[NSV] I have been running for a month straight!

[NSV] I have been running for a month straight!

Monday - Friday each week I have gone out to jog 2 miles. I’ve improved in my ability to consistently jog without stopping as well as improved my pace and gone a bit faster as the weeks progress!

For a long time I convinced myself that I wouldn’t be able to do something like this. I told myself that I had zero will power and that maybe weight loss just wasn’t going to work for me. The weird thing is, at this point weight loss isn’t what I’m thinking about strictly. Instead, I’m thinking about how to improve my time, how to improve my form, how will I incorporate longer distance running, will I be running races eventually? Sillier things, too, like thinking about all the cute workout clothes I can buy. For me, these thoughts keep me going and keep me happy. Honestly, even if I didn’t have these thoughts at this point running has become something that if I don’t do I’ll feel like I’m missing something.

I used to read that thing on the internet that said 21 days is all it takes to form a habit. I don’t know whether or not that’s true, but it’s been long enough now that going out in the evening to jog two miles is what I feel like I need to be doing. There no “I don’t want to” or “I’m too tired, tomorrow maybe.” I’m ready each day, which is the most exciting part!

I’m really excited because I just finished the first week of the second month. I’ve never in my adult life exercised consistently for this long. It’s thanks to my boyfriend for being my own personal trainer and my sister for running along and supporting!

Maybe I’m not the person to be giving advice so early in my workouts, but simply PROVING to myself that I could do it despite what my negative head voice said made all the difference. For me the cycle was action, then inspiration. I couldn’t just tell myself that I could workout consistently for a week, so I did it instead.

Can’t wait to run my first 5k!

Woohoo!

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Started Alternate Day Fasting on Monday

Here are my specs before I begin this story: 20F SW: 209.8 lbs Height: 5’10 GW: ~150 lbs or really more going for a specific LOOK rather than number

Monday i weighed myself, 209.8 lbs. the biggest I’ve ever been in my life, even though it could be way worse.

I was reading about Alternate Day Fasting. In the past I’ve done keto which works really well for me but is difficult for me to stay loyal to for several reasons.

So Monday I ate whatever I wanted, and started my fast that night. All of Tuesday I wasn’t hungry at all, drank a ton of water and a small glass of black coffee. Wednesday was weird, I ate about 3 bites of food after 36 hours and still wasn’t tempted to eat again until 6 pm. All together on that day I ate around 800 calories only. Yesterday same story, didn’t eat until 4 pm and by the end of the night I ate maybe 900 calories. Today is another 36 hour fast, I will eat (or try to) tomorrow around noon.

ALSO have been walking 3 miles in 45 minutes everyday with my best friend (the pace makes me sweat, increases my heart rate. I try to walk as fast as I can without it becoming a jog, though sometimes I’ll trade walking 3-4 miles for a fast 1 mile run)

WHERE I WAS GETTING TO THOUGH Was I weighed myself this morning, first time weighing myself since Monday and I weigh 204.3. Not a HUGE difference but 5 lbs in 3 days? Wtf? That motivated me.

Fasting days aren’t difficult for me, but to be fair this is my second fasting day and I am not exerting my normal amount of energy besides walking everyday (normally I’m a full time college student with two jobs, both in restaurants).

If you guys are interested in following this journey/seeing progress pictures for your own motivation, then please comment! I’ve never shared weight loss publicly before but I feel like feeding off positivity from others and their success will be more beneficial for me than doing it alone :)

EDIT: also wanted to mention I’m taking Apple Cider Vinegar dietary supplements everyday, REALLY helps you to not feel hungry. Got them off Amazon

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Any advice for getting over the hunger hump?

Hey all,

I started my weight loss journey (again) this past Monday and so far so good. I'm already almost five pounds down of what I'm assuming is water weight, but the scale is coming down so I'm happy! However today in particular my hunger has been insatiable. I honestly feel like I'm going to die even though that is melodramatic. Some info: SW: 248 CW: 243.3 24f TDEE: about 2000

I've lost some weight before. I managed to lose about 10 pounds back in 2018 over the course of a month. I remember the first two weeks or so being ravenously hungry and then being okay after that, but I honestly don't know if I can handle the two weeks of hunger this time. I'm trying to eat about 1500 calories a day so nothing too restrictive, but I just cannot get full. I tried to bulk out my diet today with some large cucumbers just to give myself something to snack on but I honestly could've just eaten air for all the satisfaction it gave me. My mom cooked me some spaghetti today so I thought "this is it! Finally a nice filling meal" and even though it's been 20 minutes since then I'm so hungry I could cry despite that being a 1000 calorie meal. I usually don't eat until afternoon and then I will eat something small like a few eggs or fruits and veggies to prepare for a larger dinner. I live with my mom and my girlfriend so I usually just eat what they do for dinner just meticulously measured out.

I know it will get better as my body adjusts to the calories I'm giving it but does anyone have any advice for the hunger I'm feeling now? I wasn't sure if I should be eating more throughout the day or if anyone else has experience with a small lunch followed by a large dinner. Any advice is greatly appreciated as this is usually my fall off the wagon stage. I'm feeling pretty determined this time, but it's still taking all my willpower to not eat the whole container of cheese dip I know is sitting in my fridge.

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Today marks my 60 day streak in Lose It! Here are some things I wish I would have known before I started.

Hi everyone!! I'm currently on my longest CICO streak in years and I thought I'd share some advice/reflections/insights that I've learned along the way. Disclaimer: I'm not trying to tell y'all what to do. I'm not a doctor or nutritionist or anything. You can take as much or as little of this to heart as you want; I'm just trying to share some things I wish I would have known sooner.

1. COUNT CALORIES, and LOG EVERYTHING, even (especially) if you're thousands of calories over. Yes, it feels incredibly shitty to have that one day's failure memorialized in your log when you can easily just skip logging that day, but it's important to work towards creating the habit of logging every day. IMO, at least early on, it's more important to be completely honest with yourself about what you're eating than it is to be 100% under your calorie goal every day. This is absolutely what made the difference for me this time versus the other literally hundreds of times I've started calorie counting only to fuck up one day, say "screw it, I've already blown it, might as well overeat now," delete my food log, and go back to eating like normal.

1a. In the same vein, don't fall into the trap of, say, going over by 600 one day and then just logging it as the next day's calories and telling yourself you'll eat 600 less tomorrow to compensate. Just log them the day you ate them. You can still try to eat 600 less on the next day to balance your intake out (or better yet, eat 300 less the next two days/200 less the next three days. Even easier!!) But this way, you're being honest about what you ate each day (good for finding patterns). (If this doesn't apply to you, good for you! Do what works for you!! But I used to do this a lot and I'd just find myself struggling and inevitably going over when I couldn't cut 600 from my 1200 calorie goal. YMMV.)

1b. I don't know if this even needs to be said, but you should definitely be counting calories if you're trying to lose weight. It's the only way to guarantee results. Not to mention, when you're frustrated that you're stuck in a plateau, it's great to be able to remind yourself that, hey, it's not like your body can defy the laws of thermodynamics or anything.

1. DRINK WATER BEFORE MEALS AND EAT SLOWLY. I say this because I was so fucking hungry when I first started eating at a calorie deficit. An actual 56g serving of pasta just doesn't fill you up the way dumping however much you feel like into the pot does. Drinking (at least) a cup of water five or so minutes before you eat will definitely help fill you up. I'm sure you've all heard that it takes your body twenty minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you're full, blah, blah. It's completely true, and that's why you should eat slowly. Not to mention, food feels like more if you're really slowing down to appreciate it! I've also tried to minimize eating while working, watching TV, etc. for the same reason. You eat chips and salsa while you're plowing through episodes on Netflix and they're gone in a goddamn second, you know? Maybe this is the Buddhism talking, but it's just better to try to focus your attention on the present moment and the food you're eating, especially when you're transitioning into eating less.

2. On that note, THE HUNGER WILL GO AWAY. I want to say it took a couple weeks before I started feeling full on 1200-1400 a day vs my prior eating habits of 1800-2200. The adjustment is shitty for sure, but I promise it gets better. Don't listen to the anti-dieters who spout that nonsense about how your diet is doomed to fail because you'll never stop feeling like you're starving all the time. Your body will adjust. And if it doesn’t after a month or so? Maybe consider upping your calories a bit. You don't have to be miserable and tired and cranky to be losing weight.

3. SLOW AND CONSISTENT WEIGHT LOSS IS KEY. Every time I restart dieting, I lose 5-10 pounds in the first week or two. Always. Yeah, it's mostly water weight, but it always feels really good to see the number on the scale go down that quickly. After that, things seemingly grind to a halt. I'm lucky if I even see weight changes day-to-day. It feels like something's wrong, like I should be cutting more calories to keep up the rate of loss I was seeing initially. This isn't the case. The most sustainable weight loss is only around 1% of your body weight per week! And this is something I have to constantly remind myself. Yeah, I could eat less and exercise more and lose weight faster, but I know I'll just end up getting burnt out quickly and going right back to my old habits.

4. WEIGH YOURSELF EVERY DAY (or as much as you can). I know some people swear by doing it once a week or whatever, but if you're only losing a pound or few a week, it can be easy for your weight loss to be hidden if you're only weighing once a week. Our bodies fluctuate A LOT due to water, sodium, carb, etc. intakes, and it totally blows to weigh yourself once a week and see a gain over a few weeks just because you happen to be a bit heavier those days. I personally think it's just better to weigh every day so you can see the overall trends easier. I recommend getting an app that smooths out your data for better visualization of what's actually going on. I use an app called Libra on Android, and I've heard Happy Scale is great for those of y'all with Apple products. Also, really try to weigh yourself at the same time every day, just for consistency. I do it when I first wake up, after I use the bathroom.

5a. I also recommend taking progress pictures. I only take them every 10 pounds or so; you can take them more or less frequently. They're nice to have around when you're not seeing the scale move but you need to remind yourself that you're making progress anyway.

1. Last but not least, DON'T TALK ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT LOSS/DIET/CALORIE COUNTING/ETC (at least at first). In my experience, this can only really do you harm. If you're living with family/roommates/a partner with different eating habits than you, you're going to be tempted to eat the way they do. And when you don't, you might experience a (real or imagined) sense of being judged, which does nothing to help you reach your goals. Also, depending on the person, talking about your diet can end up skewing their behaviors around you and food/exercise, which can take the form of them helping (which can get annoying and overbearing) or them trying to sabotage you (which is….obviously bad, not just for your goals, but for your relationship). Not to mention, I'm pretty sure there's actual research on how once you've told people about your goals/projects, you're less likely to achieve/complete them because you've already gotten validation just from sharing your plans. Just try to establish good habits on your own before sharing your goals with people.

---

Okay, so obviously you don't have to read any of this or take it at all seriously. This is just my experience, and I thought I'd share just in case it helps even one person. :)

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Just a pair of jeans. But, not really.

I reached halfway a little while ago - 55 pounds lost on the way to a goal of 110. My hair started falling out so I paused my weight loss until we figured out why. I have maintained, but six weeks later and still no idea why I'm losing my hair, so I decided to start losing weight again. Starting over is so much harder than simply starting and I'm really struggling.

Anyway. I was sitting tonight and looked down at my crossed legs, at the jeans I'm wearing. (I took a picture!) It's a pair from Old Navy and I'm guessing I've owned them for 16 years, but I know that from about 2007 I’ve been far, far too heavy to wear them.

They are currently too big for me. I roll them over at the waist so they'll stay up because I don't own a belt. This is a pair of jeans I've kept for THIRTEEN years in the hopes of fitting back into them, and now they're TOO BIG.

I've lost almost sixty pounds. I'm only eight pounds heavier than I was when I met my husband. I'm only about twenty pounds heavier than the lowest weight I've ever been as an adult.

I just wanted to put myself out there as an example that it doesn't do you any good to focus only on the FINAL GOAL and to forget how far you've come along the way.

Tiny changes make big differences, and if, like me, you're a bit rudderless right now or angry with yourself for grinding to a halt, just try to remember how far you’ve already come. Even if you're one or five or ten pounds into your journey, that one or five or ten pounds is worth celebrating. Try not to get bogged down by the big numbers.

I'll get back on track. I know I will. I can do this, and I will. I mean, look how far I've come already! Good luck to all of you, and I hope something makes you smile today.

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Weight loss after a concussion

Hi, I'm new to this community but was very excited to find it so please excuse me (and feel free to let me know) if there is any decorum I'm not aware of! I'm really inspired by everyone in this subreddit and wanted to share the beginning of my journey! Please let me know if you have any tips, or have also struggled with weight gain after a TBI.

Before this year I don't think I've ever lost weight in my life, I (21F) was quite lanky for the beginning part of my young adult life about 120-25lbs at 5'9. I gained about 10lbs within the first few months of university and at the time I felt like this was a lot - but I just didn't understand how weight loss worked and it felt like an impossible concept, so I let it be. The sensitivity I felt over the weight gain was exacerbated by having an extremely fit boyfriend (from high school) who would make an occasional comment, and eventually said he stopped being attracted to me, (I dumped him later that year for cheating).

About a year after this I suffered from a mTBI (mild traumatic brain injury), and gained about 30lbs within 6 weeks. I was mostly avoidant of this fact, and did my best not to look at the scale. This was a conscious decision I made at the time because I really had to focus on other parts of my health - but I lost a lot of confidence in myself. Despite my head troubles, I've been able to work really hard keep up with school and my career but its felt insufficient and I think my weight has at least emotionally held me back. I've spent the last three years feelings like I lacked control over my life - and I think feeling so hopeless about my weight really contributed to this.

This April shortly after quarantine started, I got an ad for a health app and on a whim I downloaded it. Instantly I felt so much better - because I was finally taking my control back. I've been using the free version of it on and off since then and have lost 18.5lbs to date, and am now 143lbs. Truthfully, I really don't look different in the slightest, but I am really proud of myself for taking steps towards getting back to a part of my life that felt unattainable.

​

• I use Noom/my phone Health App to count my calories, I strive for about 1200 a day (the paid version of Noom has daily reading, and content which is awesome, but for me it added too much stress to keep up with it all everyday and I would end up avoiding calorie counting as a result because I would feel behind, plus I wasn't willing to spend that much monthly)
• I do morning yoga, this isn't intensive at all but with my head injury other workouts can aggravate nausea
• I try to avoid grains and processed sugars where I can because they aren't great for brain recovery (but I do have them a few times a week, the goal is simply moderation)
• I drink at least a galloon of water everyday, and have drank tea with various spices in them (cumin, turmeric)
• I use a Renpho scale, which comes with a really cool app that breaks down your BMI, Body fat, etc. (I didn't have it for a little bit while I moved home during quarantine, and I really felt a dip in motivation so I purchased a cheaper edition than the one my roommate had)

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My beginning

I’ve been fat for as long as I can remember. I always justified it to myself because I was never the biggest person around, so it could be worse right? Well, that’s not true. Growing up I was the chubby kid, but I was at least a little in shape because I kept my life busy. I was in marching band, choir, and theater. Then I started college, and I chose to focus on vocal performance because I’d always been a good singer. I’d been taking lessons since I was 13 and I had real passion and drive for my goals. Needless to say, I quickly realized how little I knew about reality and pretty quickly fell into depression and severe anxiety. Over time I went from a little fat to actually fat. Last September I was 265, at 5’4”, but I haven’t weighed myself since. I never really addressed my weight because I knew I had to get my mental health in order before I could take that task on, and I’ve more or less done that work. I’m in therapy, I’m learning to cope with my anxiety better, and I’m finally at a place where I’m ready to do the work to get healthy. I don’t want to frame it as weight loss so much as getting healthy, but I think weight loss will be a natural side effect of the work I’m starting to do.

The moment I knew I was too unhealthy happened about a year ago when, after three years without performing, I decided to join a cabaret style singing show. The audition went fine, but when I was actually on stage and adding dancing to the singing, I realized I had lost so much of my breath support from my weight gain, and I could barely sing. It was the worst performance of my life as I tried to huff and puff my way through. It was humiliating and devastating. I’ve worked so hard on my voice and my art and it broke my heart that I couldn’t sing as well anymore. Even though I’m no longer pursuing music as a career, I still want it to be part of my life. I need it to be.

So last month I started making some changes. First to my diet, then adding a little activity, just to see if I could stick with it, and I can. Now I’m actively making the choice every day to nourish myself rather than treat myself to unhealthy foods. I’m choosing to walk the beautiful lakefront trail in Chicago every day instead of watching another episode of whatever I’m watching while sitting on the couch. I’m still allowing myself the foods I enjoy, but I’m thrilled to learn that I CAN trust myself to have those foods only on occasion and in moderation. I’m really ready to do this. I feel positive about it because every step of the way I’ve felt happy and excited about the possibilities.

Sorry if my train of thought here was jumbled, I’m just a bit excited to share. TLDR: I’m a singer who is so out of shape I can’t sing, so I’m making changes that I’m happy about.

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