Review of the past two weeks#
Delayed to this week due to being out on vacation.
If I were to summarize my experience over the past three weeks, it would be that losing weight is a systematic process that cannot be achieved without considering work and lifestyle. Reality is not an inspirational movie where a few months can pass with just a subtitle change /(ㄒ o ㄒ)/~~.
Simply adding weight loss activities to my existing life, such as allocating some time for aerobic exercise and reducing calorie intake, will inevitably have an impact on other aspects of my life and is also difficult to sustain. I need to work during the day and study and exercise at night. At first, it was relatively easy to stick to the routine, and I lost weight quickly, which made me very excited. But after a few days, objective conditions made it difficult to continue - feeling too weak to even walk due to hunger, exhausted from commuting; low blood sugar leading to slow thinking and reduced work and study efficiency; feeling down and easily triggering binge eating. After a while, I realized that my weight had initially dropped but then plateaued, and it felt like all the previous hardships were in vain.
Therefore, in order to lose weight, I must adjust my lifestyle rhythm accordingly to minimize resistance to sustained weight loss. I have already made some adjustments in the last week, and this will be the main goal for the next two weeks.
Summary of data from the past three weeks:
Morning weight on an empty stomach: fluctuated, averaging 76.2kg, now 76kg.
Aerobic exercise: 10 (times) * 250 (calories). Didn't exercise during the vacation, only walked.
16/8 intermittent fasting: 4 times. I was too hungry at night and couldn't sleep, so I had a meal replacement 🤔
Goals for the next two weeks#
Currently, my main goal is weight loss, and I will evaluate it based on the morning weight and calories burned through exercise. Considering that KPIs can seriously harm motivation and trigger self-criticism, which can disrupt the entire process of change, I will only list some directions as references for behavior. It's okay if I don't achieve them.
- Weight: Reduce to 73kg.
- Aerobic exercise: In addition to commuting, aim for an extra 12 (times) * 250 (calories) of exercise.
- 16/8 intermittent fasting: Achieve it 14 times.
Strategies for the next two weeks#
For me personally, considering the benefits that weight loss brings - confidence, more energy, and a better social image (the image after losing weight and the impression of successful weight loss), weight loss is still my top priority. I will make some adjustments to work and study to accommodate weight loss.
At the same time, I have to admit that people have preferences. For me, when my home is clean and tidy, I am more inclined to engage in positive behaviors such as studying, cooking for myself, and indoor cycling. When my home is messy, I am more inclined to indulge in negative behaviors such as ordering greasy takeout and playing games for a long time. In other words, doing housework is a process of converting energy and time into future benefits. In this process, energy and time are transformed into a clean environment, which further increases the possibility of engaging in positive behaviors, resulting in overall higher returns.
Weekend diet is also a very important aspect. It is relatively simple to maintain the routine on workdays, as I eat all my meals at the company and don't need to think too much. However, if the weekend is not properly planned, it can easily trigger some negative behaviors and lead to a imbalanced mindset. Therefore, I have set an alarm for 10 PM on Friday to remind myself to buy groceries for the entire weekend. I usually buy steak, vegetables, and some seafood. The steak needs to be thawed, and if I buy it on the same day, it may not be completely thawed by mealtime, resulting in ordering takeout again. Therefore, I have made buying groceries a fixed behavior, and having groceries at home also makes it easier to motivate myself to cook.
Another question is when to do aerobic exercise. I definitely need to take a shower before going to bed at night, so if I do aerobic exercise in the morning, I would need to shower twice a day 🤔 and also wake up early. Exercising at the gym during lunchtime is tiring and makes me hungry in the evening, and not taking a nap in the afternoon also makes it difficult. Exercising at night after work affects a significant amount of study time and also delays my sleep since I already finish work late. After considering the pros and cons, I chose to do aerobic exercise during lunchtime on workdays and spend half a day playing basketball on weekends. As long as I publicly declare that I will go to the gym at noon, it becomes easier to stick to it due to face-saving considerations, which provides strong motivation. The gym is not far away, and I can take a shower there without triggering cleanliness obsession after sweating, making it easier to follow through with the behavior. I have a certain passion for playing basketball, so the motivation is strong. The biggest problem with this plan is not taking a nap in the afternoon on workdays and how to trigger the behavior of going out on weekends. The solution I adopted is also simple: drink energy drinks on workdays and take a short nap if I'm too tired. Eventually, I will develop a habit of not needing a nap; wake up early on weekends and go out before I have time to think about it. Once I'm out, it's easy to continue, and I tell myself that even if I only play for a minute, it's still progress.
I constantly remind myself not to rely on motivation (willpower) because motivation is fragile. I use reminders (I have nearly ten alarms a day to remind myself to maintain various habits) to trigger behavior and adopt various strategies to reduce the difficulty of behavior.