My beginning

TW: organ prolapse; pelvic floor dysfunction

I’m a 36F, I weigh in at 226lbs now. I’ve slowly been putting this weight on over the course of several years, since before my now 3 year old son was conceived. I had another baby 7 months ago and I breastfeed, and so I kept telling myself, “it doesn’t really matter what you eat right now. Focus on feeding yourself and your baby, the weight loss can start when you’re no longer nursing...”

Except.... exactly a week ago, I was standing in the shower cleaning myself and I found a bulge in my nether regions, something that has never ever been there before. I’ve been a nurse for nearly a decade and my mind went immediately to uterine prolapse (when the pelvic floor muscles are so weak that the uterus starts to fall out of the vagina). I went to my doctor.

The good news: my uterus isn’t prolapsing.

The bad news: my bladder and a small portion of my rectum are prolapsing.

I wasn’t crazy, I actually felt a piece of the pelvic wall containing my bladder pushing out of my body.

My doctors are all pretty matter of fact about it. The research shows that 1 in 4 women have pelvic floor dysfunction of some kind after vaginal delivery. But I’m horrified. HORRIFIED!!!

My weight gain and inattention to my own body have contributed significantly to this issue. And now MY INTERNAL ORGANS ARE FALLING OUT OF MY BODY!!!!!

Surgery is an option, but if I want any chance of having a successful 3rd pregnancy, it’s not a safe bet.

Weight loss and Pelvic Floor physical therapy were the most highly recommended if my options. I was also told a Pessary might be a good choice to help hold everything in place.

I’m just.... I’m kind of ashamed at myself for letting it get to this point. Other than being very overweight, I haven’t actually had any health problems before, so I really didn’t feel any urgency about my weight.

I’ve half-heartedly tried things, and when I didn’t have immediate results I got discouraged and lost what motivation I had and gave up. Not all at once mind you, but rather “oh just one cookie is ok, I did well today.” “Oh a piece of cake isn’t such a big deal.”

I don’t know why I expected the weight which has come on over a period of 5 years should just melt away in a matter of weeks. My expectations were ridiculous and self-defeating.

Well now, I’ve got maybe the best motivation. In addition to suddenly feeling like I’ve been a horrible model for appropriate/healthy eating habits to my children, I’ve potentially created a future in which THEY’LL have to someday TAKE CARE OF ME!!

Oh hell no. I’m going to be one of those awesome grannies who cruises around in fitness gear, plays tennis like a pro, and takes the grandkids on fun adventures. I’m not going to be a bedridden old woman who has to be fed and bathed and catered to. I’ve seen the light.

So now when I reach for those cookies, I say to myself, “are you freaking serious right now? Really? Your organs are falling out of your body and you want to compound the problem by eating a cookie? Don’t do it.” And I don’t.

I use [an app] to log my meals and help me count calories and manage my Macros. I’ve known about this and these strategies for eating right for a long time now, I’ve just never committed to them before.

Well, today is day 5 of logging my meals. I’m not going crazy. This is about endurance, not a sprint. Baby steps. I’ve logged a calorie deficit of 200-400 calories each day, without feeling starving. (Anxiety about health problems is a fairly potent appetite suppressant for me, it turns out). I think more importantly, I’m seeing that what I’m eating is shockingly unbalanced. Did you know that THERES FAT IN SOOOO MANY FOODS!!!!

Not that taking in fat is bad, I know this. But i’m taking in WAY TOO MUCH!

Anyway, this has gotten very long. I just really wanted to get on here and share my story from it’s beginning. I wanted to further cement my commitment and share my health issues. And I wanted something concrete to look back at when I finally reach my weight loss goals.

Right now, in this moment my goals are simple:

1. Get that diet on point- eat right, eat healthy, eat balanced.

2. Get a little more active every day- take the kids out for a walk 3-4 days per week. Do mommy baby/toddler yoga 3-4 days per week. Just do something and make it fun for everyone.

3. Model better behaviors for my littles to see and learn from.

I’m not even worried about the scale right now. I think I may measure my weight once every couple of weeks. But, from reading everyone else’s stories, I know that if I just focus on my goals, the rest will come.

My first physical therapy appointment is on Monday. But I feel.... I’m in this for the long haul. It took me years to put this weight on. I have to be realistic that it’s going to take me years to take it back off again. If I keep that in mind, I can keep on track.

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

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2WmX7LP

I can only stick to a cardio routine, hate weights!

I'm starting on my weight loss journey and have about 30 lbs to lose. I know people recommend weights for toning and what not but I really only enjoy cardio and can do it almost daily because I actually like it. Forcing myself to do weights/resistance training/HIIT or whatever makes me dread working out and I cant even push myself through it. I'm thinking maybe as I get more and more used to cardio (via running/walking) I'll build up to HIIT? Or do I have to stick it out and mix in some training?

When I run I push myself for about a minute and a half and catch my breath for about 30-45 seconds then do it again until the end of the workout. I work up a good sweat and am beat by the end.

Tldr- is weight training absolutely necessary even thought I HATE it?

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

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2JgiuL6

NSV F/29/5'6 my mom started seeing changes in me!

Hi! First time posting in this sub, but I've been following it for a while. Last year I had started my weight loss journey, but it crashed when I moved in with my ex when weekend eating habits began daily eating habits, along with no longer going to the gym and having a couple glasses of wine a night, more on weekend, resulting in about a 50lb weight gain.

The relationship ended a month ago and I moved in with my mom. I decided this was the perfect opportunity to work on myself physically, mentally, and financially. I started CICO the first day, and although it was super hard at first (so hungry) it got easier. With that I also haven't had any alcohol since the move, just a cup of coffee in the morning, water the rest of the day. Can I just say how much clearer my skin is now??

So far I've lost 17lbs since April 1st (265lbs-248lbs) in dietary changes alone. No eating out, focusing on whole foods, taking a daily multi, and a halotop on the weekends.

This past week my mom has been complementing my pants and jeans, although they're the same ones I always wore, just a lot looser now. Today I was wearing a regular t-shirt and yoga pants and she mentioned that I'm shaping up quite nicely! It's the first time anyone had mention it!

So, I decided to try on my pre relationship jeans, and they button now! I still have a while to go before they look nice however, but after the water weight slow down her comment was the motivation I needed to keep going!

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

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2H2V5do

Lurker here, finally decided to make the change

I've been lurking this sub for about 6 or 7 months now, back when I weighed 240lbs in November of last year. Since then, my wife and I have had our fourth child, and I took a few months off of work and just enjoyed life for a while. I found this sub very inspiring and really wanted to make the change a few months ago, but kept making the standard excuses that I've always made: "I don't have time," or "I'm fine the way that I am," or even "I'm happy of where I'm at." The truth is, none of that is true and when I stepped on a scale about a month ago, I winced at the reading... I weighed 270lbs. I had gained 30lbs in 5 months. I knew something was weird when my clothes didn't fit right and walking upstairs sucked more than usual.

Following a decent bout of depression from the scale reading, I said to myself "No more, I'm done feeling like this." I have started counting calories, exercising every night, cutting out the junk food and soda. My biggest hang up for a while was my wife because I really didn't want to go through this journey without her, because I know she would feel self conscious if I lost weight and she didn't, but to my surprise, she is joining me! We both have some minor and moderate health concerns because of our weight but nothing that we can't fix if we decided to get healthy, and so here we are.

I've only just started, but this time is different than all the times before, I don't feel defeated or like this is an unwinnable fight and I think it's because of this community. I would often get a bug in me and get gung-ho about weight loss but would quit after 3 or 4 days. Last year, around January, I even bought a treadclimber for something to do at home, because a gym is just not accessible to me, but like everything else, it just sat in the living room like an obelisk of my failure, gathering dust and reminding me every day that I'm lazy, daring me to touch it. But now it's been about 9 days so far, and I've stuck to my plan religiously, practicing CICO, counting calories, planning meals, exercising every night, stepping on a scale every day, twice a day, etc. I've even just purchased a rowing machine for my home so the wife has something to do that isn't as punishing as the treadclimber. The best part about all this is I am feeling great, motivated, and can't wait to see the end result.

This community is an inspiration to me, and I thank every one of you that has shared their story. I hope to have a story to share myself. Wish me luck!

SW: 270 CW: 263 GW:170

submitted by /u/subjekt_zer0
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2Yb8SFF

Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Saturday, 04 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.

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

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

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2UVvNm9

From 93Kg (205lbs) to 75Kg (165lbs) but I (M, 21) still look fat

Hello!

TL;DR: I'm the same weight and same height as friends but I look a lot fatter, why and what can I do?

In october of last year, I started doing something for my weight and health. I slowly started to eat less (especially for dinner) and exercise more.

I've been eating more normally since then, with balanced meals for lunch and mostly veggies for dinner. I also started to run on saturdays and going to the gym since december~early january.

All of that lead to losing about 18kg (40lbs), and I'm proud of myself, I can now wear normal sized clothes for my height (1m80, 5'10").

But last week-end I had two friends over, more athletic but about my size, maybe an inch taller. They asked me how my weight loss journey was going and when I told them my weight, they said they weighted the same, and after a scale test, that was true.

So my question is how come I still look chubby with fat on my pecs, belly and hips while being the same weight? What could I change?

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

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

1 year to change my lifestyle

19F/5'7"/SW:229lbs/CW:222/GW:150lbs (my goal is to lose around 70lbs in 1-2 years)

I'm currently a 19 y/o university student, living on my own during weekdays and at home on most weekends and holidays. I've always had issues with my weight growing up- (the heaviest I remember reading on the scales was 17st) living with obese parents who rarely cooked healthy meals and often ordered takeaways certainly didn't help, and gave me extremely bad eating habits. I grew up depressed, anxious and bullied but with no real motivation to lose weight. Now however, I have a goal. I want to volunteer in South Korea next summer for 6 weeks. Before then, I want to get to the healthiest weight I can be- something I have never really achieved in my life- to make the most out of my trip. I'm also considering teaching in South Korea after I graduate, so I definitely want to be fit and healthy before then.

Last week I downloaded several diet, exercise and fasting apps- mainly MyFitnessPal, Zero and C25K and have been lurking on different Reddit communities to help me achieve this. During the week I started intermittent fasting (20:4) which often led to me eating OMAD (I made sure this meal met my minimum calories but was still healthy). I went from 16st 5 to 15st 12 in almost a week. However, I have found it much harder when I go home for weekends- I don't snack like I used to (if I do snack, I only eat a handful of almonds or fruit per day) and I don't really eat breakfast or lunch anymore in an attempt to maintain my 20:40 fast however my parents still have bad eating habits- the portion sizes are too big and very calorific with a severe lack of non-processed vegetables, or they just order a takeaway. I don't want to eat the food they order/"cook" but I don't know how to tell them. My family raised me to "finish what's on your plate" which has been the main issue in my weight gain over the years. I'm embarrassed to tell them about my weight loss because they'd tell me it's not healthy to skip meals etc and I recently bought a step tracker that my brother already mocked me for which is demotivating in itself.

Has anyone been in a similar situation that can offer help/advice/motivation? I would really appreciate it.

submitted by /u/sorry-apple
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2VGJ9ay