You know, weight loss really is a numbers game. Everything about it has numbers involved and its so easy to get caught up in those numbers.
How many calories to eat. How long to work out. How many hours to sleep. How much water to drink. What the resting heart rate should be. How many carbs are okay. How much indulgence is good for a sane mind. How many days to workout.
But here's the thing. There's no set answer to any of that. There's all these apps for weight loss. Oh my god is there ever. I have 16 health & fitness apps on my phone. But it's really not as complicated as that sometimes (now I say sometimes because that's just a standard thing. I'm not taking in physical or mental health concerns that might interfere with weightloss).
We can plug our numbers into these apps and it will tell us how much we should eat. And by eating that much, we should reach our goals. I know MyFitnessPal has an awesome feature that lets you see "if every day were like today, you'll be ### in 5 weeks!". Watching that number lower can be addicting. But there's so many variables and it's likely that not every day will be just like that one. Therefore, it should be a guideline and not taken as seriously as people are.
Sure, you can easily eat 1,200 calories a day for a little while. You're feeling good. The nunber on the scale is lowering. But what happens when it stops? You can't eat more oe that number wont keep lowering...right? Wrong. Sometimes you might stop seeing results because you're just not eating enough. But how can that be? The app told me to just eat this much.
1,200 calories isn't some magic weightloss number. That number is for people who aren't doing anything all day - literally*. You don't need to be a gym goer or doing Leslie Sansone videos in your living room. Strolling the mall, cleaning the house, sexual activity... Those all burn calories.
I always urge people to speak to a doctor or nutritionist/dietitian when it comes to weightloss. Discuss your goals. Get advice on how to achieve them. Before you get focused on the numbers, find out if those numbers are even right. Speak to professionals who obow what they're doing. Don't just rely on an app that sees you as a username.
*Yes, some people can live on 1,200 calories ans be okay. But it's not for everyone. And that mentality needs to stop.
I write this as someone who has researched weightloss for many years as it's something I've struggled with. A lot - a lot - of trial and error went into learning what I do and my own custom plan that I follow. I do use MyFitnessPal but only as a guideline to help with portion sizing/moderation control. I've heavily restricted my diet before and followed a 1,200 calorie diet plan. This is my experience. And after talking to others of similar failed attempts that kater succeeded, I take this from them too.