I slowly started gaining it back. I felt like a failure . Someone told me small changes over time were the way to keep long term weight loss off.
After I gained 15 lbs, I decided enough was enough.
I did small changes over time.
I cut out ultra processed foods by 90% (I wasn't eating a lot of them to begin with. So this wasn't hard. )
I cut out pop by 95% (I wasn't drinking a lot to begin with so this wasn't hard.)
I started tracking in and off until I was tracking full time.
I added exercise. Aquasizes twice a week. Tread water twice a week. ( 2 hours a week if aquasizes, 2 hours if treading water.) (This I kept consistently)
I added stairs. For a year I walked up and down 48 stories of stairs a day, 5 days a week. (This I did consistently for a year)
I did weight lifting in and off.some weeks I would do none and other times I would do twice a week.
then I stopped eating out unless.nexessary. no more ordering in.
I did step goals. 12500 for a month here. And then nothing for a while then back into it. I would di step goals for a couple weeks then add 500 more steps. I got up to 15k steps a day. Then there would be a week of less than 2k steps.
I cut calories: 1400 calories for a week here, and then (a week if 1500-1800 calories) back to a week if 1400 then a day of.like 2500 ( for holidays etc) then back to a week of 1800, then another week if 1600, then another week if 1400.
None of this worked. I was still slowly gaining weight. When I got up to 30 lbs. I was like no more of wishy washy "small changes over time. What a load.)
I am back to steps and calorie restriction. that's how I lost my weight in the first place. So far since doing this I have lost 6 lbs in 3 weeks. I did 3 days of 30k steps a day to get my body in motion, and this helped. I took a week off to let my aching feet rest I bought new shoes I'm back to 15 k steps but have been doing more.like.17-21k. I cut down to 1400 calories consistently.
I will continue to do this. I am still not drinking pop, eating ultra processed foods, eating out more than necessary, and I am treading water twice a week and going to aquasizes. but this "small changes over time does not work for me, especially when i didn't have really bad habits to begin with.
it's go big or go home for me which actually really sucks. doensthet mean I have to do this forverevr?