Back at it again

I made this account nearly 5 years ago, about 6 months into my best weight loss streak ever. I was down nearly 65 pounds. It's really humbling to add 100lbs to your flair, but it is what it is. This is where I'm at now. My progress on the Lose It app over the last 5 years looks like a mountain range where I've committed to weight loss for a month, 3 months, 4 months even. Not sure this time will be any different but it's what I'm hoping for. I've got 5 years of failing to learn from. A few things I'm doing different give me reason to be hopeful. I've always jumped cold turkey into cico and cardio. I know that it works for me but this time I am easing myself into the whole thing. I'm trying to make habits that I know are sustainable. Another thing new this time around is me actually posting as I go. I just want something I can look back on as I continue. Thanks for reading this stream of consciousness.

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My (imagined) health problems have been the most effective motivator for me to lose weight

Over the past year, I've become progressively anxious about what I believed to be heart problems. There are a few reasons for this - I have generalized anxiety disorder and genetically high blood pressure (diagnosed at 15, have it even when I'm at a healthy weight), both of which run in the family.

Last spring I called an ambulance for myself because I thought I was having a heart attack, and last week I went into urgent care for chest pains. Both times, my symptoms turned out to be the results of anxiety. (By the way, isn't it fantastic that many of the symptoms for anxiety and heart problems overlap? It's like my anxiety is causing my anxiety.)

So after coming home from urgent care, I made a decision - I can't spend my life freaking out about problems that aren't real, so I should do everything I can to improve my anxiety. I scheduled an appointment with my GP, joined this subreddit, and started following the CICO plan in the MFP app. Your mental health is linked to your overall health, so I believe losing weight will not only lessen my risks for the health problems I'm worried about, it will also make me less likely to worry in the first place.

I'm down about four pounds with CICO - I started at 2000 calories a day, working my way towards 1700/day. It's only been a week, so it's probably mostly water weight, but it feels good to know that this is the longest I've stuck with a weight loss program in years!

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Weight Loss Options?

Hey all. I’ve been around 160 lbs for the last 4 years. I gained 30 lbs in a span of a few months during college.

I haven’t really tried to lose any of the weight. I tried at one point but didn’t lose any/gained it back really quick so I was super demotivated.

The gym stresses me out. I tried intermittent fasting but had a health scare with my iron levels dropping (could be unrelated, but it changed after I started).

Any weight loss things that’ve worked for you? I honestly do nothing for my diet or physical exercise. I’m on my feet all day during work but it’s not physically demanding I’m also open to working out at home.

Also - any tips on feeling more comfortable at the gym? Just feeling really lost right now and I know I’m out of shape/gaining fat in areas that I’m just not loving (muffin top, thighs)

Thanks in advance!

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A slightly funny anecdote about denial

A couple of years ago, I was slightly in the obese range according to BMI. I however refused to believe that I was overweight. I noticed that I looked chubby in every photo that anyone else took of me. I would get mad at them for not telling me to turn my head or something, or for only ever using horrible angles. I thought it was just that everyone was horrible at taking pictures. Lol Then, I finally accepted that if I literally always looked chubby, then I probably was and that weight was not likely "just all my muscle." I started taking weight loss seriously, and have now lost about 60 lbs. Began at age 27, currently 28 years old, F, 5ft 6in. My highest weight was around 192 lbs, and I'm now 135 lbs! I no longer look chubby in photos or get mad at people who take pictures of me.

I was just looking through old photos and remembered being really frustrated with my friend because he took a photo of me in costume but I looked awful in it, in my opinion. I laughed when I remembered because I now know it wasnt really his fault that I had no discernable jawline.

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Want to make exercise really fun? Get an Oculus Quest!

Now to start I'm a lurker here if anything. I've basically completed my weight loss quite some time ago and I'm down to 240 from 310, and I've put on at least 20 lbs of muscle and am now focusing on bodybuilding, and endurance etc... for whatever reason the exercise switch got flipped back in late 2017 and I haven't looked back... HOWEVER I do HATE jogging/HIIT work, but I do it because I need it.... but what I've found with this new Oculus Quest (Completely wiresless and doesn't need a PC) is that the quest can give you an awesome workout while having a blast at the same time. One game in particular is PistolWhip that I really like. I call it the John Wick Simulator. You turn off aim assist and use real gun handling while ignoring the games beat mechanic (Think beatsaber... you can sync your shots to the base etc for more points but I don't care about that). After about 20 minutes of that my HR is up in the 140s. I keep it up and it goes to the 150s and I'm panting , sweating, and exhausted after an hour and have to stop playing. There are other games like Box VR, and some other sports related titles. I've started wearing ankle/wrist/Vest weights to make it even more of a workout. Doing wonders for my ACLs that need some building. I think VR just may be the answer to the obesity problem as this new freedom with the newer generations of hardware make VR more and more mainstream. I played the quest more in one night that I did with both of my first and second gen HMDS put together, it's that good. You take a hit in the graphics, but the freedom really makes up for. Problem right now is they are sold out (They were not prepared for the demand) and the virus slowed production to a stop, but they should be coming back before too long.

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“Only 15 Pounds” Looks Better on My Body Than on My Scale

I’ve been feeling stuck in my weight loss journey lately. I keep ping ponging between 14-15 pounds lost, feeling frustrated because each morning my scale can’t give me that magical number that I’ve been working so hard for.

“Only 15 pounds! I’ve been putting all my effort into losing weight and I ONLY have 15 pounds to show for it” is what I keep telling myself. I’ve been doing CICO, healthy amounts of cardio and strength training 3x/week, good and healthy fuel, consistent therapy, have rid myself of toxic people, made more space in my home, and have been trying to be more kind to myself. It’s tough and challenging, but feels wonderful. I started in August 2019, and had been indulging and inconsistent until about 6 weeks ago, which is when I really started taking it seriously and working hard. Now I crave the gym, crave good foods, crave things that make me feel good and healthy.

I keep noticing that my clothes fit so much better, but I keep trying to convince myself that it’s all in my head - “it’s only 15 pounds, it doesn’t make a difference, you’re crazy”.

I have hypothyroidism, which makes it really tough to create and sustain weight loss. Instead of celebrating that I lost weight despite my yucky thyroid, I was using it as a barrier, saying “I’ll never be where I want to be because it’s impossible without a good metabolism”.

I was looking through photos last night and stumbled across family vacation pictures, and there it was. This picture of me in a bikini, running around with my 2 year old niece. I compared it to pictures of myself from Valentine’s Day, when I was trying on a new bikini for an upcoming trip to Cancun. I couldn’t help but grin a giddy grin.

My arms are smaller, I can notice definition in my shoulders, my legs aren’t nearly as lumpy, my double chin is almost obsolete, I don’t look puffy and bloated. I have energy, my butt is getting more firm, I can walk up stairs without dying, I can dance longer and harder.

I’m realizing that “only 15 pounds” looks and feels so much different on my body than it does when I look at the scale. We need to spend more time being kind to ourselves in this journey, and remembering that any effort is what truly matters. We’re doing the thing ❤️

PROGRESS PICTURE 🥳 August 2019 —> February 2020

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Looking for Advice on Starting Strength Training

Hello,

Two years ago when I started my journey to become healthier I was at ground zero exercise wise. I had plantar fasciitis in both feet and every step hurt. Weight loss and foot braces healed my feet allowing me to walk comfortably. Soon I was tracking calories on My Fitness Pal and counting my steps. Over the course of a few months 10,000 steps daily became my goal and I found that I benefited on so many levels having that daily walk or hike.

Now I'm at the point where I really enjoy daily exercise and I alternate between walks/hike outside, treadmills and walking videos by Leslie Sansome. I am enjoying my increased fitness and see several benefits in addition to weight loss. For example, I look forward to time alone with my thoughts, the physical release and during this time of the year the mood elevation (we have so little sun).

From all that I read about health and exercise, I see that women near or over 50 should add strength training. I'm interested and would like to try it....but I am not sure where to start. Every article or video seems to show different exercise. Also, like weight loss there seems to be contradictory information. For example, some say you can benefit from as little as 5 pound weighs while others say you need to start at higher weight. Some say free weights and others say machines. Does anyone have a good resource on where to start? Ideally, I'd like things I could do in the privacy of my own home. My goals would be to get more toned and whatever could maintain or boost my metabolism. I turn to the body of knowledge here as I feel you all give very practical, reasonable advice. Thanks.

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