I Feel Like It’s Finally a Lifestyle Change! (SV)

(32F, 5’3, SW: 188.6, CW: 152.1, GW: 148.6)

I started working out and changing my diet on September 30, 2019. My starting weight was 188.6. The lowest I got before Christmas was 152.1. I couldn’t believe how well I was doing! I knew I’d want to enjoy the holidays, so I let myself do that. If I ate on plan, great. If I didn’t, that was okay, too! The challenge would be to eat moderately, and get back on track afterwards.

Our holidays extended past New Years for a few days due to leftovers and visitors, but I really got myself back in gear on Jan 4th. between 12/20-1/3 I had put back on a few pounds and was sitting at 155.6. Today I woke up and the scale said 152.1 again, just in time for me to go on vacation of course!

I’ve done the hard work in the past and lost the weight. I don’t often have will power to do what I should do to be healthy, but when I do I’m all in. The trouble starts when I go off plan for more than a meal or two, and it’s nearly impossible for me to get back ON plan. This last week of dedication proved to me that I’ve made the commitment to make a real lifestyle change. It makes me feel so good knowing that I can come off and get back on, that the journey to health and mental happiness is worth it. That I’m worth it.

I’m at peace with gaining those few pounds back the next week and a half. I know al I have to do is get back to what I was doing and I’ll be just fine. I’m starting in Puerto Rico and ending in CA. Too much good food to stay on my current plan. But I also have the tools to not binge, enjoy reasonable portions without guilt, and live my life.

I’m one of those people who will also tell you that if I can do it, anyone can!

ETA: I started with a kickboxing challenge that gave me a difficult diet and weight loss goal. After reaching out here I adjusted the diet and the weight started to come off. I work out 4-5 days a week on average and I absolutely love it. Going to the gym wasn’t something that made me excited, but kickboxing makes me excited every single time. I eat 6oz of protein, 2 cups veggies, and 180g berries for breakfast and lunch, sometimes rice or beans instead of berries, and 6oz protein, 2 cups veggies and 2 TBSP fat at dinner, as well as one if not two protein shakes a day. Usually just one.

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Anyone else find weight loss to be EXTREMELY... itchy?

Hey all... so super long story short for context... I am almost 32. When I was 16, I was 475lbs. I lost over 200lbs between my junior and senior year or high school. I gained a little back but was stable between 280-300lbs for over 10 years. A few months ago, after years of excuses and avoidance I finally decided I’m not that far from a healthy weight so why not just get FUCKING JACKED!!!!

I started taking creatine and protein powder and hitting the gym hard 5-6x per week. I gained about 15lbs water weight from the creatine, but have since lost that and about 20lbs more. Last time I weighed what I weigh now, I was in middle school.

All that being said, for the last month or longer, I itch SO FUCKING BAD!!! Mostly on my thighs and butt. Also some on my stomach. I haven’t been able to figure it out. I thought it was dry winter skin, perhaps an allergy. Then tonight I finally thought, is this from my weight loss? The itchy areas are mostly the areas I’ve noticed the most change in appearance.

Anyone else ever experience crazy itching from weight loss?

Thanks.

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When did you start feeling the benefits of losing weight?

I'm down 15kg (33lbs) and 1/3 of the way through, but I don't feel any better. In fact, the fatigue and general lethargic feeling have both gotten so bad after the holidays that I could only go to the gym once this week. I also feel more anxious and especially way more stressed now, which is saying something considering my cortisol levels were through the roof when I did my various checkups before starting the weight loss process.

I'm happy to put up with it because it's not difficult to manage (the gym is by far the hardest part because I never enjoy it and never get the dopamine rush that others love to mention), but it's definitely frustrating.

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Brace Yourself

This was originally posted an individual thread, but I've seen a lot of similar stories in this sub, so decided to share the love. This is gonna be a long one, so brace yourself!

First up, well done to you for joining this community. Weight loss can be a daunting task, especially with the amount of information floating around, and made even more confusing with the hardcore advocates for different eating habits.

A couple of key things I’ve used with clients for weight loss:

1. It’s completely ok to eyeball portions. Not to discredit the people who swear by the scales or macro counting, both are great ways of allowing weight, but realistically, life gets in the way, you’re not going to take a scales everywhere with you, and even the macros on the food labels can be untrustworthy. Plus, who wants to do maths every time you want to sit down to eat? Instead, there’s a tool you can use to measure food, thats scaled to your size and that you have been carrying everywhere you go. Introducing The Hand Rule.

• For Females: 1 palm of lean protein, 1 cupped handful of minimally processed carbohydrates, 1 fist sized portion of vegetables or fruit, 1 thumb sized portion of fat source
• For Males: 2 palms of lean protein, 2 cupped handfuls of minimally processed carbohydrates, 2 fist sized portions of fruit or veg, 2 thumb sized portions of a fat source
• Use this at mealtimes (3-4 times a day) to eyeball portions, it’s something you can use even when you’re out and about or have to order out!

​

1. Nobody has ever jumped from the bottom of Everest to the top, they took it step by step. If this is going to be a lifetime commitment for you, don’t be afraid to take it slow. You’re building habits that will keep you healthy and happy for the long term, not a crash diet to get that swimsuit pic. Choose one, goal focussed thing to change about your daily routine, stick to it for one to two weeks, then add to it with a new thing. If you can’t stick to it, scale it back.

Example: Week 1 - use the hand rule at breakfast, Week 2: use the hand rule at breakfast and lunch

Should you fail week one, take on a smaller goal instead like adding a fruit or veg portion to one meal each day and build from there.

As for timelines, this is a much slower but more permanent method, you’ll see results within 6 months, not 6 weeks, but it will stand to you.

1. Exercise is essential. I know it can be hard, and again daunting to get started with all the info available. Should I do HIIT, slow cardio, AMRAP, AMSAP, Tabata... the list goes on and on, so here’s the kicker. Pick something that suits you, and stick to it. The grass will always look greener once you’ve started a programme, because everyone thinks theirs is best. The best programme in the world is the one YOU can stick to. Usual recommendations are to get a good mix of cardio and resistance exercise (weights) in a week. Resistance exercise is recommended 3 times per week, and cardio every day you're not lifting, at least. If you’re short on time, pick HIIT, there’s loads of great programmes online, again, pick one, stick to it. If you’ve got a dog, there’s your personal trainer for some long walks. If you’re not close to a gym, there’s plenty of home workouts available around the internet, and the road is always there for a run or a walk. I reiterate, pick one, stick to it. Take the same logic from number 2 above, and make it part of your routine gradually.

2. You is kind, you is smart, you is important. Self compassion is key in all of this. It’s something I’ve personally struggled with as a person and as a professional. After everything you do that takes you closer to your goal, take a second to let yourself feel good about what you just did. If something makes you feel good, you’re more likely to do it again right? Resisted the urge to have that second bowl of ice cream? Fantastic! Went for a walk today? You’re breathtaking! Feeling good about what you’re doing instead of talking to yourself like a drill sergeant will make you more likely to do it again, and again and again.

3. If you make a mistake, it’s not the end of the world, and it doesn't have to be the end of your journey. We’re human, we’re wired to make mistakes BUT! We also have the fantastic ability to analyse and learn from them. Did you binge eat because you’re a bad person, or was it because you had a shitty, stressful day, and food makes you feel good? Did you miss your workout this morning because you’re lazy and you slept in, or did you stay up a bit too late last night so didn’t get your 8 hours? These aren’t excuses for the next time around, but they should give you information as to where you can make some changes!

4. The Golden Rule: If there is junk food in your house, you or someone close to you will eat it. Preparation beats motivation. Every. Single. Time. This doesn’t mean take the dumpster into your kitchen and ruthlessly waste all the food, but next time you’re shopping, think of what you’re surrounding yourself with at home when picking food.

5. Numbers are a good guide, but an awful master. Your scale weight is a fantastic way to measure weight loss, but let’s take a second here to think about what that means. When most people say weight loss, they mean fat. If weight was the only thing people wanted to lose, the fastest way to do that would be to cut off your least favourite body part. Fat loss is a gradual process which comes from consistent work, but quick weight changes can be fickle and fluid, because a lot of it is down to water! Water in the body fluctuates wildly depending on a wide range of factors like how much salt or sugar you ate, how much exercise you did, hormone levels in your body etc. So yes, weigh yourself regularly and chart it. It’ll never be a perfect downward line, there’ll be speed bumps along the way, but stick at it and you’ll see it begin to come down!

6. “Is this working for me?” The pragmatic, honest question that you should have in the back of your mind. Keep a calm, calculated curiosity about what you’re doing and how it affects you. This is a journey of discovery, and self-exploration, so try to find out as much as you can. If the scale is lower on Friday than it was on Monday then go you! It’s working! If the scale is slightly higher, ask yourself that question, and see where the pitfalls are!

7. Know your triggers. Food is an intensely emotional concept. It’s what brings families together, it’s what people use to convey emotions of love and happiness at times of celebration, so isn’t it only natural that it makes us feel good? Not to mention we’re genetically hardwired to seek out sugar, salt and fat to keep us alive! The lesson here is that you will have bad days, life happens, you’ll be tired, and stressed, and sad, and mad, and confused, and bruised, sometimes all at the same time! Emotions take over and we need something to make us feel good, so we reach for the closest thing, be it a candy bar, or a can of Coke or a whole tub of ice cream. Pay attention to your emotions around food, ask yourself “am I eating because I’m hungry, or am I eating this because I want to feel better?” If it’s the latter, set a timer on your phone for 2 minutes. If you still want the junk food, go ahead and eat the junk food, guilt free. But often within those 2 minutes the logical brain kicks in and you’ll find yourself making the better decision.

8. Stress. It’s something all to real and all too common among people, and in most cases we don’t know how to handle it. Work is stress. Working OUT is stress. Relationships are stress. All of these can combine to be our worst enemy when it comes to helping ourselves. Before I dive in here; if you feel you need help, or feel helpless, I highly recommend seeing a professional. We all need to talk, we all need to feel validated in our emotions, we all carry baggage, because life is life, and you deserve the luxury of being able to healthily process your emotions. I promise you it makes a difference. On the other hand, if that's not the what you need there are some things you can do to help mitigate stress. Sleep is the first port of call, 7 hours minimum, non-negotiable. Go to sleep at the same time each night and wake up at the same time every morning. Cut caffeine after 1 pm, it lasts in your system for 8 hours after and beyond. We’ve discussed exercise, exercise 3x per week has been proven to be more effective than any antidepressant known to man. Food, as we’ve discussed can be an emotional crutch, without all the highs and lows of sugar and additives. Those 3 things can make an amazing difference in your stress levels. It’ll make you feel like you’re more tuned in and have more control!

As for recipes, I recommend Joe Wicks (not sponsored, I promise), I find his voice incredibly annoying but his books (the lean in 15 series) are a fantastic start point for the beginner fit food creator! Adjust his portion sizes to the Hand Rule and you’ll have some fantastic dishes!

TL;DR

1. Use the hand rule
2. Baby steps, one at a time
3. Pick an exercise routine that works for you, and stick to it. Cardio and Weights. Yes, both.
4. Be kind to yourself, because you need to be on your side of the battle
5. Mistakes do not mean the end of the journey, find the lesson and implement change
6. If there’s junk in your house, you’re going to eat it
7. The scale is a good guide, but should not rule or ruin your life
8. Be perpetually curious and open to change to suit your goal
9. Food is intrinsically tied to emotion, know your triggers.
10. Take care of yourself, take steps to manage stress (sleep, diet, exercise) and seek help if you need it

Hopefully you found at least one thing here useful. If there's anything here I can elaborate on, feel free to ask, or add anything I missed.

The very best of luck on your journey.

Source: 3 years practicing as anEQF Level 4 personal trainer with REPS accreditation, nutrition coach (precision nutrition, Pn1) and current med student pursuing a career in sports and exercise medicine.

​

EDIT: Made a few edits for spelling, grammar and layout

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Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Sunday, 12 January 2020? 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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How do I start my journey to lose weight?

I’m a 23 year old male; I’ve struggled with my weight since i was a child. As of now I’m 6’1 290 lbs. I have a big built but I have big thighs and a big stomach and a chubby face. I don’t know what to do or how to start my diet there’s so much information on weight loss I just don’t know what I should and shouldn’t follow. But I desperately need help. I’d like to get on the right track and hold my self accountable and maintain a strong willpower through my entire journey.

I like to smoke weed; it helps tremendously with my anxiety. Yes I get the munchies obviously but maybe there’s a way i can eat healthy things instead of shit food? Idk. I sound stupid right now but I literally have no where else to turn too. Please help me out guys. I just wanna be healthy and look as good as I used too.

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Any Coping Advice?

Hey guys! So I’m very much at the beginning of my weight loss journey- I’m a nineteen year old female, and my current weight is 290 lbs (5’6). I’ve been using food as an unhealthy coping mechanism for as long as I can remember- but I would really like to change that. I’ve removed most temptations from my house- chips, high sugar foods, etc- but I still find myself trying to fall back into old habits. I’m committed to change my lifestyle to that which is cohesive to first losing, and then maintaining, a healthy body weight; that being said it’s much harder then just writing it out. Does anyone have any advice for turning my attention away from my old snacking habits, and towards more useful thoughts? The mental game of losing weight and gaining a healthier outlook on life is half the battle, it seems.

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