F, 22, 5'5, SW: 296.6 lbs CW: 212.0 lbs GW: 135-145 lbs
I started losing weight August 27, 2020 at 296.6 pounds. I can't believe I've made it so far! I've been overweight since I was a teen and wanted to lose weight for a decade but didn't really know where to start. Diets weren't for me, just eating better wasn't helpful, a mantra of water and veggies doesn't help a girl who already loves broccoli and thinks sweet tea is close enough to water. Sure I'd heard about calorie counting, but why bog myself down with meticulous counting and trying to figure out how many calories are in things? Sounds like a headache and a half!
That is, until I stepped on the scale for the first time in a few years and saw how perilously close to 300 pounds I was. Guys, the gut check was unreal. That very day I sat down and decided I'm doing this, I'm getting healthy come hell or high water. Since I'm frequently on my phone I downloaded the Lose It calorie tracker app and logged my first meal and every meal since. And you know what? No headache! Its been ridiculously easy! (Well there's a little headache, but it's from knocking myself over the head for not doing this sooner!)
Thanks to this fantastic subreddit (love you guys to pieces, this is an amazing place for motivation) I found out my total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) with an online calculator and estimated I could eat 1500 calories and still be in a 500 calorie deficit. Every day since has been a journey of finding out what works with my body and watching in amazement as it's changed. I have collarbones! My high school jeans not only fit, but they're comfy! That anklet I got for my birthday that didn't fit is now loose! My boyfriend was able to pick me up! (Granted it was only got a few seconds, but still!) The list goes on. I highly recommend writing down any NSV you have and dating them. It's been a great source of motivation to look back and see the progression - everything from someone noticing my weight loss to noticing more definition in my face or dropping a ring size.
What's worked for me is tracking everything I eat before I eat it. It's much easier to prevent myself from going over when everything is planned. It only takes a few minutes on the calorie tracker app and I can edit as needed. I don't deny myself any food, I merely make room for it in my calorie limit. I've lost weight eating pasta, ice cream, all sorts of food I didn't think I'd be able to eat on a diet. Seeing the calories in different foods really opened my eyes. I had no idea how calorie dense cheese was!
Which brings me to the next thing that really helped me: weighing and measuring my food. A quarter cup of shredded cheese is 114 calories! That's a small handful - literally the amount you grab with your fingers. Knowing how much of a food I'm eating has made it so much easier to avoid overindulging and keeps me honest lol. A food scale is enormously helpful, can't recommend it enough. I've used mine to weigh everything from chicken to deli ham to coleslaw to mixed nuts and pretzels. I've measured every tablespoon of butter, ranch, sour cream, and jelly that I eat. It seems tedious and unnecessary at first (I sure felt silly hunched over this tablespoon as I poured ranch into it like an alchemist measuring volatile ingredients) but it's worth it. I don't have to worry about how much I'm eating because I already know.
And I'm sure you've been yelling at me since the first paragraph about how water is better for you than tea. And you're right! Tea, and other sweetened drinks, have a ton of empty (unsatisfying for hunger) calories. Water helps you lose weight and helps you feel full. A lot of the time when I felt peckish I was really just needing water. If you find yourself hungry for no reason, try drinking water first. I used to hate drinking water, but the more I do the more I love it. I often forget to drink though. What's helped me remember to drink more is getting a larger cup. (I'm sure you're shocked and amazed at this revelation. XD) Since I don't need to fill it up as often, I can mindlessly sip for longer. I've used an Orca tumbler and recently switched to a Hydro flask. I'm honestly in love.
And as unintuitive as it is, drinking more water helps you shed water weight. Ah, water weight, you bane of my existence, you obscurer of progress, you... totally normal part of weight loss. I used to overanalyze every ounce I gained on the scale, using it as an excuse to overthink my deficit and worry that I missed calories somewhere. You can retain or gain water weight for any number of reasons: hormones, carbs, and dehydration to name a few. As so many have said before me, weight loss isn't linear. You can do everything right and the scale may still take a bit to catch up to your progress. It's totally normal. If you're in a calorie deficit, you're losing fat whether the scale ponies up the results or not.
One of the most important things that's helped me, and I can't remember where I heard it, is "it's okay to be hungry." That doesn't mean starving yourself, it means you don't have to jump up every time your stomach rumbles. It's okay to feel peckish, it's okay to feel a little hungry. You don't have to give in to your stomach's demands every time. When I started losing weight I'd get hungry right before bed. I let myself feel hungry and drank water instead of snacking. And recently I read on here (huge props to the person who wrote it!) that hunger isn't an indication of how much you should eat, but rather how soon.
As I mentioned before, my diet has been pretty liberal. I've limited my cheese by weighing it, but I don't deny myself anything. Two things that have really helped me are Slim Fast meal replacement protein shakes and Jack Link's beef and cheese snacks. They're 180 calories and 90 calories (10g and 9g of protein) respectfully. I often have the protein shake for breakfast since it's incredibly satisfying, which feels so good to say now. Three or four years ago I used to drink these alongside dinner or drink two without feeling any difference. But now I can drink one and feel satisfied for the full 4 hours it claims. I'll notice I'm getting hungry after awhile and every time it's almost 4 hours since I had the shake. I don't recommend the full slim fast diet, but these shakes have really helped me throughout my weightloss journey. The beef snack is small but satisfying. I started eating them after working out and they somehow get more delicious after exercising.
I haven't exercised much, but what I've done is use the Switch game Ring Fit Adventure (a mix of cardio, yoga, and body weight exercises) and swimming. I used Ring Fit for a month and plateaued (due to water weight from working my muscles, I imagine) during that time. Of course this won't happen to everyone. If exercising is boring for you, I've found Ring Fit kept me engaged and playing a fun YouTube video in the background made all the repetitions less boring. It was fun seeing my endurance increase and watching how certain exercises became easier over time. I plan to resume exercising as I near my goal weight.
I hope this could help and I'm sorry it's so long! I'm amazed I managed to get this far. This time last year I was looking forward to losing ten pounds. I was reading posts by people who'd lost 50-80 pounds and longing for the day I'd join them. The motivation hasn't been constant, but my determination hasn't wavered. I've had cheat days, but at no point have I thought about stopping. A cheat day is just a bump in the long road of weight loss. This is a lifestyle change. I won't eat perfectly when I reach my goal weight, so there's no point in feeling disappointed in myself for the occasional cheat day now. When I go over my calorie limit, I just move on and focus on tomorrow. The best thing you can do to lose weight is to not give up. Don't give up on yourself, don't give up on your diet, don't give up on your goals. It won't be a cakewalk, but it'll be worth it. Wishing you all the very best of luck!
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