Friday, June 12, 2026

I finally admitted to myself that the weight wasn't going to magically disappear

For the last few years, I've been telling myself the same story: I've only gained a little weight… Not a lot… Just enough to notice... Just enough that certain clothes didn't fit quite the way they used to… Just enough that I'd occasionally avoid looking at myself from certain angles in photos…

What is funny about this is the way in which your brain finds ways to be creative when it refuses to accept something. I would say it was poor lighting, poor posture, a bad photo angle, or the fact that phones are some sort of magic trick for making people look bad compared to real life. Anything but the obvious, really. In hindsight, the warnings were all there. I stopped wearing clothes that I used to love, because they made me feel uncomfortable

My outfit choices began to depend on those that could best conceal my midsection. When people wanted to take photos in groups, I always ended up being the one who took the shot. Back then, I did not consider why. Now, it is fairly clear that my reasons were simply avoiding reality

That event which finally pulled me out of my reverie took place a couple of weeks back. It was then that I was walking in a shopping mall, and I walked past one of those gigantic mirrors which stores tend to set up right on their pathway. When I looked into the mirror for a while, I was horrified to realize that the face staring at me from the mirror was that of someone who seemed to be much heavier and tired than how I perceived myself to be. In an instant, I actually had to wonder who it was that I was looking at, until realization dawned upon me abd it was me

Once I stopped making excuses, I started understanding how I had reached there. Not due to one large mistake but due to numerous small mistakes. Eating out since I was too tired to cook. Binge eating post an exhausting working day. Snacking without even being aware of what I'm doing

Not sitting idle throughout the day didn’t help either. Nor did the practice of giving myself a pledge that I would start healthy eating from the very next week. Then again making the same promise the very next week and repeating it in the coming week. There weren’t any overnight changes but the effect of many years of bad habits

The toughest thing to accept is the fact that I continued to wait for inspiration to strike. As if someday I would wake up and find myself in a new body, all thanks to my sudden desire to be physically active. It never came to pass. Finally, I have made up my mind not to postpone taking care of my wellbeing until it becomes too late to do so. If I continue waiting, there will be no end to it

Instead of setting unattainable goals and trying to stick to an unsustainable regimen, I have begun implementing realistic solutions and adopting healthy habits that promise long-term results. I am exploring ways of working out with apersonal trainer for weight loss since being monitored by another person works for me better. I am not trying to look like someone else, and I am definitely not doing this to be an Instagram model. I simply need to restore my well-being

Above all else, I wish to be comfortable in my own skin once again. I am fully aware that this will take time; the behaviors that led to my current state did not manifest overnight, so their cure should not come overnight either. But this is perhaps the first time in many months that I feel I have truly stopped bargaining with reality

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I can't help but wonder if the reason I can't get hired anywhere is because of my weight.

one of my biggest weight loss motivations other than wanting to look and feel better is to have a better chance getting a job

I've been looking for a job for three years now with no success. I've done every single possible thing you can think of to increase my chances of landing a job multiple times over and over again and nothing has worked and most of my interviews go really well and I feel a click with the interviewer

yet I still don't get hired

I've literally been ghosted and rejected by DOZENS of MCDONALDS locations.

AND by several small mom and pop shops.

like nowhere wants my ass

but I can't help but wonder if it's because I'm visibly fat?

I know that may sound like a stretch, but it has been proven employers are fatphobic along with other things (racist, abliest, sexist, etc any hate form you can think of many employers fit the bill)

and it has been proven that people subconsciously view fat people as lazy/unmotivated/lacking discipline which are qualities you don't want in the workplace

If I successfully lose the weight, (struggling to) I really wanna see how that changes the job hunting picture. like what if I suddenly get my first job offer after losing all the weight?

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Thursday, June 11, 2026

Exciting Progress + questions about eating habits

I started my weight loss journey on April 6th at 225 lbs (24F 5'4). I'm doing a body recomp at the moment. I noticed there's some mixed reviews about the efficacy of a body recomp at my weight, but I also want to prioritize muscle growth since my doctor recommended it.

I did my weekly weigh-in today and noticed I dropped down to 219 and lost 3.1 inches off my waist. Of course, I wish it was a bit more than 6 lbs but I'll take the win regardless!

I know that weight loss happens in the kitchen, so I want to take a closer look at what I'm eating. So far, I've cut out liquid calories (aside from the occasion diet pop), eat whole foods, limit carbs and don't touch food that is highly processed or with a high fat content. That said, I also know that eating all the right things doesn't matter as much if my portions are out of whack.

I've heard advice from different forums that pausing for 2-3 minutes while eating can help the body catch up and to intentionally leave a couple of bites of food on the plate. The 2-3 minute rule has been helpful for me, but leaving food on the plate has been more difficult for me. I try to be careful with portioning my food and often feel like I'm not feeling satiated until the entire thing has finished. I'll walk away from the plate and find myself still thinking about it, and don't feel full until I've eaten it all. Is this normal, or should I just ditch the rule? I am able to walk away from a non-empty plate when I feel full, so it's not exactly like I'm bingeing.

Another thing: how much hunger is normal? I have scheduled meal times and avoid snacks so there's no extra calories sneaking in. I also drink lots of water throughout the day to help suppress that hunger. I've been overweight for the majority of my teen years, so I'm still trying to get used to the idea that a little bit of hunger is not an emergency. That being said, how much hunger is normal to have? As in, when would it best to ignore it vs eating?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Happy to clarify anything in the comments :))

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How can i get my appetite more consistent?

By far my biggest barrier to weight loss is my menstrual cycle and how it affects my appetite. the week before my period i am ravenous, constantly thinking of food, eating, getting cravings. The week of and directly after, my appetite is so low i basically forget to eat. I get full easily and feel satiated on one small meal a day. this is obviously when it’s easiest for me to lose weight but its not sustainable. i pretty much have just one week a month where my food drive is normal. is there any way i can “spread” my appetite out evenly during the month so my drive to eat doesnt go through such drastic changes? i hate that ill be making progress and then reverse all of it within 2 weeks.

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How do you stay focused on studies while in a significant calorie deficit?

I know this isn't directly related to weight loss, but there isn't another large community like this with enough experience to answer this question. Sorry, mods, if this violates the rules.

I am on a significant calorie deficit (1,200–1,400 calories/day). I am currently 89.3 kg (24M, 177 cm; started at 108 kg, Obesity Class II). I have been doing large deficits in 3-month bursts, with a couple of months of maintenance in between. I have reasons for this and don't really want to get into the details.

Whenever I am in a deficit, my focus is completely wrecked. I can't even study for 30 minutes at a time. It's horrible, especially since I am starting graduate studies soon.

Do any younger folks have experience with managing their studies during a weight loss journey? Please help this guy out.

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Realization about weight re-gain

I used to be way more active on this subreddit in 2018-2020. I lost a lot of weight and was feeling pretty happy with my success. It happens to the best of us, though... covid shut down the gyms, I started taking an SSRI, I was happy with my weight so I thought I would "go on maintenance" but not actually count calories while I was "maintaining".

I weighed myself the other day. I am now 320 pounds. At the height (depth?) of my weight loss I was 190 pounds in late 2019 (this is a very healthy BMI considering my height). How the hell did I gain 130 pounds without noticing?!?!

Well I thought about it as a gradual process. It has been 6.5 years since Christmas 2019. 130/6.5 is a solid +20 pounds a year. That is +1.6 pounds a month or +0.4 pounds a week. There are 3500 calories in one pound of body fat. So... I was overconsuming on a weekly basis by 1400 calories a week. And that was enough to gain 130 pounds in 6.5 years. Holy fuck lol

It is really, really, really easy to gain 0.4 pounds a week and just not notice. Sure you might be like "damn this shirt doesn't fit me anymore" or "I don't remember riding my bike taking this much effort", but it is such a gradual change that it is really easy to not pay attention to until you hit, uh, threenderland.

I am back on the weight loss train. I am renewing my gym membership today and I have been eating at a deficit for the last week. Lots of whole grains, psyllium husk, fiber-rich vegetables and zero-sugar protein bars. My stomach feels like a bottomless black pit and it is frankly difficult to concentrate on anything other than hunger BUT I am sleeping better, I have more energy and I know I can lose the weight again because I totally lost it before. When I do have a big meal now I am still hungry after. This is a good sign. A healthy amount of hunger is the feeling of fat leaving the body.

One last thing I will leave yall with. I love this photo. Take a look at these two monkeys. https://i.ibb.co/TM8NpTPZ/325-201-f1.jpg

Citation https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1173635

The monkey on the left was given access to eat whatever it wanted. The monkey on the right was on a calorie restricted diet. They are the same age. Which monkey do you want to be?

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Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Is Thigh Tingling Normal When Walking?

Edit: Thank you to everyone who replied. I decided to let my doctor know just in case!

~~~

Sorry if this is a silly question, but I am a large person, sitting just above 400 lbs and I recently started my weight loss journey. I try not to be weird about every little thing but I can't help my health anxiety sometimes.

I noticed this past week that my thighs started to tingle and hurt a little bit into my walks. For context, I went from very sedentary to aiming for a minimum of 3 and hopefully around 4k steps a day (I do this in 15-minute increments throughout the day to break up my desk time during work.). Is this just normal because my legs are not used to the movement, or is it something I should bring up with my doctor? I do take atorvastatin which I understand a side effect can be some muscle tenderness. I hate Googling things because somehow it always leads to the worst thing possible lol

I would also like tips/reccomedations for exercises that are low impact when my legs feel weak but I still want to get my heart pumping a little. I dont want to give up walking because I know its a really good place to start, just trying to not be anxious about every new ache and pain I get and get some variety just in case im pushing my legs too hard all of a sudden. Thank you all in advance for reading.

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Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Anyone else stuck in the “restart” cycle?

I’ve had so many restarts I can’t even count them anymore.

“This Monday, I’ll be better.”
“After this weekend, I’ll reset.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll get back on track.”

And for a short while, it actually feels like it’s going to stick. I’ll plan things out, clean up my meals, and tell myself I’m finally being consistent. But then something small happens, it is a stressful day, eating out, a moment of boredom at night, and it kind of slips. Just one decision that doesn’t match the plan… then another… and before I know it, I’m back to “I’ll restart tomorrow.”

What’s been confusing for me is that it’s not really about not knowing what to do. I already know the basics: eat better, stay consistent, don’t overcompensate. The harder part is that I keep falling into the same pattern where I treat one off-day like a full reset instead of just a normal day.

It’s like I’m either “on track” or “starting over,” with not much in between.

Lately I’ve been wondering if other people experience the same thing, not struggling with knowledge, but struggling with staying in the middle instead of constantly restarting.

Has anyone else dealt with this cycle during weight loss?

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A little bit of weight loss

Hi all,

First of all I am sorry if this is the wrong sub but I didn't find anything else to post it in. I am 27M working in corporate. Since last 7-8 months I have been regular in gym, 3-4 days a week, with different body splits. Since last 2-3 months I have also started actively running outside.

I was 73 kgs 8 months backs. My BMI was still normal but for it to be ideal and me to look properly lean I need it to be around 68-69 kg.

I have been eating healthy, including all macros intake for everyday but I still cant seem to go below 71 kg. Once I reach, it somehow climbs back up to 72kg.

The weird part is I feel like I have lost weight but when I stand on the scale its more than I always expect. Clothes fit little better than before. I feel like i have also reduced a little face fat (still want to lose more) but still not from the abdominal area. I also feel less bloated now than before. I think i look good in clothes but not without it with all that abdominal fat.

What more can I do? I am consistently getting atleast 10k steps everyday and being in calorie deficit, although not much barely like 200 - 300 kcal. I am guessing its a very slow process to get rid of those last 2-3 kgs?

P.S. I understand this is a sub for people who lost weight considerably but would appreciate some advice. Thanks.

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Monday, June 8, 2026

I only use the treadmill to walk at the gym, but I really enjoy having that time before work to do something before sitting all day.

So lkng story short, I finally got another gym membership after years of not going, and I am a bit nervous to use the machines so just use the treadmill. I work a desk job so have started going in the mornings before work to get to around 6500 steps everyday.

As part of weight loss goes, I once went from 255 to 183 by biking everyday, but with weather and traffic I find this more enjoyable. My goal would be to stsrt incorporating weightlifting and bodyweight exercises to build up general strength so that I can actually do a pushup.

For that, I am thinking about buying weights for at home and a bench. ​Point being, I seriously underestimated how good it feels to be active even if just getting my steps in. I usually walk 1-2k steps max a day.

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I'm at the start of my journey (again), any advice?

After a stressful year or two I've gained back all of the weight I lost just after the pandemic and I want to give myself the best chance possible to change for good.

We had a bereavement in the family as well as an inordinate amount of work stress and I dealt with it the way I dealt with every and ate... And ate... And ate. I put on about 30/40kg over the span of a couple of years and I want to get back to where I was.

I do a very different job to what I did back then. I'm no longer on my feet all day long and walking to work is a bit unfeasible now... I work in an office and have since stopped doing the pole fitness classes that I used to do (my constant comparison of myself to others was doing a bit of a number on my mental health as I'd managed to get to quite a high level and even then my weight, whilst not as much as it is now, was posing an extra challenge!).

I have a gym membership, but I know that diet is a HUGE part of weight loss... But I love with other people and I'm not always the one that's cooking (not do I want to be, it's a responsibility that should be shared equally!)

What are some tips that I should incorporate into my latest attempt to get healthy? I want it to be lasting and I want it to be easy for me to maintain. I struggle with keeping to routines and making habits, so any advice would be really appreciated! ☺️

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Sunday, June 7, 2026

Want to start working out (building muscle) but scared to gain weight?

Hey yall, I started my weight loss journey back in January of 2025. Since then I’ve lost 77 lbs (5’6 213>136) almost 100% by following a deficit with very little physical activity outside of walking here and there. While I’m obviously very grateful for my weight loss and ability to maintain thus far, I’ve noticed I’m still not necessarily happy with the way I look. I’m definitely still ‘midsized’ and kind of ‘skinny fat.’ I’ve had 2 babies so I do carry a decent bit of weight around my midsection (I know you can’t spot treat loss, my goal is not necessarily to lose it completely but tone it up as much as I can) and my legs and arms lack any real muscle definition. My husband just purchased some weights, a bench, and some resistance bands. I want to start lifting 3x a week at home and then doing some type of cardio on the other 2 days. However, I don’t feel like I can eat what I’ve been eating and be able to build any muscle, or have the energy/full to sustain working out. I’ve been eating anywhere alone 1300-1400 cals for a while now. I’m scared to increase it and see the number go up on the scale. Any tips on starting to workout, body recomp, and how to increase muscle without gaining weight would be greatly appreciated!

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Weight Blindness is a thing

I started my weight loss journey around December/January I was scared to weigh myself cause I knew I gained weight but I didn’t realize how much… I decided to focus on non-scale victories and how I’m feeling.

6 months later I’m feeling great I’m walking 8000-12000 steps almost everyday, eating in a deficit, lifting weights my clothes are getting loser, energy going up, great.

When I started my weight loss journey I thought I was 250 lbs, I decided to get a scale to start tracking how much weight I’m losing with my current method and I’m currently 245 pounds.. It was hard to see but I think it was a wake up call to continue going. Wish I would’ve weighed myself in the beginning.

Also it’s interesting is that I’m 245 but sometimes my friends in a healthy weight ask me to slow down while walking or on an incline I beat some friends up the hill and they’re super out of breath while I’m exhausted I can keep going. Must be doing something right

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Food noise/can’t stop thinking about food!

Hi- just looking for a bit of advice if anyone else experiences this or has had a similar experience in their weight loss journey. I started my weight loss about 4 years ago but only really started taking it seriously 3 years ago. At my heaviest weight I was around 117kg (I think that is 258lbs) at 5ft4/165cm and I’m now 77kgs. I lift weights and do cardio 5x a week and my step count is around 11,000/12,000 average per day.

I recently lowered my calories to 1500 as I’m getting married in 3 months time and noticed that the weight loss was starting to slow. The only issue I’m having is that I am hungry all the time- even when I know I’ve had enough food to eat I’m constantly thinking about food and what my next meal will be or whether or not I can fit in another snack even when I feel full. I don’t know how to control it- even if I go over my calories for the day I’m still thinking about food despite not being hungry. Im drinking around 2L water so I don’t think it’s dehydration? I feel like I’m obsessed with thinking about food.

A lot of people have suggested I try a GLP1 but I really don’t want to do that as I haven’t used them before and I want to lose the last 15kg naturally (also too expensive). However, any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am starting to feel a bit lost. Has anyone else experienced this? How do I quiet the “food noise”? TIA!!

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Saturday, June 6, 2026

First time in a deficit — advice needed!

For context, I’m 21F and 5’1.

My bmr is about 1400 and tdee is around 1600 cals. I’m currently in a strict 500 cal deficit where I only eat 900-1100 calories per day. I’m very sedentary and rarely work out hence the strict deficit.

I started my weight loss journey May 17th at 141 and as of June 7th I’m at 136. I’m trying to be in the 120-125 by the end of August.

Anyways, this is the first time I’ve actually committed to weight loss and have seen results which makes me happy! But I highkey feel like shit everyday. I’m getting to the point where I would appreciate some help on how to do this better.

First, I have extremely bad cravings. Maybe this is due to how shit I used to eat before, but I find myself wanting to eat like fast food and just things that will fill me up quick. Currently I am eating high protein low cal meals and each night I always hit my macro goals. But the cravings won’t go away. I watch mukbangs and it kinda help but not really.

Second, I rarely poop. Sorry to be a bit gross but it is true. I used to have 3 bowel movements a day and now I have 3 bowel movements a week. It’s a bit worrisome but I assume maybe it’s because I’m not eating as much? Idk.

Third, I am sleeping far too much. Before, I would usually get 7 hours of sleep plus maybe a 90 minute nap. Now, I sleep probably a total of 12-13 hours a day. Including overnight and just random naps. I feel like I have very little energy to do anything. I tried working out the other day and I deadass almost passed out because I had no energy.

And overall I just wonder if I’m even approaching this the right way. I know it’s not recommended to eat under 1200 calories, but I’ve been unfortunately blessed with being a short female who sucks at getting to the gym and already has a lower bmr to begin with. And I want to be in that certain weight range by the end of August due to some events I have planned in September/Fall.

Is there anyone else who has had similar stats and deficit and was able to manage it better? Or just had similar experiences or tips or advice how to optimize weight loss without feeling like shit lol? Thanks!

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Trying to change, but I have no idea if it's a good plan?

I was prescribed Wellbutrin, and I'm already on Fluoxetine.

The wellbutrin gave me motivation, and I decided I wanted to lose weight. I feel embarrassed to say it, but I weighed 350 lbs.

About two weeks, I've been trying to reduce my calories but I haven't been really keeping track (I've been busy) so I just tried to lower the amount of food per meal (used to make giant plates, but now I try to do a modest amount) and replace soda/soft drinks with water and crystal light (I plan to drink just water, but since this is a big change, I decided to give myself like a level below soda but higher above water? Does that make sense?)

I think I've been keeping under 1200-1500 calories, but I don't know for sure. I've replaced sweets with fruit and snacks are fruit or nothing. (I haven't been able to make a list of things other than fruit I can eat for small snacks)

I've completely cut off sweets (weak point), except I have had a few hi-chews but not everyday and under the serving size recommendation. Maybe two or three days in the whole 2 week span.

I have done little to no workout though, (I've been busy, but I plan to do it soon, this week actually, since I shouldn't be that busy) I have found some easy indoor workouts that I want to do because I get overheated easy and need the A/C and I don't have time/money to go to a gym.

I've been weighing myself every couple of days (I know it's not good to do that but I was just curious what a calorie deficit could do)

I weighed myself this morning before eating anything, and I weighed 338 lbs.

I know a lot of this is water weight and not true fat, but I still feel pretty good that I lost that. It's been about 2 weeks since I started eating less and hopefully healthier?

I just wonder if what I'm doing is a good plan? It doesn't really feel like a plan, just a drastic change of diet and eventually implementing exercise.

I plan on counting my calories, but it's just been hard since I forget and everything is already in the trash when I think about it or that I didn't weigh the food to get a good calorie count 😭

I tried to lose weight a couple years ago and it actually worked, but I was tired of tracking what I ate and eventually just stopped and gained everything back.

My exercise routine, when I start it soon, should I see more weight loss?

Is what I'm doing even healthy? Sometimes I get hungry in the middle of the night, where my stomach hurts and you get those hungry burps, and I chalk it up to, "this is just a part of the process." Is what I'm doing healthy like in the long run? I don't want to be losing muscle instead of fat.

I don't want this to feel like a chore which is why I kinda just started it with no real outline. I wanted to change things but not think about it too much so I didn't tire myself out mentally and revert back.

Would anyone have any advice on what else I should include or exclude with what my current plan is?

Edit: I forgot to include, I want to lose at least half my weight or more in 2 years, and at least 50 pounds in 6 months. I don't know if the weight I lost so far really counts though for that portion. Does it?

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Becoming Desperate

Hi :) I’m almost 40lbs down from my heaviest, but I still haven’t hit my first goal weight and I am become extremely discouraged. I want to be under 200 lbs, which means I need to lose 19lbs to hit this goal, but it just feels miles away.

I eat in an insane calorie deficit, I go to the gym every day of the week and cycle 6-12 miles and then walk 1-3 miles, I have started eating far more protein and raw fruits and vegetables… I don’t know. I just want to feel like I’m not always the fat friend in pictures.

I feel like hitting my first goal weight (199lbs) would light some more fire under me, but again, it feels forever away. Anyway, I write all of this to ask for words of encouragement or good tips to continue with my weight loss journey

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Finally had a good experience in a clothing store

So I posted about this quite recently but my clothes have become a big motivation for me to lose weight, if not my primary motivation they’re my second.

I usually do a weekly weigh of myself and today I weighed in at 237.8lbs, down from 300lbs last October. I’ve been wearing my old clothes during my weight loss process as I hadn’t felt it necessary to buy new one. Wanted to? Absolutely but I didn’t think I was there yet. Today I decided to head to my local Old Navy to see just what the weight loss looked like in terms of clothing. Grabbed a few shirts, all in 2XL, for reference I’ve been wearing 4/5XL during this entire period, and went into a changing room.

As I always do when I go into a clothing store I braced myself for disappointment, in the past everything had always been too tight or a super bad fit on me so I expected the same this time as I didn’t think VISUALLY I’d lost much weight but with each shirt I found my smile growing and growing.

Out of 5 different shirts, a couple short sleeve button-ups, a regular T, a Henley and a Tank Top, all but the tank top fit me extremely well and the tank wasn’t even too far off but I didn’t feel comfortable in it. Normally it would be the opposite where maybe 1 shirt fit me decently but damn if I didn’t find myself actually getting a bit teary-eyed, not just at the progress I’d made but didn’t feel or see in the mirror but at how much I regretted not starting sooner.

Do I still have a ways to go? Absolutely I do, no doubt about that, but despite how I THINK I see myself in the mirror, it’s clear I’ve made progress and that has made my day, if not my entire week.

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Friday, June 5, 2026

I am proof that weight loss is all about the calorie deficit

Calorie deficit. That's it. Whatever it takes to get into and stay in a calorie deficit is how we lose weight. Various tools can help get you there. For me, I do IF, daily workouts, and food tracking.

Back in 2019, I tried the Keto fad diet. Trying to cut as many carbs as possible. It worked for awhile. I stuck to it for 6 months, and went from 225 to around 175 pounds in that time. But then I sorta just fell off the wagon and stopped caring about what I ate. I was cycling to work a couple times a week, but that was it for my physical activity.

By the end of 2021 I was back up to nearly 250 lb., which appalled me. Starting right then, I got back to food tracking. I actually joined and followed the Noom program for several months, although in hindsight it's really not required (would not recommend, if they're even still around). I also started daily workouts. First walking, and then running, on days that I didn't cycle. Combined with 16-8 IF (only ate between 12-8 pm, mostly), the weight came back off. By Fall 2022 I was down into the 170's again.

I maintained in the 180's for most of 2023, but then fell off again. I kept doing daily workouts (I've barely missed any days since 2022), but stopped caring about what or how much I ate. 2024, 2025, the weight crept back up. As of 20 April 2026, I was up to 226 again. And I decided to get back to it. Daily food logging (free version of MyFitnessPal), calorie and workout tracking via Apple watch, daily workouts of at least 30 minutes, every day. Only eating between 12 and 8 pm, aside from my morning coffee with splash of half-n-half. And, daily weigh-ins, at the same time every morning. Overall I aim for about 700-900 daily calorie deficit. And no, that does not leave me hungry, at all.

As of today, 5 June 2026, I'm 208, down 18 pounds since 20 April. Hoping to get back into the 170's eventually. I've been there before, and I felt so much better at that weight. A few things I've learned through this journey:

  • I HAVE to track calories. I have to know where I'm at. That means using my Apple watch to track active calories, which feeds into MyFitnessPal to track my food and workouts, which then shows my daily calorie deficit. When I don't track, I tend to just eat everything in sight.
  • IF has been a big help at maintaining the daily deficit.
  • Brushing my teeth in the 8 PM hour also helps me to not sit around and snack at night.
  • Daily workouts are a habit at this point. I just do it. Making it a daily habit makes it much easier to not skip.
  • Daily weigh-ins also help me know where I'm at. I'm a numbers/stats type of person, so I have to know where I'm at every day, and always weighing under the same circumstances (morning before any food or drink, after the morning BM).
  • I try to get in a good mixture of carbs, fats and protein. I don't really track macros at all anymore. Whatever I can eat that will fill me up while still staying in the calorie deficit, is fine for me.
  • The Hacker's Diet is another good resource. I read most of it a few years ago, and still use the web-based charts and graphs to input my weight data. I only recently learned of the author's passing a few years ago, but the website itself is still up and running www.fourmilab.ch

That's it. Hope someone might be inspired by the successes (and avoid the pitfalls) I've had over the last few years.

submitted by /u/PatrickGSR94
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Celebrating 20lbs down (again)!

Hey everyone, first time posting here. I'm sharing a bit of my journey as I've not really talked much about my weight loss this time around to people in my life because it feels embarrassing to be restarting. You all seem super supportive, I love the posts in this community.

I'm 25F and 5'5, and in 2024 I started my weight loss journey after years of depression, overeating and general just lack of care towards my body. I started off at 259lbs in September 2024 and lost 43lbs by Christmas 2024, through a calorie defecit and started going swimming which I quickly rediscovered my love for and adopted 3-4x per week. Previously I was super inactive because I hate sweating and exercise in general, and gyms are intimidating af to me, so this worked super well.

I lost my footing a bit going into 2025 and was on and off, lots of things happened - I was diagnosed with autism, my grandad that I helped care for passed away, and I ended up burning out hugely after a lot going on in general in my life. My weight loss stopped at 216lbs and as I was in a bad place I went back to old habits, stopped going swimming and piled all the weight back on. Literally all the weight.

In April I finally faced the scales and discovered I was back up to 258lbs. Devastating yes, but after being sick with burnout for so long I decided I was turning my life around, so I cut some duties that were burning me out from my life to focus on me and my health. I was also diagnosed with ADHD late 2025, which helps to explain some of my dopamine seeking habits with food and lack of impulse control, so this time around I was armed with some ideas of what to do to reduce this.

I started off by going back swimming again a few times, then ended up beginning to go with a friend I hadn't seen in years, after going round for an impromptu cup of tea and chat where it came up. Then I completely stopped buying all my binge trigger foods - family bags of crisps, chocolate and sweet treats etc - but allowed myself occasional dopamine giving treats (low cal crisps, bought a multipack of small chocolates which I still haven't finished now, just so the restriction didn't get too harsh that I'd spiral out). I didn't commit to too many weigh ins or proper calorie defecit just yet as I was still recovering a bit from burnout and it felt so overwhelming, but I aimed to eat vaguely as I remembered from the previous time around.

I'm now back swimming 3-4x a week with my friend and from the beginning of May I started calorie counting again properly, weighing everything out just like the first time, and I've been weighing in regularly again and today I weighed in at 237.5lbs - I'm now down 20lbs for the second time!

I'm so proud of myself for choosing to focus on this again because being fat is making me miserable. This time around I feel like somehow my cravings have really not been strong at all since removing things from the house and my appetite feels hugely shrunken (may be from coming off contraception recently), the defecit does feel quite easy at the moment - I'm on 1750 cals currently, but most days I only eat 1200-1500, and then sometimes use the banked calories for a treat meal or something at the weekends which can again help me to stop that restriction triggering to binge eating. Of course I will adjust calorie goals again soon whilst losing more weight.
I've even decided to start going to the gym for weight training and went to a gym for the FIRST EVER time this week which is literally a huge milestone as I'm terrified of looking like an idiot! I also got my personal best avg swimming pace EVER this week despite being heavier than I was on my previous best swim, and my resting heart rate has gone down hugely.

Truly I feel so positive this time around and I'm looking to a goal of around 180lbs at the end, maybe that will change at some point but either way I know that it will take a while to get there. It does suck that I reversed all my initial progress, but I'm working on being more forgiving on myself after years of self hatred as that's the only way I'm gonna progress. Thank you to this community because these online spaces make me feel less alone.

submitted by /u/BlackberryAmethyst
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