Can I lose weight just by cutting out junk food?

Female / 26yrs / 5ft 6in / 144lb

Let me start by saying I'm not overweight, but I'd like to lose around 5-10lb just to feel better about myself as my weight has slowly crept up over the last 5 years.

Generally I eat OK, I have quite a varied diet and I do a lot of walking (30mins every day during the week and 60mins on Saturday and Sunday).

My issue is TAKEAWAYS. I order at least 2 takeaways a week and I'm not just talking picking up a Big Mac meal on the way home, I mean I'll order a greasy deep pan pepperoni pizza AND a portion of chips and I'll eat the entire meal to myself (gal likes her food...). It's not always pizza, sometimes it's fried chicken or Indian but my point is I'll eat way more than what's needed and of course it's all deep fried junk food.

So if I just cut out my 2+ takeaways a week, will I see a slow weight loss over time? (I've been eating this way for years)

Like I said I'm pretty active and don't NEED to lose the weight as such and I don't want to do anything too drastic.

It's also worth mentioning my diet is pretty balanced otherwise, I'm not super healthy every day but eat mainly wholegrains and don't really have any sugar or processed foods. I don't binge other than when I have a takeaway.

​

submitted by /u/ScaredWolf
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2Fp3tnQ

Plateaued and CICO not working?

Hi everyone! I want to thank you all for being such a positive and supportive community. Long time lurker, first time poster.

Female, 27, 5’7”, SW: 220, CW: 198, GW: <180.

I am hoping to learn from anyone who has experience with hitting a plateau in weight loss through CICO. In January, I had a magical period of rapid loss due to a trifecta combination of starting meds for hypothyroidism (which addressed a lot of symptoms that were making me feel horrible), Whole30, and an intensive 3-times a week boot camp. Now, I am hoping to continue losing but at a slower pace through moderate exercise and CICO. I’ve been rock climbing twice a week for about 1.5 hours and doing either yoga, Zumba, or running another hour a week. I’m moving at least 7k steps a day as well. Based on my logs in MyFitnessPal, I’m eating around 1600 calories a day, which is supposedly my BMR. And these are high quality calories of veggies, chicken/pork, fruit, nuts, small servings of whole grains, and no alcohol or processed snacks. I’m really trying to implement the fitness ideas I’m learning everywhere!

For the past 3 weeks, I haven’t seen any movement on the scale. Plenty of NSV with clothes and climbing achievements, but I really would like to see progress in reaching my goal weight by losing around a pound a week. :/

Anyone have a similar experience who found a way over the plateau? What am I missing here? Thank you in advance for any help!

submitted by /u/8991_n
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2Yb1omL

Any words of wisdom for a friend of mine who’s convinced none of the most basic / 101 weight loss success advice applies to her? :(

Hullo all,

I’ve long been a quiet admirer of how strong, courageous and wonderful the folk of this community are, to themselves and for each other.

I’ve got a friend visiting from overseas at the moment. She’s always struggled with her weight, but it was quite a shock to see her when she arrived - objectively I’d say she’s gone from overweight to morbidly obese in the last year or so.

She broke her ankle nine months ago, and it is STILL causing her issues - which I suspect may have contributed - but then I also suspect it’s so slow to heal because she’s putting the poor bones and tendons through so much more strain. :(

Since she’s been here, she’s danced around the subject of weight loss with me every now and again. I’m someone who lost a good amount of weight last year and did a lot to reform my habits, so I’m always happy to talk about things, help where I can.

Yesterday evening she point blank told me that she spent six straight months:

• eating 1800 kcal a day when her calorie burn was 3000 - 3500

• tracking her energy expenditure to ensure she got a target number of steps in (to prevent subconscious reduction in daily activity) as well as weight training

• weighing and measuring all of her food daily “I even weighed my vegetables”

• over estimating when logging her calories when she went out for food or drinks to ensure a margin of error

• never ever ever “cheating,” not once, not ever EVER

• “I played with every possible variation of macros”

Apparently by the end of this... six month period... she tells me she’d lost about ten total pounds, and went down a dress size.

Like I’m sure a lot of you are doing, I can’t help but feel a little sceptical about it. The only things she’d say weren’t perfect were that she didn’t have a lot of social or family support at the time; she wasn’t sleeping very well and work was insanely stressful.

I know stress and poor sleep knock most of our efforts but they still don’t defy the laws of physics. She says she got her bloods done and has no illness that would contribute to lowering of metabolism (even if she’d hashimoto’s or something, at that extremity of deficit you’d still see more change than that).

I honestly think she’s lying to herself about what she actually did and perhaps has gotten to a point where she maybe believes the lie, so now she sells it to everyone else to avoid “feeling stupid” when she’s on the subject (this would fit very much with what I know of her personality).

As well as that, everything I see of how she’s doing here doesn’t suggest to me someone who’s spent that much time immaculately tracking and learning about diet; she had no idea why you’d need electrolytes after sweating hard, for example; she drinks incredibly sugary sodas and ice teas all day; she is utterly ruled by her hunger and eats mostly bliss-point palatable foods (high carb/fat, low protein), and at one point tried to criticise me for “eating restrictively” after we’d spent a day together (I am a slim-healthy woman who’s currently on crutches and very mobility limited, but are 2400 calories on that day - makes me think she’s very unlikely to be the macros & calorie expert she thinks she is).

It would be very easy to dismiss her and ridicule her behind her back, but she is my friend and I am genuinely worried that if she keeps digging a hole with her health this way, she may not make it past her forties.

I wonder if any of you have any advice or takes on how to get past this kind of mentality, or ways to get around the bullshit she’s selling herself and encourage her to a more positive route for her mind and her physical health?

Appreciate it so much. And thank you again for creating this lovely community! 💙

submitted by /u/DiamondFeline
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2Wan7th

How Nutritionists Bounce Back From a Binge

Parties, holidays, birthdays, bad days—sometimes a binge happens. Even to people who know the dangers so well, like LeeAnn Kindness, Jeff Chiarelli and Deanna Otranto from Nutrisystem’s team of nutritionists and weight loss pros. We asked them to tell us about their smartest strategies for getting back on track after a bout of unhealthy eating.

Here’s what nutrition experts do after they give in to a binge… and why:

1. Forgive and forget.

“Know that you’re not perfect. Striving for perfection can sabotage your goals,” LeeAnn says. “One meal or one day won’t ruin your chances of achieving your healthy lifestyle. Get right back on track with your next meal and be proud of yourself for that!”

2. Consider why.

Binges may be triggered by special occasions, stress or other reasons, but your daily choices can help reduce the chances they will occur. “Did you skip any meals?,” Jeff asks. “Did you drink enough water? Did you eat enough veggies?” When you’re following your Nutrisystem weight loss plan, eating good food frequently, and staying well-hydrated, you feel satisfied, so you’re less likely to overdo it even when the temptation is hard to resist.

3. Get moving.

“Lacing up and going for a stroll will not only clear you mind and get you moving, but it will aid in digestion to get you through the post-binge bloat,” LeeAnn suggests. Even better, physical activity stokes your metabolism, so you start burning off those extra calories right away. “Just remember not to try to compensate for your binge all in one exercise session,” Deanna cautions. “You’re likely to end up so sore you won’t be able to hit the gym again tomorrow or, worse, you’ll hurt yourself” and be unable to exercise for even longer.

4. Drink up.

After a binge, “be strict with your fluid intake. Hydrating will aid in digestion, naturally rid your body of excess sodium and curb hunger,” LeeAnn explains. “Plus, drinking enough water can be an easy and rewarding goal to focus on instead of post-binge guilt.” Try for the daily goal of 64 ounces of water, unsweetened tea or plain seltzer. Click here for simple hacks to make loading up on liquids easier >

5. Go green, yellow, orange and red.

Fiber helps all the food you’ve eaten move smoothly through your digestive tract and keeps you feeling full long after you’re done. Non-starchy vegetables are loaded with fiber, high in nutrients and unlimited on your Nutrisystem plan. “At your next meal, go a little overboard with the spinach, cucumbers or peppers,” Kindness urges.

6. Keep tracking.

Logging what you eat, drink and do each day increases your chances of losing weight, according to a study by Kaiser Permanente, the healthcare company. The NuMi app, free to Nutrisystem customers, makes it easy to track your daily diet and activity. “Tracking your meals with NuMi is a great way to hold yourself accountable for all of your meal-time decisions,” Otranto says. Record your binge and then the healthy choices you make after it and you’ll see and be motivated by all that you’re doing to make progress toward your goal.

7. Begin again today.

“When you first started on this journey, you didn’t try to compensate for a lifetime of bad eating—you just started,” Otranto reminds us. “Pretend today is the very first day of your new healthy lifestyle and put the past behind you.”

The post How Nutritionists Bounce Back From a Binge appeared first on The Leaf.

from The Leaf https://ift.tt/2IVFobu

Weight loss and cold tolerance?

Hi, I started my weight loss journey about a month ago and have lost so far 2-3 kgs while building muscle very slowly because I’m not used to HIIT. I do feel better and look slimmer, as many relatives have told me so.

However lately I have been feeling colder than usual. Back when I used to binge pretty regularly I had no problem and could walk around dressed like in summertime (However I was overweight by 5-7 kgs at most, my bmi at the limit of the healthy range). Now even with a sweater on and windows closed I feel cold.

Some people seem to believe it has to do with weight loss. I weigh around 57 kgs now and the weight loss has been rather minimal (again, 3kg at most), is it possible?

submitted by /u/Elis101
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2TLspyF

Losing just seven pounds has changed my life

This is going to be a total gush-fest so don't read if you're allergic to squee, but YOU GUYS.

I've been dieting seriously for only a little over a week. I've only lost seven pounds (249 SW, 242 CW), most of which I'm sure was water weight. But the ways it's already improved my life are staggering. Here they are:

• Clothes fit me better

The 2X clothes that always felt just slightly too tight on me are now loose and comfortable. I no longer feel like I have to suck in my stomach all the time, which I've been doing more or less constantly for more than a decade (if there was any fairness in the world, I'd have abdominal muscles like steel cables by this point). I can't wait until they get too big and I need to start dropping sizes completely.

• I'm sleeping better

I have a long habit of sleeping too much and missing out on mornings. This has gotten worse in the last two years as I've been out of work with (non-obesity related) chronic illness. Now I'm waking up at eight or nine am naturally. I seem to require less sleep.

• I have more energy

Related to the above, I feel like the god damn energizer bunny all the time--and that's with a condition that causes chronic fatigue as a side effect. People without neurological conditions must feel like they've had a rocket strapped to them.

• I no longer crave sweet things

I've had a bad history of binge eating, especially on sweets and sugary food, which is partially how I became obese. I kicked the binge eating for good about a year and a half ago, but I held onto my sweet tooth. Now I've given up that as well, and it's amazing how fast I got over the desire for sugar. If someone brings home a packet of biscuits, I can eat one and walk away. I'm looking at the easter eggs in the shops at the moment, and the idea of eating one doesn't even seem appealing anymore.

• Water tastes so good

I was never one of those people who drink soda exclusively, but I loved me some sugary drinks and often would drink more coke and pepsi than water. I recently ditched coke for coke zero; then the taste of that got too sweet, so I stopped drinking coke zero and started drinking fruit juice; then I found out how much sugar is in fruit juice, so I gave it up as well. And holy shit, water tastes so good and refreshing now that it's the only thing I'm drinking. My kidneys must be thanking me.

• Counting calories is fun

Counting calories has a huge cultural stigma around it. It's seen as at best this enormous chore that only stuffy fun-haters burden themselves with, and at worst an instant gateway to anorexia (I cannot imagine being a teenage girl who wants to watch what she eats, people must over-react at the first sign of the weighing scales coming out). But I think it's really enjoyable! I've been going to supermarkets and scanning stuff with MyFitnessPal just so I can plan future meals around it. It's all the fun of shopping, but you don't even need to spend money.

• I look hot AF

Okay this is just pure vanity, but: I've always been a handsome guy. I get a lot of attention from women (and gay guys--howdy fellas). I know I look good. But I look way better now. The face gains have been unreal.

• My body is becoming the shape it was meant to be

I have a "naturally" slender build. I take after my father, who's been a thin, tall guy all his life. Even at my fattest, my arms were always stick thin and I had narrow, muscular shoulders. This always bothered me, because I could see the way my body was supposed to look before I drowned it in calories and puffed it up with ridiculous amounts of salt and sugar. I don't really like the whole "there's a thin person hiding inside of every fat person" mantra, but in my case it's absolutely true. I want to be tall and lithe like I was in my early teens, instead of looking like an inflated beach-ball with four sticks jammed into it.

• It helps with Gender Feels

This is a pretty specific one, but I struggle moderately with gender dysphoria. I'm not trans--not at the moment anyway--but I have issues around my internal gender identity not always matching my biological sex. Becoming "smaller" is really helping with this.

• It gives me something besides my illness to focus on

In 2016, I was left disabled after an unfortunate car-crash related event. I don't know when, or if, my condition will improve, and as time has gone on I've started having to face the possibility that I might be in this for the long haul. My situation is very powerless, as there's nothing I can do to improve my mobility besides try every treatment available and hope one of them helps. I can't work or go back into education. I can only work on my hobbies and creative goals sporadically. But I can control my weight. I can control what I eat. How much I weigh, and how likely I am to develop diabetes and heart disease, are fully within my power to change. When you're bed-ridden for most of the day, that's hugely liberating.

---

That was a whole lot of positivity, so to bring things back down to earth: I know I've only just started. I know this is likely the honeymoon period and that it will get more difficult. I'll face setbacks, and my weight will probably go back up as well as down.

And I know I'm lucky in many ways. I'm one of those people who genuinely "carries their weight" well--even at my worst, you'd never have guessed from seeing me fully clothed that I'm firmly in the obese range of BMI--which is a big reason why even this minor weight loss has had such a big impact on the way I look. I got past my binge eating problems well before getting serious about weight loss, which means I don't have to tackle them at the same time. I don't suffer from depression or anxiety or any of the other common conditions that can fuel over-eating. I'm doing this on easy mode.

And that's partially why I made this post. If you're facing more challenges than I am, if you think you can't do it...just read that list of all the ways losing seven pounds (seven pounds!) has made me happier. You can feel like this too. Don't focus on 100 or 200 or however much you have to lose in total. Just focus on seven.

I'm looking forward to seven more, and seven more after that, until I'm in the healthy range. I'm never going back.

submitted by /u/Grace_Omega
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2Y9KpBj

Abstinence vs. Moderation for food addiction, BED, disordered eating

Hey everyone! This is a new account but I’ve lurked on and off here for years. I finally decided to post because I truly need advice, guidance, help, criticism, pretty much anything you want to offer me for my betterment.

I’ve always struggled with weight issues. I was a very chubby child. When I was in the fourth grade I was sexually assaulted a few times by another child. These incidents led to me first experiencing depression and the first memories I now have of using food for comfort and relief.

I began gaining more weight around then. When I graduated HS I was somewhere between 265 - 280 pounds. I’m 5’8” for reference.

After HS I had ups and downs. In a lot of ways I improved my life - but one thing always remained, and that was my never ending issues with food. No matter how well I did in some areas of my life, I continued to have anxiety and depression and more weight gain. I started developing health issues and a deeper depression because of my looks/health/mobility issues. I developed mild PVD and my legs started swelling all of the time, along with varicose veins and bad knees/ankles. Working became difficult so I was and am now stuck with a desk job from home.

So I’m now at around a high weight of 361.2 pounds. As far as my mental health, there are no therapists near me that accept my insurance, but I’m working on finding one about two hours away. I’ll drive there if I have to. I also started the millionth journey for the proper medication.

My issue of starting this weight loss journey is understanding my food issues.

I read Never Binge Again which I gained a lot of wisdom from but practicing - well, it doesn’t work for me. Just telling my lower brain no doesn’t seem to be quite enough. It doesn’t help me lose weight.

I’ve tried abstinence from foods that cause cravings and it leads to stress and anxiety attacks almost.

Moderation in calorie counting leads to failure as well. I have a little of something and I just crave more.

It seems like finding the right thing for me is a frustrating battle that I tend to lose. I don’t want to live this way anymore. I’m weirdly anxious when it comes to changing, though. I want lines drawn in the sand but I also want freedom. I want something I can live with forever but also something I can adjust if I need to.

This is where I hope I’m making some sense. Basically I’m saying that I have no idea what to do. Lol I overthink and then I don’t do anything.

I was hoping for a perspective from the community here. I’m not sensitive about my weight and I don’t mind if you want to be harsh or blunt. I don’t mind if you want to be more empathetic. Just tell me how someone like me should begin.

Abstinence... moderation... lifestyle change... anti diet... it all blurs together.

What’s best?

submitted by /u/hayjustwatchme
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2Fo2tA6