Happy news: hit the goal + some learnings along the way

Stats: F27, SW: 183 pounds, CW/ GW: 125 pounds. Start dress size: 14 / 16. Current dress size: 6/8. Height: 165 cm. Been maintaining since the last 10 days.

What: I started the journey of getting fit and losing the extra pounds on August 20, 2020. Consulted a personal coach for nutrition who prescribed meal plans with 1200 cals a day. Have rigorously counted calories. Added walking and (guided) workouts since October.

I do want to express my sincere gratitude to this sub for motivation and helpful tips.

Here are some things that helped me along the journey, I wanted to share with you all. Obviously these are not medical or expert opinion, it’s just want helped me:

1. Vegetarian diet is just brilliant for weight loss. I don’t think I will shift to meat after this, at least for a while. Falling in love with vegetables has helped me not just feel full but satisfy cravings!

2. Seasoning will be your best friend. But we need to make sure to count calories of these as well. Being partly south Asian was very helpful because a lot of Pakistani/ Indian spices are hella tasty without adding much to calories.

3. Progress pictures are so helpful! I used to take one every week. I did that and used a measuring tape to measure me instead of weighing frequently.

4. Lemon + hot water or just hot water helps curing eating excessively due to boredom (again this helped me, it might or might not help others).

5. Getting clothes for every next size was such a motivation booster. Like when I was 14, I got a dress of 12 and so on and so forth. If you’re like me who loves pretty dresses, this is probably the BIGGEST motivation I had in life.

6. Tech: I used MyFitnessPal to count calories for a few months. It’s quite helpful. Eventually you’ll learn to mentally do this calculation, that’s a very convenient habit one develops during the journey. I got an Apple Watch which helped in my movement, reminding to get up once every hour, completing the step count for the day, sharing it with the coach etc. A kitchen scale was a very good buy as well.

7. The last one: our journey will be unique. I started this with my partner and his sister. We consulted the same coach and nutritionist. Heck, we had almost the same weight to lose. We’ve all followed our plans sincerely (also, lockdown and covid ensured we don’t go out and eat). Turns out I lost the quickest. They’ve lost a lot as well and are doing great but are still mid-way in their weight loss program. The rate of losing weight/ getting fit depends a lot on your own body, probably genetics as well. This may be discouraging for some people as we might see others losing faster than us and hence, wanted to again remind all of us of this fact!

Once again, thanks a lot to all those who shared their journey and tips along the way!

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New weight loss journey and I need help with accountability and consistency.

Hello everyone! I am a first time poster and trying to start my weight loss journey again, so I guess I’ll start off with my stats. I’m a 26yo female who’s 5’6” and I weigh nearly 400lbs. I’m embarrassed and terrified of how unhealthy I have become, and I am ready to make the change to better my life.

I do not have a huge group of friends or a huge family support system to walk beside me in this journey. The one person I do have is my husband, and he is absolutely the most encouraging and supportive person ever, but I am worried that will not be enough. As much as he encourages me and supports me he has a tendency to not hold me accountable, because he would rather make me happy than upset me by holding me accountable. I know that this is not his fault at all and I really need to learn to hold myself accountable, but when you’ve been so unhealthy for so long its hard to make consistent changes for the better without some kind of support/accountability.

I’m ready to make this change in my life, but I’m afraid that without a big community, accountability partners, or something along those lines that I will fail. I don’t want to fail, so I guess my questions to all of you is:

How do you hold yourself accountable and stay consistent in your journey?

I apologize for the rambling post, and I’m looking to hear from you all!

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New Year, Better Me

(F22 5'1 SW:161lbs CW:139lbs GW:120lbs)

So the first time I posted on this subreddit I was feeling pretty worried over the rate of my weight loss. (I am on a Low Carb diet along with doing Intermittent Fasting & regular exercise [Cardio & Resistance]) I thought that I was going too slow since I kept seeing a lotta people in this subreddit who lost the same amount of weight I lost in just a month as compared to me who took several months. Anyways, after posting my worries and getting the encouragement I needed I made sure to stick to my journey and wouldn't you know it, I started to see the changes those "measly" 10lbs had on my body.

Clothes that barely fit before are now loose on me and those that fit perfectly now dwarf my body. Not to mention that the weight loss as helped with my overall health as well. Like with my hormones since I had PCOS for how many years now and has always experienced utterly painful cramps during periods, the weight loss and overall healthier eating habits and exercise has made it so that for the first time in years I didn't experience cramps that made me feels like I wanna die during my last period. My own self-confidence also got a huge boost as well because when I see myself now, I can't help but think that the me that I am now is all because I finally decided to shut up and actually get things done instead of saying that I'll do it later or next year.

Though I still have halfway to go, I'm more than happy to be entering the new year 20lbs down with just half a year of consistency and discipline.

Starting is always difficult and sticking with it even moreso, but we'll get there. It doesn't matter how long it takes us to reach our goals, what matters is that we did our best to reach for them. The you that decided to stand up and fight is already a hundred times better than the one that decided to never even try.

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20M, Not sure how to go about diet modification. Been struggling with my relationship with food.

So I’ve been on my serious weight loss journey since I turned 19. Starting at 13, I ballooned up, peaking at around 300lb at 6’ even. This had a severe effect on my self confidence, and was a major contributor to my depression and suicidal ideation. I was sluggish, and could hardly climb a flight of stars without getting winded. I yo yo dieted a lot.

However, once I turned 19, I did a lot of introspection and finally got into therapy. After talking to my dad, I made a plan for myself. I started out doing keto, which worked for my dad, and for me at first, too. As of now, I’m around 250lbs. I feel better than I ever have in my life, but of course, that’s relative to my past. I still struggle with my mental health.

Additionally, I’ve been maintaining between 248 and 255 for the last 6 months due to a combo of lazy dieting (holidays didn’t help lol) and lack of tracking and portion control. My version of “keto” was basically heaps of meat and cheese. (No wonder my acid reflux was acting up.)

However, over the last week, I did some more introspection, and realized keto isn’t sustainable for me. It runs up my grocery bill, fucks with my GI tract, and is easy to overeat on (in my experience). Since then, I’ve been increasing my workout intensity, my deficit, re downloaded MFP, and am changing my diet to reincorporate more lean protein and vegetables. I’m doing my best to avoid processed foods, cured meat, and refined sugars. I feel pretty good, but transitioning from keto to a normal healthy diet is mentally tough for me.

Yesterday I indulged in one of my favourite hobbies which I have avoided for a long time due to my diet: baking. Specifically bread. I used to have a nice sourdough starter and would be by my over constantly. So I baked a nice loaf of bread and ate a good sized slice with a spread of natural PB to get in my remaining calories for the day. I feel fine, maybe a bit fuller than usual. However, the little voice in the back of my head is screaming at me for eating that slice, and depression is rearing it’s ugly head.

I honestly think I bought into the broscience too much. I’d always lurk on the keto and keto science subreddits. I know keto absolutely works for some people, my father included, but it just doesn’t for me. A lot of people also seemed to be super purist/gatekeepy, and there was always some YouTuber “nutritionist” or out of context study to justify all the wild claims. I also see a chunk of people — albeit a minority — believe that eating 3 steaks a day and a brick of cheddar are better than a bowl of rice and chicken

I know bread/rice can be incorporated into a healthy diet, that it’s fuel for the body, and that moderation is key. I probably won’t eat much a day anyways as too much will flare up my GERD, but it’s still hard dealing with the internalized guilt of eating carbs. It almost makes me want to give up, but I know I can’t. I want to live a healthy life.

I’m sorry if I come off a bit rambly. I usually lurk, but this is weighing on me. I’m just curious if any ex-ketoers can relate, or if anyone has some sage advice. It’s hard when all you’ve read is “carbs are the devil” for the last little while.

PS

no offence to anyone who’s had success on Keto. I’m of the belief that everyone has their own path to health, and if keto works for you, that’s great. My gripe is mainly with the attitude of online communities than the diet itself

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Some advice for everyone new!

Hey all, just wanted to share some things that might be helpful for someone who’s just starting their weight loss journey (or anyone really). I was a classic yo-yo dieter, & struggled a lot with binge eating, then restricting, then doing it all over again. Here’s what helped me stop.

1. When it comes down to it, calories in vs calories out is the single most important key to success. If you eat more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight; if you burn more than you eat, you’ll lose weight.

2. The second you start overly restricting yourself, you lose, & I’m not talking about losing weight. What I mean is that once you start putting foods (typically, your favorites) on a “don’t eat” list, they instantly become more appetizing. For me, I had cookies, cake, processed foods, etc on the “don’t eat” list, & ultimately this led to binges. Every single time. I’d go every single day having to say no to so many things, & this drives cravings like none other. The key is moderation! Fit your favorite foods into your calorie budget.

In addition, it’s a misconception that you have to be hungry between meals & eat tiny portions & “feel” like you’re losing weight (maybe that was just me, but surely I’m not alone). It is possible to find satisfying meals & healthy snacks & not feel deprived! I’m not saying you’ll never go hungry in the beginning, but remember the goal is to make eating healthy a lifestyle- you can lose weight & feel satiated at the same time!

1. Make a conscious effort to seek out lower calorie foods you can eat more of, to help with feeling satiated. You’ll likely need to be eating less, in the beginning, & probably will feel hungry or unsatisfied - as such, find a low-cal, high volume food that you like that you can utilize.

Chips & salsa (whole wheat & as unprocessed as possible) are pretty great - just make sure you measure out portions & stick to them. Lettuce with Olive Garden dressing is easy for me personally to eat a ton of, as long as I watch the dressing amount. Deli turkey or chicken on 100 calorie sandwich thins work well. Even dark chocolate can give you a little more bang for your calorie buck than regular chocolate. The same concept can be applied to meals too, not just snacks like I just mentioned.

1. Not seeing results can be extremely discouraging, as can looking at your body daily & being disappointed. I did this a lot - you know, checking if you have abs after doing a crunch, or wondering why you still don’t fit in those jeans after being under your calorie budget for two days. Real weight loss takes time, & you won’t be able to see day to day changes. Recall that when you’re feeling unmotivated or discouraged- you’re in this for the long haul. Results will come if you stay consistent!

Edit #5: If possible, find healthy alternatives to your favorite foods, that you really like. This might come a bit later in the journey, but eventually, I had to work on not binging on pecans & turkey sandwiches. Like, those were better than cookies at one point. I was unfortunately cursed with genetics prone to binge eating, so you likely won’t have to worry, but the point is that eventually healthy food WILL taste good enough for it to not feel like a chore to eat.

Sorry for the essay, but I hope someone can find this useful! These are all things I’ve struggled with that hopefully can hopefully steer others clear.

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Natural (or over the counter) appetite suppressant?

Hi everyone,

Over the last 3 days for some reason or another I’ve noticed that my overall intense hunger cravings have been way down, and in this time it was just so easy for me to eat healthy and work towards losing weight. This brings me to my main problem - where I think the true issue that I’ve always had with weight loss being my intense and frequent hunger cravings. Eventually I know the cravings will be back, so does anyone know of any appetite suppressants I can take that might help? I have tried coffee before in the past but I have a lot of anxiety (which coffee makes worse) so I haven’t had it in a while. Thank you!!

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How do I lose the last 5 pounds?

After losing 20 pounds two years ago, I've been stuck in a weight loss plateau. I'm 5'7, currently fluctuating between 128-130 pounds, 32 years old. I just want to get down to 125 and stay there but have not been able to do it. My calorie intake has not been high and for the past 3 weeks I stuck to 1200, typically a protein smoothie and a healthy dinner. I barely lost half a pound. I'm not finding this very sustainable especially since I've increased my exercise again and am doing multiple HITT sessions per week. I'm not sure what strategy to try from here, any advice is appreciated.

Here is a current pic, I just want to get to the point where I have some ab definition:

https://imgur.com/a/urB2fvP

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