Wednesday, May 1, 2019

I have never been in the position to even think about not losing any more weight, but now I am. And it's a bit scary.

Hello guys,

I have started losing weight about 4 years ago. I was about 16 years old (F), was and still am 160cm small, and my highest weight at that time was 73kg. My BMI was 28.5, normal would have been 17.9-23.3, so I was overweight. Since then, I have been at times more, at other times less motivated to lose the weight I didn't need.

Since December of last year, I have been at around 54kg, whenever I am at home a lot (during holidays etc.) I tend to eat more out of boredom and usually gain 1.5-2kg, but I have always been able to lose them again once I have something to keep myself busy with again. I am already working on not eating out of boredom anymore because it makes me feel terrible, but it takes its time.

My BMI is now 21.1, I am perferctly within the normal weight span and I am so much more confident this summer, than I ever was before.

My issue is now, that I don't know, if I want to stop here. I have been putting exercise aside the past few months, because Uni got really stressful, but I plan on exercising again from next week on at least 2 times a week. I feel good in clothes and I feel okay naked. But what if I could feel even better?

Normal weight for my age and height ranges between 62kg and 49kg. But since I have started donating blood last month, I can't drop below 50kg because then I wouldn't qualify as a blood donor anymore, and that's something I always wanted to do and I don't want to give up on.

Again, since last December, my lowest weight kept being 54kg. And usually when I weigh around that amount again, I have noticed that I lose interest in calorie restriction. Does that mean that the weight, I am most comfortable in, is 54kg? Should I know focus on maintaining, but at the same time exercising to lose some fat and gain muscles instead?

This is just brand new to me. I have either always been in the state, of not giving a f*ck about my weight and eating whatever I want thus gaining weight, or trying to lose weight and count calories. I can't even really enjoy being at a normal weight, because I feel like maintaining is the real work for me now, since I don't have any practice in it whatsoever.

I don't know what kind of responses I am hoping for writing this, it feels more like a diary entry than a specific question :D But if there are people reading this, who made the transition from losing weight to maintaining it, please tell me where you started and what possible mistakes there are to avoid.

To everyone else who is still on their weight loss journey, please hang in there, for your own mental and physical well-being, it will be so worth it in the end and you will feel super duper proud and happy that you did it :) Know your goals, and know, that you can reach them!

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2GXp2g6

Don't underestimate the value of complimenting others who are on the same journey!

Yesterday I ran into a co-worker that I had not seen for several months. I could see from far away that he looked noticeably slimmer. On getting closer, I was amazed at how he was not only slimmer, but looked significantly younger as well.

I walked up to him and immediately complimented him on how great he looked. His face LIT UP! He said I was the first person to compliment him besides his wife and kids. What followed was a great conversation about how its been difficult but rewarding, how his weight loss has improved so many other things (energy, mood, blood work, etc.), how great it feels to go to the gym get in a workout even on days where we don't really want to...

I could tell he was so thrilled to be sharing his story and having someone else acknowledge his success along with the difficulties that come with this journey. What I didn't expect was how much that conversation motivated me! I was already scheduled to go to the gym last night, and when my workout started, I kept imagining of my co-worker getting after it in his own workouts, and it made me push that much harder.

Moral of the story... if you know someone who is working to improve their fitness, make sure to acknowledge them! It will absolutely provide some validation and encouragement to them, and might just motivate you as well!

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2UPeiEc

After weighting myself everyday, I'm ditching the scale for 3 weeks !!

I've lost over the last 3 months (Feb 1st to May 1st) 14 pounds, which is 1.08 pounds/week according to Libra. I went from 190 to 176 (goal is 160 by late September) : https://imgur.com/VONpstp. This sounds like great success therefore I shouldn't change a thing right? Even though it seems like that, I've lived few huge swings in my weight in the last 2 weeks that made me realized that maybe I could try something else and experiment a bit : https://imgur.com/gEovVC5

I'm trying something in the next 3 weeks. After weighting myself daily (honestly it was more than once a day sometimes just for the fun of it), I decided that this morning was my last weight in for the next 21 days. The reason why is basically learning myself to trust the process of weight loss and avoid the stress of seeing the scale either not moving at all or moving too much. If CICO is done right the weight should go down over time. I'll continue to count calories like I'm doing now but won't weight myself. I've placed my scale in my closet just to make sure. The goal is to focus on the process.

Also, I've realized that I've fall into few bad habits. Let's say the scale said a lower value than I expected, I often treating myself or believing that this faster pace will continue and then get the realization that it isn't like that. Same thing with having it not moving I was starting a bit more than I should be to make it move, which isn't good either.

Now, I think the thing I'll need to be careful though in this change is, since I won't know my weight, to go too overboard on this CICO to be guarantee a lower number in 21 days. Those 3 weeks will serve as an experiment and see how I react in this environment and if I feel better that way to disconnect a bit about the data and focus on the more mental side of this weight loss journey.

Anyone has done something like this? Or experiment with your weight loss strategy and see what works the best for you? Should I actually do this since even though the last 2 weeks were a roller coaster that in the long term it seems to work so not stressing too much about it?

Thanks for reading and curious to read your reactions on this :)

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2GZ8JPX

7 Guaranteed Ways to Lose Weight for Summer

Around this time of year, your local magazine stand starts to look like a scolding personal trainer. “Lose Weight for Summer!” “There’s Still Time To Fit Into That Bikini!” “Drop 10, 20, 30 Pounds Before Hitting the Beach!” the covers shout.

These headlines can start to feel a bit intimidating (not to mention judgemental… sheesh!). But luckily, warm weather is conducive to melting extra pounds. So with a few tweaks to your regular routine, you can drop a few inches without much work. And, of course, if you haven’t signed up for Nutrisystem, you should think about doing it now! With Nutrisystem, you can lose up to 13 pounds and seven inches overall in your first month!*… just enough time to drop those pounds by summer. Sign up here >

Here are seven easy ways to lose weight for summer:

1. Get out in the glorious weather

Turns out there’s a big advantage to exercising in the open air instead of the gym. A British research team analyzed data from studies involving 833 people. Their study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, found that those who exercised outside were less stressed and depressed and enjoyed exercising so much they were far more likely to keep it up than those who did their workouts inside. Of course, the more you exercise, the more calories you burn. The boost in mental health also offers a weight loss bonus: You’re less prone to emotional eating.

2. Don’t try to beat the heat

When you’re trying to lose weight, heat can be your best friend. Why? Eating makes you hot. Really. Eating contributes to helping you maintain your body heat, which is the last thing you want to do in the summer. The result: You’re more likely to eat less during the summer months to keep your cool, says researcher C. Peter Hermann in the government report, “Nutritional Needs in Hot Environments,” which was written for military personnel serving in hot climates. This may be one reason that your appetite crashes after a bout of brisk exercise, which can raise your core body temperature. So don’t hide in the AC. Get out and sweat a little!

The 9 Worst Fat Traps of the Season

Read More

3. Fill up on summer foods

One of the challenges of hot weather is to stay hydrated. That means you’re likely to drink more during the summer, which may help curb your appetite. But don‘t overlook the benefits of summer foods such as fresh produce and cold fruit and vegetable soups like gazpacho. Many studies have found putting that this “edible water” on the menu regularly will help you lose weight. Research by Penn State nutrition scientist Barbara Rolls, PhD, has found that eating foods that have a high water content—like fresh summer fruits (think watermelon), light soups and salads—fills you up fast so you’re not as hungry. In her studies, those who ate “juicy” foods ate less than those who didn’t eat them. They even worked better than drinking water with meals in curbing appetite.

4. Worship the morning sun

Yes, there is a best time to exercise, even if you’re only going to take a little stroll. People who were more exposed to light in the early morning had a lower body mass index than those whose light exposure happened later in the day, according to a study by researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University. The study participants wore wrist monitors that tracked their light exposure and sleeping patterns and they kept track of everything they ate for a week. The magic: Light exposure early in the day helps set your internal clock which, if it’s disrupted, can lead to sluggish metabolism and weight gain.

5. Use the sleeveless top motivation

Let’s face, in the summertime, there’s really nowhere to hide those extra pounds. It’s not like winter, when you can disguise your bulges under chunky sweaters and long-sleeved tunics. Don’t let it get you down. Let the lighter, scantier clothes you wear—even if they reveal your flaws—be added motivation to stick with your diet and exercise plan.

How to Make Your Own Healthy Ice Cream

Read More

6. Burn calories the fun way

All those good-weather activities, from walking on the beach to swimming to playing golf, can turn your daily workouts into play. If your kids are out shooting hoops in the driveway, join them. If you’ve got enough game, you can scorch off 440 calories in an hour, according to choosemyplate.gov, the website of the United States Department of Agriculture Go for bike rides. Just a half hour on two wheels at 10 mph can burn 295 calories. Spending just an hour working in the garden can torch 330 calories.

7. Go with your gut

A flood of new research suggests that the type of bacteria you have in your gut may play a role in making you overweight. Diets heavy in fat and processed foods are a likely culprit in populating your intestines with the kinds of bugs that make you fat. Since you’re eating light in the summer anyway, this might be the time to add more prebiotics and probiotics to your diet to balance your gut flora. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, probiotics are what you find in yogurt, kefir, and other fermented foods—good bacteria that can help your digestion. Look for “live and active cultures” and be wary of those products with too much sugar. Prebiotics are carbohydrates, actually a type of fiber that your body can’t digest. You’ll find them in onions and garlic, leeks, asparagus, bananas, soybeans and whole wheat foods.

Ready to get in shape for the summer? Check out Nutrisystem’s great plans here >

*In a study, avg. weight loss was 11.6 lbs and 8 inches.

The post 7 Guaranteed Ways to Lose Weight for Summer appeared first on The Leaf.



from The Leaf http://bit.ly/2XYi0gC

Faster weight loss with pcos; a desperate plea

Hi everyone,

I’m in my early 30’s, 5’4, about 180 lbs. I’ve been as heavy as 216, and since reaching adulthood, as light as 140. I’m getting married in August. I just want to lose 20 lbs before then. I’ve been using Noom and my fitness pal, I’ve been eating low carb and low sugar, I’ve been eating about a thousand calories a day—weekdays are a protein shake for breakfast and lunch, two handfuls of nuts and two green apples as snacks, chicken breast with feta cheese and cucumber and tomatoes for dinner or ground chicken breast with curry powder, siracha, and tablespoon of pb2 served over spinach, a little sugar free dark chocolate for dessert and a glass or red wine if I have the calorie budget. I do about 20 minutes of weights and 35 minutes of elliptical on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday, the same with an hour of elliptical on Friday and Saturday. On weekends I let myself eat about 1500 calories, which is usually a huge bowl of oatmeal, a big salad, some cheese and cold cuts, and a small portion of a full-fat dessert.

My weight loss is just... so slow. I’ve only lost about twelve lbs in four months. I just went on vacation and let myself drink too much alcohol and eat and despite walking 8-12 miles daily, I can tell I’ve gained weight and I spent my morning crying because I feel like I look like a disgusting ogre in every photo I’m in. I want to make it clear that I see other fat women who look gorgeous and sexy. I dress well and flamboyantly but I am not a very attractive woman and being fat accentuates that. I know beauty isn’t everything, but I have liked the way I’ve looked before. I am terrified of my wedding photos being hideous and I’m just under three months away.

I have PCOS and take 100 mg of metformin a day. I generally have low blood pressure and am not at risk for diabetes so doctors won’t let me take more. I have a history of disordered eating and spent my teen years eating mostly heads of iceberg lettuce and black coffee.

I need help. Nothing seems to work now. I live in a Baltic country as a teacher (I’m American) and doctors say I just need to eat less and exercise more and there aren’t really nutritionists I can consult. I don’t know how else I can cut corners— I teach and my job is demanding and exhausting and I literally collapse into bed every night after forcing myself to work out.

Can anyone with PCOS help me set up with a plan that worked for them? I just feel so hopeless and sad right now. My only hope wedding-wise is that my best friend is making my dress and it’s a simple enough design that she can do it in a matter of days so I can cover my arms if needed, but I just hate seeing myself right now. Please help.

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2WiPVQO

Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Wednesday, 01 May 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.

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2PHHv2P

Weight loss - Food craving help!

Current situation: 26F - 76kg - 1.7m - trying to loose body fat and build lean muscle. Currently lost 5.4kg in 10 weeks. I'm working out every other day - for 10 weeks now. First 30 mins of the workout is cardio on the Cross Trainer, followed by 45-60 mins of weights. This is a mixture of body weight, resistance band and free weight exercises with cast iron dumbbells and barbells. This is our home gym set up, we have a good selection of weights and I am really enjoying my workouts, I have enough variety at the moment to keep it fun and interesting and I've already increased my lift weight within this first 10 weeks. We (me and my partner) also fit in some boxing pad work with each other on a weekend for an extra 30mins cardio.

This is going to be our new lifestyle, I plan on keeping this up, working out every other day, with a healthy amount of cardio and weights. We plan to eat well and still allow ourselves treats in moderation, this is not a diet or temporary plan and we still want to enjoy our treat foods. I feel that once i am happy with my body, I can find a good balance of workouts and food so I can enjoy myself and maintain my body shape. It will be a good balance to allow me to enjoy my fitness as well as my other hobbies and interests.

However, food... food is my weakness! I'm happy with my breakfast, I'm not a big eater in the morning but I make sure i have something high in protein to start the day off, even if its just a protein shake. I'm happy with my Dinner (Lunch), i take this to work and stick to it well, perhaps on the weekends we have something a little different or the odd treat, but we still manage to keep it nutritious and within reason. Tea (Evening meal) however, is a nightmare. We meal plan our evening meal each week, making a list, buying the ingredients or meals and assign them to a day... but i'm terrible for ignoring that and just eating something bad!

It's such a weakness that i come home from work after a good day of eating, and order a pizza or pick up something bad from the supermarket. I instantly feel the regret, especially as i can see my progress slowly starting to show, and then I've just set myself back with one stupid meal. And the cost, I instantly think that the £20 i just spent on junk food could have been saved or go towards new workout gear i need, such as weight gloves and resistance bands. I know it's wrong and I feel it instantly, but I can't seem to get a grip and curb these cravings.

I manage to curb some, some days i want to just skip a workout, turn the Xbox on and order takeout, but i manage to get a grip, take our pre-workout, and smash a great training session. After I feel great and know I made the right choice, but other days I just can't get to grips with it. Fitness folk of Reddit, please help! Any suggestions or ideas on how to fight these cravings permanently is much appreciated! Thank you

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2GLs2L8