I started my weight loss journey in June, at 216 lbs. It's now November and I've only lost about 25 lbs total. I'm fluctuating between 192 and 195 every few days for the past six weeks, with little to no explanation why. I should be at most 180 lbs by now.
5'1" female, 29 y/o, 194 lbs today, but I was 192 lbs yesterday. I KNOW that I didn't eat 6400 calories yesterday. I count and track.
I'm eating around 1500 calories, which is below my RMR. I weight train 3 times a week, and I've gotten a lot stronger since I started... But I just can't seem to shed lbs.
I'm not sure what it is I'm doing incorrectly. I've slimmed down and lost a few inches off of my waist and butt, definitely, but the scale is still not moving in the downward direction. I know it's probably impossible that I've replaced fat with muscle.
I want to meet my goal weight (120) by June 2020 but I'm beginning to think that it's impossible since the scale hasn't budged and doesnt seem to be budging.
I’ve seen a lot of posts talk about setting their weight loss goals to be at the upper end of a healthy BMI. While that’s very reasonable for many, that’s where I started my journey, and I knew it wasn’t normal or healthy for me to be 150+ lbs.
I was "healthy" by BMI standards, but I was very sedentary (relative to a few years ago), and drinking more than I should. My journey can largely be considered vanity weight (especially to a lot of posters here who have 100+ lbs to lose and life-threatening conditions to battle). I have a relatively small frame and basically weighed around 120-130 lbs until college.
I initially chose 125 lbs as my goal because it was approximately the weight I had been at for most of my life. Now that I’m literally within 1 lb of my goal, I find myself wanting to get to 125 merely for the sake of saying “I did it”, which really isn’t a good reason (I already feel great, love the way I look in clothes, etc.).
So, for those of you who started slightly overweight or at the higher end of healthy, how did you choose your goals? Did you ever re-evaluate? If so, when/why? How did you decide if or when you wanted to shift over to toning/recomping (I switched from cardio 5x/week to strength training 3x/week and cardio 2x/week about 2 months ago)?
If you’re looking for that perfect pork recipe, we understand. Pork is the perfect dinner protein: Succulent, versatile and, of course, affectionately known as the other white meat.
Pork’s popular tagline doesn’t simply refer to its color, either. Pork can be as lean as the original white meat, chicken breast, but it has way more to offer than its famous name notes.
Pork contains plenty of nutrients, including riboflavin, zinc, vitamin B6 and selenium, and it’s also a great way to get in that extra protein.
Protein is an important tool in your weight loss tool kit, shown to help preserve muscle mass as the pounds drop. By adding more protein but keeping portion sizes the same, you’ll also probably feel fuller, eating less fat and calories, but leaving your table satisfied after each meal. Sounds like a weight loss win-win, no?
Pork provides the perfect healthy base for a hearty meal that will leave you satisfied. The lean white meat packs in protein you need to keep your diet on track. Adding a serving of fruit is an easy way to boost the flavor and the nutrition. Imagine delicious apples and pears, cinnamon and pork filling your home with wonderful aromas while you cook. It’s the perfect recipe for two (or one, if you like to enjoy leftovers the next day). This is an easy pork recipe with little prep and little clean up. This flex meal counts as one SmartCarb, one PowerFuel and two Extras for those on the Nutrisystem program. Click here for the full recipe >
Skip the greasy takeout and taste how satisfying homemade meals can be! We all have cravings for takeout, but “taking-in” can be delicious and diet-friendly. Combine lean pork, onions, carrots, cabbage and soy for a balanced meal you can feel good about. This delicious deconstructed egg roll bowl provides fewer than 400 calories and is void of the greasy sodium bombs that often hide in our foods. Quinoa is a smart swap for rice that adds all nine essential amino acids to this pork recipe and provides a hearty, satisfying texture. Spice it up or down with your favorite hot sauce. This pork recipe provides three servings of vegetables and protein. Success in a bowl! This meal counts as one SmartCarb, one and a half PowerFuels, three Vegetables and one Extra. Click here for the full recipe >
Preparing a meal doesn’t always mean perpetual clean up. This pork recipe makes a healthy (and tasty!) meal possible all in less than an hour with one nifty dish. Using the power of fresh herbs, you will add loads of flavor with little calories. Sage, rosemary and thyme… the perfect trio. And, this recipe makes six servings! Have the whole family for dinner or stock up on leftovers for the week. The hearty root vegetables in this dish can help you feel fuller and satisfied beyond belief thanks to the fiber. One serving counts as one SmartCarb, one PowerFuel, one Vegetable and two Extras. Click here for the full recipe >
This two-step recipe is faster than getting in a car and getting through that congested drive-thru, and it’s so much tastier. Building your own flatbread with a whole wheat pita is a good way to get in some of those whole grains recommended by the American Heart Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Provolone adds a creamy touch and deli ham’s that lean protein you’re looking for. Top it all with arugula, onion and pineapple for an easy pork recipe that looks like the work of a kitchen genius. Toasting it all in the toaster oven makes the Fast Hawaiian Flatbread a melty, gooey, sweet and savory meal in minutes. Protein, fiber and whole grains are on your plate and ready for your stomach. This recipe counts as one SmartCarb, two Powerfuels and one Extra. Click here for the full recipe >
I was wondering if anybody has any experience with the OMAD diet?
I'm a relatively fussy eater and I find it hard to follow diets which require certain foods to be eaten. Because of this I'm looked more into CICO themed diets, due to my work/personal life I struggle with being able to follow even CICO throughout the day (also restricted by me being fussy again)
So I've started (10 days and counting) to test the OMAD diet, at the moment I'm eating one meal between 12-1pm every day consisting of 1200-1400 calories then nothing unless other than water.
Essentially my questions are
- Will this have any long term negative effects
- Anybody with personal experience and can give me some advice on it
- Is 'starvation mode' a myth, will eating 1200-1400 calories hinder my weight loss?
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.
Title says all but nevertheless here's some long-ass backstory:
I have been overweight/obese since I was in 3rd grade. I had reached 103kg in highschool in 2011 when my friend introduced me to street dance, and since then I fell in love with dancing. One of the dancer I admired on Youtube lost a lot of weight, hence I was motivated to start my weight loss journey. After about 6 months, I managed to lose around 20-25kgs, but without proper knowledge of nutrition and just did it by eating less and practicing more.
University came by and the weight started to creep in again. Reached about 95kg in early 2014 when I decided to lose weight again because I didn't like how I looked, and this time I was equipped with free student gym memberships and MFP. I did CICO, cardio and weight lifting and lost about 20kgs in about 4-5 months (got a relative who's into fitness and got some neat advice).
Sounds good right? Except I was so obsessed with numbers, both in MFP app and on the scale, and some days I would starve myself with small portion of salad at night. No knowledge of macro-nutrients in the slightest. It was unhealthy despite the weight loss success.
Feeling good about losing weight for the second time, I entered workforce in 2015. I managed to keep the gym habit but not much CICO. I managed to maintain my weight within 80-90kg range (gaining and losing constantly) up to the end of 2017.
Entering 2018 was when all hell broke lose. Work and social stresses, personal issues etc. made me lose motivation to work out. I stopped my gym membership mid 2018 and was just eating whatever. 85kg increased to 90kg, 95kg, 100kg and eventually I reached my max around April or May 2019, which is at ~110kg. Reason of weight gain, in short: BINGE.
June 2019 I decided to lose weight again, but different from last time I didn't have a clear motivation. I just suddenly wanted to do it out of nowhere. As of now, I am down to 88.5kg by doing almost the same thing as last time but with more knowledge on nutrients and less restrictive measures. It might be still slightly too fast but I lost about 1.1kg per week in average without feeling starved.
I know I'm currently doing better than my previous attempts, but the unclear motivation kinda baffles me. I am scared that I might return to my old binging ways. Sharing my story here to know whether anyone else has ever have this experience before and would love to know some suggestions on losing and maintaing weight!
In any case, I wish everyone good luck in their journey to lose weight!
So I’m a pretty small person, only 5’ tall. This means that my TDEE is only 1450. That makes a 500 cal deficit pretty unhealthy since anything under 1200 is generally frowned upon. Any suggestions on how to keep up weight loss besides a 250 cal deficit? I’m doing that right now, but it halves the speed of the process and I’d love to do what I can to supplement it and speed it up.
For context (and to not get flagged as having to short of a post) my start weight is 115lbs. Theoretically my goal is to get to 100, but I don’t really care much about the number as much as I do losing the belly fat. Should I worry about the calorie deficit or should I worry more about body recomposition? And if so, how should I go about that? Thanks!
