Hit the 170s today, reversed almost 20 years of gains

So in March, 2018, I weighed in at 267.4 as a 41F 5'7", the highest I'd ever been, BMI was 41.88, Morbidly obese. I decided that was not acceptable, and I needed to do something. I started walking twice a day, as long as I could (started out at only about 1 mile each time) and tracking my food.

One month later, at my annual checkup, I had lost 10 pounds, and was so excited, only to have my doctor tell me I was actually UP 10 pounds from my prior visit. /heartbreak She put me on more blood pressure pills (I was 165/110) and told me I was prediabetic. That was a push to keep going.

At that point, I was already on Metformin for my PCOS and Levothyroxine for my hypothyroid. Each time I'd tried to lose weight before, I wasn't on any meds and those two hormone issues made weight loss very hard. THIS TIME, however, with my hormones in check, once I got serious, the weight started dropping.

I made gradual changes, starting with cutting back on sugar and salty snacks. I don't have any forbidden foods, but I rarely eat any sugary or salty snacks at all these days, except for some chocolate every day. I cut back the volume of bread and milk I ingest substantially (I was a BIG milk drinker before, 3 gallons per week). I upped the fruits and veggies and protein instead. My goal is to eat 95% healthy 95% of days. I don't have "cheat days", but if I want to indulge one event, like a party or holiday, I don't beat myself up about it. I even eat pizza sometimes. I only have 1 or 2 sodas a month, but that isn't a change for me, never was a big soda drinker.

I'm a pretty picky eater, so I only eat about 20 different foods on a regular basis, but I've learned which vegetables and fruits I do like and stick with them for now, figuring something is better than what I was doing before. Mostly, I eat chicken, with roasted broccoli, asparagus and potatoes (I'm an Idaho gal, so you can take my potatoes from my cold dead hands), fruits are lots of berries, grapes, apples, and occasionally an orange. Sometimes, I'll have peanut butter toast (35 calorie/slice whole wheat bread) with some cheddar cheese and an apple. Hubby and I have homemade tacos once a week and I'll have a burger once or twice a month. I prefer to just eat breakfast (haven't broken the Cheerios habit yet, but its the plain kind, no sugar added) and then lunch/dinner around 3:00, so I guess that is intermittent fasting.

I've also continued walking each day, now I go just once a day, instead of twice, but always at least 2 miles, usually 3-4, at a 4mph pace.

At my checkup a few months ago, I was down to 1/2 of one blood pressure pill and was at a healthy reading of 122/81 (I was on 3 meds at one point) and my A1C was healthy, not prediabetic anymore. My doctor told me if I wanted to lose more weight, I could (I was and am still "overweight"), but I had reversed almost all my weight related problems, so if I just maintained there the rest of my life, she would be thrilled. I really am a large frame with dense bones, so the high end of "healthy" is all I was ever shooting for anyway.

In 16 months, I'm down over 85 pounds and as of this morning, I was 179.8. I'm nearly down 1/3 of my starting weight. I'd like to lose another 20-30. 20 more would put me just into "healthy" weight.

The last time I was in the 170s, I don't actually know, because I only started tracking in 2005, and since then, I've never been this low (190.2 was my old "best" before this round). My best guess is that this is about what I weighed when I graduated college in 2000, so nearly 20 years of gains, gone! When I reach the 160s, it will be the lowest I've been as an adult.

I'm definitely not the fastest loser, but I'll take being the slow and steady turtle who finishes the race. I know that the way I'm eating now, is a way I can continue eating, which gives me a better chance of keeping the weight off.

My next goal is to start lifting heavy things. I don't have any loose skin yet, but expect that in the next 20 pounds, I will start to get some on my belly, which is my biggest trouble spot. So getting some muscle will make that less obvious, at least.

As I near my healthy weight range, I'm finding it harder to maintain a deficit, so building some muscle will help with that. I'll also probably need to wean myself off my lifelong Cheerios addiction if I want to actually reach goal. Gradual small and sustainable changes will get me there.

I would love to post pictures, but I've never been a camera person, even as a healthy teenager, and so I don't have any before photos at all. Not even a bad angle in someone else's picture. Honestly, I didn't think I would succeed. PEOPLE, TAKE A BEFORE PHOTO.

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I turned 39 today, and yesterday found out I've lost enough to join the Navy

Just turned 39 while I was sleeping, woo.

I'm under a year away from an advanced degree. Four years ago when I was just starting, I had been thinking very seriously about joining the Navy when finished. Not the most beaten path at my age, but the particular type of training they offer in my field is extremely desirable to me when thinking about future career trajectory.

Anyway. Those years ago, I was already disqualified because of my weight (I was in the 170s at that point). I put it aside. Fast forward years of school, a little weight loss, some gain back, then six months of dedicated CICO since February. With graduation looming I've been thinking really hard about the future again. I'd lost 35 pounds and didn't know if that was enough. Could have looked it up but I'll tell the truth -- I was too terrified.

Yesterday I finally called my local Navy office, and was passed to a really wonderful contact in my field who spent a ton of time answering all my questions and detailing how the process would go. That weight requirement haunted me the whole time but I was so afraid to ask...I waited until almost the end of the conversation to bring it up.

He asked for my height and weight then, I told him, and he chuckled and said: "Upper limit for your height is 141 lbs. You're totally fine."

Holy shit, I did it! I still have quite a bit more to lose as I want to be more solidly in the "normal" BMI for my garden gnome height, but I did it. I haven't 100% committed to this road yet, but it's honestly incredible knowing that if I'm going to be held back by something, it at least won't be my damn weight.

Now I have to be able to run a mile. Which...that's going to be a whole other hurdle to address as I suck at running. But hey, what's life without goals?

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Update to my weight gain post

Probably unnecessary since that post went mostly unnoticed (but thank you to the redditors who commented and tried to help!). But I feel like I learned a valuable lesson that I want to share.

I lost 70-80 lbs after having my last baby. I've maintained that weight for almost two years now but in the past few months I've gained ~10 lbs back. When I started gained back in April, I made a laid back attempt to track on MFP (keeping it to 1200, then went to 1400 when I realized my workout levels necessitated it) and work out even more.

At the start of July, I was a few pounds UP and went into freakout mode. Started religiously tracking on MFP (before, I would get lazy with it) and amped up my workouts even more. I was 100% about everything (and yes, to the people who asked on my last post...I was tracking and measuring condiments and cooking oils too!). I was running 5k distances in the blazing heat. Killing it in HIIT class. And slamming my weight training in the gym. I was looking forward to last Wednesday's weigh in.

And then I saw I'd gained even more (3 lbs) and saw a number on the scale that I haven't seen since my weight loss journey. That number is about five pounds under the overweight threshold for my BMI.

I spent two days wallowing in self pity. I couldn't square it. Thought maybe it was the birth control I started a few months back, but mostly I was scared I'd been deluding myself. I posted to this sub looking for thoughts, and was mostly met with what I feared my problem was--that I was still eating too much, that I still hadn't figured this thing out, that I was lying to myself thinking I had.

I talked to one of my fitness instructors after Thursday night's class and she looked at me like I was crazy and had me schedule a body comp exam.

Y'all. I HAVE gained some weight. The scale wasn't lying. What the scale couldn't reveal though was that that weight was lean body mass. (Which explains why my size 6 pants all still fit.) I have gained muscle in every area of my body. I took my weight obsessed blinders off and looked in the mirror this morning. My abs have more definition. My arms and back and neck are thicker with toned muscle. As are my thighs. My glutes are lifted and rounder.

What I couldn't see a few days ago is that my weight gain started around the time I started increasing my weight reps at the gym. It started when I started that new HIIT class that I'm a die-hard of now. When I began doing the 60 min "butts and guts" group power class instead of the 30 min one. When I started running for longer.

So I'm taking my fitness instructor friend's advice and keeping my scale weigh-ins to twice a year. I'm deleting MFP. I'm gonna keep going hard at the gym. I'm gonna keep devouring mostly veggies and fruit and lean protein and whole grains. I'm gonna keep the junk food out of my house and keep boycotting restaurants. I know what I'm doing. I can trust myself.

There was a time when I needed loseit. When I needed MFP. When I needed to watch the scale and devour every weight loss tip I could find. That time has passed. I did it. It's time to move on. I don't need to be obsessed anymore. For my mental health's sake, I'm unsubbing from r/loseit and gonna lurk more on r/fitness and r/running.

Just wanted to say thanks to all of you--I've loved reading your posts and threads. It's been the source of much encouragement and wisdom and I wish you all the best in your journeys to health and wellness. Much love ❤️

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Don't measure binge day is overall calories. Compare the deficit amounts.

SW - 91 kgs CW - 69.7 kgs

Overall calories can be very deceptive.

Lets say your maintenance is 2200 calories.

You are on 1700 calories diet. You stick to 1700 calories for six days and then comes Sunday.

Lets say you binge on sunday for about 2700 calories (it is not uncommon to go over 3000). How bad it could be?

1700, 1700, 1700, 1700, 1700, 1700, 2700

That looks neat. Just over half day worth of extra calories. Looks like a very successful weak (and it actually is to some extent)

But overall calories doesn't matter. It is the deficit that does the work for you. Now lets have a looks at that.

500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, -1000

500, 500, 500, 500, 000, 000, 000

You lost a progress of three days.

Your deficit for that week went from 3000 to 2000. That is why I said it is still a successful week. Just over quarter of kilogram is still decent amount of weight loss.

I am not trying to pass a judgement or anything. It is just a simple matter of how we approach things. When we binge it is usually the overall amount that drives our decision. "Oh I just ate twice as much for one day. How bad could it be"). No, you ate like 3 days worth of deficit.

So maybe if we approach it from the deficit point of view, we would probably make a better decision?

This is what helped to get rid of bad habit of Sunday binge. It is very easy to stay motivated and not binge when you measure the damage in days.

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Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Saturday, 20 July 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!

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The role of leptin and ghrelin

Hi guys! I read some articles on the role of ghrelin (hunger hormone) and leptin ("fullness" hormone) during weight loss, and honestly it was pretty demoralizing. My understanding is that there is somewhat of a consensus that the ghrelin levels are higher in overweight/obese people, and that these values do not decrease after weight loss. People who were once fat needs to deal with increased hunger for the rest of their lives, and that this is one of the reasons why nearly 80% gain weight back after losing it. It just feels pointless to do anything if this is the reality of losing weight. There are things you can do to lower the ghrelin levels such as sleeping more, but it does not feel sustainable..

Does anyone know anthing about this subject who could share their insights? Maybe someone here has already lost weight and can speak from experience?

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Losing Weight Without Noticing

Hello, I hope you’re all having a good day! This is my first time on reddit and i just made this account cause i heard of r/loseit through LukeNarhwal which have been a part of my motivation to lose more weight/maintain current weight. I wanna share my story in hopes of being like one of those weight loss stories that younger me desperately read as a motivation to not grab those chips in the middle of the night. I’m not really good at sharing experiences but I’ll try.

Ever since I was in elementary, I was already fat. I didn’t really care that much, my focus was on studies and how to aim for 1st place in class cause bringing ribbons and medals home made my grandma really happy. It wasn’t until high school that I started noticing how more people were making me aware of my weight. The worst part about it is that my weight was mentioned as a constant comparison when anyone of my friends complain about adding pounds. Words such as: “ Nah, just look at OP” or “Yeah, but only a bit, you’re still thinner than OP” all followed by a relief of sigh of the person really just gets to you sometimes. And classmates acting like there’s an earthquake going on whenever you pass by them in the hallway just crushes your confidence.

I’ve tried different kinds of diets before, tried exercises, but it all ended up in binge eating. Food just makes you forget the stress of life. I loved it but hated it at the same time. I love it for the happiness it gave me, but hated it for the weight it gave me.

After everything I went through, I guess one day I just snapped and decided to lose some weight, this time for good. I tried to limit my calorie intake under 2,000 calories and did one type of exercise everyday. Yeah, it’s not much, but one exercise didn’t really take too much of my energy which would help in thinking less about food.

Little by little, I didn’t notice but I started losing the weight. I also reduced my calorie intake the longer I was in that diet. It came to the point where it’s not too hard anymore and my stomach would feel bad if I ate like how I used to. After some time, people started telling me I lost weight, some even asked if I drank slimming pills and such but I didn’t believe them. I was still fat in my eyes and I had to lose more weight. I haven’t been actively keeping track of my weight so when I was weighed by a hospital staff during check-up at the hospital, I was shocked to hear that I was 47kg. I thought maybe the scale was broken but it wasn’t. I wanted to cry then but I controlled myself to avoid embarrassment. I don’t know why, but for the first time in years, I felt light.

Right now, my calorie intake is limited to 1,500 for 6 days a week and have a “don’t measure what you eat but don’t eat too much” day once a week.

Those 6 days could consist of:

Breakfast: Chips and/or chocolate cookies

Lunch: Rice and whatever side dishes available (no second serving of rice but side dishes could be as much as you want until the rice is all eaten)

Dinner: Any kind of sweet stuff or crackers/1 or 2 slices of pizza

~ Basically, I eat anything I want/crave for the day but never go over the 1,500 calorie limit~

During that diet, i haven’t been eating too much healthy food and veggies. And to be honest, my 1,500 calorie intake consisted mainly of snacks, that’s why I wasn’t hoping to lose a lot of weight. But here I am now. I guess the lesson I learned is that a bag of chips a day isn’t bad, too much bag of chips a day is.

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