Hello everyone, I just joined this sub 3 days ago, and I have just started tracking my weight, calories, and exercise in MFP to implement CICO at the same time.
About me: I am 26M, 79 kg (174 lb), 178 cm (5'10"), with a BMI of 24.9, exactly at the cutoff line for being "healthy". I know, completely mild compared to some people here, but a year and a half ago I was at 71 kg (156 lb), perfectly at the center of the "healthy" spectrum. Things happened, and I'd like to nip the problem in the bud before it becomes worse.
My short term goal is to get back down to 75 kg (165 lb). I set my goal in MFP to lose 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) per week, so in theory I should be back down in 2 months. Knowing that real life likes to throw obstacles, like drinks with the boys, parties, and such, I'll give myself 3 months to achieve this goal. While it's sad that I will only start to get my summer body in early autumn, it's better late than never.
Eventually, I would like to settle on 72 kg (158 lb). I'll make a "Phase 1" report in 3 months, and plan the path to 72 kg based on my results. Let's do this!
With my introduction over, I made some observations regarding CICO and its similarities with finance. I am already religiously tracking my spending habits and making sure to spend within my means, so while it's only been 3 days with CICO, I can already see some analogies.
- Tracking is an important first step
"I never seem to have enough money and I don't know why, I don't think I'm spending that much...", "I can't seem to lose weight and I don't know why, I don't think I'm eating that much..." Both of these could be partially remedied by keeping track of your activities. Numbers don't lie, and it will be easier to see where you're spending too much if you have records.
- Make a budget and stick to it
If I make $1670 per month, I need to make sure I spend less than that and save money to have a net positive gain. If I spend more than my income, I will go into debt. Similarly, If my body and lifestyle needs 1670 calories per day, I should eat around that much or less to maintain or reduce my weight. If I eat more, then I will have too much unused energy which ends up becoming extra weight.
- The temptation is real
I really want to buy the latest iPhone, I really want to go on that European vacation, I really want to eat that medium rare T-bone steak with corn and mashed potato on the side, I really want some ice cream right now... For both sides, the temptation to break free is there, and only my rational thought is there to stop it. For me, tracking expenses and living within my means is already a habit and I have little problem sticking to it, so hopefully it will also be the same for CICO.
I'm sure there are more. I've just begun my r/loseit journey, so I'm sure I'll find more along the way.
One nice side-effect of CICO which affects my finance as well is that the amount I spend on food has decreased. That $10 I would have spent eating out? It became a $1 meal at home. The $2 dollar snack? Completely removed or replaced with a smaller $0.30 portion. With all this money I can save, maybe I can go on that European vacation...
Anyway, I plan on checking back in a week for a short status report. See you then!
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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2IiCWKt
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