Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Sunday, 03 May 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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Accountability post of my second week of calorie tracking with MyFitnessPal

This is a repost from r/WeighLossAdvice. I figured it might be more suitable to this subreddit.

So for two weeks I am using MyFitnessPal. The first week I didn’t manage to get an overall calorie deficit and whenever I had a day-deficit I binged the next day. So I tried to take my learnings from it by aiming for a smaller day deficit and under all circumstances staying below my TDEE. So the second week went better! - I managed to keep track on what I eat for two weeks, for the first time in my life. Usually I can only keep to my calorie tracking goals for a few days and if I binge I suddenly loose motivation. - I never went over my TDEE. - On five out of seven days I had a deficit between 200 and 500 calories.

So it might not be huge. But this week I feel I have taken one more step towards a healthier lifestyle and long term weight loss. I don’t have a proper scale and with my tiny deficit it would also be hard to notice it on the scale. But I was told that my face already looks less blown up!

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Fat logic - The myth of losing muscle while you’re losing fat

My sister (who lost a lot of weight a couple of years ago before I started my journey) recommend me the best book I ever read on weight loss. It’s called “Fat logic” and written by a psychologist that herself came from an obese family and weighted 150kg.

She struggled with the yo-yo effect, diagnosed hypothyroidism and generally a bigger build and it lead her to accept that she would need to suffer hunger all the time when she’s skinny as that’s her genetics and she decided to live a happy life, eating healthy but how much she wanted.

Until she fell down and injured her knee. Then her meniscus and she basically became immobile. This is when she decided to lose weight and used her academic approach to read through all the studies and truly understand weight loss for the first time. She quickly realised more information out there is bullshit but as it’s widely accepted and gives people a reason to believe being obese isn’t their fault no one (including herself before) really questioned it.

She called these false facts “fat logic” and she uses science and her own experience to debunk them. The book is only available in German so I thought I share one that comes up often here in this thread too:

Losing muscle because of losing fat is a myth and unfortunately a wide spread one. Losing fat has actually NOTHING to do with losing muscle. It’s two separate systems for your body. She gave the example of a cave men. If he’d be unable to go running / hunting because of using his winter fat for energy he’d probably die.

There are only two reasons why your body would reduces muscle mass:

• it thinks you don’t need it anymore - so you suddenly stop being active and using your muscle. For that to happen you would have need to stop exercising, if you never have this is not a problem. It usually happens after 1.5-2 weeks of not using your muscles anymore

• you don’t eat enough protein and the body can’t repair muscle mass. So this one is where the myth started. Because often when people suddenly reduce their calories they don’t take enough of the nutrients they need. BTW overweight people often have these deficits too as they tend to eat a lot of carbs but not enough vitamins. Okay got side tracked so basically you body needs about 0.8g protein for every kg you weight when your inactive and about 1-2g per kg if you’re very active. Your body uses protein to repair muscle mass - for example when you work out and get sore muscles it’s a sign that the work out “damaged” your muscles. Usually your body responses by repairing the damage and building slightly more as it sees that there wasn’t enough muscle for your requirement movements. However if your body doesn’t have the proteins to repair the mass it will disintegrate the “damaged” muscle mass. So basically a work out could lead to less muscle if you don’t eat enough protein. But that is normally only the case if your protein is lower than 45g per day.

She went in to give her personal example. When she became immobile she decided to lose weight quick to release pressure from her body. She did that on a 500 calorie diet for 6 months. Which comes to another myth “eating less than XX calories is bad for you”. But please don’t take this out of context because what you need to do is get the nutrients your body needs and can’t produce itself. Mainly protein, vitamins and some fats. She consulted a special dietician that gave her that mixture and did monthly blood tests to measure any potential deficiencies.

It’s still mind blowing to me. She gave academic examples of 200kg people that lost 130kg in a year basically by eating nothing but their required nutrients (in an hospital environment). As long as your body has enough fat to use as energy you don’t need to eat anything for energy.

I hope you guys found it as interesting as me. It certainly gave me a lot of new perspectives.

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I'm not overweight anymore!

I've struggled with being ever so slightly overweight for almost half of my life, and today, I checked my BMI and my weight is classified as "normal"!!! I'm not at my goal weight yet, but I'm finally at a place where I'm not scared to look at the mirror or take photos of myself.

I just do CICO and IF, plus 15 minutes of yoga everyday :) It's surprisingly easy once you get into it. One tip I saw on here that really resonated with me was to count VERY small wins. e.g. if your goal weight is 120 and you're at 150, make it your next goal to be 149. This is honestly what made weight loss such an exciting experience for me because even seeing a 149.5 would excite me as I'm halfway to my "goal". Instead of seeing it as losing 30 pounds, I'd view it as losing 1 pound 30 times.

Just wanted to share this small win and tip because I'm very happy and extremely grateful for this sub!

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10 Kitchen Hacks for a Weight Loss Win

Is your kitchen sabotaging your weight loss? It might be, say a raft of scientific studies. How? You can probably figure it out yourself.  Ice cream calling from the freezer. Cookie jar on the counter. Comfy stools around a kitchen island luring you to linger. Let’s face it, most kitchens are Temptation City. The good news: There are simple kitchen hacks for weight loss that can lead to diet success.

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Here are 10 kitchen hacks for weight loss that science—and a little common sense—recommends:

1. Keep a bowl of fruit on the counter.

The presence of fruit in plain sight was linked to lower BMI (body mass index, a measure of obesity) in two 2016 studies that looked at real kitchen counters in Syracuse, NY and measured height and weight of home occupants. More important than storing fruit on the counter is what NOT to store there. When candy, cereal, soft drinks and dried fruit were visible on kitchen counters, study participants were found to weigh as much as 30 pounds more than people who kept those foods stashed away. The takeaway: Out of sight, out of mind. The sight and smell of food nearby tends to stimulate the desire to eat, as anyone who has ever smelled cinnamon buns baking at the mall can attest.

2. Get rid of clutter—at home and in your mind.

A major no-no when looking for kitchen hacks for weight loss? Messy kitchens. Messy, cluttered rooms—and feeling out of control mentally—may stimulate you to eat more, says a 2016 study published in the journal, Environment and Behavior. The women in the study were asked to do two things: First, to write about a time in their lives when they felt out of control or when they felt totally in control. Second, to taste and rate cookies, cracker, and carrots in one of two kitchen conditions, one that was neat and orderly, and the other that was strewn with dirty dishes, mail, and newspapers. Those who wrote about feeling out of control and experienced the chaotic kitchen ate 103 calories more than those whose minds and kitchen conditions were calmer and more peaceful. So take a few deep breaths when you’re feeling stressed—and clean up that kitchen!

3. Invest in an air fryer.

Here’s one kitchen gadget you’ll want on your counter. Not only can you whip up a meal in less time than traditional methods—and use less oil doing it—studies have found you can cut calorie intake by 70 to 80 percent on average, according to the Cleveland Clinic.  Your “fried” chicken will be crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and far healthier for you than if you made it the old-fashioned way.

7 All-You-Can-Eat Veggies to Always Keep in Your Kitchen

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4. Go red.

Studies have found that you’re likely to eat less if your plate is red.

According to one 2012 study in the journal Appetite, “red functions as a subtle stop signal” that keeps you from overdoing it. You don’t have to buy an entire set of red dishes—just have one that you use for snacks and meals.

5. When it comes to snacks, think portions.

Your Nutrisystem snacks are perfectly portioned as single servings. But what about the snacks you buy at the grocery? You won’t find almonds and pistachios packaged in Nutrisystem sizes. To avoid overdoing your favorite foods, repackage them in appropriate portions—such as two Tablespoons of almond and pistachios, one cup of cut melon, one cup of grapes—so these healthy snacks are as handy as your Nutrisystem foods.

6. Get rid of those stools.

The kitchen is often the heart of the home so it’s easy to gravitate there, even for tasks that don’t involve eating. Because it’s too tempting to be near food when you’re dieting, avoid working, chatting with family members, or talking on the phone in the kitchen. In fact, unless you’re preparing a meal, the kitchen should be forbidden territory.

10 Helpful Kitchen Tools for Weight Loss


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7. Make meals buffet style.

Instead of placing food on the table, make up plates in the kitchen. If you put serving dishes on the table, it’s an invitation to “seconds.” Remove plates from the table when you’re finished eating. The further you’re away from food, the less tempting it is, found one 2013 study in the online journal, PLoS One.

8. Do a diet sweep of your cabinets and freezer.

Ideally, you should get rid of any foods in your kitchen that you know will be too tempting before you start on your Nutrisystem journey. Besides, you’re going to need the space for your perfectly-balanced, delicious Nutrisystem foods. If throwing away unopened packages of pretzels or tossing frozen pizzas makes you feel wasteful, considering donating what you can to a local food pantry or charity.

9. Keep leftovers under wraps.

Of all the kitchen hacks for weight loss, this one seems like a no-brainer. You don’t want to open the fridge and have something delectable staring at you if it’s not on your menu for the day. Wrap leftovers in foil or freeze them. If you can’t see it, you’re going to be less tempted to eat it. If you have to have high-calorie or unhealthy foods around for the rest of the family, hide them, too. Repackage them in foil or opaque containers and tuck them where they’re hard to reach.

7 Weekend Weight Loss Blunders to Avoid

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10. Keep your water bottle or glass within view.

Drinking water every day helps you beat dehydration. It can also help you feel full so you don’t eat as much. So invest in a couple of water bottles or cups you love and keep one by the sink as a friendly reminder to drink your H2O.

Stock up your kitchen with our healthier versions of your favorite meals and snacks! >

The post 10 Kitchen Hacks for a Weight Loss Win appeared first on The Leaf.

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Snack Attack? 10 Healthier Chip Recipes for a Guilt-Free Crunch

Sometimes we all crave a little crunch. In fact, there is some research behind the idea that “crunch factor” matters when it comes to how much we enjoy a food. Research funded by Unilever found that potato chips were perceived as being both crisper and fresher when the overall sound level (of the crunch) was higher. But turning to greasy store-bought potato chips every time you crave that crunch will undoubtedly start to have a negative impact on your waistline. That’s why we’ve rounded up these simple, healthy chips that are full of nutritious ingredients—but will still help fulfill that urge for a crispy crunchy food.

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Here are 10 healthy chips to try out when you have a crunch craving:

1. BBQ Sweet Potato Chips > 

Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, vitamin C, potassium, manganese and more! If you’re looking for healthy chips, then switching to sweet potatoes is the way to go. Of course, store-bought sweet potato chips may still be packed with more fat, calories and sodium than you may realize. That’s why we suggest making your own. Simply slice up a sweet potato and coat it with canola oil. The right mix of seasonings can then be tossed together for that smoky barbeque flavor that you love. A serving of chips only has 120 calories and counts as one SmartCarb and one Extra on the Nutrisystem plan.

2. Crispy Nacho Cheese Chips >

If it’s nacho chips that you’ve got a hankering for, then you’ll want to try these simple, healthy chips. These diet-friendly nacho cheese chips are easy to make and will help you feel like you’re splurging when you’re really keeping your diet right on track. All it takes is some mini corn tortillas, yeast and a variety of spices to make some crispy golden chips. On the Nutrisystem plan, this snack counts as one SmartCarb.

3. Air Fryer Salt and Vinegar Chips >

Salt and vinegar chips tend to bring out strong emotions in people—either they love them, or they hate them. If you’re someone that falls into the “love” category, then you’ve got to try this tangy healthy chip. It has all the tang (which comes from the acidity of the vinegar mixed with the briny salt flavor) but without all that excess fat of a store-bought chip. Instead, this easy recipe uses just four ingredients—russet potatoes, white vinegar, cooking spray and kosher salt. If you’ve already got an air fryer, then you can prepare the chips there. But don’t worry if you don’t—we also explain how to make these chips in the oven. On the Nutrisystem plan, a serving counts as one SmartCarb.

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4. Crispy Brussel Sprout Chips with Garlic Aioli >

Brussel sprouts are another vegetable that can be crisped to satisfy your crunchy craving. Brussels sprouts are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants—and they have been shown to potentially reduce the risk of cancer, decrease inflammation, and improve blood sugar control. The “chips” are made using four simple ingredients—brussels sprouts, olive oil, and salt and pepper—which are crisped in the oven. The accompanying garlic aioli dip can be whipped up while the chips are baking. A Serving of these crispy vegetable chips is just 89 calories and counts as one Vegetable and two Extras on the Nutrisystem plan.

5. Spinach Dip with Shamrock Tortilla Chips >

Chips and dip always sound—and taste—like such a splurge. But with this healthy recipe, it doesn’t have to be one that derails your healthy diet. These homemade crispy tortilla chips are made using green spinach wraps, cooking spray, garlic powder and sea salt. And the healthy spinach dip replaces fatty ingredients like mayonnaise and full-fat sour cream with nonfat Greek yogurt and Neufchatel cheese, for a creamy dip without so much fat and excess calories. On the Nutrisystem plan, a serving counts as one SmartCarb and one Extra.

6. Balsamic Eggplant Chips >

Rich in fiber, low in calories, and packed with nutrients, the eggplant is a wonderful vegetable when it comes to a healthy diet. And now, with this simple recipe, you can turn an eggplant into some crispy chips that also satisfy your urge to snack. The eggplant is thinly sliced and coated with a balsamic vinegar mixture that contains flavors like garlic, onion powder and oregano. It’s so flavorful that you just may never need a store-bought chip again. On the Nutrisystem plan, a serving of eggplant chips counts as one Vegetable and one Extra.

7. Air Fryer Apple Chips >

Ready for a sweet chip? Then this is the recipe for you. In fact, this apple chip could be a snack—or a dessert—and either way, it’s a healthy choice. It’s so simple to make, using just three ingredients—an apple, some cinnamon and some nutmeg. The entire apple is one serving but clocks in under 100 calories! On the Nutrisystem plan, Air Fryer Apple Chips count as just one SmartCarb.

8. Air Fryer Tortilla Chips >

If you’ve ever been to a Mexican restaurant, then you know just how delicious tortilla chips are when they’re hot and fresh. With an air fryer, you can have hot and fresh tortilla chips whenever the urge strikes—but without excess fat or sodium.  Just a light coating of olive oil on some corn tortillas—plus the seasoning of your choice—is all it takes to whip up some fresh and healthy tortilla chips. A serving is 155 calories and counts as one SmartCarb and one Extra on the Nutrisystem plan.

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9. Crunchy Kale Chips >

When it comes to snacking, kale chips are a choice that you never have to feel guilty about eating. After all, kale is among the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. It is loaded with antioxidants and makes an excellent source of Vitamin C. In this simple recipe, all you have to do is spray a large bunch of kale with zero calorie cooking spray and sprinkle it with seasonings. We suggest garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper—but you can try any mix of seasonings you desire. On the Nutrisystem plan it counts as one Vegetable.

10. Air Fryer Potato Chips >

Of course, if it’s a good, old-fashioned potato chip that you’re after, then there is still a way to make a healthier version—using an air fryer. In this simple recipe, potato chips are made from a medium potato, some olive oil and the seasonings of your choice—and then air-fried. The result is a serving of chips that clocks in at only 114 calories. On the Nutrisystem plan, it counts as one SmartCarb and one Extra.

Check out hundreds of other snack recipes here >

The post Snack Attack? 10 Healthier Chip Recipes for a Guilt-Free Crunch appeared first on The Leaf.

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Not sure if I should lose more weight

(Obligatory notice that this is a throwaway account, and that I’m on mobile)

Stats- SW:146 (66kg) CW:136 (62kg) GW:?? Height: 5’5” (165 centimeters) Female

 When quarantine started, I wanted to lose weight. When I first stepped on the scale I was pleasantly surprised to find I had already lost 6 pounds with no effort. Likely because of the birth control I went on in early February. Still, I wanted to lose a bit more weight and get down to 125 or so. Now that I’ve lost a full 10 pounds and I’m sitting at about 136, I’m not sure. I like the way my body looks much better, but my stomach and arms are still a bit larger than I’d like. The only thing that’s making me debate further weight loss is that I don’t want to fall into eating disorder habits. I could tell my relationship with food was getting worse about a week and a half ago, so I stopped being as restrictive calorie wise (at first I was eating about 1,200 calories, but was too hungry. Then I bumped it up to 1,500. Now I’m doing 1,700 but have been going over most days due to roommate’s pressure) Would it be possible that I could get rid of my excess fat without losing weight? I don’t know if it’s worth it to put my mental health at risk, so if I could boost my body confidence without weight loss, that’d be great. I’m open to exercise, and have been doing some, but can’t get to a gym right now. Thanks guys, this community has helped me a lot! I love how encouraging and pure-intentioned everyone is. 

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