"Everything You Know About Obesity Is Wrong"

Hi losers! I'm a longtime lurker here, and the community has been a great motivator for me since I started on my weight loss journey last year. I've seen a lot of discussion in some posts about the 'Health/Healthy At Any Size' concept, and after reading this article I'd love to see what Redditors here think of it (be warned: it's quite long).

It was published in 2018, so some of you may have already read it, but to me it really encapsulated some of the attitudes that I find difficult to reconcile in the body positive or HAES philosophies. Namely, that losing weight is pointless because diets don't work and even if you do lose weight you'll likely gain it all back anyway. Some lines that jumped out at me:

• "For 60 years, doctors and researchers have known two things that could have improved, or even saved, millions of lives. The first is that diets do not work. Not just paleo or Atkins or Weight Watchers or Goop, but all diets. Since 1959, research has shown that 95 to 98 percent of attempts to lose weight fail and that two-thirds of dieters gain back more than they lost. The reasons are biological and irreversible." This seems like a pretty defeatist attitude to me -- nearly all attempts to lose weight fail? And the reasons are biological? So what's the point in even trying then? And doctors know this but choose to misdirect their patients? (Also Goop isn't a diet, but that's a whole other can of worms.)
• "As early as 1969, research showed that losing just 3 percent of your body weight resulted in a 17 percent slowdown in your metabolism—a body-wide starvation response that blasts you with hunger hormones and drops your internal temperature until you rise back to your highest weight. Keeping weight off means fighting your body’s energy-regulation system and battling hunger all day, every day, for the rest of your life." I've never experienced a big drop in weight, so this is something I wanted to ask to people who have. Does this sound true?
• "A few years ago, on a routine visit, Andrew’s doctor weighed him, announced that he was 'dangerously overweight' and told him to diet and exercise, offering no further specifics. Should he go on a low-fat diet? Low-carb? Become a vegetarian? Should he do Crossfit? Yoga? Should he buy a fucking ThighMaster?" This just bugged me. Maybe Andrew could have done some research and read the countless free resources online about what to do if you need to lose weight? Idk.
• This statistic is highlighted in a callout box: "Chances of a woman classified as obese achieving a 'normal' weight: 0.8%" Again -- I guess I have to take this at face value, but this seems to be cherry picked deliberately to stop people from even trying to lose weight.

The bulk of the article covers anecdotal evidence from overweight people who have experienced cruelty and discrimination by the medical establishment, which is obviously terrible but I got the feeling that the author had purposefully included these stories to support their hypothesis that dieting is a sham and weight loss is a pipe dream. It didn't come across as very balanced.

Like most people here, I think everybody deserves respect regardless of their size and the socio-economic factors that play a part in a person's diet should be looked at more closely instead of just applying the same weight loss advice to everyone. But I find it difficult to support the idea that even attempting to lose weight is an exercise in futility, especially given all the inspiring stories I've seen posted here.

Would love to hear your thoughts though.

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30 Day Accountability Challenge - February Sign Ups

A new month is starting which means a new Daily Accountability Challenge!

This is the sign up post to make your goals for the month.

There will be a daily post for you to post your progress on said goals.

At the end of the month, there will be a wrap up to talk about your general progress & how you feel about everything!

If you miss the sign up post, you're always welcome to hop in, the waters fine! You can also read everyone else's progress & commiserate, congratulate & whatever else needs ating. Your goals can be weight loss or general health related, creative, self care or whatever else you need to focus your mental energy on. We try to foster a supportive place to chat about your successes & failures & what you've learned from both.

Leading by example, here are my goals, subject to mild tweaks as needed:

Weight by end of month (205 lbs, preferably trend weight):

Stay within calorie range (1500): X/X days.

Exercise 5 days a week: X/X days.

Limit purchased coffee drinks (3 a week), if exceeded, $25 donation: X/13 total.

Self-care time (journaling, beauty treatments, anything that makes me feel taken care of):

Try a new recipe once a week: X/4 weeks.

Finish The Body Keeps the Score: Blergh.

Drawing prompt every day: X/X days.

Brush teeth after dinner: X/X days.

Do/say something to make SO smile: It’s February & I genuinely believe my SO deserves the best from me. I always want to be giving the people I love the best I have to offer. Also how gross & sentimental I’ve become in my old age.

Your turn kids!

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I can't rest my arm on my side anymore when laying down

I used to lay on my side a lot with my arm resting on my love handle region and my hand on my thigh. However, it's just too uncomfortable now... my hip bone digs into my arm ;)

It seems silly but small things like this really do cheer me up and motivate me. Especially because I am FINALLY starting to see results in my stomach/sides. I have lost 90lbs and with the last 10 I have really noticed a big difference. I am starting to feel much leaner!!

I don't know about anyone else but I sometimes feel like my weight loss comes in waves. I work really hard for 4-5 weeks straight and don't really feel a big difference then suddenly within days I feel much leaner. It's a great feeling!

Only thing that sucks is now I can't sit in my bath anymore cause my bum is too bony lol

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After some reflection, I realize I need to track calories. But how do I live/eat after reaching my goal?

In my first post to this subreddit a month ago, I wrote about how I was motivated to lose weight, but I didn’t want to track my calories. I just wanted to follow my nutritionist’s guidelines, exercise, and see where that went. However, after 1.5 years or so of maintaining my weight after a ~35 lb loss, I am at a point where I really want to shed some pounds. I want to do this. Yet I did not want to painstakingly count every calorie I ate or burned--not because I didn’t want to do the hard work, but because I figured, “Well, I’ve lost weight without doing that; it can work again.” And I thought, “Plus, I don’t want to track calories for the rest of my life!”

I think I still need to work that last issue out. How will I live and eat after I lose more weight? What are your experiences? I was able to maintain my weight loss for a long time, but I didn’t count calories then and I sure don’t want to do that forever. ☹ How is that living.

I want to be conscious of what and how much I eat, but not track that for the long-term. I recently downloaded the Lose It! app to count my calories, and it’s been okay so far as I also continue to go by my nutritionist's guidelines.

What do you think? Is counting calories simply a reality I need to accept? Can I be free of that one day?

Thank you.

P.S. I'm trying to lose at least 15 more pounds.

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Why the right approach matters and some tips to find yours!

Hey guys, F19 here, 5'7'' CW 140lbs

Until little over a month ago, I took my weight loss to the extreme. I starved myself for months and as a result obviously lost a bunch of weight. When I started eating again, there was a span of a few weeks were I seemed to have such an extreme hunger, I ate until I was physically sick all day. As a result of this, I gained some weight back. I didn't want this to defeat me tho, and have completely revamped my approach to weight loss. As of today, I have pretty much reached the weight I used to be at when I starved myself and here are some things I have noticed:

1. I feel warm. I live in Siberia, but everything is so warm even in -30°C! People who have lived here all their lives routinely call me crazy when I run around without a hat on x) When I starved myself, I was freezing in a warm car, I had to take extremely hot showers to even remember what being warm felt like. Huge difference here!
2. My self confidence is through the roof, as a generally very insecure person, I feel like I have more confidence now than ever. When I first reached this weight, I would have never been able to think about dating or anything alike, now I am looking forward to my second date with a great guy, feeling good about it!
3. I am so much happier. My mood has greatly improved, I am not hungry all the time and feel much more stable. I am less irritable and actually feel like doing things!
4. I eat a lot more (duh), I aim for around 1700-1800 calories a day and spread them out over as many meals as I like and need. I am a big fan of small portions, so I sometimes eat 6 times a day and it feels like I am just constantly eating, as opposed to looking forward to my single meal a day that was never more than 600 calories.
5. My energy levels are back! For a while, I thought I had found the cure to my ADHD, my constant fidgeting, getting up to pace around my room and need for movement had completely faded away. Now that I am back to my old self, I am more than ever realizing why I would never want to live without my hyperactive self, she's the reason my life is so fun!
6. I am actually not a very food focused person at all. When I starved myself, I was constantly feeling hungry, even if I had just eaten a portion that now satisfies me for several hours. I can keep snacks around me and the thought of binging on them doesn't even come to mind. In fact, I feel like I have more snacks than I'll ever be able to eat!

So how did I find this approach that works for me? I looked at what I wanted from this. I enjoy eating a lot of different things in a day, I love variation! (Except for my breakfast, that's always the same) So what I found works for me is just eating many, smaller meals a day. At the end of the day, if I list all the foods I have eaten, the list is very long and I am happy with what I had that day without having eaten too many calories.

I know that many people are very keen on intermittent fasting, but I have found that I just really like to eat breakfast, I enjoy getting up in the morning and preparing the same boring bowl of oats every day, it gives me a sense of security and structure. My breakfast also usually holds me over until the late afternoon when I feel hungry again.

My day usually starts around noon and ends around 4am, so normal eating times just don't work for me and that's fine! I usually get hungriest at nighttime, so I make sure that most of my eating takes place at night. It wouldn't make sense for me to eat all my calories during the day when I am mostly awake at night :D

I also figured out that I burn much more calories than I thought. Every calculator spits out a TDEE of around 1,700 for me, but I figured out that I burn closer to 2,200 or even 2,300, depending on the day. I am a very fidgety person who constantly moves in one way or the other, walk around a lot and have a very active thyroid that's bordering on hyperthyroidism, so my needs are just more and eating below 1,500-600 calories makes me feel awful.

I guess the bottom line is, that while there are many guidelines, trends etc, in the end you need to figure out what works best for you and only you. Every body is different and so is every person. What might work for Person A could be a disaster for Person B, so figure out what's good for you. That's the great part about CICO, as long as your calories are in check, the rest is super flexible! Take good care of yourselves people, don't push for fast results because they will not be worth it. Take the scenic route, enjoying the landscape along the way will bring you much more joy!

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Plan for maintenance *now*, especially while you're still losing

227 to 172 to 197 to 167 to 218

Currently 195 and falling

Yes, this is the third time I'm in serious weight loss. The first two times I failed to do maintenance successfully and gained back a large portion of the weight that I lost. You can quibble with the numbers (https://healthblog.uofmhealth.org/health-management/weighing-facts-tough-truth-about-weight-loss vs https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/25/health/95-regain-lost-weight-or-do-they.html) but we all know that keeping the weight off is harder than losing it.

Why? Because you're focused on a goal when you're losing. You have a plan, you have momentum, you have your charts and your graphs and your scales and your routines and your meal plans and everything else. And then, once you hit your goal, you breathe a huge sigh of relief and then, slowly, over time, stop doing the things that made you successful in the first place. Because...

• You want to eat the things you couldn't eat before
• You want to take it easy
• Tracking and weighing yourself and your food every day gets boring
• Life gets in the way
• You feel like you can finally have a cheat day every now and then... and every now and then becomes more and more frequent
• Keto gets really, really boring (and for me, Keto is the only thing that works)

So I'm reminding myself about what needs to change as I do this for the third (ARGH!) time, and if this helps anyone else, great. When I hit my weight goal:

• I must weigh myself every day, because that's the only way I will be honest with myself
• I must go back on Keto as soon as I get more than five pounds over my goal, and stay on it until I hit my goal again
• I must continue to go to the gym every day, just like I do now

While you're still losing, be thinking about what permanent life changes you are going to be keep making when you hit your goal. Don't wait until you hit your goal and think you can go back to normal, you can't, or you'll be one of the majority of people (like me) who just gain it all back. This isn't a diet, this is your life.

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Unsure how many calories I should be eating for my new activity level to maintain weight loss & still fuel my body adequately

I'm feeling a bit lost/discouraged lately, especially as I've started a new workout routine recently, and i'm looking for some advice.

Stats: 26f, 5'3", SW: 150lb CW: 130lb, GW: 110-115lb~ Pear shape (I carry weight in my hips, thighs, lower belly, and unfortunately my face -_- )

According to tdeecalculator.net, my BMR is 1,299 and TDEE is 1,559 (sedentary). I work a sedentary desk job so I've been going by the "sedentary" estimation. With a goal of losing 1lb/week (500 cal daily deficit) this puts me at eating 1059 cals/day, which I did for months and lost 20lbs - I found the calculation to be fairly accurate for me based on the pace I was losing weight (I use myfitnesspal and log everything meticulously using a food scale). During this time I exercised 6 days a week at home, but very lightly/half-assed if i'm honest.

3x/week weights (all exercises using 2 5lb dumbbells, all I had at home) workout examples:

leg day:

• 4x10 squats

• 4x10 lunges

• 2 x 1 min wall sits

arm day:

• 4x10 bicep curls

• 4x10 front arm raises

• 4x10 overhead press (with dumb bells)

• 4x10 side arm raises

I also did 3x/week 30 mins treadmill, mix of walking speed 3.5 and jogging speed 5.5. Honestly, these were pitiful workouts, I was focusing more on getting in the habit of working out every day (except rest day), working on my form, and improving my breathing & heart rate rather than worrying about burning calories or building muscle.

I finally joined the gym a few weeks ago, and recently completed the 8 week c25k program on my treadmill @ home, so my workouts now look like this:

Work out 6 days/week, 1 rest day.

4 days weights which look something like:

• 3x10 squats using 2 15lbs dumbbells (working up to 45lbs total so I can start the stronglifts 5x5 program)

• 3x12 35lb deadlift (again, trying to work up to stronglifts 5x5)

• 3x12 140lb leg press

• 3x12 55lb leg extension

• 3x12 55lb leg curl

• 3x12 55lb of another leg machine I simply cannot remember the name of

• 12-15 mins stair climber @ level 8.

On arm days I switch out squats and dead lifts for bicep curls and arm raises & some of the machines for lat pull downs, peck deck, etc. This takes me roughly 1 hour including rests. I will be the first to say I have no idea what i'm doing. Right now I am very inexperienced in the gym and still feel a bit awkward, so I realize my workouts are kind of all over the place. I'm just trying to get a hold on how to use different machines but I have no program i'm following, this is just my current general routine. I hope to start stronglifts 5x5 soon but i'm very intimated by the squat rack and bench press.

Then I do 2 days/week run ~5km which looks roughly like 5 mins warm up @ 3.5 speed, 30 mins @ 5.5 speed, 5 mins cool down @ 3.5 speed. And then 1 rest day.

tdeecalculator.net's suggested information for me (which I've found to be quite accurate so far in my journey):

Basal Metabolic Rate 1,299 calories per day

Sedentary 1,559 calories per day

Light Exercise 1,786 calories per day

Moderate Exercise 2,013 calories per day

Heavy Exercise 2,240 calories per day

Athlete 2,468 calories per day

With the current workouts i'm doing, i'm not sure what category that would put me in considering my job is sedentary. I read somewhere on this sub that if you have a sedentary job then 1 hour/day of exercise is not enough to even classify myself in the "light exercise" category because it doesn't offset the rest of my life being sedentary, and therefore should stick to my -500cals of my sedentary TDEE to continue weight loss. But then I've also read that you need to eat more to fuel your workouts.

My goal right now is primarily fat loss. I don't really care about building muscle at the moment, but from what I've read newbies may be able to lose fat/build muscle simultaneously for a time? Either way, i'm just focusing on losing these last 20lbs right now and i'm not sure how many calories I should be eating to lose the fat but not malnourish myself basically. I have no idea how many calories these new workouts burn so i'm not sure how much more I should be eating to compensate, or if I should just continue on eating around @ 500cal/day deficit (~1000cals/day). I know people always say don't eat less than 1200cals, but I've also read that it doesn't really apply the same to short women?

I'm just feeling a bit lost. Based on the stats I've listed, what would you guys suggest?

• Thank you for reading, I realize this was long but I wanted to include as much information as possible to help paint a picture of my activity level.

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