Review of the past two weeks#
I went out during the vacation, so it was postponed to this week.
If I were to summarize my experience over these 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 to my original life, setting aside some time for aerobic exercise and reducing calorie intake, will inevitably have an impact on the rest 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 it, and my weight also dropped quickly, and I was in a very good mood. But after a few days, objective conditions quickly made it impossible to continue - too weak to walk due to hunger, very tired during commuting; low blood sugar, slow thinking, reduced work and study efficiency; low mood, easily triggering retaliatory eating. After a while, I found that my weight had dropped and then increased, and there was no significant change. So, was all the previous suffering in vain?
Therefore, in order to lose weight, it is necessary to adjust the rhythm of life accordingly to minimize the resistance to continuous weight loss. I have already made some adjustments in the last week, and this will also be the main goal for the next two weeks.
Summary of data from the past three weeks:
Morning fasting weight: fluctuating, averaging 76.2kg, now 76kg.
Aerobic exercise: 10 (times) * 250 (kcal). I walked during the vacation, no exercise.
16/8 intermittent fasting: 4 times. I was too hungry at night, so I couldn't sleep and had some meal replacements 🤔
Goals for the next two weeks#
Currently, the main goal is weight loss, with morning fasting weight and calories burned through exercise as evaluation criteria. Considering that KPIs can seriously harm motivation, trigger criticism from internal supervisors, and 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, additional exercise should reach 12 (times) * 250 (kcal).
- 16/8 intermittent fasting should be achieved 14 times.
Strategies for the next two weeks#
For me personally, considering the benefits of weight loss: confidence, longer energy reserves, and a better social image (the image after losing weight and the impression brought by 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 particularly clean and tidy, I am more inclined to engage in positive behaviors, such as studying, cooking for myself, and using the indoor exercise bike. When my home is particularly messy, I am more inclined to indulge in negative behaviors, such as ordering greasy takeout or playing games for a long time. In other words, doing housework is actually 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 weekdays. I eat all three meals at the company, so I don't need to think too much. However, if the weekend is not properly arranged, it can easily trigger some negative behaviors and lead to an imbalanced mindset. Therefore, I have set an alarm for 10 p.m. 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 is likely that it will not be completely thawed by the time I eat, resulting in ordering takeout again. Therefore, I have made buying groceries a fixed behavior. Having groceries at home also makes it easier to trigger the behavior of cooking.
Another question is when to do aerobic exercise. I must take a shower before going to bed at night, so if I do aerobic exercise in the morning, I need to shower twice a day 🤔 and I need to wake up early. Exercising at the gym at noon is tiring, and I tend to get hungry in the evening. Exercising at home in the evening affects a large block of study time and also delays sleep since I finish work relatively late. After considering the pros and cons, I chose to do aerobic exercise at noon on weekdays 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 is easy 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 without triggering cleanliness obsession after sweating, so the difficulty of the behavior is relatively low. I have a certain enthusiasm for playing basketball myself, so the motivation is strong. The biggest problem with this plan is that I feel very tired in the afternoon without taking a nap on weekdays, and how to trigger the behavior of going out on weekends. The solution I adopted is also simple: drink energy drinks on weekdays and take a short nap if I'm too tired. I will eventually develop a habit of not taking a nap; wake up early on weekends and go out before I have time to think. 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 repeatedly remind myself not to rely on motivation (willpower), as 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.