#and i’m sorry it takes me forever to respond to anything i work 40+ hrs a week i have 2 days off

[jinstronaut]

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[thepsychicclam]

So, I've asked you exercise questions before, like years ago so sorry for the randomness. But I finally started exercising again and I've been working out for almost an hour everyday for two months now and started trying to eat less, but I've seen no progress in my weight and I can't tell, but I don't think I've lost any inches either. I'm just really bummed...

hi again!! i’m sorry you are bummed and frustrated :( the weight loss journey is the hardest. i feel like i am always struggling and bummed, so i feel you.

first off, congrats on working out again! even if you haven’t lost any weight, you are becoming healthier just by being physically active every day. it doesn’t help with the weight loss, but it can help remind you that you are doing something positive.

i’m no fitness expert by any means, so all of this is from my own experience, all the stuff i’ve read over the years, etc. it is not intended to be professional advice or replace a doctor or trainer (lol there’s my disclaimer XDD)

bodies are weird. some ppl respond better to certain exercises, while others respond more to diet. part of the struggle is figuring out what works for YOU. for example, my bff does well with strength training and my sister responds better to diet. i feel like nothing works lol but exercise seems to do the best for me. the first thing i would ask is, what kind of exercise are you doing? while walking for an hour every day is good for your health, it’s not necessarily the best to lose weight. you could do a more intense 20 minute workout and get better, faster results bc of the types of workouts. i’ve read a lot of articles about how shorter, more intense workouts will help you lose weight more than hours of cardio. my coach tells us the same thing. strength training is also supposed to help support weight loss, bc muscle burns more fat. are you adding in any kind of strength training? it doesn’t even have to be anything crazy. machines at the gym, light dumb bells, body weight exercises. 

working out for an hour may also not be the best thing for your weight loss. it depends on what you’re doing. when i used to run all the time, i read articles about how running for an hour wasn’t as good as like doing some kind of HIIT cardio for 20 min bc your body levels out and doesn’t burn as much fat after so many minutes. interval training is good to combat that. they even have walking plans that incorporate intervals to help change the intensity and burn fat so you can find something to fit your current fitness level. 

the third thing i would say is two months isn’t a long time (even though it feels like forever!). sometimes, depending on your body, metabolism, etc, it can take awhile to see results. i’ve been doing crossfit 4-5 days each week for 8 mths and i have barely lost any fat/weight. i’ve gained muscle, but the inches are stubborn and won’t go away. it’s partially my metabolism and mild thyroid problems, but also probably the way i eat. i’m FINALLY starting to see some changes, but very slowly and very minor, and it took 6 mths. i’m still not seeing results i had hoped, but quitting won’t get me results, so i’m just gonna keep on trucking. a friend of mine who does crossfit with me said she didn’t lose weight until she had been doing it for a year. but that’s okay bc that kind of weight loss is the kind that should stick as opposed to fast drops. fitness and weight loss is really the long haul instead of a short, quick journey, which is frustrating. and it’s not easy. it takes dedication, time, and commitment. sounds like you’ve already invested all that!

diet is my biggest weakness, so believe me when i say i understand that the struggle is real. it’s also a game of figuring out what works for you. make sure you’re eating enough calories. too few calories can slow your metabolism. make sure you’re eating over 1200 calories at least. i track what i eat when i’m focusing on it, and that seems to work well for me. i use MyFitnessPal bc they have like EVERYTHING. i mean, it means you have to weigh stuff and think about serving size, but it helps bc i’m like “OH MY GOD I ATE 500 CALORIES OF X WHY I DON’T EVEN LIKE IT THAT MUCH” then i eat more of what i do want to waste calories on :PPP 

i personally like looking at macros rather than calories. macros are the percentage of your daily food broken into carbs, protein, and fats. the “standard” is i think 40-50% carbs and the other into smaller percentages. a lot of the weight loss stuff i’ve read says evening out the macros helps, like basically 30% of each with some wiggle room. some ppl suggest less carbs and more fat. i can’t eat super low carbs, like a paleo/keto diet. i’ve tried and my blood sugar got all fucked. and i knew it wasn’t a lifestyle choice i was going to want to adopt. so, i try for healthy carbs and less carbs if possible. i like the 30% even idea. i seem to get results when i stick to that, but my eating is connected to my anxiety/depression, so sometimes it’s hard for me to track and not just eat ALL THE CARBS bc i feel like the world is ending. 

i stopped buying stuff i didn’t want to eat. like junk food, etc, and i don’t go out to eat (plus it saves money!), and i especially don’t drink my calories. i eat clean 85% of the time, and the rest of the time i don’t. which i think is slowing my weight loss journey. i keep saying I’M GONNA DO BETTER but it’s hard. honestly, my meals are the easiest. snacks are where i mess up :|||| i believe though that every small change, every positive choice each day leads to results. even if you eat something that may not be the best once each day, if you cut out the 2-3 OTHER bad things, you are doing better. it’s a journey. you will have good days and bad days, but that’s what makes it part of your lifestyle.

other things that affect weight loss are stress, water intake, and sleep. are you stressed? do you drink enough water? do you get 7-9 hrs of sleep each night? trying to change those things might help, too.

i know it’s hard. this has been my struggle my whole life. i still feel like i will never figure it out. but remember that every small thing is making you healthier and fitter. fit isn’t skinny. of course you want to be at a healthy body weight bc obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, mobility problems, etc are serious issues. but fit and healthy come in a lot of different forms. that’s what i keep trying to tell myself. i’m strong, my cardio is strong, i just am not a size 0. that’s okay (or at least i’m trying to convince myself).

keep doing what you’re doing. try new exercises. try to vary what you do each day. track your foods and see what works for you. eat healthy, natural, nutritious food, but eat bc you need to be good to your body. and most of all, DON’T GIVE UP. quitting won’t lead to any results. persevering will eventually get you there, even if it’s slow and steady. you’ve got two months under your belt. it should be a habit by now. keep moving. keep making smart food choices. you’re making strides to being a healthier you, and eventually, you WILL see results. 

idk if any of this helped, but i hope it did. i am 150% behind you and cheering you on. you can always come into my inbox with anon questions, ranting, or words if you need to talk or someone to listen. i will send you motivation and positive thoughts if you need them. i have just about done everything and tried everything fitness and diet related, so i understand and know you can do it. good luck, and keep moving

[topicprinter]

DISCLAIMER: I was very fortunate because my parents let me live with them rent-free. I attribute a lot of my success to them Stage 1: Get StartedSo June last year I got laid off from my job. From there I decided I'll make a copywriting business from scratch. I hated the politics and the grind (I'm sure a lot of you can relate).Problem is.........I didn't know how to write copy. Or even get started. So I learned the only way I could, by going on Google.I must have read through 50 + blog posts on getting started and finally found a copywriter I liked. Read all his content and bought his course.Took it religiously and read every single book that he recommended front and back. I still have the books littered with notes.But I had NO CLUE how to get clients. Zero.One of the blog posts I saw online mentioned to look for Facebook groups. They said there were clients there looking for work.So I decided to join one, messaged someone and got a response. I had a phone interview with my very first 'prospect.'Holy shit I had a prospect. But that enthusiasm was short-lived. After talking to me and seeing that I didn't have anything close to a portfolio he wasn't convinced.He liked me, but he wasn't sure if I could do the job. I don't blame him.But I was one step closer; I knew what I needed was a portfolio. I got his attention, but the product (me) wasn't good enough.I actually have to thank Reddit. I saw at the time there were a lot of posts going around offering 'free work.' I was interested and tried it.It changed everything. Stage 2: First few clientsI set up a Reddit post offering free copywriting. Waited for an hour or two with my fingers crossed.Nothing.Went to sleep and woke up the next morning...........25 messages.Holy. Okay, now we can get started.Long story short, I got a few portfolio pieces. I also got my first client!If you're reading this, you know who you are :)I just made my first dollar...well it was a whole lot of dollars. But for the first time in forever, I felt like this had a chance.Mind you this was six months in after I got fired. I was eating through my savings cause of small bills.So it was very welcome.Also through a referral from that client, I got my second job!Now I was ready. Stage 3: Leveraging my first few projects to get more!Ok. Now I have a portfolio, what next?I was reading about getting clients online like a madman. And I had mixed feelings about my next step.I've read A LOT of good and A LOT of bad about Upwork. But I wanted to try it out to see if I could get clients on there.What did I have to lose?But I couldn't be like any other freelancer and start sending out proposals.That wouldn't get me anywhere. The thing was at this point I knew a lot about copy.I know how the process worked and I could explain to anyone why I wrote anything.I could break down sentences, user personas, headlines, bullets.....you name it!This came in handy. I created a WordPress site next.I then wrote full-length, in-depth case studies on every single project I did to date. I mean testimonials from my clients, linked sources, screenshots......the works.I legit spend 2-3 weeks writing 1000+ word case studies. I applied every copywriting trick I knew to the case studies. Stage 4: Bite the bullet and try out UpWorkBefore I got on upwork, I researched every single part of a profile. What my tagline meant, what my user profile should be like and how do I frame my portfolio pieces.Every single thing was geared towards getting clients.No 'Hey I'm so and so a professional for x years yadda yada.'It was straight, 'Hey you want great copy and clients? Well, this is what you have to do'.Well not in those words but you get the drill. I made sure it was personal and tried my best not to be generic.I send out my first 35 proposals in 2 days and waited. I won't lie I was nervous AF.If this didn't work, that was almost a month down the drain.Out of the 35 proposals sent, I got 11 responses and three jobs.............this is working what in the hell.The best feeling was out of the 11 clients, at least 7 mentioned my case studies. They said they loved and learned a lot.They mentioned no freelancer came close concerning presentations, even those with experience on UpWork.I beat out several experienced freelancers (the job had 70+ proposals) for a really great project.I still have that client to this day, they pay well and give me projects that look stellar on my portfolio. Stage 5: Trying to growLife was good. I was legitimately making money per month. I'd get clients and do great work.I leveraged work I did to get even better work. I was building up my reviews.Now you're probably wondering, 'Hey I hear Upwork had a shit ton of crappy clients, where's the story about that?'Yeah, I had those for sure.I had people hit me with a '?' for not responding in 3 minutes (god can't I take a #2 in peace?)The simple story? Cut them lose. I don't care how much money you bring to the table.If you bring my morale down for dumb reasons, you're out.I only worked with clients that I loved working with. If that meant less income, I'd take the hit.As I mentioned, I was living with my parents, so the money I made was more than enough for my bills to be paid.And now I was starting to get referrals. The clients that I got off Upwork liked me.Why? Because I had MORE than enough time to spend on them. And I made sure to deliver service above and beyond what was expected.Need this done in 5 days? I'll get it to you in 4.Wanted 3 headlines to split test. No problem man, here's 5.If I liked the client, I would give them extra stuff. Is it the best way to do business? Maybe not.But it's how I wanted to do business, and that's I think all that matters at the end of the day.Those referrals turned into more referrals with great work. I started getting legitimate results.There was a B2B campaign for a well known Australian Marketing brand I worked on. I was able to get a 10% conversion rate on the first split test.I charged $400 for that landing page, every lead to the client was worth 1k+.Within the first month, they had 17 leads from that one landing page and closed 5.Safe to say they were happy as hell and had me do a bunch more.I now had an idea of what I was doing.......about time.But I didn't want to stay stagnant; I wanted to see how far I could take my hourly rate.So every time I'd get two clients at a dollar amount I'd increase it by 50%.I went from 40 to 60 to 90 to now 100.I'm close to closing my first 100/hr client now, and it feels great.I'm still nowhere close to where I want to be, but I'm MUCH closer than I was a year ago.I've heard so many great stories on this subreddit from the FBA stuff to the brick and mortar stuff.It all motivated me to want to start and do my own thing. Thought I'd share my story.I'm pretty caffeinated and tired at the moment, but I really wanted to type this out.I still think about the days where I used to work 9-5. I know it works for a lot of people, but it just isn't for me.Don't get me wrong some days are bad. But the lows aren't that low.And the highs (to me at least) are out of this world.I'm so happy I decided to get on this journey.I can't wait to see where I am in 5 years, now that I started there's no way I'm stopping.I have a dream of starting my own agency one day and I sure as hell am going to try to make it.Also, this is just me pouring on the page so watch out for typos! (Yes writers make mistakes.....we're human too you know) Cheers r/Entrepreneur!P.S. I still think UpWork is a bit cancer and I'm trying my best to create other forms of lead gen. I think I might try Google Ads, Facebook Ads and go to networking events around my area. P.P.S I have no idea how to edit on Reddit.....sorry if this looks bad.