I can really use some encouragement. While I have never been an over weight person quarantine got me hard. I do know how to count calories, balance macros, and make a workout plan as I have lost significantly in the past no problem.
This time though, it’s much harder and I don’t know why.
I started out just counting calories and after I lost the water weight my loss halted full stop. I then started an ever stricter calorie deficit (which I really didn’t want to do) and incorporated low impact workouts- still no results. In fact, I actually gained a pound back. At this point I can’t go any lower in my calorie deficit (1100-1300 daily) and have my upped my workouts to HIIT, cardio, and yoga on alternate days. still no results. My measurements are also the same.
I’ve never experienced anything like this for this long. I accept that there will be weeks I won’t lose, but not losing anything on a 1200cal diet? For over a month? It doesn’t make any sense to me. Anyone have any idea what’s going on?
I have been on this sub for probably six years or so and have even had moments when I posted my grand plans to finally commit to getting healthier/losing weight. I lost some weight, felt better, then gained it back plus some extra. Lasting change didn’t come for me though until last year.
A bunch of things changed for me in the middle of last year. I turned 38. This was significant to me because my older brother died of cancer just before he would’ve turned 38. When I turned 37, I kept waking up with this question: “what if this was your last year, are you living the life you want?” That question led me to make some big changes. I left an unhappy marriage, I tried to find ways to reduce stress and spend more time with family. When I turned 38, the question became “are you going to squander the time you’ve been given, more than your brother got, on being unhealthy?” I couldn’t answer yes without feeling tremendous guilt and regret.
So, after several months of tracking and doing my best to develop new food habits, I was inspired by my sister to give vegetarian keto and intermittent fasting a shot. It clicked immediately for me. I think my family tendency to have big blood sugar swings and poor insulin sensitivity is a huge part of why it works so well for me. I haven’t looked back and last week I broke the “I’ve lost over half my total starting weight” mark. I weighed 520 when I started. As of this Monday, I’m down 264.9 pounds. It is surreal. And scary. And wonderful. And sometimes it feels just frustrating that I saddled myself down with weight for all those years. And I feel guilty that I’ve got this second chance when so many other people don’t get that.
It’s a very complicated thing, food and weight and weight loss. Most days I’m proud and grateful for what I’ve learned and accomplished. I feel best on those days when I hear from someone who I helped inspire and how they’ve taken action and work on themselves in whatever way. I’m grateful to this sub and you who wrestle. Thank you for sharing your successes and your struggles.
I weighed about 213 lbs this summer in the middle of June.
Today I decided to step on the scale, even though it wasn't my weight in day and the reading was 192.4
Some of it must be water weight, since only a week ago I weighed 197, it seems impossible that my weight would fluctuate this much so fast, but still, I am 20 lbs lighter than when I started in June.
It took 4 months for me to obtain this milestone and some days were extremely rough. My apetite stayed, and there were days where I ate too much and weeks where I plateaued, and also weeks where I followed a strict diet and exercised for hours a day just to offset my mistakes. My body feels lighter, my ability to breathe through my nose has improved.
Losing weight is extremely difficult, hunger makes you angry and eating anything less than maintenance makes you hungry. Finally at the 4 months mark I think I managed to change how hungry I am on a regular basis, and have nowhere near the apatite when I started. This was by far the biggest hurdle. Sitting in front of my computer staring at the screen, unable to enjoy things because I was just "missing" something.
Not saying this is for everyone, but
-Shoutout to cheat days for making me feel like I had the freedom to do what I want and control my own diet at my own pace
-Shoutout to my bank account that stopped me from buying cheeseburgers all the time
-Shoutout to Cedric Bixler who gained a ton of weight and recently lost it.
I was at my lowest weight when I met my husband. About 190. Fast forward and I’ve gained about 30 lbs. I take responsibility for that, but he also doesn’t keep snacks out of the house and rarely exercises with me. I’ve made both requests when he asks how he can help me when I tell him I wanted to get serious about getting back in shape.
Is it ultimately up to me if I eat those snacks and still exercise? Yes. I’m not blaming him for that, but it’s frustrating when I tell him it makes it difficult for me and he shows no support. When I lost weight the first go round it was by keeping junk out of the house completely. He’s one of those lucky people that just doesn’t feel hungry and can skip meals, I wake up ravenous and am pretty much hungry at least every two hours. It’s disheartening when you’re trying so hard and someone else can do it without any effort.
About two weeks ago I seriously started back up with cico and working out 5 days a week. I felt great this week, I had so much more energy and was excited to get back into an exercise regime. I’ve already lost a couple pounds as well which is always helpful motivation.
Last night, my husband told me he would be more attracted to me if I was skinnier. I’m not going to pretend it hadn’t been on the back of my mind for a year now, based on his level of intimacy(which I’ve brought on many occasions), but damn. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t absolutely crushed. On the one hand, I can objectively process this and understand that someone healthier would be more attractive to a man. But it sure hurts like hell when it’s about you and coming from the person that’s supposed to love you most. It’s also humiliating thinking you’ve been intimate with this person during this time and they didn’t like your body. I don’t even want to change around him now.
Maybe I wouldn’t be so upset (yeah, who am I kidding), if he had at least been supportive throughout my continued struggles with weight loss.
I feel so horrible about myself right now. I want to keep losing weight to be healthier, but the self talk right now is not pretty. It’s been a quick shift from doing this to empower myself to hating my body and feeling like I don’t deserve food. I know that’s not a good place to be or mindset to have but here we are.
This is my first post here, I've been following this sub since my journey started on my 25th birthday ( three months ago). I woke up on my 25th birthday the heaviest I've ever been, looked at my 6 month old daughter and said to myself something has to change. I was scared my health would deteriorate to the point where I couldn't chase her around the yard, or that I'd end up a diabetic ( it runs in my family). That day I decided to make a change. I started calorie counting and working out at the gym almost everyday. This morning I woke up to see that magic number I've been waiting for. I've had many cheat days, and many days where I wanted to go to the store and get a case of beer and my favorite bag of chips, but some how I kept pushing through. All of you wonderful people have inspired me along the way. I think its important to feel like your not running up the mountain that is weight loss alone. I've still got some work left to do, but I'm feeling confident and better than ever. To all who are also on this journey, you can do it, we can do it. Stay strong and much love to yall. Sorry for the wall of text.
I’m currently on seroquel, and have had the typical and expected weight gain (30lbs over 3 months). This has been devastating especially because I had reached my goal weight at the beginning of summer and felt so great about myself - confident, beautiful, strong.
Anyway on this drug I now have a voracious appetite and am consumed by obsessive thoughts about what I will eat next. Not much will actually satisfy me, unless I eat a very high protein, high fat, high calorie meal. I was told by my doctor that the reason for weight gain with this class of drugs is twofold: 1) increased appetite and 2) altered metabolic pathways leading to increased fat storage. I can’t do much about the latter, but I can control the former.
That said, are there any suggestions to satisfy my appetite, tricks to distract myself, foods or diets that are better at managing weight, etc? In terms of physical activity, is there a better type of exercise (ie cardio vs strength vs HIIT vs yoga)? Should I be aiming for the “fat loss” heart rate in cardio?
And looking to the future, my doctor has agreed that I can come off of the drug within the next month. I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with weight loss after stopping the medication? For example: is the weight loss harder than “normal” weight loss / does the weight stick for longer?
I’ve already searched the sub but there are only small threads, so I’m looking for more info.
When it comes to nutritional value, the beet cannot be beat! These vibrant root vegetables are sweet in taste but actually rank low to medium in the Glycemic index. Therefore, eating them won’t lead to quick spikes in your blood glucose levels like eating other sugars would.
Digging deeper into these bulbous beauties tells us that they are also free of fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. They are low in sodium, high in potassium, and high in iron, which is good for combating anemia and fatigue. Beets also contain nitrate, which lowers blood sugar, potassium for heart health, and silica for bone strength. A major benefit of the beet is its high folic acid content. This vitamin is crucial in prenatal care as it aids in the development of the neural tube and spinal cord.
Now that we’re well-versed in what makes the beet a nutritional MVP, lets get acquainted with some interesting tidbits that add to their allure. First up is a widely documented use of the beet as an aphrodisiac dating all the way back to Roman times. There is actually some truth to this claim—beets contain the mineral boron, which is known to increase hormones related to sex drive.
While we here in the U.S. top our burgers with lettuce, tomato and onion, those who live down under in Australia up the nutritional ante by adding sliced beets to theirs. Beets are also a well known ingredient in the popular Eastern European stew, borscht. And the juice of a beet has such a concentrated, rich color that it can be used as a natural dye.
Beets can be prepared many different ways. They can be cubed and added to salads, juiced to sip, eaten raw or roasted, or pickled to perfection! While there are a few different varieties with colors ranging from red, orange-yellow and white, the most commonly consumed beet in the U.S. is the Red Ace Beet. When shopping, make sure you choose bright and firm beets with smooth skin, knowing that the smaller the beet, the more tender. When storing, remove the leaves and keep in the fridge in a plastic bag for up to three weeks.
Want to get started on your path to beet bliss? Our recipes will show you how:
