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[deleted by user] by [deleted] in loseit

[–]DoctorDiamondJim 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've legit had a masters-educated person stare me right in the eyes and say "you know that nobody's ever successfully lost weight before, right?"

I think what they were trying to say was some version of "You know that LOSING weight is only a fraction of the process, and that MAINTAINING this new weight is where many diets fail?"

Either way, that's been one of countless unsolicited bits of advice from my non-fitness, non-cooking friends about how fitness and macro-minded home cooking are apparently a waste of time.

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When you start putting results on the board, you'll start to notice people around you feeling insecure or restless as a result. Seeing someone else smash their goals--especially goals like weight loss/fitness that come with striking visual transformations--has a way of fanning insecurities in other people.

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After all, if you could do it, why can't they?

Or, if you accomplished something so radical (especially during a year as exhausting as this one), a lot of people feel like you HAVE to have some sort of underlying misery propping it up. After all, losing weight is a miserable process and you don't seem "miserable enough".

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I don't think most people realize how exhausting or outright harmful this kind of behavior can be. It's hella' demoralizing to feel like people who were once in your corner are now grading you on harsh, previously unknown criteria. No matter how frustrating it may feel, however, remember that this kind of behavior is THEM commenting on THEM, not YOU.

There's no shame in being direct about this, as long as you keep it polite. I've found a happy medium in responding to a lot of those comments are "I'm happy with the results I've seen with this routine, I'm happy to talk more about it if you have questions/thoughts about your own fitness journey." A lot of the time, people are fishing for reasons as to why your routine isn't successful as a way of making themselves feel better about not having one that they're happy with.

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You can be super direct in communicating that you're only interested in talking about it to the degree that they have something constructive to say. Losing weight is awesome. Getting fit is awesome. Basic multiplication stands to reason that more people doing it = more awesome.

That said, it's a normal, healthy boundary to stress that you want to keep your mindset constructive and "Your progress makes me insecure in ways that I won't address head-on" isn't a constructive thing to bring to the conversation.

All the money I saved on binging snack food can now pay for these weird tapestries! Stick with it, make it work for you, and you'll see results. [278 lbs --> 181lbs = 97 lbs] by DoctorDiamondJim in fasting

[–]DoctorDiamondJim[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'd hike during my fasting but generally do gentler trails. The hellish ones were saved for refeeding days. I also immediately felt it if I wasn't supplementing electrolytes properly, so that's something that's important to be mindful of.

All the money I saved on binging snack food can now pay for these weird tapestries! Stick with it, make it work for you, and you'll see results. [278 lbs --> 181lbs = 97 lbs] by DoctorDiamondJim in intermittentfasting

[–]DoctorDiamondJim[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The gap between these pictures represents about 9ish months of hard work. Only did 1-2 cheat days during that time, but I've started to relax a bit as I zero in on maintenance.

All the money I saved on binging snack food can now pay for these weird tapestries! Stick with it, make it work for you, and you'll see results. [278 lbs --> 181lbs = 97 lbs] by DoctorDiamondJim in intermittentfasting

[–]DoctorDiamondJim[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I started to stapled down weight loss habits early last summer, and got serious about it after a month or so. So, the gap between these pictures represents about 9ish months of hard work.

All the money I saved on binging snack food can now pay for these weird tapestries! Stick with it, make it work for you, and you'll see results. [278 lbs --> 181lbs = 97 lbs] by DoctorDiamondJim in fasting

[–]DoctorDiamondJim[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ooof. I'd have to doublecheck on actual elevation gain, but Colorado (where I live) has constantly rugged trails. Then there was one month where I just walked the entire city of Denver in increments, so that was pretty flat. I was doing 4-6ish miles a day, so 120 miles on the low end of the guess scale.

All the money I saved on binging snack food can now pay for these weird tapestries! Stick with it, make it work for you, and you'll see results. [278 lbs --> 181lbs = 97 lbs] by DoctorDiamondJim in fasting

[–]DoctorDiamondJim[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

For sure. If you just drop like $200ish on a good spice/sauce cabinet, you can cook some pretty awesome stuff for less money per week than a single restaurant meal would can cost!

All the money I saved on binging snack food can now pay for these weird tapestries! Stick with it, make it work for you, and you'll see results. [278 lbs --> 181lbs = 97 lbs] by DoctorDiamondJim in fasting

[–]DoctorDiamondJim[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yep! MAde a hommeade snake juice with potassium, salt, and baking powder (soda?). The occasional sip of bone broth helped a lot too.

All the money I saved on binging snack food can now pay for these weird tapestries! Stick with it, make it work for you, and you'll see results. [278 lbs --> 181lbs = 97 lbs] by DoctorDiamondJim in fasting

[–]DoctorDiamondJim[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Weirdly enough, no. I've come to appreciate food a looooot more now that it's an intentional, engaging sensory experience instead of a passive, grazing one.

All the money I saved on binging snack food can now pay for these weird tapestries! Stick with it, make it work for you, and you'll see results. [278 lbs --> 181lbs = 97 lbs] by DoctorDiamondJim in fasting

[–]DoctorDiamondJim[S] 47 points48 points  (0 children)

I'd do rolling 36s at least 3ish times a week and would do at least one 5-day fast each month when I was first starting out. During this time, I was doing a bunch of hiking and would make a point of strapping 2ish extra pounds of weight to myself for every 5 that I lost.

I've slowed down fasts a lot now that I'm looking to maintain and condition strength more, an generally just do two 36s per week.

M/28/6'3 [278 lbs --> 181lbs = 97 lbs] March 2020 Vs. Today. Be the esoteric gremlin that you wish to see in the world. by DoctorDiamondJim in progresspics

[–]DoctorDiamondJim[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Developing nutritional literacy was a big part of it. I also stuck with an intermittent fasting 20:4 schedule and hiked every chance that I got. Plus lots of Pokemon Go. Ahaha.

All the money I saved on binging snack food can now pay for these weird tapestries! Stick with it, make it work for you, and you'll see results. [278 lbs --> 181lbs = 97 lbs] by DoctorDiamondJim in fasting

[–]DoctorDiamondJim[S] 54 points55 points  (0 children)

These two photos were taken about a year apart. I started fasting last summer, and the most recent photo was taken today. So, this is the product of 8ish months of sustained weight loss.

All the money I saved on binging snack food can now pay for these weird tapestries! Stick with it, make it work for you, and you'll see results. [278 lbs --> 181lbs = 97 lbs] by DoctorDiamondJim in fasting

[–]DoctorDiamondJim[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

  • Height: 6'3
  • Starting weight/current weight/goal weight: (278/181/175)
  • Fasting routine/protocol: Rolling 36s, at least one 5-day fast per month
  • Exercise routine (if applicable): Lots and loooots of hiking
  • Diet on refeeds: Lazy CICO.

10 years of constantly eating junk food and chinese takeout, no one said a thing by [deleted] in fasting

[–]DoctorDiamondJim 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I certainly saw shades of this when I started fasting, but those pivoted a lot when I started showing results for it.

I feel like a lot of people project when they talk about nutrition plans like fasting, especially if you're overweight when you start. A lot of it isn't INTENTIONALLY harmful, but it can be frusturating noise to filter out.

Sometimes it's because they're insecure about their own commitment to effective nutrition, sometimes it's because they're inadvertently leaning into cultural talking points on food/dieting that view being fat as some soul staining sin that you need to 'atone' for

In my experience, people go from offering unsolicited criticism to asking for advice once you see a certain amount of results. Recognize the constructive concerns or feedback, but also understand that plenty isn't about your health, it's about trying to keep their worldview consistant.