I decided I needed to tackle my whole life style so I made small incremental changes. Things like I made a rule that I wouldn't have junk food at home but I wouldn't try and ban it from my life instead if I wanted some junk I would only do so going out somewhere to eat. So like no soda at home but if I go for a meal yeah I can have a soda. Not cakes/pastries/biscuits/etc at home but if I want one I go to a nice cafe for a coffee and cake or pastry.
I added friction to eating junk food so that I was like "ehh i cant be arsed to go out to a cafe for some cake I will just have an apple or protein bar at home"
I made meal plans that I stuck to strictly. Every meal was a minimum of half veg/salad. And I cut out 90% of red meat. I may have a burger or something once every 2-3 weeks. I have fish at least 3 times a week. Lots and lots of eggs for protein so I don't lose muscle.
I did the NHS couch to 5k app to get fitter but honestly it didnt do much regarding weight loss, its a hell of a lot of work to burn off calories so its easier to just avoid consuming them in the first place.
like a couple of biscuits with a cup of tea is 120-150 calories. thats like 15-20 minutes running. easier to just not eat the biscuits.
the weight loss was like 95% diet/lifestyle changes. i didnt run much during mid-winter as was too cold/wet/icy but i still lost weight at the same rate as i still ate the same healthy foods. where the exercise helped was in my mental state being more positive as i felt good knowing i had been out running and could see improvements to my cardio health, etc with my smart watch.
