Eating at Goal Weight Maintenance + Weight Loss Calculation Manifesto

Edit: to change the link to a public one!

Hello, beautiful LoseIt people! I am an avid lurker and infrequent poster in this sub, but I wanted to share a little bit of background about me as well as a tool I made to calculate your rate of weight loss. I am about 8 months into my weight loss journey (29 lbs down) as a 5’2” female. As the observant among you will notice, that is a rate of about 1 lb/week or 4 lbs/month. I have been really honing in on sustainability for this attempt at weight loss, and it has served me well. I have been sticking to an average of 1750 calories per day by eating 1500 calories for 5 days of the week and letting myself eat about 2200-2500 on Friday and Saturday. This has made my progress slow, but steady.

We all know that the smaller you get, the harder it is to lose. As I am kind of an Excel spreadsheet nerd, I created a sheet that calculates my monthly/daily calorie needs to lose 3, 4, or 5 lbs a month based on both a sedentary and lightly active TDEE. I also re-calculated these values every 20 lbs lost, to account for a lower TDEE at a lower weight. This has helped me to have realistic expectations about the rate of my weightloss. If anyone would like to see an example of my spreadsheet, you can find it here.

Today I got curious to know how long it would take me to get to 140 lbs if I ate at maintenance TDEE for a lightly active 5’2” female weighing 140 lbs. To calculate this, I took my current weight (189 lbs) and subtracted my predicted monthly loss ((Monthly TDEE at 200 lbs-Monthly TDEE at 140 lbs)/3500 calories per pound). I then used this to predict how long it would take me to lose weight assuming I ate what a 140 lb 5’2” female should eat to maintain. As mentioned above, I re-adjusted the formula to a new Monthly TDEE when the predictions reached 180 and 160 lbs, which as you can imagine really slowed down the rate of loss. If I ate at maintenance for a 140 lb 5’2” female, it would take me 2.5 years to reach 140! Seeing that made me realize what they say about the last 10 lbs taking forever is true. For reference, the last 10 lbs (150-140) would take me 11 months!

Of course, I realize that there are websites that claim to do this sort of calculation, but the first one that popped up after a quick Google search had a few flaws. First, I wanted to be able to set a calorie goal and then it would tell me how long it would take to lose the weight. This calculator would have you put in how long you wanted the weight loss to take and it would give you a recommended calorie intake. The second flaw from this website was that it did not take into account your shrinking TDEE as you lose weight. Clearly this will lead to you over-estimating how much you can eat, or under-estimating how long it will take to lose weight.

If anyone has any questions about the calculations or suggestions for how to make it easier to use/more accurate, please let me know!

Thanks for reading LoseIt, I hope it helps someone!

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Changes in external genitalia (39F) due to weight loss?

Mods, feel free to remove if this is an inappropriate topic.

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Ok losers, I need a reality check. I'm down about 80 lbs. in the past two years, and of course that's caused a lot of changes in my 39-year-old body (not all of them for the better: hello, bingo wings!). I'm seeing a lot of loose skin, etc., but I'm not terribly upset by it. Spanx and sleeves cover the worst of it, and I'm not particularly vain about looking good naked. Recently, though, I've noticed a really irritating change in my lady parts, and I'm wondering if it's due to the weight loss, aging, or a combination of both. I'm also hoping for some support and maybe some recommendations about how to deal with the clappy flappies. ;)

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Warning: specific details about female genitals to follow.

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I've noticed that my labia majora have, for lack of a better term, deflated quite a bit. I used to be an "innie," with small inner labia and the entire mons area closed. Lately, my outer labia tend to gape open, especially when I'm wearing looser pants or skirts and regular cotton briefs. It doesn't seem to be a problem when I'm wearing Spanx or workout clothes, but I'd like to have the option of wearing looser undergarments on occasion. Even more irritating, it seems like my outer labia will sometimes get "tucked in" or "folded under" when I'm running, and that can be a little painful. It's not causing any health problems yet, but I worry that it might in the future if I don't figure out a solution. My inner labia have not changed and don't protrude beyond the outer labia, but they're getting a lot more air these days because my outer labia no longer stay closed. I haven't noticed any dryness or discharge; it's honestly just aggravating and I'm paranoid that somehow somebody might notice.

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I can't imagine that there are any toning exercises I can do to target that area, but I'm open to suggestion. Pilates, maybe? Tighten up the lower abs and maybe pull everything down there a little tighter? Inner thigh exercises? Does anyone have any underwear/activewear recommendations that would keep everything contained but still be breathable?

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Mostly, I'm hoping some of y'all will chime in with "OMG, it happened to me too! It's totally normal and not because you're just becoming a saggy old woman, and it will definitely get better over time!" Or at least reassure me that it's not as gross and embarrassing as I think it is.

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330 -> 195, my seven year journey

330 -> 195, my seven year journey

obligatory picture here

I used to be a skinny kid when I was very young. My parents called me a monkey - because I'd constantly be climbing things, from the trees in my garden to the outside of an airport escalator! (don't ask, long story)

At ten years old I moved from Dubai to Scotland. It was a massive lifestyle shift for my parents, and they got fat. Being fed by them, naturally, I got fat too. Throughout primary and secondary school there was no connection to me between food and weight. I was just fat because that's who I was.

After I left home and gained control over my diet and life, I started to lose weight.

Starting at 330lb, which must have been in 2012, my first foray into losing weight was keto. I lost about 20lb in a couple of months, but the diet was too expensive for me - as a student, I couldn't afford to eat expensive meats like bacon and steak and other things. For a few weeks, I transitioned into a student diet which consisted solely of McCoys salt and vinegar crisps and bread, which, while effective for losing weight, was definitely not healthy!

Six months later I tried again. This time I convinced my parents to fund me a couple of months on the Diet Chef food plan. This was also pretty effective, knocking off 30lb more, though this was mostly because I hated the dinners and would only eat breakfast and lunch, eating about 600 calories a day for six to eight weeks. This was the start of the crash diet / binge cycle of weight loss that plagued me for a long time.

Over the next five years, I lost some weight and gained some back, going through a cycle of eating very low calorie diets (800/day) for about a month and a half then binging for two weeks before transitioning to eating slightly above my maintenance for another three months. It wasn't healthy at all and it's one of the things I regret. Eventually, I hit about 190lb which I was able to (more or less) maintain before stressful times hit at work and I gained 30lb back. I quit that job, moved half a country away, got a new job, and decided to try a different approach.

Instead of losing weight through a very low calorie diet with no exercise, I decided to eat at 1800 calories each day, keep my protein at 160g, and hire a personal trainer with whom I weight train twice a week (and do an additional three days of HIIT cardio each week on the cross trainer). Rather than completely depriving myself of delicious food, every Sunday I eat 500 calories, usually from protein shakes, and in exchange, Monday and Friday gets 650 calories extra which I spend on something tasty.

In the five months since starting this new routine - which is over triple the length I've been able to maintain a routine before, e.g. it's a lifestyle change, not a crash diet - I've lost 35lb and gained significant strength. I feel better, stronger, and more confident than ever. I attribute the weight loss to the diet, but the confidence comes from the exercise. And I don't crave food like I used to because I still allow myself to eat delicious things. I still have about 20lb of body fat to lose and I'd like to gain 30lb of muscle. I have a long journey ahead, but the hardest part is over now; I've established a new lifestyle that can last.

If there's one thing you should take away from my story, it's this: if you want to succeed, you need to change your fundamental approach to eating, not just what you eat, and you should turn hitting the gym into a habit.

Here are some things I've learned along the way:

• You don't need to exercise to lose weight, but you SHOULD exercise. I lost over 100lb from diet alone, but nothing beats what exercise can do for your health and your confidence.
• If you value your strength and sanity, don't fix your weight via very low calorie diets, and make sure to keep your protein intake high. A very low calorie carb-based diet works. I did it - over 100lb lost that way! But I lost a lot of muscle, too, which I have to fight hard to gain back. I have big, strong legs, but my upper body strength is weaker than it ought to be because I neglected my protein intake and ate far too much of a calorie deficit. Don't be me.
• Maintaining a healthy weight is much easier than losing your weight if you change your outlook towards food. Sticking to 1800 calories a day for a year seems impossible to someone who is overweight and regularly eats 4000, but after that year, when you're at your goal weight, you can up your intake to maintenance (2500~ for me), casually exercise, and stay there forever.
• Losing weight = look ten years younger. I'm cursed with baby face now!
• Doing my hair takes way too long in the morning now that I actually bother. :(

tl;dr: Exercise, lots of protein, calorie counting, and keep eating tasty things in moderation.

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Lost my first 15 pounds in a long time

I grew up playing basketball and even got scholarship money to play for a small college. I was fat through elementary school then thinned out a little in middle school then even more so in high school with all the basketball I was playing. I was 6’7 240lbs my senior year of high school. I’ve never been thin always just a really big guy. But I looked good and was popular and all that. I played college basketball for a year then suffered from depression (without knowing it for over a year), quit, moved home, and started getting fat. I went to 300lbs in about 12 months and got serious stretch marks.

Over the years (I quit hoops in 2007) I’d go up about 25-30 lbs then lose 10-20 then gain another 25-30 and that cycle went on for about 10 years. Recently, after having my first kid 3 years ago, I ballooned up to my all time high of 385 lbs. I gained 145 pounds since my 19th birthday. The 385 weigh in was last September (2018).

My boss started a weight loss challenge for me, him, and the third guy in our team. All overweight some, but I am definitely the fattest. I also smoke and my boss and I are really close (he’s 59 years old). He keeps telling me and encouraging me to stop dipping, smoking, and tells me I need to take my health seriously while I’m still young (31). Good dude.

Ive been losing about 2-3 lbs per month since October (5 months ago) and am down 18 pounds to 267. Not doing much as far as exercise goes just taking the stairs a little more and taking longer routes around the office. The main thing has been my portion sizes. I stop eating when I’m satisfied. Not when I’m full. I still snack unhealthily 1-2 times per week and eat a couple mini chocolate candies a few times a week at night, but no more soda and no more cream and sugar in my coffee.

I started doing some push ups in my office the other day and today woke up sore in my arms, shoulders, chest, and core. It feels AMAZING to be sore again.

Anyway, I just wanted to get this out here. Not sure why... it feels nice to share, though. My wife is amazing and tells me I look fine, but I want to feel better and am so tired of the way I look in pictures. Better sleep habits along with a few pounds lost already is making a difference in how I feel day to day.

Wish me continued success!

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What are your coping strategies that don't involve over-eating? My first meeting with a nutritionist M.D.

I went to the hospital on Monday to meet with a nutritionist M.D. for the first time in my life. I had decided 2019 would be the year I'd lose weight " for good" but as it turns out, I was randomly diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in January which turned everything around. Dieting became both a vital necessity and a difficult task because I couldn't just "up the proteins and lose the carbs" since I have to limit my protein intake.

So, off I go on Monday, wanting to know how many calories I need to eat and how many grams of proteins and all I wanted was to set my macros straight in My Fitness Pal with the M.D. and get on with my life.

I was in for a surprise!

He didn't want to tell me how to set my macros. He didn't even want to tell me how many calories I should eat! He wanted to know what "hunger" meant for me, how dieting was impacting my life (my health, my thoughts and my social life). He wanted to know if I had cut off foods altogether and which ones. He was interested in WHY I over-ate rather than WHAT I should eat. All in all, he explained that if I did not develop healthier strategies to COPE with life (stress, whether big or small), all weight loss efforts would ultimately end up with me re-gaining the weight, even more weight, and be in even poorer physical health because, through the "yoyo dieting effect", I'd lose my muscle mass and regain all that weight and more in fat alone. In conclusion, he enrolled me in a program with follow-ups with him, a dietician, a psychologist and a fitness trainer so we could find out together what those coping strategies might be for me.

What an eye opener for me!! I mean, I knew I ate my emotions and over-ate my stress and anxiety. But I never really put 2 and 2 together and never realized I needed to equip myself with better coping skills for life. Which leaves me to wonder : what are your coping skills ? What strategies have you developedto replace what over-eating did for you? Thank you for sharing, I am just at the begining of the journey in that respect and I'd love to hear from you.

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Today is my 3 year anniversary of my successful weight loss journey!

Today's an important date. On this date 3 years ago I did my first meal prep. I started something called the 4 hour body low carb diet. That diet sucked! But it taught me about meal prepping, and after about a month I learned about CICO and the proper way to lose weight. All the information I learned to start my journey was in the FAQ and quickstart quide of r/loseit! That's why I always tell people to read it!

Today marks the 3 year anniversary of my successful weightloss journey! Included some of my favorite progress pics ☺ what a journey it has been! From being able to hardly walk a mile to training for a half marathon. From making countless meal preps and even meal prepping for a recipe book. all the awesome people I've met and inspired/been inspired by. It's been an awesome journey so far, can't wait to see where I go next!!

Thanks r/loseit for being a huge starting point and continuing inspiration!

SW - 380 LW - 218 CW - 246 GW - 180

Now for the pictures!

http://imgur.com/gallery/07XRFN6

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One Year Down

Today marks the completion of a full year of weight loss. This time last year, I’d just come back from a weekend event where I advise a student organization. Every year, I struggled to fit into my suit, and hated how big I looked in the group photos. Then, I went to my doctor, who told me I really needed to get a grip on my weight. I went home, talked to my wife, and resolved that this time, I was going to lose weight and keep it off.

I’d done this before, of course. I’d lost anywhere between 20 and 40lbs at a time. But I’d always put something back on. I’d never got back to my highest weight of about 260lbs, but I’d hovered around 240lbs for a long time.

What was different? Well, I have a daughter now. She was 6 months at the time, and I wanted to put the effort in so I could enjoy being active with her for longer. I also have a supportive wife, who always encouraged me in the journey - to go out for solo walks when I felt I had the energy; to not buy the special treats so that there was less junk food around the house to tempt me. She is the best accountability buddy I could ask for, and has made it much easier to cultivate my healthy habits.

Because, basically, that’s what I’ve been doing. Changing my lifestyle gradually to try and build something that I can sustain in the long run. I started going to the gym regularly: initially I used the stationary bike. But on vacation, I found hotel gyms didn’t have stationary bikes, so I started running on the treadmill and doing C25K. When I got back home, I found I’d lost enough, err, padding that I hurt my tailbone if I was on the stationary bike too long. So running has become my exercise of choice, and I’ll be at the gym 4-5 times a week, with walking on top of that.

The biggest change, though, has been in eating habits. Turns out there’s nothing like a strict calorie goal to make you focus on what fills you up! And also, how quickly your eating habits can change. I found that I actually liked roasted vegetables, especially with the right seasoning. I’ve found new recipes with beans and lentils to replace fattier meats. I’ve worked hard to cut out my biggest vice - chips/crisps. A lot of the time, I’d use baked versions as a substitute. But over time, I’ve found my tastebuds have changed. I feel odd if I haven’t had enough fruit/vegetables/fiber in a while; I don’t enjoy the junk food I used to in anything like the same quantities.

Now there’s a different challenge for me. For most of my life, a part of my identity was ‘the big guy’. For the last year, it’s been ‘the guy who’s losing weight.’ But now that I’m maintaining, I know that’s going to change. At the event I mentioned at the start, I had lots of comments about how much weight I’d lost. But the students there for the first time have never known me as ‘the big guy’. Next year, I’ll be (hopefully) more or less the same size. And so I’ll need to move to a third identity. THat’s my challenge for the year ahead - how do I move away from a laser focus on diet and exercise to something where I get used to being a healthy-sized guy at a healthy-sized weight?

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