My new motivation -- comparing me vs. me

For context, I'm at the beginning of my weight loss journey right now. Stats are 23F, 5'2, SW 201, CW 194.

I've lost 7 lbs in about a month, which I'm extremely proud of. But I've also been noticing that I'm very easily discouraged, especially this time around. My whole life, I've fluctuated in weight, usually in the range of 140-170 lbs. Even when I'm not actively paying attention to my weight, I tend to notice when I start to approach the high 160s, and that's when I kick my butt back into gear (which usually manifests itself in lots of gym time and much better eating/drinking choices).

This time, though, I let myself get to the highest weight I've ever been at 201 lbs (we'll call it that for the purpose of this post, but I'm guessing it was higher at some point). This was a huge wake-up call, and ever since I saw that number on the scale I've been back to working on losing the weight.

I'm at a point now where when I lose this weight, I'm ready to lose it for good. My mindset is shifting more towards lifestyle changes than quick fixes, and I'm excited about the idea...but for some reason it's been really hard to visualize myself at a healthy, strong weight, and because of that I've had a lot of mini-breakdowns.

I've been telling myself that the version of myself that I want to be is gone, and that I'll likely never be able to do the things I used to do (like run 2 miles straight, fit into jean shorts with confidence, and not worry about my boyfriend straining himself when he goofily carries me around). I've been feeling like I'm too far gone, as if my goals are unrealistic (which sounds so so silly now as I type it out).

Yesterday I was frustrated with myself because I had ran a mile two days straight, and ended up developing mild shin splints (I used to play soccer competitively and absolutely know what shin splints feel like). My boyfriend asked what was wrong, and I told him that I was mad that I just couldn't run like I used to be able to.

He simply shrugged, and said something along the lines of "Yeah, but you will be able to again. You'll be even faster and stronger than you were before." (Note that my boyfriend did not know me when I was in my best shape -- he only knows the version of me that is 180 lbs and beyond -- but he was right).

I'm realizing that while comparing myself now to myself then isn't necessarily a bad thing, I've been doing it all wrong. My mindset has been "Why can't I do this like I used to?" when it should be "I'm going to get back to the strength and endurance I had back then!"

I found some photos of myself today right around my high school graduation in 2014 (5 years ago). I was tracking my weight on MFP during this time, and was about 138 lbs. As soon as I saw the photos, my eyes widened. I truly barely recognized myself, and had completely forgotten that I looked like that -- that I was even capable of looking like that. Instead of letting those pictures discourage me (because I look nowhere near that good right now), I let them remind me of the person that I was and still am capable of being.

Long story short: I'm ready to start using my past self as a motivator instead of a barrier.

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Fiber: Needs, benefits and how to get more

If someone asked you how much fiber you get in each day – or how much you’re supposed to get –would you know the answer? You probably know that fiber is important for your health, but if you’re like most Americans, you’re probably not getting enough. In my work with clients, I find that many don’t know which foods contain fiber. Others have a narrow, misguided understanding of fiber sources they absorbed over the years through food marketing claims.

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My first post on r/loseit (and on reddit) !! I need to take being healthier seriously and I need a community to support me. You all are lovely people and I hope you can help me, while I return the favor.

Hello everyone!!

I have never posted on reddit before, and I don't really know how it works. I hope this post is okay. I am a 16 year old transgender boy. I am 5'3" and the last time I weighed myself, I was 177 pounds, I believe I have lost some weight since then. I have a puberty blocker implant (my body has very low amount of sex hormones right now) and I will start testosterone in August. If any other trans people could give me advice on how to deal with weight management/weight loss while being on HRT or hormone blockers, I would appreciate that a lot.

I have a lot of mental health issues, and I cope with them by eating. I eat when I'm bored and when I feel upset. I also eat larger portions than I should and have lots of cravings for sugar. I need help knowing what types of food I should/shouldnt eat and how much.

I would like to have someone to talk to as well, preferably someone who is around my age. I have kik, line, and kakaotalk that I can use to text people.

I hope that this community can help me lose weight and be healthy, and that later I can help others. Thank you all so much!! I am happy to be here <3

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18 YO Male - 7 Months of weight loss - 239 to 183

Hey all, first and foremost I'd like to thank everyone in this subreddit for my success, it's always motivating to see other losing and it gives me a sense of pride

I started once I figured out that CICO was a thing, two of the 7 months I was off of my diet (Big hunger took over), but before that I lost a steady 11 LBS per month average

I've recently promoted from Obese to Overweight using BMI as a general rule of thumb

I'm certainly not done yet, but I'm predicting that in 2 or 3 months I'll be 20 pounds down, and I might be comfortable at said weight, I'll take pictures as well and make another post when I finally finish

As for excersise/diet, I ate 1400 Calories a day on average, working a contractor job (Painting, lifting, walking a lot) and playing beat saber on my Oculus Quest

I'm in the final stretch, it's time to finish what I've started

Progress Pics: https://imgur.com/a/EtOxnCI

Note: my camera angles are suck

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Sorry if these posts come around a lot, but I've realized something that may help me finally keep off my weight.

Hello loseit! I want to start with a little background before moving to the main point of this post. I just have a lot I want to say because I feel like enlightened or something lol. Its not some profound observation by any means, but maybe it might help another lurker.

So, off and on I've lurked on this sub to try to get motivation to hit the bricks and lose some weight. At least since I was 17. Im 21 now. Back then I was probably 285 pounds, 5'11 and kinda bright eyed about the whole thing. The Summer I found this sub I lost 50 pounds, but didn't keep it off because it was strongly (tbh solely) motivation induced loss. I was eating 1600-1800 calories daily (small quantities of what I've always eaten, I'll get back to this later), 7 days a week at the gym for an hour on the max eliptical settings, basketball every other day. I was possessed that Summer. But when school started up there was no way I could keep up that possession and naturally motivation wanes, so I gained it all back pretty quick.

As I said, I'm 21 now going on to 22 in February. I've more or less hovered EXACTLY where I was at the start (285) plus or minus 10 pounds here or there. I've never been able to match the motivation I had that Summer so I've never been able to get near 235 since. And I've been frustrated off and on ever since that I can't seem to get back there - but now, I realize why, and I feel kinda free because of it.

Motivation is hard to come by, and is not the most effective tool in weight loss. And while it can lead to weight loss, its harder to maintain motivation induced loss. There are only 2 truly solid ways to lose weight: CICO, and changing ones lifestyle. Neither on is necessarily hard, but also not overly easy, which is why I and many others want motivation to kickstart weight loss. Just looking at what you need to do feels so overwhelming. But the best way is to just commit to it.

With all that being said, I feel like I finally came to an important realization when it comes to CICO and changing eating habits/lifestyle: it doesn't have to be a grand and spectacular flip. It can just be adapting your current lifestyle and habits with a healthier twist.

Like, for me. What keeps me at a high weight is simply the quantity that I eat and the caloric density of what I eat. I do workout, I still play basketball, and I have an active job. I just eat way too high density foods at a too high quantity. And trust me, I've tried to eat the same food just in lower quantities but its so hard for me to keep it up because I'm too enticed to just eat the food the way I always do. But none of it is neccessarily junky food either - a lot of rice, pasta, and breads though. And thats the problem.

If I were to replace all of those high calorie carbs with super low cal alternatives but still ate at the same quantity, I would begin to lose weight. Just deleting the majority of these carbs but still eating approximately the same amount would/could remove 300 calories from each meal I eat. Plus, I don't know how much efficacy I should put into this, but my 23andme data said I would lose more weight with a low carb diet. I know its not some grand revolutionizing idea, this idea has been around for a while and many have had it before I know, but the fact that I finally had this realization that it could and would work for me just means a lot to me. I feel like I can maybe actually confidently start losing weight again.

But yeah, thats pretty much it. If you guys can suggest low call alternatives to breads, pastas, rices, etc I would appreciate it. I'm also gonna start looking at the low carb subs

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I lost 25lbs! And a long-winded backstory.

F23 5’6 SW 285 CW 258 GW 165

I’ve lost 25lbs! 27lbs, technically. 2.5 inches from my waist.

I’ve been lurking on this sub for months now so I’ve finally created a new account to document my weight loss.

I gained 30lbs in one year, bringing me from super obese to super, super obese. And two months ago I got sick of it.

I’ve been dieting on/off for years, always losing and gaining back the same 10lbs. No one irl knows my starting weight and I am unsure if I’ll ever tell anyone exactly how big I was.

I carry my weight pretty well, mostly in my butt and thighs. At 285lbs, most of my size 18 pants were too tight and I was just starting to slide into a size 20. I told myself I would never let it get to that point and I would never, ever let myself reach 300lbs.

So I made a change, and I’ve had the most success I’ve had with weight loss in 10 years. I am not going to stop anytime soon.

I started by doing a super strict elimination diet and eating clean for a few weeks, then slowly reintroduced foods to see what made me a craving monster and what made me feel full and energized (spoiler alert: salty foods and added sugar are NOT my friends).

Now I’ve adopted a flexible diet, where I try to eat 80% whole foods and then 20% foods that fit within my goals. I don’t let myself have candy or a family size bag of chips anymore, because my cravings monster can’t be trusted. Sometimes I go off track, but I don’t punish myself and I just continue with my diet the next day. I’m actually sorta grateful for my gluten and dairy intolerance because it makes declining baked goods and pizza at work/school very easy.

I eat about 1500 calories per day, sometimes a bit more and sometimes a bit less. I try to reach 35% protein, 35% fat, and 30% carbs using MFP.

I have a back injury that makes exercise a bit hard but I try to walk 2x a week and am planning on adding an at home weights/stretching routine 3x a week as well.

My goal weight right now is 165, but really, my appearance goal is to be able to shop at any store I want and fit into a size 10/12. I have so many goals, but most of them revolve around movement. I love exercising and doing active things like hiking, swimming, and kayaking. Right now, it’s too hard to do these things. I hope to start running once I hit 200lbs or so, it’s always been a dream of mine. I want to start biking too, but at 258lbs I think I’m just too heavy.

I know I have a long way to go, but it took a long time to get to this point. I just keep reminding myself I’m worth it. I don’t hate myself or my body, I just wish I could do more physically and am ready for a healthy change and to reach my full potential. I’ve accomplished a lot of really great things in my fat body and have strong and loving relationships with my friends, family, and partner.

So here’s to the first 25lbs lost. My goals are in 25lb increments, so I really only have to reach this milestone 5 more times. I don’t expect it to be easy, but I’m giving myself 18 months. Grad school is demanding and stressful, but I am going to take it all one week at a time. Wish me luck!

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Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Friday, 26 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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