Week 4: the week of me freaking out over little things

I am documenting my journey each week to keep myself accountable so here´s my week four update.

Last weekend I had some trouble getting down to 180lbs. This week I has trouble getting under that so I am still technically there. I usually try to structure my updates around healthy habits that I am trying to build but this particular update will be mostly me talking about feelings so if that is not your cup of tea, I would not recommend reading it.

I´m in my first exam phase for this semester, just mostly studying either at home or at the library so working out is really out of the picture right now. It has been just a lot of stress (which is not going to change next week as well, sadly), lack of sleep and me freaking out every five minutes over university work. Just not a good time overall so you can imagine how thrilled I have been to not make any process whatsoever. To be fair, I wasn´t even going to make this post but to me not making it sounded like just giving up alltogether, so in interest of progress and accountability, here´s how I felt this week and what I did roughly:

• I did ask for some advice on here and got some pretty great responses so thank you guys for the support in general. I truly believe that going through this journey alone would have been much harder on me.
• I made a rough plan for this week and next week that would help me get more walking into my rountine without wasting too much time - unfortunately studying leaves me with little time & energy for anything more serious. I also made sure to have an idea of what I was going to eat - I do IF 16/8 so I made sure my 2 main meals would be 500kcal and left the remaining 500kcal for snacks (and milk coffee, my favorite poison) I don´t like planning that much because it already makes you feel like you accomplished something, when in fact you haven´t done anything but in this case it was important for me to not have to think about my eating habits at all so I can fully concentrate on university.
• I planned the week starting after the 17th (after my exams have ended) and made sure to fill it with fun, social and healthy activities (like going swimming with my friends, hiking with them in the woods, going to a nearby city to look at museums - all things that would not overwhealm me and won´t feel like a chore but also would get me moving a lot more). I did this to motivate myself to get through this week. Every exam phase I would usually reward myself with some unhealthy food so this time around I am using activities and not food as my reward.
• Besides that, I made sure I was drinking enough water each day & also was trying to at least wake up at the same time every day (sleeping enough is a big issue for me so setting up a decent sleeping schedule is very important for me - and important for my journey). That mostly worked - though my sleeping hours still wildly vary.
• overall, I freaked out a lot during this week because I felt like I was not in control of my weight loss yet again. Taking the time to reflect, breath and read about other people dealing with stuff like that helped me calm down. And while next week is bound to be a pretty difficult one, I am looking forward to fully getting back on track. I understand that I need to be patient and consistent to see results.

Thank you for reading this update, as always advice is greatly appreciated. :)

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

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2Z7zkQW

Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Saturday, 08 June 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/2EYm8X1

New to this, advice needed!

So I’ve recently decided to try and start losing weight as I gained way too much last year. I am a 20 (f), 5’0 who weights 139. I am trying to lose around 20-30 lbs — and go back to weighing around 110-115 — but am struggling so far.

I’ve tried to exercise but I’m always way too exhausted after work. It’s always way too hot that I get headaches. I live in a desert state and right now it’s in the triple digits. I can’t really run in the morning as I usually work 7-5 and don’t drive so I have to get up earlier for work. I’m very limited in what I can do as I live in an apartment and can’t workout in my home, and I don’t live anywhere near a gym.

I know that what I eat had to do a lot with it, but after work I’m just so tired I don’t want to cook or do anything. I plan on meal prepping but am kind of scared because of the fact that I get bored of eating the same thing over and over again.

A huge problem that I gained, that also helped make me gain so much weight, was that I started to binge eat. I use to work in a job that was ten to twelve hours shifts and never got a break. It also took me an hour and a half to get to work or home. That caused me to binge eat at night as I never eat during the day or morning, and now a year later I still struggle with it.

Anywho, I just really wanted to get any tips or advice from the experts in this sub! Wanted to know what helped you in your weight loss journey!

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

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

PSA: Don’t forget to change your inside too

I’ll try to be as brief as possible, but the bottom line will be title.

I have always been the fat kid. As long as I can remember I have always been called of something that either is a reference to being round or a straight up yo-ur-fat insult.

I didn’t mind this at the time, still don’t. Or so I thought. I’m down 40kg (almost 90lbs). I still feel like I am the fat kid. I still feel like people are still being bothered by my presence. I still feel ugly and fat.

I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, all I want is for you to learn from my mistakes: get a psychologist for your own sake. I won’t say my weight loss is meaningless, but I’m definitely still unhappy, even though I lost a shit ton of weight to be where I am right now. I could have been in a much better place if I had simply started seeing a psychologist before.

Learn from me and get yourself a shrink rn.

submitted by /u/PM_ME_YOUR_BHOLE_R34
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2WvQ0Vl

Losing weight and hypothyroidism

I am wondering whether any of you have faced trying to lose weight with hypothyroidism?

It recently came to my attention that I might have inherited my mom's hypothyroidism. I have yet to get it confirmed by a doctor, but my mom and I have our suspicions. I am and have been experiencing a handful of symptoms since I was around 16. But my biggest issue is obviously losing weight.

It takes ages for me to lose and keep the weight down, and it's become increasingly difficult since I was 17. I was able to lose 22lbs over the span of 8 months when I was 18, but with the same effort and even more restrictive eating at 20, my weight is barely budging. I have absolutely no problem putting on weight, however.

I just can't stand how demotivating weight loss has been for me. If it turns out I do have hypothyroidism, I was wondering if any of you have experience with it. Is there something I can do to help without meds since I won't have access to them for a while? Did meds actually help with restoring a normal metabolism?

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

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2WofxL2

I ran over 3 miles!

3.25 miles - on the treadmill without stopping. I started at 6mph but went up to 6.5 after the first mile. And It felt great!

I’ve gotten so much motivation reading other people’s stories and accomplishments on this subreddit so I figured I would share my own in hopes that it motivates someone else. This will probably be a long post 😄

I first started my journey at about 260 pounds back in September 2018 (with my heaviest being ~270 sometime before that). Jogging was the first method of weight loss I jumped to since this had worked for me before. About a decade ago in high school, I went from about 210 to 160 by jogging and eventually joining my school’s cross country team. This method had very quickly melted the fat off me then. But things couldn’t be that simple this time.

My immediate setback was that I couldn’t jog more than 5 minutes without suffering a crippling asthma attack that left me gasping for breath on the verge of passing out. I tried to power through this, but my will could only get me so far.

But I was determined and I figured that an inhaler would be the solution. So I made an appointment at one of those CVS Minute Clinics so I could ask for a prescription. Cost me over $100 for the appointment, but I got some vitals taken which I guess was good considering I hadn’t been to a doctor in years.

So inhaler obtained, I set back to conquer my running goals with new enthusiasm. Which ended up being very short lived. Inhaler worked amazingly for my lungs, but it turns out that I had another hurdle awaiting me. My knees did not like supporting the better part of my body weight crashing down on them repeatedly. By my second inhaler-assisted (short) jog, I had injured my knees to the point where I could hardly walk. I was jogging outside on pavement btw (didn’t really like treadmills at the time).

Yet I was still determined. So after a several day recovery I went back at it. And the cycle continued... for over two months. I would jog 1 or 2 days before injuring my knees. I would then deal with the several day painful recovery, then go right back and try again. Over and over.

If you’re thinking this was pretty stupid - it was. I was making no progress with either loosing weight or jogging (actually getting worse since the repeated injuries were just compiling). So I finally gave up.

Gave up jogging that is. I needed a low-impact cardio solution and a stationary bike seemed like my best bet. I got a membership to a gym near my work and this was the best decision I made. I started going to the gym 3-5 days a week, spending about 30 minutes on the bike messing around on my phone or watching TV. It honestly wasn’t the most strenuous cardio workout but the extra burned calories made a big difference. I went down to 230 over the course of a couple months.

I also started doing some strength training which I also saw amazing progress with in a short time-frame. If you are trying to loose weight - I highly encourage you to do some strength training as well. I was also doing 30-60 pushups a day. I don’t actually know the biology behind this, but I think having the extra fat is very useful for muscle growth. By 230 pounds I was also benching 230 pounds. And even though my weight was still in the obese category, the muscle definition was helping shape my body in a great way.

I ended up moving states in January, which had a negative impact on my weight loss goals. I was getting to know a new roommate, in a new area, and we ate out more than I would have liked. Getting a new gym membership was also not a top priority while I was adjusting. I ended up re-gaining several pounds up to 235 (I was just a bit under 230 when I moved).

Now, I had also left my car with family back in the state I had moved from while I considered the costs of shipping it to me. But this ended up being an opportunity. My new apartment is only about 2 miles away from my work. So instead of paying thousands of dollars to ship my car, I spent $250 on a bicycle.

I started biking everywhere. 25 miles a week just going to and from work, and that’s not including going out to the store, to meet up with people, etc. I’ve gone close to 100 miles in a week several times. This also proved to be a much better cardio workout than a stationary bike at the gym since I had to push myself through environmental situations like hills, wind, catching a green light, getting somewhere on time, etc. My apartment also has a small gym where I would keep up with benching and doing dumbbell curls, and use the stair master (I got the high score on that thing 😂).

March comes around and, while I’m making great progress biking (down to 220), I decide I should try to pickup jogging and/or an actual gym again. So I went for a couple jogs in my neighborhood, and it was a big difference from before. I didn’t need the inhaler anymore and I didn’t injure my knees even after several 1-mile jogs. But I still wasn’t having a great time. I could maybe push myself to go a mile without stopping, but it was hard and I was getting minor shin splints. So I got a gym membership.

Now I’m not a huge fan of the treadmill since I just tend to get bored without the changing scenery of outdoor exercise. But it was much easier on my legs than hitting hard, unmoving pavement. So I stuck with it going 1-2 miles each jog. The bigger gym also offered much more variety for strength training and energized me to push myself more in this aspect.

Fast forward to several days ago and I’m at the gym feeling good. I hop on the treadmill and just let myself relax and regulate my breathing. I hit 2 miles, which is usually my upper limit, but I’m feeling great and push on. As 2 miles gets closer to 3, I realize I’m close to running a 5k and this gives me all the motivation I needed to keep going to 3.25 miles (a little over 5 kilometers).

And I did it! I even felt like I could keep going but I decided I was satisfied going the equivalent of a 5k race for now. Besides being drenched in sweat, I wasn’t even very fatigued when I got off the treadmill. I did my regular weight workouts and left being super thrilled. And just to make sure it wasn’t a one-time fluke, I did another 3+ mile jog yesterday with similar results! Now I’m setting my sights on an actual 10k race.

I hope this helps anyone who may be struggling with some of the stuff I struggled with; or even if you got your own unique roadblocks. Just remember that there is always going to be a way over the top and even if it takes awhile, you can do it!

submitted by /u/user-89007132
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2Zid7zN

Girl gamers-VR

I decided to go ahead and purchase a VR for fitness related games and of course other games as well.

I have struggled with weight loss for a while. I am down currently 25 pounds but I still have a long way to go. I walk every morning 2 or more miles. I just needed something for that rainy day or afternoon workout. I was thinking treadmill but went with something a bit cheaper and more fun to try it out first and see if I would even workout at home.

I will be not walking as much in the morning as I live in South Carolina and it is like waking up and walking in a hot steamy sauna at 8am this time of year. I will be focusing more on VR and the occasional walk and gym visits (but not many gym anxiety like crazy).

I am a 25 year old female about 5’8 and currently 240. I hope to update this for anyone interested. I did find a lot of guys posting but for the girl gamers I wanted to see if it works. I will do 30 days. I will try to keep up with how many walks including miles to give you an idea.

I will see I did my first round with beat saber and by far the most fun workout I have ever had. It has also been very fun.

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

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2QY1mvl