I’ve lost 186lbs over the last 361 days!

I started my weight loss journey at 405lbs on Feb 5, 2018. Over the last year I have not had a cheat day, meal, or bite and have been grinding at the gym daily in an effort to completely take my life back from obesity! I recently started sharing my journey with others in hopes to spark change in those seeking it! I want to let people know that if I can do it clearly anyone can do it!

My diet was the key to my success. You can’t outwork a bad diet! I focused on 3 main things!

1. Reduce calories to 1500- calories are king! I focused on tracking my calories daily to the T! If I couldn’t track it I didn’t eat it!

2. I focused on my macros - I my goals were 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fats. To do this I focused on lean meats, protein shakes, cheese, eggs, and Greek yogurt

3. I avoided all added sugars - after looking at calories i would immediately look at sugar content! Sugar makes people fat not fat content! I even tried avoiding artificial sweeteners as well as much as possible!

Once I had my diet plan in place weight started dropping fast! This helped motivate me to keep going and start exercising!

Towards the end of May I got a gym membership and haven’t looked back since! I am currently down to 219LBS and looking to get right at 200lbs.

Just yesterday Men’s Health shared my story as part of their January transformations series. If you care to hear more about my journey and see some before and afters the link is below!

If you are currently trying to lose weight keep going! Trust In your process and ultimately Train your mind and your body will follow!

Take care!

Men’s Health

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Going Out to Dinner? 6 Restaurant Calorie Bombs You Need to Skip

Okay, so you’re on a diet. But life doesn’t stop. The weekend’s approaching, you have friends and they want dinner. In fact, your group might love to meet up at one place in particular—the one with the amazing salmon, to-die-for appetizer or, of course, chocolate molten lava cake. Meeting up for dinner is like the go-to event when making plans. It’s an opportunity to get out, catch up and just forget about an incredibly busy, stressful week.

Unfortunately, this is where anyone on a diet finds themselves in a bind. It’s so tempting to just toss all caution to the wind the minute you see the featured entrees listed at the hostess booth, or the second the waiter asks you what you want to drink. Having friends that don’t share the same health goals can make it even harder.

So, what do you do? We could say, “willpower to the rescue,” but we know that’s not gonna cut it. So, focus on why you are actually there. Hint: It’s not the chips and salsa. You made plans with your friends, to be with your friends. Enjoy the time you have with them because obsessing over food was never really part of the agenda. Check out the restaurant’s website before you head over to get a glimpse of the healthy options. Many offer the nutritional information now. If you have a clear idea of what you should order going in, there’s no way to slip up when you’re going out! The Nutrisystem Eating Out Guide is also an excellent tool, providing all sorts of suggestions for making this decision and keeping diets on-plan, for any of your life plans.

Whatever you do, skip these six calorie bombs to avoid total diet destruction:

1. The Booze

Alcohol is any diet’s worst enemy, and we’re sure you’ve heard it before. A round of drinks equates to empty calories, roughly a hundred and twenty at a time, without the fun mixers. It might also leave you feeling horrible the next day (both sick and guilty). If you have an exercise regimen, chances are, you won’t even feel capable of taking it on after a night out drinking with friends. Worst of all, the booze you have out with your pals has the capacity to mess with your inhibitions and lead to a chain reaction of diet mistakes. Ever go out with your friends (and healthy intentions) to grab a salad and, after a few drinks, end up ordering the loaded pizza? This isn’t an uncommon story. Save yourself from the mess and order water or a zero-calorie, flavored beverage. If you must have a drink, stick with one light beer or glass of dry wine, then get back to the aqua.

2. Bread and Butter

This is the hard one. Every good restaurant has a waiter leave a beautiful assortment of bread slices or rolls on the table with butter for spreading. This situation is a carb-lover’s dream and worst nightmare, all bundled up into one health fiasco. The refined, simple carbs in a slice of bread might lead to instant satisfaction, almost a sugar high if you will, but just one will rarely do. The fiber is lost, along with the rest of the nutrients during processing. It won’t fill you up, so the waiter will keep filling up your basket. The butter: Just more calories and fat. Don’t be afraid to ask for a plate of fresh veggies to nosh on. While it may sound silly, they’ll most likely be happy to oblige, and you’ll feel better munching on something that keeps your blood sugar stable and your waistline in check. Or, have some at home before you head out so you aren’t ravenous by the time the bread basket rolls around.

3. Guacamole

Don’t get us wrong, we love avocados. In fact, we have a whole list on The Leaf of brilliant ways to use avocados. Avocado contains all sorts of nutrients and monounsaturated fats to keep you lean and your heart healthy. But, guacamole is the avocado-plus recipe: It’s avocado, plus a lot of extra ingredients (the sky’s the limit) that the chef of the day feels like tossing in. Fruit, cheese and bacon…. are all additions that can turn a basic recipe into a restaurant’s signature appetizer. Everyone’s always looking for the new thing, and restaurants, a way to stand out. Pair it with tortilla chips and you’re done for!

Guacamole is absolutely addicting and even the nutritional powerhouse, avocado, is something to be eaten in moderation because of the high calorie-count. It’s easy to lose sight of how much you’re eating very quickly. An order of guacamole and tortilla chips at a popular chain restaurant gets close to 1500 calories! Go out with your best bud, and the two of you have taken down 750 calories before the main course. Look for the plain, untouched fruit and have a tablespoon of that mashed (one Extra).

4. Fatty Salads

Sorry to burst your bubble, but even the salads at restaurants require a sharp eye, when you’re on a diet. Lettuce, tomatoes and onions are all wonderfully nutritious and best enjoyed fresh in a bowl, but, when your favorite joint gets fancy with their creations, all bets are off. Fried tortilla strips, honey roasted nuts, cheeses and creamy dressings take the calorie and fat counts higher than you could even imagine. Portion distortion is also at play, with a meal usually fit for three.

The Nutrisystem Eating Out Guide sites Applebee’s Grilled Shrimp ‘N Spinach Salad as a sneaky diet saboteur, worse than their seven-ounce sirloin. This seemingly innocent diet option has 1,000 calories and 66 grams of fat. Who could’ve guessed?

Our suggestion? Go as raw and basic as possible. Stick to the fresh vegetables, fruits (one cup of berries is a SmartCarb on Nutrisystem) and two tablespoons of fat-free dressings (one Extra on Nutrisystem). Skip the crispy carb toppings like tortilla strips and croutons. Limit the cheese (to one slice or ounce of low-fat, a PowerFuel on Nutrisystem) and ask for chicken or shrimp prepared plain (two ounces of cooked chicken is a PowerFuel, while three ounces of shrimp is a PowerFuel). If there are eggs, just have one as a PowerFuel for the evening.

5. Wings

Chicken wings are rarely grilled. They are spiced up and deep fried for an appetizer with a nutritional makeup that could ruin anyone’s appetite. Just one serving of medium buffalo wings at a well-known restaurant chain packs 1,090 calories! Want to know how many are from fat? 500. One night out for dinner should never take over your calorie allotment for the day, and this one gets mighty close.

This should be eye-opening, especially due to the fact that most store brands of hot sauce come with a big, fat zero in the nutrition label. Wings are pretty much all skin to begin with (why you bite the meat out from so many of them) from there, the frying drives them into the grave.

If you really love wings, experiment with an air fryer at home. The Leaf has an amazing recipe for Air Fryer Drumsticks. At the restaurant, ask for some hummus or shrimp cocktail instead. A quarter cup of hummus is a SmartCarb on Nutrisystem and you can pair it with all the fresh vegetables your heart desires. Three ounces of shrimp is a PowerFuel on Nutrisystem and one tablespoon of cocktail sauce translates to an Extra.

6. “Pan-Fried,” “Scalloped,” “Battered” or “Creamy”

The Nutrisystem Eating Out Guide is on-point with this one. The way a food is prepared can spell the difference between a “diet do” and a “diet don’t.” Anything pan fried, scalloped, battered or creamy might as well be labeled “fat-bathed.” All of these cooking methods suggest that the fish, poultry or potato has been greased up with butter, oil or lard. And, your diet goals most likely aren’t on the chef’s mind… Flavor is.

So, what’s an extra stick or half-cup? Just about a massive calorie load, you don’t want. Instead, look for words like “roasted,” “grilled” or “baked.” You’ll still get flavor, but the taste will come mostly from the quality of the foods themselves, not whatever suspicious fat they’re masked in.

What My Cats Taught Me About Weight Loss

Read More

The post Going Out to Dinner? 6 Restaurant Calorie Bombs You Need to Skip appeared first on The Leaf.

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11 Instant Pot Recipes You Need to Try This Instant

If you got an Instant Pot as a holiday gift—or if you went out and bought one for yourself—you’ll be happy to learn that you can make Nutrisystem-friendly meals in a snap using your new kitchen toy. According to the manufacturer, Instant Pot speeds up cooking by two to six times using up to 70 percent less energy.

The Instant Pot is the Swiss Army Knife of kitchen tools. It’s the next generation pressure cooker, but it also sautés, and acts like a slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker and a food warmer. If there’s ever an attachment that slices and dices or sends your shopping list to a grocery delivery service, you’ll be able to call it your own personal chef.

We’ve developed 11 delicious recipes that make good use of this versatile appliance:

1. Quick & Easy Pot Roast >

You can have this Sunday night special meal any old time since the Instant Pot makes it ultra easy and quick to prepare. Loaded with flavor from garlic, Italian seasoning, onions and black pepper, it’s equally loaded with nutrients since you’re adding carrots and potatoes to the dish. This recipe calls for two pounds of lean beef, such as rump roast, eye of round or bottom round. The cooking method is what turns these normally tough cuts into tender, juicy morsels luxuriating in a rich tomato-laced gravy. Only 359 calories, this dish counts as one SmartCarb, two PowerFuels, one Vegetable and two Extras on the Nutrisystem program.

2. Simple and Spicy Instant Pot Carnitas >

Choose your protein—chicken, pork or beef—and add garlic, Mexican spice and fire-roasted tomatoes to your Instant Pot for instant, South-of-the-Border flavor. Avocado adds a dose of monounsatured fat—the one that’s extra good for you—and this dish is garnished with pico de gallo and chopped cilantro. This recipe makes four, two-tortilla servings at just 306 calories per serving. On Nutrisystem, this Instant Pot recipe counts as two PowerFuels, one SmartCarb and one Extra.

3. Tomato Basil Frittata >

You’ll bounce out of bed to enjoy this egg-based breakfast made with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, spinach and hashbrowns that’s ready in just 20 minutes… And so will your entire family! This recipe makes enough for eight servings. Whatever you don’t eat, you can save for later in the week. One serving is only 115 calories and counts as one PowerFuel and one Extra.

4. Rotisserie Chicken >

With your Instant Pot, you don’t need a rotisserie, nor do you need to spend extra money to buy a ready-made chicken at the grocery store. All you have to do is use the “sauté” setting on the appliance, add one whole chicken, garlic powder, paprika, dried herbs (your choice) and some low-sodium chicken broth and olive oil. After the skin is golden brown, use your Instant Pot as a pressure cooker. Your “rotisserie” chicken will be done in 25 minutes! One two oz. serving of chicken is 116 calories and counts as one PowerFuel. Pair it with a large salad and a whole grain roll and your Flex meal is complete.

5. Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli Soup >

This soup is a hearty, satisfying, nutritious meal, bursting with flavor and warm comfort on a cold day. Don’t let the lengthy ingredients list daunt you. Once you get your veggies diced—or you get your already prepared vegetables out of the fridge—it takes no time to make. Imagine yourself sitting down to tuck into this steaming tomato-chicken broth-based soup rich with vegetables, beans, ditalini pasta and chicken, spiced with red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, pepper, thyme, bay leaves and rosemary. The recipe makes six servings, each 303 calories. On Nutrisystem, a serving counts as one PowerFuel, one Smart Carb, one Vegetable and one Extra.

6. Instant Pot Chicken Creole >

It’s easy to whip up this traditional dish from Louisiana’s Big Easy using the slow cooker setting of your Instant Pot. Six hours before you plan to eat, place one pound of boneless chicken breast in the pot with onions, minced garlic, bell peppers, carrots, tomato, Creole seasoning, some broth and cayenne pepper for a real bayou flavor. When it’s done, shred the chicken and serve over cooked brown rice. This recipe serves six. Each serving is 262 calories and counts as one SmartCarb, one PowerFuel, one Vegetable and one Extra.

7. Instant Pot Salmon with Chili-Lime Sauce >

You’re going to wonder how anything that tastes this good can be good for you, but it is. Salmon is rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids that help douse dangerous inflammation in your body, which can contribute to heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and arthritis. Salmon is also an excellent source of lean protein, as is the cup of chickpeas in this recipe, which are blended with raw vegetables such as zucchini, asparagus, bell peppers or broccoli. And did we mention Chili-Lime Sauce? That mix of chili powder, garlic, honey, lime juice and other flavorful ingredients makes the meal. The recipe makes two servings, and each clocks in at just 342 calories. One serving counts as one SmartCarb, one PowerFuel, half a Vegetable and three Extras.

8. Easy Instant Pot Herb Roasted Potatoes >

In the world of side dishes, this delicious Instant Pot recipe reigns supreme. Imagine roasted potatoes done to perfection in seven minutes! You’ll need three cups of baby potatoes and a mix of herbs like thyme, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, some garlic powder and water. After sautéing briefly, use the pressure cooker setting to finish. Three cups of potatoes make six servings at 99 calories each. On Nutrisystem, this side counts as one SmartCarb and one Extra.

9. Instant Pot Key Lime Cheesecake >

This isn’t the only cheesecake on the Nutrisystem diet, but it might become your favorite. It’s a satisfying cream cheese-ricotta style cake with a kicked-up lime flavor thanks to two whole limes zested and juiced, and sweetened with stevia, an all-nautural plant-based sweetener. You’ll need a mixer or a fork to work the ingredients together, but the rest is all Instant Pot. Best of all, this Instant Pot recipe is only 157 calories a serving and the recipe makes five servings, which each count as one PowerFuel and three Extras.

10. Instant Pot Rice Pudding >

 

It’s up to you what you want to call this. It could be breakfast, dessert or your afternoon snack. Made with brown rice, raw cranberries, skim milk, light coconut milk, with a sprinkle of cinnamon and stevia, this 152-calorie bowl of comfort counts as one SmartCarb and one Extra.

11. Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps >

Buffalo chicken lover? You need to bookmark this recipe. Shredded buffalo chicken is cooked to perfection with this help of an instant pot and served atop a lettuce wrap for a spicy and hearty meal. Complete with a homemade blue cheese dressing, this diet-friendly instant pot recipe has all the flavors of your favorite buffalo chicken dish without the added calories!

Check out the rules for our instant pot giveaway here >

The post 11 Instant Pot Recipes You Need to Try This Instant appeared first on The Leaf.

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Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Thursday, 31 January 2019? Start here!

Today is your Day 1?

Welcome to r/Loseit!

So you aren’t sure of how to start? Don’t worry! “How do I get started?” is our most asked question. r/Loseit has helped our users lose over 1,000,000 recorded pounds and these are the steps that we’ve found most useful for getting started.

Why you’re overweight

Our bodies are amazing (yes, yours too!). In order to survive before supermarkets, we had to be able to store energy to get us through lean times, we store this energy as adipose fat tissue. If you put more energy into your body than it needs, it stores it, for (potential) later use. When you put in less than it needs, it uses the stored energy. The more energy you have stored, the more overweight you are. The trick is to get your body to use the stored energy, which can only be done if you give it less energy than it needs, consistently.

Before You Start

The very first step is calculating your calorie needs. You can do that HERE. This will give you an approximation of your calorie needs for the day. The next step is to figure how quickly you want to lose the fat. One pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. So to lose 1 pound of fat per week you will need to consume 500 calories less than your TDEE (daily calorie needs from the link above). 750 calories less will result in 1.5 pounds and 1000 calories is an aggressive 2 pounds per week.

Tracking

Here is where it begins to resemble work. The most efficient way to lose the weight you desire is to track your calorie intake. This has gotten much simpler over the years and today it can be done right from your smartphone or computer. r/loseit recommends an app like MyFitnessPal, Loseit! (unaffiliated), or Cronometer. Create an account and be honest with it about your current stats, activities, and goals. This is your tracker and no one else needs to see it so don’t cheat the numbers. You’ll find large user created databases that make logging and tracking your food and drinks easy with just the tap of the screen or the push of a button. We also highly recommend the use of a digital kitchen scale for accuracy. Knowing how much of what you're eating is more important than what you're eating. Why? This may explain it.

Creating Your Deficit

How do you create a deficit? This is up to you. r/loseit has a few recommendations but ultimately that decision is yours. There is no perfect diet for everyone. There is a perfect diet for you and you can create it. You can eat less of exactly what you eat now. If you like pizza you can have pizza. Have 2 slices instead of 4. You can try lower calorie replacements for calorie dense foods. Some of the communities favorites are cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash in place of their more calorie rich cousins. If it appeals to you an entire dietary change like Keto, Paleo, Vegetarian.

The most important thing to remember is that this selection of foods works for you. Sustainability is the key to long term weight management success. If you hate what you’re eating you won’t stick to it.

Exercise

Is NOT mandatory. You can lose fat and create a deficit through diet alone. There is no requirement of exercise to lose weight.

It has it’s own benefits though. You will burn extra calories. Exercise is shown to be beneficial to mental health and creates an endorphin rush as well. It makes people feel awesome and has been linked to higher rates of long term success when physical activity is included in lifestyle changes.

Crawl, Walk, Run

It can seem like one needs to make a 180 degree course correction to find success. That isn’t necessarily true. Many of our users find that creating small initial changes that build a foundation allows them to progress forward in even, sustained, increments.

Acceptance

You will struggle. We have all struggled. This is natural. There is no tip or trick to get through this though. We encourage you to recognize why you are struggling and forgive yourself for whatever reason that may be. If you overindulged at your last meal that is ok. You can resolve to make the next meal better.

Do not let the pursuit of perfect get in the way of progress. We don’t need perfect. We just want better.

Additional resources

Now you’re ready to do this. Here are more details, that may help you refine your plan.

• Quick Start Guide - Build your foundation!
• Loseit Compendium - Frame it out!
• FAQ - Answers to our most Frequently Asked Questions!

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Would you hold my hand once more?

Hi loseit... I'm ashamed to make another post so soon but I have no one to talk to and am getting addicted to the incredible kindness and support in this community. Could you again spare a minute for some encouraging words for me today? (my stats are 36F, sw 120kg cw 66kg walk around 15k steps a workday, exercise 5 times a week but hardly any cardio) I went on the scale again and it shows no difference from the week before. No big deal I know, there was no more than 1 lbs loss to be expected with my TDEE of under 1700 cals, and the way I weigh myself, sporadically and in the evenings, is super unreliable anyway. Still the encouragement is sorely missed.

I honestly don't know what I'm doing anymore. I'm still struggling massively with feeling like a stranger in my new body. It feels like there's not a single person around me supporting what I'm doing. My husband is plain not attracted to me right now. Men used to pay attention to me at one point, around 80kgs, but it's completely gone again, honestly my face with sunken cheeks and angular jaw just isn't as attractive. My friends and coworkers are one by one becoming downright hostile to me losing weight. Becoming moderately overweight was ok with everyone, but becoming slim? Slimmer than them, possibly?? Accusations of unhealthiness and disordered eating are being thrown around daily and I'm just so tired of reacting to the worried faces and reproachful comments again and again. My mom is starting to get jealous because HER weight loss was a huge point of pride for her for many years, and god forbid someone could steal her spotlight. There is no end to the jokes in my family about me exercising and wanting to become stronger. "Arnold Schwarzenegger hahahaha". I keep reading online that it's impossible to build muscle on a deficit and feel like even more of a joke for going to the gym. All my joints are hurting and I've never felt so weak and powerless.

All the above shouldn't matter to me, and it makes me furious at myself that it does. I'm not a very confident person. What others think about me matters to me, always. I can't pretend it doesn't. I haven't felt so lonely in a long time. There are so many things going through my mind every day that I wish I could share. So thank you so so much for being there and listening!!

The one reason I keep doing my weight loss thing right now is the feeling of control it gives me. Fuck everyone who wants me to give that up.

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Who is supporting you and what lovely things are they doing?

Ever since I started dieting people have been really supportive. At the moment for me it’s just inner family and my other half because I haven’t lost enough that other people are noticing. However my other half has been an absolute rock. Initially he decided to cut down with me too (despite being quite fit and not in his bmi). He has lost a stone and says he feels fantastic but predominantly he has just been there for me.

He has made sure he weighs it all out when he cooks so I can log exactly. He’s sat and done the maths when I’ve got stressed and tried to help me in the shop find lower cal alternatives. He’s done a jokey but firm no when I’ve suggested getting a takeaway.. but followed it up with some other treat we could do instead. He’s encouraged me to go for little walks and has helped me not to worry about trying a little exercise.

Somehow he has managed to do this without putting any pressure on me, and made it clear it’s always my choice and my actions that are having results. He tells me I look pretty all the time (did that before to be fair - his lift might not go up to the top floor). He leaves little notes to tell me how proud he is of me.

He’s just been so supportive and it’s made this weight loss much easier.

What supportive things have others been doing for you? Are colleagues being helpful, friends considerate?

TLDR boyfriend is a superhero in helping with this diet

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The end of a weight loss journey (or the beginning of the second chapter?)

Firstly, a before and after pic: https://my.mixtape.moe/xzbloc.png (On the left I am about 136 kg, on the right I am about 85 kg)

In august 2016 I decided that I didn't want to gain anymore weight. I felt that was a modest and realistic goal. I discovered CICO through this community, and began methodically registering my energy intake and outtake with a spreadsheet. The weight came off at a ridiculous pace: https://my.mixtape.moe/lsaqrg.png (Uger = weeks)

It took me about 14 months to reach a weight and body composition that I was happy with. I've been maintaining for about 1½ years now. 3 months ago I decided I wanted something done about the fruits of my labour: The dreaded loose skin. Fortunately I was given the option to have skin reduction surgery performed "for free" through public health insurance. I had a lower body lift performed, where loose skin was removed and tightened from areas around my stomach, back and buttocks. I had to wear a compression belt that extended from my crotch up to my chest for 3 whole months. Last week I was finally allowed to stop wearing it, and the hospital photographed me again now 3 months after the surgery. Here are some photos: The day after the surgery (Warning: Dried blood): https://my.mixtape.moe/gllxuh.jpg Comparison of body before and after surgery: https://my.mixtape.moe/sgaixg.png

So, this is somehow the end of my weight loss. But frankly I feel this is just the beginning. From now on I have to care for my scars and maintain my physique, and not allow myself to reach a point where I become obese again or all of this work and this surgery will have become wasted on me. Thanks for your time and advice, r/loseit! I hope my experiences and the pictures of my surgery can aid you in some way to perhaps achieving the same.

Here are my previous threads if you care to read about my journey: First thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/5pg8uq/sv_two_milestones_achieved_this_sunday_facepics/ Second thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/7hcuwc/1_year_later/

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