WEIGHT LOSS ANY% GUIDE BY THATSFAIRZACK

Hey guys, Zack here, i've recieved many questions and requests about my weight loss (which is still going on) and how I achieved what I did. So I decided to write a poorly written guide that covers what I did and how I did it but a little differently than other guides you might have found. I'm going to list my emotions as well as a step by step helpful way of having other people understand what it's like to go through these feelings. This guide might be helpful to you, if you know me personally and know about my weight issues or just the way my mind works.

I weighed 235 pounds at the start of my weight loss journey back in August of 2018.

At the time of writing this Guide, I currently weigh 162 pounds. A total of 72 pounds loss. I went from fitting snuggly in XL shirts to almost fitting in XXL down to Mediums and went from wearing a size 44 pants to currently in 34's which are now starting to sag so I might get down to 32. So my guide that I claim is uninformed and lazy MUST have some merit to it? Possibly. Maybe not with technical stuff, but that's why we're getting to the most important part of this guide.....the DISCLAIMER!

(Update, i'm 150 pounds now. 85 pounds down since editing)

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DISCLAIMER:

WARNING: This guide is NOT guaranteed to work for anyone reading it. It is STRICTLY because people were asking me how I did it. This guide it not about any specific diet, such as Kito, Zero-sugar, Gluten-free, Vegan, or anything specific. Only calorie counting and dedication. So if your weight troubles are more specific such as that it needs a diagnosis from a doctor or nutritionist in order to find the root of a weightloss issue that isn't measured in the amount of food you eat, then this guide isn't for you because I eat whatever I want as in, any kinds of foods, without caution of the specifics such as sugars or fibers or carbs. Just the amount of food I take in.

You must be dedicated as in any weightloss plan or objective in order to see results. It's a given. But i'll try and give advice for each emotion I can remember experiencing in order to help comfort you.

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BACKGROUND AND THOUGHTS BEFORE:

I'm one of your average sort of people and I have absolutely no idea how to specifically eat healthy or how to work out or anything and I still don't. I'am one of those people who thought to themselves every single day, "I'm NEVER going to lose this weight, i'm always going to be fat." I just accepted this about me no matter how much my anxiety struggled with it. I was going to be a slightly larger person. "I don't really eat THAT much do I?" I did. I never ever thought in a million years i'd ever lose 72 pounds. Even after trying once before rebounding back to my larger weight, I never assumed i'd get to THIS point. Maybe a couple of pounds but not this.

I've been heavy-ish my whole life. I'd say my weight REALLY started going up in my 20's when I didn't work, was out of school, and basically just played games on my PC all day every day. My highest weight was likely somewhere in the 250 area at the peak. I was in denial about being large too with always asking relatives, or especially in particular my fiance who reassured me that I wasn't Fat. This was definitely not the case looking back at all my old photos. I needed to accept I was fat. Other people called me fat jokingly all the time so I knew it was true.

I decided to start losing weight 2 years ago when I lived with my sister. I likely weighed the same I did when I started the second time. About 235 pounds. It was instigated by a depressive episode where a co-worker had made a non-harmful and unintentional jab at my weight by punching at me like my stomach was a punching bag. And other co-workers had said that I had chubby fingers or fat rolls. I just decided to try and take charge. During this time, I gave up Soda and started walking everyday and most importantly, dieting. I lost weight because my pants got loser and my belt needed to be tightened a few notches. I don't know how much, but i'd guess somewhere around the 15-20 pound range. And the reason I reversed it is because it was time for me to move into an apartment on my own and my fiance was moving back in with me since we now had a place to live together. We splurged during this time because we were happy to finally get settled in together and I just put the weight back on...probably more.

My fiance also was pretty heavy at this time. But she had something different happening. Her health insurance was located in the state of Tenneessee where weight loss surgery is covered. Her mother had gotten a year or so prior and now her doctors were recommending her to get it as well. And she had a surgery date and everything set up in August. She was gone a month. During this time I noticed all my clothes fitting tighter and we had just gotten new uniforms at work where when I put them on, they were tight around me and I may have needed to go into an XXL instead of XL. That's when I decided, I needed to do my diet again and do it big, while I had the support of my fiance and enough will power and reason to finally lose the weight.

And this is where the guide begins!

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FIRST STEPS:

WEIGH YOURSELF:

Find out how much you weigh. I had an anxiety when it comes to numbers and tried to stay away from scales. This was due to personal denial about being fat. I convinced myself that I didn't look fat when I did, and I knew if I saw it in numbers, it would just show me how bad it was. Denial is strong, it can literally get you to stare in the mirror and convince yourself of something you're not.

CALORIE CALCULATOR:

The first thing I did after I accepted how much I weighed was I used online calorie calculators to input how much I weighed, my height, and how active I was dring the day to see what they said about my BMI and how many calories I could consume a day in order to start losing weight. There are MANY of them out there and no single one is better than others.

This will give you a specific range of calories. For an adult male, the average amount of calories is 2000 a day to maintain. This is for average people though. Moderate activity and average height. Which is why putting in your weight and height are super important. BE HONEST when it asks you what your daily activity is. Do not say you're super active if you're not. Your calorie consumption will go up and you won't see progress. If you work, but you sit down all day, be honest and say "not that active" if you exercise once or twice a week, put slightly active or moderately active. This will adjust your calorie intake by a few hundred, which over the course of a week, can be a half a pound or more difference.

My job is physically demanding and I work 50 hours a week. I left it in the middle. In fact, unless you absolutely don't move much of the day, i'd say aiming at the middle activity level is your best bet regardless, but if you want to get better results, I recommend you pick the one that you believe you are.

There's different calorie deficits as well. If you prefer to eat a little more and lose weight a little more slowly, like a half a pound or a pound a week, you can try and cut 200-400 calories a day from the average it gives you. But it's perfectly healthy to cut even more and lose on average up to 2 pounds a week. Staying under 2000 is the ultimate goal.

There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. Your goal is to have a deficit of 3500 calories a week to lose 1 pound. Chances are, if you are overweight, you are consuming way over the 2000 calories average a day. So staying under 2000 calories or even getting close to it, you'll notice huge weight loss early. Stay under 2k though. You want to average out and change your lifestyle and diet.

GIVE UP SODA:

I can't stress this enough. The first thing I did when I started my weightloss the FIRST time (gained it back after before the second attempt) was I gave up soda. Coke in particular was my drink of choice. That was the one thing I kept from the first time I started losing weight. I never consistently drank soda ever again. I only drink coke as a special rare treat with certain meals or cheat days.

Soda, HAS ABSOLUTELY NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE. Which is why they tell you not to drink soda. It's bad for your health, your digestive system and also messes with your teeth. Since I gave up soda. my teeth have never looked whiter and less issues with the dentist.

You can still have soda every once in a while, as a treat, on a cheat day maybe. But I would give it up immediately.

Think of it in terms of numbers. A can of coke, just one, is 150 calories. Large cokes at fast food places or restaraunts can be in the 300 calories or more range. If you drank, 2 cokes a day per meak, you are consuming a pointless 300-700 calories a day for asolutely no reason besides taste. Coke is yummy, but just giving it up and drinking water can net you a half a pound or more in weight less every week or 2!

Now a lot of people will take an alternative to regular soda and drink stuff like Diet Coke or Coke Zero, which has little to no calories. I did some research into these drinks. While there's no catch on the calories, there is a huge catch on the Drinks and their artificial sugars and sweeteners. They can still cause health issues ranging from Diabetes and Heart issues. Along with some health issues, they also still have the same effect as sugar as in they make you hungry and crave sweets or food in general. If you feel like you have some form of self control, and no health risks involved, you can drink these to stay low on your calorie count but my advice and I highly suggest and recommend it....GIVE UP SODA!

EXERCISE:

My first attempt at weightloss came now only with giving up soda, and counting my calories, I also started exercising. Walking was my choice here. My second and most recently successful attempt at weight loss (85 pounds lost) I did no extra exercise outside of what I get at my job. This guide can be sort of seen as strictly a dieting guide to lose weight with no specific exercises in mind. But I do think working at my job played a role in the weight loss. Exercising also besides losing weight has health benefits all around from being stronger in general and more energetic.

Now for weightloss, exercise is a good tool and I highly suggest it, but weight loss in general is about 85% dieting and 15% exercise. And the only reason i'm sort of hinting at not doing it is not because exercise is bad but because you don't want to take on too many changes at once in your lifestyle, it can cause you too much stress and you'll want to give up. Also during the start of my weight loss I was at my heaviest and hurt my knee really bad which persisted for a month and made me want to give up.

As I mentioned before, my choice of exercise is walking. You want to walk at a brisk pace, you should walk as fast as needed or jog if you feel you can do it to get your heart rate up which is the most important part. My recommendation is walk for 2 miles or 45 minutes. The total calorie loss for me on average with walking was 200-300 calories per session. I'd say 3 times a week is perfectly fine. It'll save you a few hundred calories which you can eat, or take at a net loss to your calorie count for the day and week.

I mapped a route with my phone to make sure I was walking 2 miles every day when I started. I walked in my neighborhood I lived in at the time. You can also do a treadmill at home or a gym for the same results, it doesn't matter. But getting sun and what not is great for you as well.

Don't get discouraged if you can't do 2 miles. I had to work up to it. I felt embarrassed the first few days when I could barely make it down the block before my back and shins started to hurt. My feet hurt really bad afterwards too. I made the mistake of not getting the proper walking shoes. By the way, if you have the extra funds, INVEST IN WALKING SHOES. I was walking in regular tennis shoes. Your feet will thank you. I bought a pair of New Balance shoes and they feel like you're walking on air. Eventually, you'll make it down the block, and then further and further each day. Then you finally complete the full 2 mile trip and you still feel like you can go further! It's a liberating feeling! Exercise will make you overall feel better, but just dieting is fine.

VITAMINS/SUPPLEMENTS

Nothing crazy here. I did this before I even started dieting the first failed attempt. I take Centrum for men. 2 gummies a day every single day. Nothing more or less. I recommend the gummies, they help a lot with energy and I found I got hungry a lot more because it helps with metabolism. I'm sure there's other reasons for the gummies, but I never researched this. I just took them. Everyone recommends them. You can get the gummies, the pills or add them as a powder to water or something. Whatever way you feel is best for you, do that. But definitely take some vitamins.

FOOD/SNACKS:

This is a little more of a tricky thing I can recommend or give advice about since all people eat differently and like different things. And it's going to sound crazy because I still eat fast food...on the regular. I count it though.

For breakfast I would recommend a piece of fruit. I've been eating apples almost every single morning. It's important because eating breakfast early helps jump start your metabolism and gets it going. It's pretty much free calories as the apple is burned before your lunch. So let's get into the part most people won't like when it comes to dieting.

So one of the first things I did was I started to drink meal replacement shakes and snack bars for lunch. Honestly, cutting out lunch for meal replacements was the hardest thing to do, but likely one of the first key successes in training myself to consume less and be satisfied with less intake. I specifically used the brand "Primere" where the shakes were roughly only about 160 calories a shake. If you decide to eat the bar though, they can range from 160-300. Just depends on what you want out of it. It feels weird to start drinking your lunches at first, but eventually you get used to it, and then look forward to it. Then you adjust to the amounts and feel satisfied with the less, it becomes a normal feeling and you don't think about it.

You can also eat other stuff. I ate lean cuisine meals, or small packs of baked chips like baked cheetohs and Pringles. One of the biggest things you want to watch out for here is Sodium and Carbs. Like I said, this isn't a KITO guide but you should watch out for these two for a particular reason. They can make you bloated with water weight. Water weight is not dangerous or anything but they can make you feel fat or like you aren't losing weight. One time I had a cheat meal and shot up 5 pounds in a weekend. That's IMPOSSIBLE. I'd have to have eaten 15,000 calories for that to happen. But my body retained water from the salt and carbs. Just be mindful of that! If you find your weight fluctuating in pounds on the daily, it's likely water weight. The solution to losing water weight sounds counter-productive, but drinking more water is the answer you'll find online. Flushes the salt out, makes you pee a lot more. Totally normal!

Snacking again is something you'll want to do. Find some low calorie snacks in the 100-200 calorie range if you feel a little hungry. It helps with cravings, without going overboard and keeps you from wanting to quit. Whatever you find that suites you. It can be a lot of low calorie snacks or even a cheat snack where it's a smaller quantity of candy to stat withing that snack calorie range.

ALWAYS READ THE CALORIE COUNT OF WHATEVER IT IS YOU ARE EATING.

This is the tedious part of dieting. But you eventually get use to it. Always count the calories on whatever you are eating. BE MINDFUL THAT THE CALORIES ON THE LABEL ARE USUALLY IN SERVINGS!! If something says it's 150 calories, that's usually NOT for the full container or amount in the bag. It's usually for a lesser amount in a form of SERVINGS.

If you can't find the calorie count on the package or whatever it is you are trying to eat, try googling what you are eating online and search around. People typically have calories and nutritional information for a lot of stuff online. I advise this heavily. I still do this to this day.

If you're out at a restaurant, you can ask them for nutritional information. Or once you get the hang of it, you'll just have to order less or eat less. This brings me to our next section btw.

EATING OUT(FAST FOOD)/COOKING/MEAL PREP:

Again, there's a lot of things that go here where not every situation is the same. I would suggest not to eat out too much. Learning to cook small dishes like Rice and chicken or lean burger meats and turkey burgers are great starters. It's really up to you how you want to learn and what you want to cook. I can't really comment too much here because my fiance does most of the cooking for me which is a huge advantage in time here. We also usually only cook lower calorie foods and have them completely routined for the weeks. If you absolutely can't cook for some reason or dont have time, you can always revert back to the lower calorie meals like lean cuisines and easy to make dinners or sandwiches using lean meats.

Fast food is still an option. Keep in mind that it's very high in calories and carbs depending on what you get. Just count your calories and do the best judgement you can here. When my fiance was in tennessee, I ate a lot of fast food for the most part and still was able to lose weight. I just ate smaller quantities and healthier choices. Some fastfood places have great tasting salads in the 400-800 calorie range as long as you don't use high fat dressings and add a whole bunch of stuff.

You can also take a day and do a lot of meal prepping for the week which helps. You can cook a large portion of chicken and rice or potatoes or ground beef dishes and store them in containers and take one out every morning for lunch or to eat for dinner. I did this for a few weeks with success until I decided to switch to protein meal replacements as I didn't cook and didn't want to spend the time to cook. It was easier on me.

CHEAT DAYS:

It is OK to have a cheat day. There's no point in dieting and losing weight if you still can't enjoy a big meal every now and again. A lot of people say they average a cheat day to once a week. But keep in mind that they might be weight lifters. Weight lifting burns a LOT of calories and requires heavy meals to maintain sometimes. On average, I would say you shouldn't do more than 1 cheat meal every 3-4 weeks. You'll look forward to your bigger meals. They will feel special and rewarding. On my cheat days, I typically still try to watch what I eat. I don't go full on chaos, but I'll eat maybe 500-1000 calories more in a day. Not on purpose, usually just by proxy of not watching what I eat for a day. Use some judgement but also, it's ok to go out every once in a while!

ROUTINE:

Routine is honestly the most important advice here. My most important suggestion and honestly the KEY to weight loss success. Find a routine that works. Make it seem like every day is a mission and you must complete those missions to obtain the ultimate goal. Losing weight. Eating your snacks and protein drinks on time, cooking your meals or prepping them, and closing out your day with a small final snack of choice. If you get routined, it won't feel like dieting anymore. It'll just be what it is. Remember, you're not really starting a routine for the first time. You are already routined to eat the foods in and exercising in the way you have been. You're just changing them a bit to a healthier lifestyle!

DON'T TAKE ON EVERY SINGLE THING AT ONCE:

All of the things listen here which will occasionally be updated are all the things I did and eventually did. I'd highly recommend you don't take on every single one of these because it's like you'll get burny out and want to quit all together. Start gradually and build up into them. I say, quitting soda, and calorie counting are a great first step combination!

IT TAKES TIMES:

Do not expect immediately results. It's a long grueling process at the beginning, that i'll touch base with in the upcoming next portion of the guide. Weight loss isn't instant. 2 pounds a week is a LOT but it also feels like so little and like nothing in changing. You still feel like your big clothes fit and your pants feel just as tight! Hang in there! You won't notice ANY immediate results. It can take MONTHS to notice anything or for anyone else to take notice. Which brings me to my next section on my personal experience with weight loss. The FEELINGS!

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MENTAL/PHYSICAL FEELINGS. THE HIGHS AND LOWS. BODY CHANGES AND MORE:

So you decided you were going to start losing weight? Great! You picked out the things you want to try and committ to. But there's one thing a lot of weight loss websites and guides don't usually talk about. The feelings, the body changes, what to expect, how to mentally prepare for it. So what I want to to is give you a rundown of my journey of feelings from my mental state to my body during each weight loss period I can think of. I hope this part helps you get prepared and if you are reading this and struggling I hope it can help you find some form of comfort. Being alone and feeling like no one understands you is a bad feeling. Don't fret! Here's my personal feelings throughout the journey.

STARTING OUT:

When you first decide you are going to lose weight, it's kind of like a feeling of self accomplishment. You got the first step done. Acceptance and motivation! You're going to get slim and look great. You get totally into the idea that you're going to do this thing. It gives you a sense of purpose and accomplishment! That's great! Well...it CAN be. You haven't done anything just yet. You need to start first. Some people can't even feel that need to start, because they don't know what to expect. I'm here to give you an idea of what to expect depending in your purpose for losing weight and the results you want. Like looking better, feeling healthier or compliments from other people. This'll all be addressed.

Now that you're ready to start losing weight and you feel motivated, let's get to it.

FIRST WEEK-SECOND WEEK:

This might be the easiest weeks for some or the hardest. Starting out is tough. Some people have that motivation that can last a while but I can assure you,for most people, especially me, that motivated feeling goes away and it will suck. You're sticking to your calorie deficit for a few days now and you still have that motivation, but then the feelings of doubt kick in. I can't speak for everyone in terms of motivation, but if you are serious about losing weight, the feeling here is withdrawal. Your body is smart, it knows what you're doing. It's getting less food than before and it's pissed. It will tell you, YOU'RE HUNGRY and will fight you and cause you to self doubt yourself and to go back to eating the foods before, with those addictive transfats and salt and sugars. This is a REALLY hard part.

I found myself the first week PACING back in forth in my apartment, having a panic attack because I felt hungry. I was in distress. I felt like I HAD to eat something and if I didn't I was going to explode. I was STARVING right? I mean I can still eat and lose weight right? If my body is THIS hungry something must be WRONG! I HAVE to eat! I can't lose the weight, my body is just this way, i'm supposed to be this way, I can't control the way I look because my body is like this naturally.

Fight it! You're body is like a drug addict without it's fix. You are going through withdrawal and it's perfectly normal. It makes you feel terrible but there is good news. IT WILL PASS. It will eventually pass for the night when your body realizes it's not getting that food. It will eventually pass overall. Your body is detoxing!

My suggestion is if you are feeling like this here is to calm down and breathe. Do some breathing technique like taking in deep breaths through your nose and slowly exhaling through your mouth. Drinking water can also make you feel a little satisfied. You can also eat your snacks later in the evening after dinner in combat to the expected withdrawal feelings. So instead of eating dinner at 6 and having a snack at 8. Try saving that small snack for when the feelings come up around 9-10. Something like that but adjusted to your dinner and snack times.

Another thing that helps is distraction! Find a game to play or a show to watch. Drink your water and take your mind off of it. Talk with some friends. Try as best as you can to distract yourself and not think about it! You WILL get over this feeling. IT PASSES! The time of passing isn't the same for everyone but I promise it will!

SECOND-FOURTH WEEK:

If you're still feeling anxious and having cravings, it's still perfectly normal. Like I said, it will pass. If you've been sticking to a nice little routine and taking in less calories, a few changes will start to happen. You should have lost a few pounds by now. Maybe 4-8 depending on your routine. At this stage, if you have been weighing yourself, you'll see the small progress. This is QUITE the accomplishment. 4-8 pounds is a LOT. I never weighed myself during this time, I strictly went off of how my body felt in terms of my clothes. So for people like that and for the people who DO weigh themselves, you will feel like you put a LOT of time already into it with little results. Almost a whole month but you're not skinny yet. You don't feel like you've dropped a pant size yet and no one has said anything. You tell people you have lost weight and they don't believe you or see it. Perfectly normal. I still had overweight comments at this time. But believe me YOU ARE MAKING PROGRESS and the weight loss notice just isn't prominent yet.

Even though at this point, I noticed my shirt was...slightly less snug. My work pants were a bit more loose. Might need to tighten my belt loop by one hole. If you lost 6 or so pounds, you'll notice this now. It may not be huge weight, but this is an ONGOING process. And guess what? You're on your way there! You JUST started the journey!

SECOND MONTH EIGHT WEEKS:

This is the next phase of weight loss. This is when things start to get a bit more interesting. If you've stuck with your routine you should be at around the 10-15 pound loss at this point. Your clothes feel less snug, and your pants are starting to slip off a bit, but they still fit right? Just need to tighten that belt a bit. But still...no one is saying anything. You don't really see it in the mirror. What the hell is going on? Your weight loss is pretty distributed. A lot of people don't really have a representation of weight loss in physical appearance in general. Some people are too considerate to ask about it. Like they don't want to say anything because they don't want to hurt your feelings. This is a combination of, you haven't lost enough weight yet in the way your clothes feel, and you havent lost enough for anyone to say anything. At this point, I think most of your comments about it will come from people you told about it.

Sort of like "It's been a rough couple of weeks, i've been dieting recently."

"Of yea, you do look like you lost a couple of pounds."

The comments from other makes us feel better when they are positive like that. And they are rewarding. Makes it feel like all your effort is paying off. But at this stage, don't expect too many comments. Also, it's best not to obssess about your weight loss goals and accomplishments through other people's comments or approval. Do it for yourself or you're going to feel like a failure. 10-15 pounds is a fucking accomplishment. OWN IT! At this point for me, no one said anything, but I started to FEEL it. But it just didn't feel like enough, I was getting worried that my weight loss was over and that this was all I could lose. 2 months in and i'm not skinny yet...hang in there!

By this point, you should also notice your craving are practically gone. Or you have learn to manage them until they are.

THIRD-FOURTH MONTH

These are the months you'll start to feel and see semi-dramatic changes. When you wash your face, you start to feel more of your cheek bones. When you wash your stomach in the shower, you'll seel like you washing closer in and not cutting under your belly as much. Your thighs don't rub together as much but they still do right? Also, you had to tighten your belt loop a few times now. 2 times? 3 times maybe? Did you poke a new hole into it? Your shirt is starting to feel a little baggy as well. And then all of a sudden out of nowhere

"Man, are you losing weight? You look like you lost a few pounds."

And there it is. The beginning of the comments from people. Your friends are likely to say something first. Co-workers as well. People who know you but havent seen you in a bit, won't say much. Your family likely noticed much sooner as well. Most people still won't say anything because it's not immediately noticeable, it's more of an observation in the middle of an interaction that leads people to say something. This is such a gratifying feeling and gives you a feeling of success. Do not let it consume your goal though. If you don't think you're where you want to be. You need to stick it out. A few times I wanted to quit during this time because when I looked in the mirror I still saw fat, and I had no idea what people were talking about. What's the point? Even after losing weight I still look this way. Most people when they lose weight look fit, but I still look like a mess! Ignore these self attacking thoughts. You are GETTING to that point. You are making excellent progress! People are just commenting on that progress in a good way.

For a small example. I had bought bran new clothes for my works Christmas party and to wear to my family christmas. I had to be the large because I couldn't fit into the Extra large anymore! The large still fit kind of...snug, but it fit! When I wore these clothes to my family's house, they were all SHOCKED. They were like "Jeff oh my god, you are skinny now holy shit how did you do it." And it felt good. At the Christmas party, only a few people said anything, and all my christmas photos had me looking away or embarrassed because I still looked fat. I was still 200 pounds maybe more then. As of writing this, I'am 150 pounds. I lost 50+ more pounds since then. So when people complimented me and said I looked skinny I thought they were just being nice. A lot of them think you're skinny because you arent as big. The change is dramatic to people you know but you see something different still. You still feel big. I was still 200+ pounds at that point at 5'7 height. I kind of hit a low at that point, especially because of the worst part and feelings of weight loss that's to come.

On a little side subtext story, my co-workers had noticed my weight loss as well. One of my managers purchase khaki pants for a customer who never came and got them. They were a size 36. I was wearing a 42 or 44 at this time. They said since I was losing weight I should be able to fit into them. They told me to try them on. I couldn't fit into them at all. I couldn't even get them on. Embarrassed....I still took them home and said they fit. While I wore my old ragged looking khakis...

FIFTH-SIXTH MONTH:

You've made it to HALF A YEAR! I'm Proud! You're proud! Everyone is proud! But around this time is when you hit a really annoying wall that can discourage you. This is what they call, Plateauing. If you're following a good routine still, and you've been getting great comments about your work but all of a sudden, you feel like you're not losing anymore weight. Like you're stuck. This is actually completely normal. Somewhere around every 25-30 pounds of weight loss, your body kind of changes and starts to not want to lose weight anymore. It thinks something is happening to it. But rest assure, as long as you are eating a healthy deficit of calories, you're fine. Your body is just trying to store everything you're losing. It's getting desperate. Don't fret! Don't let it get to you, don't let it reverse anything you've done! Keep the same routin, the same thing you have been doing and it WILL start back up! This usually goes on for a couple of weeks.

During this time, I thought I was done. That the weight loss was over. That I need to adjust my calories again or exercise. But it was just the plateuing that occurs. I felt like "this is it, I lost as much as I could, and i'm proud of myself but this is as far as I can go." This isn't true! Depending on your current weight this is absolutely not true. Just stick it out and it will start up again!

Those size 36 khaki pants I couldn't get on before. At this point I could get them on, but I couldn't button them. But I could get them on.

SEVENTH-EIGHT MONTH:

Could also be a month or 2 earlier for some but, this is the stage where I felt like "I DID IT." Also, if you have kept up with the routine, you should be about 40-50 pounds down. Everyone really notices it and points it out. And also the most rewarding thing happens around this stage, if not earlier.

You get to buy a new wardrobe!

Most if not all your clothes should be really loose and sagging. For me, I went from an XL down to a large and even some mediums at this point! I had to get a new belt because of all the holes I put into it Needed some new blue jeans and everything!

You should start feeling less jiggily and you find that you can lift yourself up on things. I discovered I could climb and jog now! But I still felt chubby that I wasn't where I needed to be. I still felt like I wasn't done. I also once again plateaued here. At around 176-180.

Thisis the stage where I feel like, if you've gotten here this far. You're going to keep it up. That you are committed and there's no stopping you. I never felt and moments where I wanted to stop at this point. There was NO turning back. It was the greatest i've ever felt.

I also shaved off all my facial hair for the first time ever in over 15 years. Because I felt like my face was thin enough that I didnt need to hide behind a mask of hair to mask my round face. That's how I felt at least.

The size 36 khaki pants could now fit buttoned and everything. and I wore them to work regularily at this time.

NINE-TEN MONTHS:

One of the things that happens here. You should be down 50-60 pounds at this point. At this point, I actually felt content. For the first time I felt like I wasn't fat anymore. But there were small instances that reminded me of it. But I felt overall content where I was. This is sort of an acceptance stage. That you made it. This is actually what I felt like was, the first spot that you could stop at if you wanted to. It depends on your weight and weight loss goal. For me, I was at around 165. No one referred to me as fat anymore, I fit into any clothes I wanted and thought I looked good. But checking online, I was still considered overweight, and wanted to push just a bit further. This was what I referred to as the SLOW DOWN stage. Not plateauing, but that my calorie deficit, while still a deficit, it didn't lose as much weight as before. I started only losing 3 or 5 pounds only over the course of a month or two.

I could have made an adjustment to my calories but I felt like I was still losing and in all honesty, my routine and everything felt fine and I didn't want to committ to changing my diet further and eating less than before. It felt uncomfortable and I kind of accepted that I'll continue what i'm doing and see if I lose anymore weight with what i'm doing before deciding to change the lifestyle. At this point, I was following a life style, rather than dieting anymore.

The 36 size Khaki's were now sagging off of me. Requiring me to put holes in my belt again. An extra two.

ELEVEN-1 YEAR:

WOW! A whole year! We made it! This is where the overall journey felt like it was over or ended. It hasn't ended because i'm still losing. But going from Obese to known as "skinny" in just a year was amazing. And you know what? It REALLY flew by! I couldn't believe it! What I thought was an agonizing first couple of weeks and NEVER thought i'd ever get passed, was at a year! And I never felt the same way about those first struggling few weeks! I'm in the best shape of my life at this point. I can climb, run, fit into nice clothes. My mental health and social activity went up. I felt self confident, love to shop for clothes now and overall feel great.

One of the things I didn't really touch on was that, one of my most jarring culture shocks losing weight, was that from when I was fat to now that i'm much leaner, people looked at me different. I found people smiled at me more in general, and treated me nicer. My co-workers think it's because I have more confidence, but one said it's likely because i'm more appealing and attraction has that sort of power. So those are changes to expect as well.

I feel like at these points, at least for me, that this is the end of the guide. I'll add more if people have suggestions or questions or if there's some editing that needs to go into it. But overall I think it's finished. I hope you get some confort or good advice and find motivation for weightloss through my own experience and journey.

As of finishing this "guide", I weigh 150 pounds. I lost 85 pounds total over the course of a year and 2 months! So I didn't stop at 165! I lost 15 more with the same routing from when I decided that I didn't need to keep going if I didn't want to.

By the way. Those Size 36 khaki pants. Do not fit anymore.

Thanks everyone! You can find me on social media to ask more specific questions or want to check out pictures and what not.

https://twitter.com/ThatsFairZack
https://www.twitch.tv/thatsfairzack
https://discord.gg/xTZHeq