What 1500 days of weight loss and maintenance looks like

In January of 2015, I woke up, looked in the mirror, and didn’t like what I saw. I wasn’t obese, but I was definitely overweight - a fact that was driven home once I checked out an online BMI calculator and found that I was a hair away from “technically” obese (6’0, 207 pounds, 28.1 BMI). I needed to lose 24 pounds in order to be at the upper limit for my ideal weight.

I decided to go beyond that - I wanted to be at 175, and I wanted to get there before football season started in early September. I figured 32 pounds in 35 weeks would be tough, but not impossible. So I started a spreadsheet, weighed in every single day (barring the times I was away from home), and started eating to survive rather than eating for fun.

Well, I made it down to 172 by the time the NFL season started. I beat my goal by 3 pounds and decided I was never going to allow myself to get above 180 again (hence my flair). So I kept the spreadsheet going, and here we are, 1500 days deep into the experiment. I’ve learned some lessons that might be helpful to anyone who’s overweight-but-not-obese and motivated to shed a few dozen pounds.

I want to stress one big thing right away: I never changed what foods I was eating. Portion control is the key. Everything starts and ends with how much you eat. Back in the day, I would make myself a sandwich for dinner, eat it, and then head back into the kitchen to make another sandwich. The breakfast situation was similar: pour a bowl of cereal, eat it, pour another. Lunch at work was a full sandwich and a container of potato salad from the grocery store deli, or a big plate of fish tacos/beans/rice, or a fast food burger & fries (large fries, naturally). I was shocked at how easy it was to eat less - the first time I went to bed satisfied after eating “only” a single roast beef sandwich for dinner was eye-opening.

Momentum is another big key. Once you get going, it’s relatively easy to stick to your diet. Power through the first few weeks and you’ll be home free, especially when your portion control starts kicking in habitually rather than intentionally. You’ll start eating less because you want to eat less (because your stomach has shrunk a bit, or you’ve found you no longer enjoy eating until you’re full).

Getting exercise is not an excuse to eat more. Don't reward yourself with too much food just because you went for a jog earlier.

You can have a really good day of portion control, food choices, pooping, and exercise… and the scale the next morning might still tell you that you’ve gained weight. Don’t let it get to you. Water weight is a thing.

Get yourself psyched about the prospect of leftovers. This goes along with your overall portion control effort, because American restaurants almost always give you too much food. When you eat out, order dishes that will make for good microwaveable leftovers (pasta dishes, breakfast skillets, etc) or go to restaurants where the entire menu fits the bill (Chinese, Thai, Italian). Tell yourself that you're only going to eat half of your entree, and stick to it. Take the rest home. Now you have rad leftovers for tomorrow, AND you didn't overeat!

Ditch soda, or at least apply portion control to your soda intake by buying the tiny 7.5oz cans instead of the 12oz ones. The novelty and fun of drinking a soda goes away after the first few gulps. This also applies to ice cream, which might be my favorite food in the world, which I now eat one scoop of rather than an entire bowl..

Speaking of ice cream: once you hit your goal weight, set restrictions to keep yourself there. I’ve decided that 173 is my “ice cream weight”, meaning I’m not allowed to buy ice cream at the grocery store unless the scale that morning was under 173. It’s good motivation, and it’s surprisingly easy to stay disciplined in this way.

Don’t cheat too much, but also don’t feel bad about cheating on big occasions. I’m always going to eat more on vacation or during holidays (note the upward spikes on my spreadsheet), so I don’t beat myself up when I hit the scale and see that my number has gone up, because I was expecting it to go up anyway. Then I just get back on the horse until I’m back at my target weight again. Once you’ve hit your goal and are in maintenance mode, it’s surprisingly easy to do this.

Enjoy the fun stuff about losing weight, including but not limited to: your jawline re-asserting itself, your wedding ring feeling looser, people you haven’t seen in 3 years commenting on how great you look, going to sleep every night without fear of heartburn waking you up at 1 in the morning, relatives telling you that you’re “too skinny”, and the food in your fridge/freezer/pantry lasting twice as long as it used to.

Good luck!

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Lower Carb Versions of 10 Popular Meals

Some carbs are good for you: They provide fuel for your body, nutrients to keep you healthy and fiber to help you lose weight. (Think: whole grains, beans and starchy veggies.) Other carbs, however, are not so good for you—like the kind found in white bread, pasta and rice. These refined versions can mess with your blood sugar, energy levels and appetite.

But that doesn’t mean you have to stop eating spaghetti or give up your favorite rice dish. Instead, you can swap some lower carb, healthier ingredients into your recipe to help reduce the carbs, all while keeping the taste and flavors you love.

11 Cauliflower Recipes So Good You’ll Forget You’re Eating Veggies

Read More

Here are 10 lower carb twists on classic meals:

1. Zucchini Noodles with Chicken and Cheese >

The key to healthier “pasta” dishes: The spiralizer. This kitchen tool transforms different veggies into twirlable spaghetti-like strands, for far fewer carbs. In this dish, zucchini becomes the noodles, chunks of chicken provide the protein, and tangy feta cheese adds a punch of flavor. Throw in spinach leaves, sprinkle with garlic powder and coat in lemon juice for tons of vitamins, nutrients and flavor in each bite. On Nutrisystem, each serving counts as one PowerFuel and three Vegetables.

2. Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp >

Cauliflower is a super versatile vegetable that can be mashed like potatoes, baked into pizza crust or pulsed into “rice” to make a healthier version of this take-out favorite. The grain-shaped cauliflower gets tossed in a skillet with shrimp, eggs, onion, garlic and any of your favorite veggies—like bell peppers, snow peas or carrots. Season it with soy sauce and ground ginger for quintessential Asian flavors and add a little crushed red pepper or sriracha for spice.

3. Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash Pasta > 

Lean turkey replaces beef in the Bolognese to cut fat. Spaghetti squash serves as the “pasta.” And the peas, zucchini, crushed tomatoes, paste, onions and Italian spices add layers of flavor to this slow-cooked meal that’s most definitely worth waiting for.

6 Low-Carb Bread Alternatives

Read More

4. Cauliflower Mac and Cheese >

Before you think no way, hear us out: This version of classic comfort fare still has all the cheddar cheese you love. The sauce is loaded with cream cheese and almond milk to make it thick and gooey—just as you like it. But using chunks of cooked cauliflower instead of standard macaroni not only helps trim carbs and add fiber, it also cuts calories to only 114 per serving.

5. 5-Ingredient Chicken “Noodle” Soup >

What better way to soothe your soul than with a delicious bowl of chicken soup. The noodles, however, are actually strands of spaghetti squash to get you more flavor, fewer carbs and extra nutrients in every piping hot spoonful. On Nutrisystem, a serving counts as just one PowerFuel and one Vegetable, making it the perfect side to any of your favorite Nutrisystem meals.

6. Carrot and Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai >

Put your spiralizer to work to create beautiful “noodles” for this Thai inspired recipe. Strands of carrots and zucchini are topped with succulent shrimp and coated in a flavorful mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic sauce, honey and chili flakes. There are also green onions, egg and bean sprouts tossed in, peanuts for some crunch, and cilantro leaves and lime for a burst of freshness.

12 Easy Chicken Recipes You Need to Try

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7. Cauliflower Crust Breadsticks >

They’re topped with salt and Parmesan. They’re buttered and baked to a golden brown. And you can dip them in marinara sauce. It’s all the things you love about breadsticks, minus the actual bread. Made from cauliflower, these lower carb alternatives are packed with 16 grams of protein for a perfect, Italian-spiced snack.

8. Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Pasta >

Spiralized zucchini and whole-wheat spaghetti combine for the perfect balance of healthy and hearty, while minced garlic, white wine vinegar and squeezed lemon juice add the fresh zest. A quick sauté of jumbo shrimp, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes, and you’ve got all the flavors of your favorite scampi dish.

9. Cauliflower Buffalo Bites >

This veggie-version of hot wings doesn’t disappoint: It packs heat and tons of buffalo sauce flavor into every bite. By subbing in cauliflower for the meat, you bring down the calories and fat, and pump up the nutrients in this game-day favorite. Plus, it’s super easy to make. On Nutrisystem, one cup counts as one Vegetable and two Extras.

10. Zucchini Noodles with Roasted Vegetables and Pesto >

Impress your dinner date with this all-veggie, lower carb dish that looks as good as it tastes. Start with the pesto: Fresh basil, pistachios, Parmesan and black pepper blended into a creamy and savory sauce. Coat the zucchini noodles in the pesto, toss in roasted veggies—like bright cherry tomatoes, red bell peppers and artichoke hearts—and enjoy!

Don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen? We’ve got fully prepared meals that can be ready in seconds! Check out our menu here >

The post Lower Carb Versions of 10 Popular Meals appeared first on The Leaf.

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Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Wednesday, 20 February 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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Confessions of a calorie counting "weight loss success"

Long post.

I dont know why I'm even writing this. I'm not a naturally hugely warm and open person, and this is slightly terrifying. Not because I think I'm some matyr but because peeling back the veil is always scary, but I'm determined to say something. I think about my niece, shes three and her favourite things are princesses, ballerinas and her cat. I think about my best friend who cries about her body, I think about the messages I've received saying "Oh I wish I could lose weight like you." This type of post has been posted many times before and thats why its important- because it is a reality of what can happen during this process. Over the last two and a half years, I have lost 55kgs/6 dress sizes. But for the last year and a half, my extreme calorie counting, starvation techniques, crazily strict dieting, excessive exercise and my need to control everything has led me down a path of disordered eating that I wish I could take back.

And i lied, i lied for so long about my truth. I lied on here, on Instagram, to my friends, to my family and to myself. I posted before and afters, proclaiming ideas of basic calorie counting and balance, about how anyone can do it and do it naturally. I fed my insanity with likes and posts, Ana sitting on my shoulder saying what a good job I was doing. They dont need to know the truth... why would I want to expose myself like that? Just enjoy the attention... enjoy the feeling of being successful in the eyes of others. Ignore the knawing sickness, live a lie. Skinny is better then happy. Skinny is better then happy. Skinny is happy.

I won't let her make me a liar anymore. This is my confessional. Pray for my forgiveness as I exorcise this demon out of my body.

The reason I want to tell my story is because I AM POTENTIALLY YOU. I want to warn others against the dangers of allowing yourself to be completely controlled by your weight loss goals, and how true happiness really does come from underneath. True fulfillment lies in the choices you make, the impression your character leaves on people and the experiences you have. Your value as a person does not solely consist of a number on a scale.

I am a cautionary tale, here to emphatically say that YOUR GOAL WEIGHT MAY NOT RESULT IN A LIFE CHANGING MOMENT. There's no parade, no one hands you a medal. And that disappointment, realizing that you're still you complete with all your same old problems - now only thinner - is a hugely intense disappointment. I felt as awful at 65kgs as I had at 115kgs. I stood alone, in a cold empty bathroom, and cried.

I think about my 22 year old self and think about how badly she had wanted to be the size I am. I would have given anything to literally cut the fat off my body, I would have sacrificed any small child that beezlebub would have accepted. "Only then will I be happy."

I read a lot of the first timers posts here and I'm not going to lie, we all know that we share common mental issues and reasons for being overweight and wanting to lose weight. I would argue that common threads amongst us are: - family pressure and expectation - a desire to be loved - clinical depression/anxiety - relationship issues caused by our insecurities about our weight. - societal pressure, or in many cultures the idea that thin = successful, happy and worthy.

I was a teenager before the curves of Ashley Graham and Kim Kardashian existed, and when you had to shave your pubes to wear the low cut denim of 2003. I was the fat funny friend, the teenager who never got a date, the daughter who felt as if she was not loved because she was fat. I was obsessed with Disney princesses and barbies as a small girl. And for SO MANY OF YOU - I know this can be a common story.

But here I am, in front of you today, saying I would happily put the weight I forced off my body this year back on in order to stop the endless calorie counter in my head. I wish I hadn't had to starve myself, I wish I hadn't caused long term physical damage to my body and my mind. I wish I hadn't sacrificed happiness to be thin. I wish instead that I had taken the steps I'm now being forced to take - getting control of what's underneath, grabbing the tentacles of kathulu and getting her back into line.

I am lucky in that I live in a country where the government has provided help. I also think because I quit drinking a few years ago, I am self aware enough that I reached out, and I am now in the system and examining my relationship with food, with my parents, with myself. I know there are so many who have struggled for so many years with eating disorders, friends I know. Your sister. Your mum. Your dad. Your uncle. Your best friend. It can be a life long affliction and I'm glad I'm at this point sooner rather then later. I am feeling better. I wish it hadn't taken three trips to the hospital, three months of missed periods and a year of begging from my mum and my partner to just stop.

I wish I had never heard of MFP, CICO, and I wish I'd just focused instead on building sustainable habits, eating real and whole food, doing exercise because I enjoy it. I started off in a great and healthy way but it dissolved into madness. I became lady Macbeth, screaming out damn spot. Obsessed. Controlling.

I would like to make a contrasting point here before I just get slammed in the comments. I do not believe that following CICO, or in fact pursuing the goal of weight loss in any way, is a negative thing. I dont think that you'll automatically get an eating disorder just because you are strict with yourself. Losing weight, one of the reasons we all came here, is a noble goal that will give you a better life. Do I still take daily medication? No. Can I run a 10k? Yes. Are people nicer? Yes. Do I have a better sex life and better relationships with those around me? Yes. It is an irony in all of this that if I hadn't started losing the weight then I would still be 115kgs under the absolute concrete belief that thin = happy. I would still be incredibly sick and unhealthy. I would still be an agoraphobic, living in my bed.

Kind traveller, thank you for sitting by my fire. I wish you well upon your journey and wish you all the success but heed my warning, it is simply this: If you are not happy within yourself now - losing weight will not bring you completion. It will never fix a relationship, make you more friends or cure your depression. Exercise and healthy eating can help that, but starvation and obsessive thinking does not.

That horrible saying "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" is utter rubbish. I ate proper spaghetti bolognese yesterday for the first time in a long time. Pasta tasted just as amazing as I remember it tasting.

1200 calories is not a bible figure. Calories are incredibly relative and honestly - their value is questionable. Health should be your goal, being able to dance and run and climb stairs and run marathons. Travel comfortably. Fit a wedding dress. Confidently approach your boss about that raise you damn well deserve. Live a long and healthy life, dying old, not having to get your knees replaced at 30. The sheer act of weighing less does have an incredible mental benefit.

But your weight does not equal your value.

And let me tell you - you are worthy and valuable and beautiful and worthy of living your best life right now. And you can do it. The only thing standing in your way is you. And if that goal is to lose a couple of pounds then hell yes friend. But dont make it the only thing that will ever make you happy.

In the invaluable words of Morty, "Get your shit together.".

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What do you think of this open-access food diary concept?

I am a medical student who performs mobile health research on weight loss and diabetes. I noticed that many people who tracked their food intake were unsure if they were inputting the accurate calorie amounts for the food they ate at restaurants. I built an open access food diary for a smart city competition that hopefully chips away at this issue by letting restaurants tell you exactly what you ordered. Here's the concept video to understand it better. Restaurants would be able to write in your food diary for you after you make your purchase. I have integrated with several PoS systems on iPhone, Android, and the Apple Watch, just curious on your thoughts. The plan is to sync data with the health app on your smart phone to be another source of food/exercise data similar to how FitBit can sync data with MyFitnessPal, so you would still use all your other devices/apps.

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the last ‘Day 1’

I’ve started and fell off multiple times with this weight loss journey. Gaining motivation and then losing it, blaming it on my work schedule, stress eating, not going to the gym because I didn’t pay the bill, feeling lazy in general and not being able to shake it, you name it, I’ve went through it.

But I am so over this.

So today I’m starting fresh, for the last time. I’m going back on my 100% plant based lifestyle. I’m committing to 5 days minimum in the gym. No more ordering out, ordering in, I deleted the ubereats and gopuff apps off my phone. I’m going to change my relationship with food and find something else to use as a comfort other than whatever I’m craving @ the moment && stop eating out of boredom.

I can and will do this. I have to.

SW: 245 GW: 145

this is more than possible.

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Looks like I achieved ALL of my weight loss goals! :D

I have this giant excel workbook with a tabs on calorie intake, run logs, swim logs, insults, SVs, NSVs, charts, comments, encouragement, motivation, measurements and of course GOALS! I had a list of goals that I kept track of as I was losing the weight, to see how far I had come in terms of what I wanted! :D

Here is my goal list! All done. <3

Weight Loss Goal	Status
Hit 70 kg	Achieved in 2 months
Hit 65 kg	Achieved in 5 months
Have a normal BMI	Achieved in 2 months
Have a normal ASIAN BMI	Achieved in 6 months
Have a normal ASIAN BMI if I were an inch shorter	Achieved!
Be the lowest weight of my adult life	Achieved! Saw 58.8kg/129.6lbs on the scale
Run the 10k again this year	Achieved! 10 min lower than last year at 80min
Have a healthy waist circumference	Achieved! 74cm/29inches
Fit into the polka dot top	Achieved
Fit into black top#1 and zip it up	Achieved
Fit into black top#2 and button it up	Achieved, boobs still too big
Fit into all my saree blouses	Achieved + Fitting into skinny people's blouses now :O
See crotch sucking in tummy	Achieved! in 8 months
Question mark side profile	Achieved!! :D
Lie down and have concave tummy in the mirror	Somewhat, loose skin, lets be realistic <3
Have a healthy Waist to Hip Ratio	Achieved at 0.76!
Want to have a waist	I didn't really think so until now. Hubby has exclaimed so many times about my awesome new waist. I believe it now.
LOSE AS MUCH AS NEPHEW WEIGHS (30lb) AND CLICK A PICTURE HOLDING HIM	Achieved 8 months!!

Here is a brief summary of my stats.

Stats	Starting	Current	Lost
Weight	168 lb	129 lb	39 lb!!
BMI	27	20.7	6.3 points
Time	May	Feb	9 months

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