Struggling after the holidays more than I did during them (baby rant)

I've done a really great job on diet & exercise since July 2019, and have lost about 40 pounds during that time (closer to 50+ since a year ago, but I wasn't really paying attention until summer). My original goal in July was to lose "about 20 pounds", so I've exceeded that and am pretty close to my target weight of 180 (like, I'm hovering around 182 for the past couple of weeks — and that's okay).

I have been weighing and recording pretty much all my food, and have been doing HIIT workouts 3 or 4 times a week, up until the week of Christmas. This has been really exhausting, and I'm getting worn out from the amount of effort I put into the whole thing.

Last weekend I caught a cold, so I've been trying to avoid eating at a significant deficit, so that my body can fight the virus. I've also been staying out of the gym because I would just wear myself out, and would get other people sick.

But I really enjoy baking — and have been doing a lot because I was off work for the holiday. Mostly I've been avoiding eating too much of what I make, but even one or two cookies a day is enough to blow my calorie budget. Today was especially rough. I made lemon shortbread cookies with a lemon curd filling (to be fair, the lemon curd didn't turn out so it's more of a lemon sauce, but that's a separate issue for a separate subreddit). And I ate about 4 of them.

This evening, I decided to try making saltines. They didn't turn out either, which is fine for something I've never made before, and the experience was educational. But then I ate about 200+ calories worth of them (they are delicious, even if they aren't what they were supposed to be).

I'm finding it harder to fight my cravings. I don't know if this is because I'm sick, or because the stuff is around and I am just eating it because it's nearby, or if I'm just tired of eating chicken and broccoli.

I know this is a temporary setback. I know that I am in it for the long haul....but am I? Can I sustain the lost weight? This is the first time I've ever set out to lose weight, and I'm anxious about long term maintenance. Will I be able to stick with this new lifestyle thing for the next 30 or 40 years? I love baking almost as much as I love eating baked goods. It's been a real struggle these last 6 months, but I've done pretty good at treating myself to specific high-quality sweets once or twice a month. Now I'm feeling like I've lost my willpower and am just stuffing things in my face even if they aren't that good (I'm looking at you, pumpkin cookies with too much flour).

To add to all of this, I also want to start doing some weight training to build some muscle. I've lost a bunch of weight through the HIIT classes + diet adjustment, and burn plenty of calories when I'm actively exercising (which I will get back to next week). But it's basically all cardio — which is awesome for weight loss. But not for my overall fitness and (let's be honest) how my body looks.

The primary obstacle on weightlifting is that I broke my elbow last February, and it is still a weak point in my body. Most upper body exercises put some level of stress on the elbows, and that's holding me back a lot. I know that it will be at least several more months (or even years) before my elbow is back to "normal" (or at least healed to a point where I can use it the same as the other one).

Maybe I'm just too good at discounting the positives. Maybe I'm looking at all these small negatives and feeling lost. IDK.

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"Why don't you just eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full?"

Just a short rant on this terrible advice. Not that it's a terrible idea, but that it's terrible to recieve as advice - what a simple, easy solution! I can't believe it never occured to me before! Now I can finally manage my weight! ...I have heard friends and family members say it. My family doctor has said it. But mostly, I see it anytime weight gain issues are mentioned on a fitness, health, or weight loss sub. I understand that it's well intentioned, but it can feel so frustratingly condescending and ignorant.

Personally, I feel hungry a lot. Often. I feel hungry after well balanced meals, I feel hungry after getting adequate nutrients, sleep, and exercise. I can know that I'm adequately full but still feel hungry. I'm not unable to identify boredom, or stress, or anxiety, I'm not looking to feel stuffed to the brim to be rid of the feeling. I just feel hungry often. I'm happy for people that can say "I feel hungry, it's time to eat" while managing their weight. But I am someone that will feel hungry, no matter my weight or diet or lifestyle, and I must choose how much to eat based on what my body needs instead of my hunger cues.

Some people are just HUNGRY! And other people have complex issues. And the least helpful advice always begins with "Why don't you just...."

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Am I being unrealistic in my weight loss goals and how can I avoid plateau?

My weight has yo yo’d for probably the last decade but I’ve never made much conscious effort to do anything about it (I lost a load due to a period of very bad mental health and then put it all back on again). I’m now near the heaviest I’ve ever been. I’m getting married this year and I’m very self conscious about how I look in pictures at the moment. I’d love to be happy with my body on my wedding day!

I have set a goal of 2lbs a week and get married on the 12th September so I’m aiming to shed around 72lbs before then - is this realistic? So far I’ve mapped out the year week my week with my goal weight for each week. I’m worried I’ll plateau at some point and throw myself completely off track.

I’m trying to correct my diet firstly. I have been guilty of eating pure junk and 3-4 take outs per week in the last year. As of 1 Jan I restricted my calorie intake to 1200 and I’ve been sticking to it. I plan to get into a proper exercise regime next month but wanted to get my diet down first and not overwhelm myself.

Any tips, advice or guidance would be much appreciated!

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Help with exercise motivation

Hello friends,

I am early days (about six weeks or so) into my weight loss journey and am looking for some advice. I've found calorie counting pretty easy to intergrate into my life. I don't eat breakfast, have switched diet coke for water unless I want a treat after a hard day at work, and have essentially completely stopped snacking on anything other than fruit or veg (apples and carrot sticks are the go to). I'm averaging around 1200-1700 depending on the day.

I started out at 231lbs on November 18 of 2019 and as of the last weigh in a couple of days ago, I am at 221lbs. My initial aim is to hit 14st and come in on my BMI under overweight for the first time probably since I was 15 (I'm 25m).

However, I know that losing weight through CICO and CICO alone is not sustainable if I want to hit my ultimate goal of 11st (about 150lbs), and exercise will need to be a part of what I do going forward. However, I really struggle with motivating myself to go to the gym and work, and don't have the money to invest in anything like a bike etc. I have a very sedentary and stressful job, but walk around 2.5 miles a day to and from work. Often I just want to go home at the end of the day, I never could workout during a break (I don't have one really) and I'm naturally a late riser so would find early morning workouts an absolute killer.

For those who maybe were in a similar situation, what did you use as motivation to start going to the gym? Were their things you set as rewards if you did or was it something else? I'm also worried I'll overeat if I start exercising, even though I track everything religiously atm. Any help appreciated!

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Crowded gyms are not an excuse to belittle newcomers :/

Yes, new years just past. Yes, people have made their weight loss related resolutions. Yes, it may mean the gym that you frequent becomes a bit crowded. Yes, you MIGHT have to wait a couple minutes to hop on a machine that's usually vacant. But none of these things are a reason to shame or belittle the people who are starting their journeys and have decided that going to the gym would be a part of that.

I've been frequenting my gym ever since I started on my weight loss journey so I've become a regular which means I can typically spot another regular. A couple days ago, January 2nd, I go to my gym during their peak hours. Right away I notice that there are more people there than usual even for peak hours, something that I expected being the 2nd day of the year.

As someone who has gone from obese to normal weight this last year, when I saw this I couldn't help but be excited for all these beautiful people starting a journey which I knew would change their lives for the better (as it did mine)! So when I walk through the door ready to check in with the front desk clerk, I see that his attention is on some ornery lifter that I recognize to be a regular ( I always recognize him in particular cos he's that guy who constantly and purposefully allows his weights to loudly crash onto the floor while he's lifting and then lets out some kind of guttural demon mating call sound after) who is ranting on and on about how crowded and how full of people who have "no hope" the place is. He audibly goes on to say that new years weight loss resolutions are "pointless for fat people" and that they should all just clear out now since they'll "probably give up in a few days anyway". Apparently the guy had to wait to use a machine which I guess is something he never had to do before? Meanwhile I'm over here waiting for this dummy to finish talking shit and just smile at the clerk who glances at me apologetically. But OOF did this whole thing leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Let's not forget that just getting through that door can be an anxiety ridden NIGHTMARE for some of us. God forbid you try and use a machine you're unfamiliar with and hope to GOD that you're using it correctly OR maybe you're doing a bit of calisthenics and are trying your hardest to keep your posture in check without looking like a flailing tube man. So yes, for some of us, it takes a lot of guts! So the last thing we need to hear is that we're unwanted at your gym. Because trust me, we're already pretty good at the whole self-deprecating thing and don't need some dummy to make us feel any worse or scare us off.

I know this man's views does not make up the majority of gym regulars and despite overhearing what I heard, my excitement for all the newcomers is still there and growing! And remember, going to the gym is not always a requirement to meet your goals! There are plenty of alternatives to the gym if adding exercise is part of your resolution as well as the option to solely focus on diet and nutrition.

Stay strong this year friends! Never let anyone put you down for wanting to better yourself.

:)

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Can I actually get to my GW? (Female: 5' 3" CW: 176 GW: 130. Moderately active, mostly confused) Looking for advice/other thoughts.

I've been told to lose weight by my doctor. In the last year or so I've probably put on 15lbs and started having some awkward health issues, although I'm not convinced they are completely related- they might just be amplified.

For context I work on my feet and while I'm not the MOST active person, I'm by no means about to be broken by a solid hike. Even when I was younger and played sports, I was always on the heavier side of the numbers for my age/stature. According to the BMI I should be 130lbs but I haven't been that weight since I was pubescent- it just doesn't feel like a physical possibility for me, with also being healthy.

Now my question is, is it actually possible for me to get to my goal weight, or am I going to always be a little heavier numbers wise because muscles, stature/ how my body is? Or is that just me being afraid of the numbers? I've been hesitant to give myself a number goal, because I'm aware that it can be a dangerous game. Especially considering this weight loss isn't the most drastic and it feels like a getting fit goal rather than a losing weight goal. Does that make sense? I know this isn't something that I'm going to figure out over night but I'm trying to create solid and attainable goals. I want to make sure my goal is realistic. I'm also talking to a wellness coach later this month but I'd like some diverse opinions.

Thank you for reading!

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Please help... I don't know how it got this bad, or what to do about it

Please excuse the word vomit below. I'm just feeling very desperate and don't know where else to go.

I just caught a reflection in the mirror of my side profile. What I saw was such a shock that I don't know how I have let myself go this much. I look like a total stranger, like the kind of fat person that kids point and laugh at.

I think I have been deluding myself for a long time. I only ever look at my face in the mirror, and as I'm lucky that I don't carry much weight around my face it never looks that bad. When I look down at my own body it also doesn't look terrible. I see some bangin' cleavage and some slim ankles (the cleavage covers everything in between...)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not so deluded that I didn't know I was obese. I just thought it didn't look THAT bad. But I have finally hung a large mirror in my house, and like an almighty slap in the face, I saw the truth of it.

I know this needs to change. My body prevents me from enjoying life. I can only walk around for a couple of hours before I'm so tired I can't go on. I can't enjoy gigs because my feet hurt so much from standing that long.

I'm pear shaped, so most of my weight is around my bum and hips. This means I'm so restricted simply by bloody chairs. Planes, trains, cinemas, theatres, restaurants, bars... I can't go to or get on any of them without researching chair width first. I look up info on airlines before I book flights. I look at the galleries on restaurant websites to see what type of chairs they have.

My biggest dream is to return to a small European country that I visited years ago and fell in love with. But only one budget airline flies to it from my nearest city, and that airline's seats are way too narrow for me... so I can never go back.

I am turning 30 this year. When I think of how I wasted my twenties being too fat to experience it to the full, it breaks my heart. I don't want to live with this regret, but I don't know how to change it.

I have been trying to lose weight since I was 12 and a totally normal BMI. I had a tiny bit of puppy fat, but I was terrified of turning into my mum.

My mum has been morbidly obese her whole adult life. She basically has no thyroid and despite barely eating anything, her weight has just always crept up.

She started pointing out my weight and cellulite at a young age, also fearing that I would end up like her.

I started emotionally eating and bingeing in my teens, and hiding food in my bedroom. When I moved out and did my own grocery shopping, my bingeing went nuts.

I managed to break the habit of bingeing years ago, but I still emotionally eat, and my weight never stopped increasing.

There have been so many diet and exercise regimes. So much mediation, calorie counting, hypnotherapy, intuitive eating, liquid diets, self help books etc.

The most success I had was before my wedding. I spent 10 months on a strict diet, going to the gym 3-4 times a week. By the time my wedding came around I was a shell of a person. Every waking moment and every ounce of energy had been poured into weight loss and thinking about weight loss and talking about weight loss. I couldn't have done it for one more day.

All of that work brought my weight down from 220 to 205.

By the time I got back from my two week honeymoon, the scales read 224.

I'm not exaggerating that after that weigh in I howled and wept on the floor. I had half killed myself for literally nothing, and there was nothing left in me to pick myself up again.

I have tried all sorts since then. I cut out sugar for two months and gained a pound. I ate 1500 calories a day for a year and gained two pounds. I exercised every day for six months and nothing shifted. I could list it all but it would take hours.

Between these efforts I completely give up. I eat whatever I want and do no exercise, because I'm so drained that I just can't bring myself to think about the elephant in the room (ha).

It's been a while since I weighed myself, but the last time I did it said 275.

I don't know how to do this. I don't think I can. The evidence of the past shows that it is impossible. Every time I gave up I gained more weight than I lost, and I'm so afraid of having a little success and then ending up worse off than before.

What do I do? I'm completely spiralling and totally overwhelmed.

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