Hello!! I ran the Lexus Lace Up Half Marathon in Irvine yesterday and… didn’t post about it. So did it really happen? Actually – I didn’t post because I felt sick and gross all day. I’m finally rallying to share my race recap and random pics. I really love the Lace Up Race Series and […]
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It's hard to be the fat friend. It's hard to hear that you'd "be a ten, if you could just lose some weight". It's hard to know someone you cared for left you because they got thinner and you could not. It's hard to hear that someone you care for cares for you, but doesn't feel especially attracted to you because you're overweight.
It's hard to put down the cake. It's hard to walk past office treats without taking one. It's hard to give up soda.
I've heard this a lot on this sub and others, but never truly realized the truth of the matter: you have to choose your hard.
I'm Mick, and SOMEHOW, I've managed to lose 30 lbs. I truly never thought I would be able to lose weight intentionally; I love food, I use it as a hobby, I get real, intense joy from eating delicious foods. I never thought I could give up the sweets, the treats, the overeating. I keep "failing" at my diet, but somehow, the weight keeps coming off. Slowly, but even that is more progress than I ever expected. Here's what I've done, and here's what I've learned.
I'm super short. 5', 1/2" if you squint. Female, 30 yrs (almost 31). I have been obese since middle school. At my highest recorded weight, I was 212 lbs. I was short, squat, flabby, and shaped like a beach ball. I'm not trying to be self-deprecating; I'm calling it like it was. I ate whatever I wanted (which was a lot), whenever I wanted (which was also a lot). I developed a sort of eating disorder in my teens, which to this day remains un-diagnosed, though I acknowledge its existence. I had spent years researching all the things; I knew all of the methods of losing weight, all the diets and exercises, but for whatever reason I just couldn't seem to implement them. It was like reading about it online caused me to feel like I was doing something productive, and I never felt the need to do more.
There was a significant Event in my life this year that made me really focus on weight loss. Here's a brief overview of all the things I've learned.
-Counting calories is required. I do my best to log every single thing I eat. I'm not great at it. I still forget things. Sometimes I'll forget to log for a whole meal. Sometimes I'll forget to weigh my olive oil, or I'll nibble on something at the office without putting it on the scale first. Sometimes I'll eat a homemade meal and not have all the ingredients perfectly portioned. THIS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE FAILURE. If I forget or miss an item or a meal, I'll come back later and estimate. You heard me. I'll guess. Because of course it's better to weigh and portion everything you eat, but if you can't, it's better to log something than nothing! I try to overestimate a little if I do have to guess, but the longer I do it, the better I am at eyeballing. Guessing does not make you a failure.
- I don't have to go to the gym and "get hard" to lose weight. I've been doing minor exercise (I'm in Physical Therapy right now for shoulder injuries - when I say minor, I mean like 2lb weight mobility movements). Mostly, I walk. Taking a walk at the end of the day with my SO is something I look forward to, and if we miss a day I feel out of sorts. My first 100 days included no exercise other than an average of 6000 steps a day (and that includes everything).
-It's ok to mess up. Some days I go over my calorie limit. Some days I go WAY over my calorie limit. I almost always go over on the weekends. I accept this and move on - even a few days slip up doesn't kill my whole deficit for the week. Would I lose weight faster if I was more disciplined? Absolutely. Would I continue to lose weight if I beat myself up every time I overate? Probably not. So I just - roll with it. Now that I've got a good handle on what a good day looks like, I'm going to try to tighten up. Maybe make it so it's only every OTHER weekend I go over my goals. One step at a time.
-I weigh myself every day. Full disclosure, this may not work for everyone (as in all things). I do this so I don't get obsessed with the number on the scale. Some mornings my weight is up, sometimes its down, but I know that I don't need to panic if I see an increase, and I use an app to help keep track of my average.
PERFECTION IS NOT NECESSARY. The only thing that counts as a failure is if I stop trying.
Here's to the next 100 days. We got this.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Now you’re ready to do this. Here are more details, that may help you refine your plan.
About a year and a half ago I lost 40 pounds and got to around 129 pounds and was feeling better than ever, but then something happened and I became very depressed and gained about 25 pounds back.
I have been working hard to get everything back on track but I am so horribly saddened at my weight gain. I feel awful all the time and even though I'm at a lower weight than I had been when I was at my highest I can barely bring myself to go outside and be seen. In addition to this I have really started to hate the fact that I have stretch marks and I just feel disgusting and unlovable. I find it hard to go on at all.
I know this is a lot, but I am just wondering if anyone passing through here has felt like this before and can give me some kind of tip on how they inspired themselves again.
At my heaviest, I was 245 pounds. Over the course of about 1.5 years I've gotten down to about 185. I recently got a new job that pays me a livable wage, and I wanted to go get new work clothes today.
I went to Nordstrom Rack, and began to shop.
I hate shopping for myself. I've never thought of myself as "thin" enough to have actual fashion or be fashionable. Also, I've never really gotten men's fashion, so that just adds another layer of difficulty to shopping.
So, I begin to pick out some clothes that I think will fit and head over to the fitting room. I start to try on the pants I picked out, and am happily surprised they're a size too big. I happily go pick out a size smaller pants and head back to the fitting room. As I put on the pants, i fear they won't fit, but once I put them on they fit quite well and I actually don't hate how I look in them.
From here I begin to go find some shirts to pair with my pants. I pick out some large button up shirts to try on, and go back to the fitting room. I try them on and notice there's a lot of room in them and begin to hypothesize that I may be small enough for a medium. I've never fit in a medium,, for as long as I can remember. I used to wear XXL for everything, and even the recent realization that I could wear L was crazy to me. So, I go pick out some shirts that I find in large and medium, knowing I won't fit in a medium and will just have to buy the large with a little extra room. To my surprise, the mediums looked good on me, and I looked like a real adult with real adult clothes on.
I stood there, looking at myself in amazement for 30 seconds in utter disbelief that I could fit into a medium. I was utterly shocked, and honestly still am. I cannot wait to wear my new clothes to work tomorrow!!
I've been a lurker on this sub for a while, and I just really appreciate how supportive everyone is. So I wanted to put out some good vibes saying you can do it! This sub has helped inspire me, from the big things like finally deciding to take care of my body to the small things like doing just an extra rep or set at the gym. This sub has been a really great source for me, and I wanted to give back.
Wearing a medium button up shirt has been the craziest moment of this whole weight loss journey. The joy it brings me is inspiring me to keep going! Please, do yourself a favor. Work your ass off so you can fit into your medium size shirt!
Go get it!! 💪💪
I come from a family of fairly obese people; about 6 of my immediate family members have had weight loss surgery. I’m not talking like 500-600 lbs, but at the most like 400-450.
When I was a sophomore in high school I was 240 pounds, and I finally made a change and lost about 75 pounds. It was great! But I still had bad habits. I was mostly not eating at all and doing A LOT of insanity.
Fast forward a couple of years and I kept the weight off but mostly fluctuated between 190-210, which wasn’t really where I wanted to be.
Last year, I lost about 30 lbs in 2 months and got down to 185 or so. Again, I was not eating much and I was doing a lot of insanity.
Right now, I weigh almost 240 lbs AGAIN. I feel so horrible and helpless. Every single week I try to start. Every single week I fail. I’m literally addicted to fast food. I’m always tired. It’s all excuses, all the time. I just want to make a permanent change and be healthy.
I know I would lose it fast, but it’s just the starting that I can’t get around to. It’s really so hard. And I know a lot of people deal with this, so I would really appreciate some help.
By the way I’m 21, about 5’11” and I’m a senior in college (if that matters).
Hi. I just made this account because my first made me identifiable to friends/family. I've only been lurking reddit for a month and this is my first post - I'm probably going to do it all wrong.
Can I get a couple "you can do it!"?
I'm trying hard to gather the courage to lose weight proactively. I grew up in the northern midwest where sweet and pudgy german/polish/Czech grandmothers still make home made kolaches, dessert is served at lunch and dinner, and friday fish/Saturday prime rib/Sunday broasted chicken is a religion in itself. Back home, at 5'6"/203 # I fit right into the normal size range for every woman in a restaurant. Ten years ago I moved to the mountain west and instead of finding the best hot bacon dressing, fitness is the religion here.
I recently weighed myself and realized I weighed more than when 9 months pregnant (disclaimer, I was gestational diabetic when pregnant and stuck to my carbs allotment with a level of willpower I didnt know existed. I left the hospital with a ten pound baby weighing less than the day i got pregnant). Breast feeding though? Ravenous. Gained plenty during the year.
I have a lot of emotions and baggage to unpack in my weight loss journey. I have a 300+# dad that makes inappropriate comments about my weight. A 5ft 8in alcoholic mom who struggles to stay 115# because she forgets to eat. I feel self conscious in work out clothes (especially in my local rec center). I dont want anyone to know I'm trying because I dont want the comments. And I'm a stay at home mom of two with a hubs that works 12 hr days 5 days a week and I cook fresh from scratch 5 nights a week- I hit burnout a long time ago and I feel like I'm limping through this season of life. When I'm trying to be a good mom and not scream at my darling children I know full well what I do to bring my anxiety back to earth (hello box of chocolate).
I'm sick of feeling heavy and sick and hating clothes.
I have a goal for Feb 1 - 20 weeks away. Think I can get to 150 or 160 in that time frame? After I will reset my goal. If I hit 135 in my life again I will be impressed, but I'm taking that off the table for now and focusing on 150. I dont eat fast food or drink soda, I've been attempting to CICO in the same fashion I counted carbs like gold coins. Help?
