Hey all!

I've been doing IF on and off for years now - built up to a comfortable 14:10 naturally (i.e. I can't eat breakfast anymore) and oscillating between 16:8 and 20:4 when tracking/committing to IF. I lost about 12 kg - from around 84kg to 72kg (34F, 170cm). I still want to shed some fat, however, I'm stuck in a loop: I get impatient with weight loss results, I pile on different strategies and I burn out.

I know what I have/want to do but it's so hard to resist going on that loop - I'm writing this post also as some accountability to catch myself going there again.

It goes like this: start with a reasonable plan (let's say IF) and then within a very short window: add another thing (let's say 10k steps), then another (let's say weight lifting), then another (let's say protein goals), then another (let's say low carb), then another... you see the picture. I end up seeing results but being miserable, failing at maintaining my strategy (duh!) and burning out.

I think what pushes me there is a mix of impatience, need for more control, boredom with the simple yet effective strategy, etc.

It ends up making me a bit hopeless, scared that I can never get to my goal and maintain it, and fuels the narrative that weight loss is hard (it's not that hard, I just make it that hard!). I also drive my partner a bit nuts because I can become controlling when I'm in my 'piling up strategies' phase (he's on a similar journey, but more chill about it).

I really want to have a sustainable approach and commit to something I can stick with for a long time, all the way to making it a lifestyle. I want to take one habit at a time and solidify it, then slowly tweak it, then start another one, and hopefully having a complete and manageable strategy / lifestyle running over 4-6 months - or more if needed. I don't want to be 'on a diet' - I just want to make the choices that keeps me lean, healthy and fit because it makes me feel good to be that person on a consistent basis.

Have you dealt with that? What helped? Anyone else stuck in that same loop?

Advice and encouragement welcome :)