Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Friday, 11 October 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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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/328uoNv

I’m literally quite losing it!

Hey everyone!

Like some of you, I’m on a weight loss journey. However, there is one thing that is bothering me: the scales weighing. Let me explain. I recently purchased a scale to measure each morning my weight situation, so far so good right? Except there is one detail that is frustrating me immensely: the weight doesn’t seem to come off according to the scales. To be clear, I have a Medisana PS414 brand scale. Well, it keeps giving me the same weights every few days. For example:

• it’ll give me on October 3rd weight X and three days later the same weight;

I tried weighing heavy objects, like exercise weights and it’s somewhat accurate (depends on how quickly you place them together etc)

So now my question is, is it me who isn’t losing weight at all or is it the scales?

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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/33i8Myg

-5kg in 5 months. I wanted to share my experience

It started a few years ago that i wanted to loose weight, but i kept gaining and gaining. A few months ago i hit a new maximum and i though "okay, thats it! I need to loose".

I think the most important thing was the mindset. If i restrict my life and take away the things i want i will not keep getting through. If i change it in a way that i feel bad overall i will just gain afterwards again and end up where i started.

So i reduced, and experimented. But i didn't cut out. For example: i looove chocolate. So i ate less, restricted my intake, bought dark chocolate which i still like but wouldnt binge so quickly, etc. I also reduced my meal size and ate more frequent - that way the small portions added up to less calories in the end than a big one in the afternoon and a binge at night. My friend who lost with me did the opposite - one big portion but then almost nothing else during the day. We were both happy with this and I found that very interesting xD

Another thing was to see where i had excessive calories for no reason other than eating. One of them was in the morning. My body really needs some energy after getting up, otherwise i will feel dizzy, so i always drank a big glass of milk, then ate some chocolate muesli, maybe a snickers and leftovers from the day before... you see where this is going. Now i make green or chai tea, take a banana with me to university and if i am really hungry i might eat a small sandwich (usually with fresh cheese, tomato and a small slice of ham). The most important part was tea - over the years i just drank WAAAAY too little in the morning.

It was SO HARD at first, because i was trained to look mainly for food throughout the day. But after a few weeks i realized something - eating big portions now is a chore and the feeling of being stuffed is... bad. I also started to realize when i am really hungry, and when i just want sugar. In the mornings, after eating the exact amount i need to not feel dizzy, i seriously cant eat more than that anymore. Just seeing a big toast with nutella now in the morning makes me want to throw up. On the other side i can pay attention in class easier - probably because my body doesnt need the little energy i have in the morning to digest xD. I'm so not a morning person...

Exercising was one thing i didn't do. For me exercise is good for my overall health, but not necessary for weight loss. I still don't have many muscles, but that was never my goal and still isn't. I do walk a lot though, it just feels really good.

But i have to say, after the first month of nothing happening at all i was shocked how fast i lost just from this change. I started counting calories to see if i might have a deficit thats too big, but i do eat between 1200 and 1500 calories each day.

So yeah, this was my experience and looking back, I'm glad i did change! Seeing how i look differently is a bonus, but i still do feel better as well. I found many recipes i like, i experimented a lot and i do value food in a completely different way.

I wont add a before and after (which i don't have anyways) or what i weighted before and what i weight now - it doesnt matter. 5 kg loss is 5 kg loss, 5kg that your body doesnt have to carry around anymore, no matter if you started at 80 or 200kg. Currently i don't have a set goal for my weight yet either. I had one but I'm not so sure if I really want to hit it or not - i am happy the way i live now and i will see how it will turn out in a few months or years.

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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2M7oab8

This time I WON’T GIVE UP

... hopefully.

For background, I have been overweight my entire life. My highest recorded weight was 325 pounds, and my lowest adult weight was something like 220 (and I thought I was beyond help THEN!). CW is 315.5. Yes, bad childhood nutrition from ignorant parents, lifelong depression, and especially anxiety have all played parts in this, but I can’t hide behind those excuses any more, nor can I ignore how absolutely horrible I feel and how pessimistic I feel about the future (how much longer do I have if I accept myself at this weight? How much pain do I want to be in when my body starts to decline? What am I signing up to miss out on?).

I feel like I’ve tried everything but have stuck to nothing. My pattern is the same as many of yours are or were: some event makes me realize how far I’ve fallen and I have renewed vigour and optimism for my chances this time, I try to implement the changes, and I have a solid week or two of weight loss before I have a sad day or I find myself in a situation where it it no longer convenient to stick to my routine - work lunches, birthdays, holidays, date night, celebrations, the usual suspects. Then, “I’ll pick it back up tomorrow! Or, maybe I owe myself the weekend. The week? Ah, fuck it... I’m fine as I am” (narrator voice: she was not fine).

I want to walk more than 100m without getting winded. I want to not be afraid of a flight of stairs. I want to unlearn the habit of studiously avoiding every mirror I see. I want to KNOW that the airline seat or amusement park ride will fit me. I want to find cute clothes more often than once in awhile if I’m lucky. I want to enjoy life and start respecting my body. I want to break this lifelong cycle before it breaks me.

Things I’ll do differently this time: CICO 1400 instead of 1200, which never feels like enough. Avoid cheat days or meals, since I know they tend to throw me bodily off the wagon. Start cooking for myself more, and cooking things I like instead of the latest steamed cauliflower mess taking over the weight loss blogs I follow. I don’t know if I can promise to be kinder to myself this go-round, or even if I should... I sure don’t feel like I deserve to give myself a break yet.

This is mostly for me to read over on the hard days, but I would love to hear from you if any of this resonates with you or if you have any pointers.

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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2OFNCWT

Debunking the naysayers

Poking around online, I keep running into people 'debunking' CICO, saying that healthy weight loss isn't as simple as counting calories, and that the content of the diet is more important.

Maybe this is a weak analogy, but to me that's like saying "it wasn't a daily budget that helped her save money, it's just that she stopped buying flimsy, expensive things and now buys more durable, reasonably priced things." This is a habit that most of us pick up precisely because we have a limited budget.

I have been doing CICO for two months (lost 10 lb!) and here are some of the habits I've picked up:

• First of all, it was a no-brainer to reduce portion sizes for things like corn chips, cookies, and rice. I just never realized how many calories they were, and I'd rather spend my budget on something else.
• To make my budget stretch further, I focus on small meals that are filling and high in protein.
• I've reduced the calorie-dense parts of my favorite dishes and added more veggies instead.
• I eat more slowly, and drink more water.
• I have been more focused on building muscle, because this increases my resting metabolic rate... and just because it feels good!

After two months of making these adjustments, it's become second nature. It's really not as hard as I was expecting. At the end of the day, I still have the same variety in my diet (even junk food, just in better portion sizes), I enjoy all the same flavors and textures, the same amount of time spent eating, and in fact I actually feel MORE full and energized because I am getting better nutrition and drinking more water.

So yeah, CICO didn't lead to me eating half a pizza and calling it a day simply because that comes in under budget. It totally transformed the way I think about food and appetite. I am feeling way better now, and the only thing I set out to do was to follow the program on LoseIt. This isn't purely about numbers, it is about changing your mindset after you understand how calories work.

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5'10" Male Just Starting My Weight Loss Journey

I've never made a post like this, especially one this long. I'm sorry if the formatting is bad. Also I understand no one might care, but I don't have anyone to share this with, want to record it for myself, and wanted to seek some acknowledgement I guess haha.

I used to have problems with toxic living environments that made it really difficult to cook at home. I ate out every meal. I've never cared much about food and it slowly transitioned to me eating fast food every day. I also only eat once a day usually. It wasn't intermittent fasting, it was just that whenever I ate I felt shame and bloated and any kind of activity after made me feel sick so I only did it at night when I got home. This went on from 18 to 25 years old. I didn't weigh myself, but I did participate in a migraine study before I got to my worst point and I was ~214 kilos or around 472 pounds (I'm in the US but the study used Kilos) at one point. I believe I got higher than that.

I couldn't stand for more than about 15 minutes at my worst (and that was with some extreme pain).

I moved into my own place unexpectedly last April. Since then I cook everything myself. It saves me a ton of money, and I needed to because I could barely afford life. I lived off of Rice a Roni for a couple months. At first I had to sit down and rest my back while cooking. After a couple months I noticed that I used to struggle to pull my belt to the first hole, and now I was on the third and could force the 4th with a little discomfort. I also fit in my car better. Short walks didn't bother me at all. Until then I had designed my life and planned all my walks so that I knew I could handle them, so I didn't notice the changes much. My work is very sedentary and I didn't notice it there either.

I eventually got to the point where I realized I couldn't even consider wearing my pants without a belt (something I used to be able to do) and even at the first hole in my belt I could walk out of them in 3 or 4 steps. I could also easily wear the belt at the 4th hole. I still hadn't weighed myself at that point. I decided I wanted to take it a little more seriously and I changed my diet to healthier (but still inexpensive) food and I ordered a scale.

I got my scale on 9/3/2019 and weighed myself the first time at ~446 pounds. I honestly felt pretty disappointed because I had hoped it wasn't that bad.

I decided to commit to intermittent fasting intentionally, (16/8 but really only eating once so sort of OMAD). I only drink water with 0 cal/sugar/carb flavor added or plain. I used to drink a ton of soda. I have a meeting once a week where I get a coffee from a cafe that satisfies my sweet tooth. I eat low carb and high protein (made up a stir fry recipe with chicken breast and veggies I like a lot). I also bought a gym membership and have been going for about 2 hours of light cardio a couple times a week (trying to do every other day but my feet get blisters).

I also met a girl online who is incredible. She knows what I look like and it doesn't bother her.

My current weight as of 10/10/2019 is 418.8 pounds. I will need a new belt soon. I honestly don't feel that accomplished because I'm so far from where I want to be, but I know I'm making progress and it feels good. I feel so much more energy and healthy than I did before. I don't tire out from simply walking anymore. I am really looking forward to changing my life. I want to go hiking. I'm not up to posting a pic yet, or even taking one of myself and really looking at it but I hope so soon.

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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/33nFtKG

People treating you worse after you lose weight

I'm sure there's always that one Debbie downer out there, but it seems like the more I lose the worse these people get.

I'm 5'2" and in May I weighed 167 pounds which I think may have been my heaviest? I didn't own a scale for a while. After doing CICO, IF and cardio I now weigh 140 pounds. I still have a ways to go but the difference is very noticeable. I went from wearing a size 12 jeans to a size 6. I dropped a bra size and had to get a whole new wardrobe.

The person who treats me the worst after my weight loss is actually a co-worker, but there are many others. Her and I are the only 2 in the office most days.

I don't even talk about my weight or eating habits. But it was like the minute she could tell a difference she became a monster.

Maybe it's a jealousy thing? She's significantly older than me so you'd think she'd be more mature, but I suppose for everyone cheering you on you're always going to have those people who want you to fail.

Some days its really irritating to be around these types of people...

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