An epiphany I had today...I use food to cope with loneliness.

2 days ago I decided to begin losing weight after seeing a photo of myself from last year. I looked remarkably different. I lost 15 pounds a few years ago using myfitnesspal religiously, and fell off of it. It was disheartening to see that I had undid the progress I had done, but know exactly what I need to do to get back on track. So I did.

This time, though, I really wanted to come at the weight loss from a place of understanding what it was that made me gain the weight (aside from no longer tracking). I had an epiphany.

A few months ago, I moved across the country for a year-long job contract. I began a long distance relationship with my boyfriend, and am now living somewhere with not a single friend or family member. To say it has been difficult having zero support system or friends would be an understatement. I have a lot of nice colleagues, but I haven't made many friends and haven't felt really incentivized to since I am halfway through my contract and plan on going home immediately after it's up. As a result, I spend a lot of time being lonely and bored. As a result, I've picked up a habit of filling my alone time by trying new restaurants around the city, street food, local desserts, etc.

90% of my destinations when I am lonely, sad, or homesick are to places where I will eat something. I'm gaining weight because I use food as a friend in times when I don't have any. I have developed a serious sugar addiction as a result, and use it as a distraction from how friendless I feel. Not only is it terrible financially, it's destroying all my hard work in staying trim.

This has been game-changing for me! I always thought of weight gain as just something that happened because I wasn't paying attention, but now I know it's really a by-product of my loneliness. Knowing it now, I'm able to identify moments where I'm feeling lonely and figure out a different activity to do instead of finding a restaurant I've never been to. Or, if I really want to, going to a coffee shop with a book and ordering an herbal tea. I'm also able to identify times when I reach for sugar and have decided I need to cut all added sugars from my diet until I can get past what truly feels like an addiction. Lastly, I'm back on myfitnesspal because CICO works for me.

I'm really hoping this begins a more mindful & long-lasting weight loss journey now that I have begun to address the root issue. On top of this, do you have any recommendations for ways to combat temporary loneliness when you've been inside your house for too long?

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Lost 40 pounds (18 kilos)

Hi. I don't have anything fancy like a before and after pic. Or a progress video. Or anything really.

Long time lurked, reading this sub helped me lose weight and kept me company on my journey (which is not over yet, but I thought publishing a nice round 40 lbs weight loss felt better than something like 39 or 41... :D).

I started last June at 96 kilos, and I weighed myself on Saturday and I was 78.

I cooked duck breast on sunday so I am probably a bit more now :D But I had to celebrate, and I am back on track.

My goal is 75 kgs. I am almost there in terms of weight loss, even though I understand that that is only the beginning of the journey.

Thank you for being here and for all the help.

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something I feel people overlook when they say diet is 90% of weight loss

...is that working out has a lot of other small impacts on your body and mind.

Yes, you only lost (hypothetically) 250 calories after sweating it out at the gym. But you also gained:

1. A feeling of accomplishment that will make it harder to hate-eat a doughnut at 2am
2. A sense of responsibility for past-you - he/she didn't sweat it out and hate every second of it just so future-you could inhale back the calories with some additional salad dressing
3. Enhanced mood, lowered anxiety which can prevent stress, which is a huge component of overeating for many people
4. Increased energy levels which make it easier to get through your day without a Red Bull/sugary snack/etc

Caveat: These might not apply to all people who workout, and of course diet matters so much! But I would just say - if you're on your weight loss journey like I am, don't underestimate the impact of incorporating some exercise you enjoy.

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Which would be the best path for me to lose and keep off weight?

I know this is kind of a generic question, but I'm planning on losing and keeping off a lot of weight, so I want to make sure I'm starting off on the right foot. I currently weight 450 pounds (~200kgs), I'm male and 22 years old. I've been recommended the keto diet from a doctor for fast weight loss and I know that what the doctor says comes first vs what people say on reddit, but I was curious to see if anyone here would recommend a more traditional, balanced diet rather than something like keto? I obviously want the weight loss to be long term and I'm not sure if keto is right for that, as I've read some mixed opinions on it. Do most people eventually get off the keto once their weight loss has been accomplished, and transition back to more traditional diets? I know there is a keto subreddit, but I thought coming here to get a more rounded opinion might be the best option.

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Also, any good internet resources that you guys may recommend for starting a life style change diet, keto or otherwise? All of this is pretty overwhelming at the moment. I'm planning to see a weight loss specialist sometime next year (they are all booked out at the moment), so I wanted something to start me off until then.

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Thanks for your help!

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[Daily Directory] Find your quests for the day here! - Monday, 10 December 2018

Welcome adventurer! Whether you're new on this quest or are towards the end of your journey there should be something below for you.

Daily journal.

• [Q&A] "I have a question."
• [Day 1] "I am starting my weight loss journey."
• [SV/NSV] "I have an accomplishment to share."
• [24hr Pledge] "Today I am going to..."

Interested in some side quests?

• [Motivation Monday] Share some motivation, get some motivation.
• [Tantrum Tuesday] Need to vent? People getting on your nerves?
• [Weigh-In Wednesday]
• [Track with Me Thursday] Did we just become best friends?!
• [Free Talk Friday] What's on your mind?

Community bulletin board!

• [Running with Loseit] Run with losers. Avoid arrows.
• [Wecipe Wednesday] Swap and discuss recipies!

If you are new to the sub, click here for our posting guidelines

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Newbie in need of diet advice

Hey guys, new to this sub. I did take a peek at the general info in the sidebar, but didn't quite see what I was looking for. Sorry if this is the wrong thread for this, feel free to point me in the right direction.

I'm beginning my weight loss journey, and I'm at a loss of what I should really be eating. In the past when I had lost weight, I did kind of a half as*ed low car type diet which worked well. But I'm overwhelmed with all of the information out there. Keto, low carb, low fat, Mediterranean, etc. I feel like I don't really know what I should be eating to lose weight and just be generally healthy.

Should I just count calories and not worry about what food I'm eating? But then I'm unsure how to estimate calories on home cooked food.

If it matters I'm a 27F, about 180 pounds, 5'3. Looking to get down to around 125-130 pounds. Have high cholesterol and BP, need to get those down, too.

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Had my first consultation with a cosmetic surgeon (and cried a bunch)

Hi Losers

I've lost over 100lb over the last couple of years, maintaining within the same five pounds since July. I carried most of my weight on my front and as a result my whole stomach area is very stretched out . It is my intention to get skin removal surgery and I also plan to post updates (and photos if i'm brave).

I'm in the UK, so my first point of call was my GP. She told me that she has never known the NHS cover skin removal surgery like mine. She gave me some suggestions of local private hospitals and told me that she would recommend choosing a surgeon that also does NHS work as they tend to be more 'grounded'. Also, that those hospitals have better access to equipment if something goes wrong (gulp).

The first hospital I called told me they were offering free ten minute consultations with one of the surgeons and had one slot left the next evening - so I grabbed it. I guessed it wouldn't involve too many specifics, as it was only ten minutes, but figured it would be a great way to get a feel for the place and would at least be a step on the path.

The surgeon was so friendly, calm and open. I wasn't sure what to expect, but he was beyond it. Asked lots of questions and seemed genuinely interested and keen to bring out any hidden details (there's probably a lot of psychology involved with cosmetic work). He asked me about how i'd lost the weight. I told him about CICO, MFP, getting in my steps. He asked: "What changed?"

Me: Well, I started eating a lot less, moving more...

Him: But something happened though, didn't it? There was an event that set this all off. What changed points to head up here.

Guys, I am not an emotional person - especially with people I don't know - but I burst into tears. I really can't explain it. The way he said it was so thoughtful and... invested? And so so kind. I have had so many people notice and compliment my weight loss, but this guy saw through the outer shell of my victories and wanted to know about all the nasty parts behind it. Feeling like I had lost control and was slipping further and further down to an inevitable early death. Feeling disgusted by my wedding photos.

We went over my allotted time by double, but he didn't seem to mind. He showed me a before and after photo of someone with a body like mine and holy hell I hadn't allowed myself to believe it was actually possible before then.

I asked him if I needed to lose any more weight before surgery, the amount of skin makes it difficult to tell. He said as I was a 'healthy, fit young woman' (legit!) and I had been losing so steadily and judging by my frame I'd be good to go whenever.

The next super emotional part was when he simply asked me (and i'm paraphrasing, the whole thing is an emotional blur); "What do you want your body to be?"

I was a little lost for words at the question. He broke it down for me - "For example; do you want to wear a swimsuit or a bikini?"

Aaaand I started crying again. Ugh. I was like, "I've always been the girl with the 'great personality', I have no idea. I just don't want all this... mass."

For the first time in my life I feel like I might genuinely be able to have a 'hot' body. It's so bizarre. I feel like it's almost too much to ask.

I haven't been able to sit still since. I've bitten the bullet and booked in a proper full consultation for Thursday. (£223, if anyone is interested, and it includes any additional consultations I want/need) I'm going to show him the whole darn mess and get an idea of how much money we're talking about.

I'm not a rich person, and I have no idea how i'll find the money, but one way or another I am going to make this happen. Beg, borrow, call in every favour.

I've been working on my list of wants for my body: 1. Wear formfitting clothing (no more exclusively flared skirts) 2. Wear small underwear (no more exclusively full briefs to keep everything compressed) 3. Have a decent cleavage.

It's a small list, but the thought that it might actually happen it blowing my damn mind.

Thank you for reading through this. I hope as this progresses i'll be able to share useful information regarding this kind of surgery in the UK. I also just really really needed to share.

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