Disclaimer: I don’t condone losing weight in order to fit into society standards. You do you. I’m not an expert, I’m just sharing my experiences and findings so take everything with a grain of salt, as always.

What I wish I knew before trying to lose weight

Calories in vs calories out. 

Obvious but still somehow gets debated. Truth is, every “diet” is based around this concept, no matter what other thing fitness experts are telling you. 

Depending on your age, starting weight, height, muscle mass, gender and amount of physical activity you spend a certain amount of calories per day doing nothing. A human is one big chemical lab in which reactions of all sorts are going on all the time. 

All the food you consume turns into energy which then gets used for all the essential functions of your body. 

This process is very similar to an actual burning which is why we use the term calories. 

Although we don’t use our fuel like a car would – if a tank is full and you only drove a couple miles the fuel will just sit there until you need it next time and won’t change the appearance of the car in any way. 

In a human body it gets stored differently – either you will use the excess energy to build muscle if you’re physically active or your body will turn it into fat. The more the excess, the more is stored. But whenever there is a deficit of energy the body will use up some of the storage.

Muscle burns calories like there’s no tomorrow.

The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn while chilling on your couch. 

My whole life I’ve been told that there is no point in building muscle before losing fat because it would be invisible anyway. Now of course it sounds ridiculous. 

Working out is great for losing weight not only for the calories you burn then and there but also for all the meat you grow on your body during it. Basically, you’re investing in an easier weight loss.

Excessive restricting is dangerous

You can’t lose weight quickly. At least not without harming your health. 

Weightloss has to be slow and steady, it’s more about changing your lifestyle. If you’ll do it too quickly your body will think it’s in danger and change the metabolism accordingly. 

In these conditions you will definitely lose a lot of muscle which means your daily calorie expenditure will lessen and you will stop losing weight even while eating a tiny amount. It’s a way your brain is trying to save your life, a survival mode basically.

Food is not an enemy

You need to drop the attitude of trying to burn off every single “bad” thing you ate with exercise.

The more you restrict yourself from having certain foods, the more you’re going to want them and eventually you probably will eat them even more than before. 

Moderation is the key. 

You should let yourself have anything you want – it’s the quantity that matters. Carbs are not bad. Fats are not bad. They’re not only good for you but also are essential.

Alcohol and sugar are the trickiest when it comes to weightloss. 

Alcohol has an incredible amount of calories while also having absolutely no nutrients. I’ve seen people who tried to lose weight and were complaining that they eat “right”, don’t overeat, exercise and still don’t seem to lose any weight. Funny thing is that they still would have a few drinks with dinner here and there and it made

One thing I like to say is that you are the boss of yourself and it’s your choice what kind of a boss you want to be – a doormat, a tyrant or a good sensible leader. 

I mean, if you set your mind on doing something (losing weight can be an example) make a choice; are you going to give in to every single whim of your “employees”, are you going to push them until they break and can’t go no more or are you gonna make sure that both you and them are happy and are getting what they need? 

In a healthy stable weightloss journey you should always opt for the third. You have to be strong but never push yourself too hard. If you love pizza, allow yourself to have it sometimes, preferably staying in your calorie limit, of course.

Setbacks are not the evil either. 

Remember that the road to success is not a straight one, it’s bumpy and with plenty obstacles. It doesn’t mean you failed, doesn’t mean that you should “start fresh tomorrow” – you should just continue your journey without beating yourself up. 

Nobody is perfect one hundred percent of the time, we all have our bad days.