"The price of thinness is eternal vigilance"

I own a book that has been out of print since the eighties, so I guess it predates what we love and call CICO, but it's one of the best sources of advice and inspiration I own. I'm obviously not here to promote it, so I won't mention it by name, and I don't want to divert attention away from what I'm about to quote. But this paragraph sums up permanent weight loss (once your weight loss routine is established) better than anything I've ever read:

But if eating is no longer a Roman carnival of consumption, it isn't much of a problem, either. There's no gnawing hunger, no watching the clock until lunchtime comes. There's plenty to eat, and a little trade off here and there allows for a lunch martini or an occasional supper at Tio Ramos. But awareness of body size and muscle tone are never far from consciousness because, like liberty, the price of thinness is eternal vigilance. Developing a slim, firm body is in some ways like raising a child: it's a relentless job, it requires constant attention, and it seems never to be done. Understandably, winners protect and nurture the finished product almost instinctively. They are addicted to thinness. They don't necessarily like all the things they must do to stay the way they are, but they can't bear the thought of becoming what they once were.

Does a particular passage from a specific book or article summarize your entire weight loss journey? Please share it below.

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Weight Envy Intensifies

The intensification of weight envy has been a development ever since I hit my initial goal weight of 175. Yes, I looked thinner and people commented and complimented me about it, but I still didn't feel like what I felt I should look like in my imagination.

Of course weight envy is a common thing among people. But it didn't bother me as much when I was fatter. I suppose it's because back then weight loss seemed so unattainable and elusive. But once I started losing, I began constantly comparing how I looked vs. those who were at a normal weight. Heaven forbid if someone with similar stats to mine posts a progress pic. "He's around my age and height, how come his face is so much thinner?" or "Hey, this guy weighs more than I do but seems to hold it better?!" I understand it has much to do with genetics and fitness and whatnot, and I tell myself that, but the weight envy lingers. I suppose it isn't even weight envy, more like appearance envy.

Anyone else dealing with this?

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I am in a Dangerous Spot

I stepped on the scale today, and was shocked. Despite going to the gym four times a week, I have gained weight. I'm now 297, and I'm just a bad week away from 300. I live in a college dorm, and the dining hall has too many good things to eat. Ever since I was a child, my parents have always emotionally abused me about food. Especially my step father, who wouldn't let me eat most of the time, which lead me to sneaking food at the dead of night, and gorging myself because I did not know when I would be getting my next meal. In addition to that, the both of them called me such horrible names, and my mother always screamed at me to stop eating. I know it's wrong, but food has gotten me through so much. There were so many times that I thought that life is just shit, but for a short moment, food made me feel a bit better. Everything in life has really let me down, but food hasn't. But now I'm almost 300 pounds, and I've just eaten a Snickers bar because I felt so shitty. I know. I have severe depression, and I just don't know if anything can make me feel happy again. Im young, so I really should just do it now, but the thought of changing the way I eat really scares me. Starting this weight loss journey really scares me. I don't love myself enough to do this, but now I don't have much of an option do I? There is just a hole that I have to fill, and now I won't have anything, I'll be forced to fill it another way, and I don't think I have the tools to do that. But there is another side of me that wants to be respected and appreciated. Who wants to feel good in clothes, and be seen as a sexual entity for people. I want to be beautiful, or at least feel beautiful, and I know what's been stopping that is the fact that I'm so overweight. I don't know, I feel lost.

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Need some help getting started

Hello,

I’m new to r/loseit, but I have realized I need some help getting my weight loss journey started and have nowhere else to turn.

I was an athlete all throughout high school and college, playing rugby collegiately, eating right, and the school provided nutritionists, dietitians, trainers, the whole lineup. During this time, I weighed between 225-238 pounds. It was a healthy weight. I still had some more to lose, but it was a good start for me. My goal weight was and is 215.

After college ended, I went out to the workforce. No more sports, a busy work schedule, and no one to track my diet or help me eat right, plus losing the group of 30 fit guys who give you shit for missing a workout really hurt me. I started eating like shit, and ballooned up to 285. Convinced I needed to do SOMETHING, I went to CrossFit and did that for about 6 months. Started losing weight again. At about 6 months, i broke up with my long term girlfriend and was devastated. I turned to food to cope. I estimate at the max I was eating 1800-2000 calories a meal, nearly 3 times my approximate daily metabolic need.

I’m now here, 5 months after the fact. I weigh 314 pounds. I hate how I look and how I feel. I miss being fit. I just can’t seem to find a way to get it all put together.

A little about my diet: I have stopped stress eating. I now walk my dog when something bothers me, instead of turning to food. I have also cut my portions down to what a “normal” person would eat (think 1 burrito instead of a burrito, 4 tacos, and some chips). I drink occasionally, maybe one beer a week. I don’t drink soda. I don’t smoke. I do chew tobacco. I don’t do drugs of any kind.

Most days I don’t eat breakfast, I’m out the door before I get hungry. Lunch is typically some chicken strips or some Mexican food, that’s all we have near where I work. Dinner is a tossup, usually a protein and some form of carb.

I don’t work out anymore. I can’t find a way to motivate myself to go to the gym. I don’t know why. Whenever I think about it, my brain tells me “why bother, you won’t change”. I need help, some route to start making healthy choices with my diet and start going to the gym. How did all of y’all find the willpower to do these things?

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It doesn't feel like a sprint anymore

So I'm about 4 and a half months into this journey, 30 pounds down. The majority of my posts to this sub have been about me not seeing results as fast as I wanted, and being discouraged that my progress had slowed down. Many of you would comment and tell me I needed to learn to be patient, as weight loss can be a slow process. I'd see the quote "this is a marathon, not a sprint" and I'd brush it off, wondering what the point of the journey was if it takes you forever to reach your destination.

I threw a fit and cried anytime I gained an ounce of water weight while I clawed my way to Onederland. And once I did... it's like my whole mentality shifted. It suddenly felt like I could relax and truly embrace this journey. My motivation hasn't wavered a bit. I continue to take care of my body and lose weight at a slow but steady pace. I remember doubing my ability to even lose 5 pounds in the beginning. So I'm able to give myself credit for how far I've come while being excited about going even farther in the future. And I just feel like it's such an accomplishment to finally ditch the toxic mindset that I must lose the weight in the shortest time span possible. A massive weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I can finally breathe, and it's a beautiful thing.

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Why did you decide to lose weight?

Hello, I am new to this sub-Reddit and Reddit in general but wanted to ask a quick question to you all;

What was it that made you start losing weight?

​

The turning point for was getting on the scale and seeing 134 kg (301 lbs if you like) and running out of clothes to fit into and struggling to fit into XXXL t-shirts. With that I decided it was time to make a change, sooner rather than later as I am only 18 so I needed to get into good habits early on.

Most of my weight came from struggling to manage the food I ate. It mainly came down from me working at McDonald'd for 18 months and being given free meals at work. That wasn't so bad, the bigger issues came when I started struggling with my mental health and turned to food to comfort me and just lying in bed doing nothing on the weekends which meant I started pilling on the weight as I would have a meal before I started a shift, during on my break and then another after the shift so was eating a LOT of fast food regularly and didn't think twice about spending £70 (around 90$) a week on food.

I had tried to lose weight before but could never quite keep at it, looking back it was because I was limiting myself too much, only eating 800 calories a day and the same food day in and day out and not doing a whole lot of exercise.

This time around I have committed myself properly and for good (I hope). Probably the best thing I have done is invest in the weight loss, so for me I brought a FitBit and got a gym membership which in my mind, if I invested money into it I wouldn't waste it by not making use of it and trying to lose weight.

The way I saw food also helped a lot for me as before, I cut everything out as I didn't really understand that being in a calorie deficit and exercising, made you lose weight rather than just cutting out fast food. Another thing is that I can still enjoy the food I used to, but having smaller portions and a lot more control over the food that I am having.

The only issue now is that my clothes are getting too big for me!

TL DR: What made you lose weight and what things have you learnt that has helped you stay on track?

Thanks!

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7 Squash Varieties to Try This Season