Hit a very special milestone today!

39/m here. On Memorial Day weekend (May 27) after hearing an elated friend speak of their weight loss, I decided I’d had enough of my lifestyle, threw on the closest things I had resembling gym clothes and took my 257lb self on a 2.5 mile walk through my neighborhood. I did the same each day after that and quickly established a 10,000+ steps per day walking routine, giving my feet calluses and blisters in the process. Three weeks later, realizing my steps weren’t enough to overcome my 3-4K calorie/day diet, I got an app and began following the 1,500 net calorie goal it set for me. No special diet, just counting calories. In early July I got a gym membership and started going twice a day most days, or once a day supplemented with walking at home. For my first 6-7 weeks at the gym I walked and did the occasional weight machine but as the pounds melted off I started adding more intense exercise. In early September I added running and can now run 5K in 29 minutes. Early last month I added hiking and biking to the mix!

Today is a special day. I stepped on the scale this morning and first the first time, it did not read 200-something. My new low weight: 199.4!

I have lost 8” in my waist and 2-3 shirt sizes. In September, with my clothes practically swimming on or falling off me, I gathered them up for donation and bought myself a new wardrobe consisting of all my favorite brands, most of which I hadn’t been able to wear for over 10 years. Additionally, I have cured my sleep apnea and now have a resting heart rate of 53 bpm! I have also increased my calorie limit by 400+ to account for my very active lifestyle! It was becoming clear that I needed the extra fuel for performance.

I love my new active, stylish lifestyle. I regularly get smiles from women and feel truly confident. I will never forget my beginnings or the hard work it took to get here and will respect my body from now on!

til;dr: 39/M, 5’8”, SW: 257, CW: 199.4, GW: 185 or better

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Has anybody here given sugar(read: fructose) alternatives like Stevia a try?

Consuming high amounts of fructose(something almost ubiquitous in western nations) can contribute to insulin resistance, liver damage, and most diabolically, making it harder to feel full or turn fat deposits into energy. Because my family can't escape a high-carb, high-sugar diet(father has Chron's disease), I've been considering branching out and getting some sugar substitutes for personal use to make weight loss and overall health a little better.

I know avoiding fructose or sucrose in prepackaged foods is nearly impossible, but swapping out sugar in stuff I make myself could make my health just that much better. I have a lot of sweetened tea, coffee, tomagoyaki, I like to glaze all my meats with sweeteners, etc. Always had a sweet tooth since I was a little kid.

I wanted to ask if anyone here has had success with non-fructosey sugar substitutes like Stevia, Erythritol, etc.

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Noticing how differently people treated you after major weight loss.

*sorry if this is a little bit of a rant*

​

Over the past year and a half I have lost 100+ pounds and went from a size 24w to a 14 (so close to a 12) and if honestly is amazing how differently I am noticing I was treated at different sizes. When I was at my biggest I felt like a bloated freak and in a way I was almost invisible. Never in my life have I felt attractive, I was a fat kid that grew up into an obese teenager and went into young adulthood at almost 300. For the first time ever I am a normal person that blends into a crowd and I actually feel like I am happy in my own skin. Before I took the steps to leading healthier life and changing my relationship with food I always figured I was the fattest person in the room. In school I was bullied pretty badly and food was a comfort that I medicated/ soothed myself with. Now my life if completely different than it was a year ago and I find myself talking with more people. When you are big people tend to ignore you and will likely ignore you with some even making comments that shock me with how nasty they would be to a complete stranger. Maybe it's an observation at my part and I know it sounds cheesy but I always believe in treating people right. Seeing what a different a change in appearance can make is really odd.

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How do I do it? Advice and ideas appreciated

22F, 5'10"; SW: ~276 CW: 245 GW:165-175

So, my life is a living hell right now, giant move, lost my job, traumatic drawn-out breakup, the works. And with all that stress and depression, I've started losing weight in the unhealthy, "I'm not hungry, my life is pointless" way that I know many people do..

A couple years ago, I was fit. I've been overweight my entire life, but at the time, my lowest weight was about 189, but I went to the gym every day, weights and cardio for about 2 hours. Total gym rat status.

At that point I had a gym to go to, and I had time to go, or I was motivated enough to wake up at 3:30am to make time. Right now, I'm dropping weight from malnutrition and dehydration, but I'm hoping I can transfer this momentum into a healthy weight loss and an overall lifestyle change. I'm detoxed off of unhealthy foods and sugars and I feel like I'm a clean slate. Again, I have very little appetite at the moment, but I know I need to get calories in.

Things to note: I have chronic back pain and my hip flexors have been giving me issues. I have a bad "runners knee" as well that gets better as I build up my quads and hamstrings (from prior experience,) but I can blow out my knee fairly easily with overexertion.

I have an apartment gym that I have access to that has a few treadmills and ellipticals, a bike, a suspension bar and a pull down machine that does a bunch of things I have no clue how to use. My form with free weights is crap, as I'm used to having access to a multitude of machines--not an excuse, it's just making it hard for me to help myself.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts or ideas, thanks!

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I had an honest talk with myself, sharing so maybe it helps others too.

I think it's always important to remind ourselves that context is everything, especially when it comes to the weight loss journey all of us are on. Basically, I made a list of things I always ask myself when approaching diet, exercise, weight, weight loss, and fitness. Then I answered my own questions and found the explanations and reality of the assumptions I tend to make. I'm sharing it in the hopes that it might help someone on their journey too.

1. What's the secret to losing weight? Is it discipline? Is it a diet? Is it something else?
   I think this was the hardest question to answer and also the major reason I've Yo-yoed in my journey. This is the second time I've seriously taken this journey and I needed to answer the questions to be able to rationalize what I was doing.
   For me, there are two simple secrets.
   1, eat at a deficit. This sub has people doing Keto, Intermittent Fasters, Paleo, Veganism, vegetarians, pescatarians, and so many others, but the bottom line has always been Calories In Calories Out. No matter what you eat, as long as you are at a deficit you will lose weight.
   2, keep the routine simple. When people talk about habits of successful businessmen or athletes or whatever else it comes up in one way or another every time. Steve Jobs wore the same jeans and black shirt all the time. Warren Buffet has the same suit he wears all the time. Your favorite baseball team or the frat dudes or sorority gals all went to the gym and ate at the same time. I spent a lot of my time looking at what they looked like rather than the process they followed to get the results they got. But then I tried the routine myself. I had a great gym and a great schedule. I went to the gym from 8pm to 10pm every time. When I was a beginner it was twice a week. As I got stronger I started going more often.

2. Can I lose weight in a specific area?
   I think this is the question I look back on a feel most frustrated with myself for asking. It has to do with a lack on understanding what it is at a very basic level. The simple answer is, unless you are already relatively small/ fit, no.
   Why?
   Well, think of fat as storage. Any excess food that you consume becomes pooped out or, in the case of sugar, turned into the unit stored in fat tissue. Your body is made to store fat in certain areas, your hips, your gut, your butt, your chest/boobs, and your thighs. After a point, it will also show up in your extremities, neck, face, etc. It stores them, but it stores them pretty evenly everywhere.

3. The natural follow up question. So where does muscle and working out fall in?
   Muscle, unlike fat, is a functional unit. You build muscle to do more work. Your work out muscles which you want to work harder. Your core is your abs and back, they give you the balance, stability, and control for movements of your torso. Your legs will let you carry heavier loads and/or move for longer. Your arms will let you push, grab, and pull heavier things and how you use them will help with the type of work you do better.
   Think of the gas you put in a car. If you aren't turned on and going anywhere the gas stays in the tank right? The gas in this instance is food. Now imaging that you keep getting gas at a steady rate. If you don't use it, you can put that gas in smaller tanks and store them on/in your car. That is fat. If you continue to fill extra tanks, then you put them wherever you have space but if you never get used they just sit there.
   Now, think of the engine. The engine is what makes work possible. It is the muscle. In a normal car it'll take you from point A to point B and it'll be pretty uneventful. Now think of a sports car, monster truck or semi/ lorry. Those cars have a lot more power so that can move more weight, go faster. That's how they go faster and work harder. The muscle is the same way. We build muscle so that they can do more work. Doing more work requires more energy. So even if they have a continuous flow of gas, if they're using it, they won't need to store it.
   A small clarification on types of muscle using cars.
   A sports car goes from A to B quickly. A normal car will get there and if it tried to keep up it would take a greater toll on the car than the sports car because it was built for speed. That is how you can look at a sprinter vs us normal people. Lots of power.
   A semi/ lorry truck can move a great amount of weight for a great distance. It uses more gas, stores more gas, and has more power. A normal car attempting to pull the same weight/ heavy weight? Forget about it! Either, something would break, it would try hard but not get very far before running out of energy, or a combination of both. That's something like a boxer, swimmer, or football player. Lots of endurance and power.
   Anyways, it's not a great analogy, but I think the idea is there. Regardless, to burn more energy, you have to eat less and/or move more, that is the only way the extra gas in the spare cans gets burned off.

4. How do I stay motivated?
   Everyone has moments of weakness. Everyone. But recognizing a momentary lapse and becoming discouraged because of one moment aren't the end of the world. So, you build in flexibility. I eat at a 750 calorie deficit so that if I get tempted by a cookie or a piece of chocolate on one day, I can have it and still be okay in my loss.

5. What should I expect?
   The biggest thing for me, is to be realistic. I can't go from the Michelin Man to Ryan Reynolds overnight. I can't even expect myself to do it within a few month and sometimes ever. I might not have the body shape to ever look like those people, but as long as I know where I'm going and I'm honest with myself, I know I'll be somewhere that makes me a lot happier looking at myself in the mirror than I am now.

6. What is the difference between weight loss and physical fitness?
   This one was huge for me.
   Weight loss is simply that, losing weight and poundage. Weight loss isn't a guarantee of a six pack. It isn't the guarantee of big muscles. It isn't even the guarantee that your 'goal outfit' will fit you well. What it is, is the ability to control how close you can get to those goals efficiently and effectively. For me, a distinction is also the gym. You don't need the gym to lose weight. Of course you'll lose inches and feel better, but when you see those little stubborn things, like the love handles, small biceps, or lack of tone in the booty or anywhere else you'll have to turn to fitness, working out, and/or gym.
   People use the word fit a lot, but what is it? Physical fitness for me, is having a body that will do what I want it to do at any given moment. (Okay maybe I'll need to stretch and warm up first, but you get the idea.) If I need to be fit enough to run a 5k, then I'm going to have to start with walking. I can build my stamina with walking and then introduce some running. After a while I'll be able to run more and eventually I'll reach the end goal of the full 5k. For someone who wants something more aggressive, it'll probably take more time, but the concept is the same. The end goal is for your body to do what you want. That's why you build muscle. It is a functional unit. They can increase in power in in endurance depending on how you work them.

Finally, I'm sorry if this went on for a bit. This sub is a great place for support. I suppose, this is my way of saying thanks and giving back a little.

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Weight loss and depression

Wondering if anyone has any experiences or strategies to share.

I'm currently dealing with some depression. I'm taking the necessary steps to get myself mentally and emotionally well but it takes time. Food and TV have been my crutch and continue to be. Last year I lost 20kgs, so I know what I need to do. I've put 12kgs back on in the last 6 months that I've been feeling sad.

My issue is, how do I get and keep motivated when my need to feel better and escape the pain of depression (short term gratification of eating and watching tv) are stronger than my want to loose the weight and get healthy (looking at my body in the mirror makes me feel quite sad).

If anyone has any ideas, strategies, stories, experiences - is be glad to hear them! Thanks

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How to Lose Weight on Antidepressants and Anti-Anxiety Medication?

Hi everyone,

I am currently on Duloxetine and Pregabalin, for Major Depressive Disorder and Generalised Anxiety Disorder (diagnosed by a Psychiatrist at the beginning of this year).

I have put on over 2.5 stone (around 16kg) within 10 months, due to poor mental health affecting my appetite and eating behaviours, but I am wondering if in my pursuit to start losing this weight that the medication may have an effect?

Does anyone know if mental health medication affects weight loss? If so, how do you lose weight effectively on meds?

I do not want to have medication as an excuse for my unhealthy behaviours, and would love to know how people have lost weight whilst tackling depression/anxiety too.

​

Thank you so much!

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