Hi! I just started my weight loss journey and wanted to put my plan in writing, on the record. Feedback and tips welcome!

Hey there, r/loseit!

Before the Covid lockdown began, I was at 140 lbs – just slightly over my “ideal” weight of 125. I wasn’t actively trying to lose weight then, but I kept thinking it was probably something I should do.

I’ve had an office job for a long time, but I got a promotion, and it led me to working longer hours than normal. And then lockdown happened. I ordered more food from restaurants. I drank a bunch. And I started wearing sweat pants all the dang time, which is how I didn’t even realize how much I was gaining.

I’m now at 157 lbs – not quite so close to my goal. I had an absolute fit the other day realizing that I have no clothes I can fit into anymore for whenever this pandemic does end. And I have a tiny frame. It might not seem like a huge amount of weight, but for me, it’s absolutely made me depressed to even look at myself in the mirror.

Anyways, instead of complaining about it and feeling bad for myself, I making an active effort to lose weight! And I am terrible at long-term goals, so I wanted to join this group and get it down in writing that I am doing this.

I downloaded a calorie counting app on my phone, and I’ve been tracking my food for the last four days. My TDEE is only 1680, so I’m trying to aim for between 1200-1350 calories a day . . . I mistily hover around 1300. I know it won’t make for the fastest weight loss ever, but I’m okay as long as the weight loss eventually comes. I bought some of the first green vegetables I’ve had in a while the other day, so pretty excited about the possibility of treating my body a little bit better. 

I would like to eventually start exercising. It’s super cold out where I am now, but I am hoping to be really strict with my diet for the next few weeks until it warms up enough for me to go walking, and eventually jogging. I know it’s physically possible to do these things in the cold, but I figure one giant change for me is enough at a time anyway. 

I am also trying my best to stay sober. That’s a recent change for me as well, going from drinking multiple cocktails or beers a day to perhaps one glass of wine a week. In addition to enjoying how sobriety makes me feel, I think it will really help in losing the weight. 

Anyway, this was pretty rambling, but like I said, I just really wanted to put my good vibes out in the universe and make a promise to myself that I’m going to do it this time. 

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Thanks guys

I went to the gym today to do my body composition test. I met with the manager, who was previously a personal trainer. He proceeded to ask me a series of questions about why I was getting my test done. After answering his questions, I able to read his body language and see that he wasn't listening to me and just wanted to sell me something.

He essentially told me to do everything that I was already doing. He criticized me for having lost a pound of muscle, even though I lost 18 lbs of fat in a month. I told him that it was worth the sacrifice and that 1 lb of muscle isn't a huge change in the calories burned at rest.

He backed down and had to acknowledge that I was correct. I was able to get more information out him, but he kept jumping to assumptions about with every question that I asked.

I learned that between 25 % to 30% is overweight. I'm currently at 31.1%, so I'll be kissing obesity goodbye by March. He also told me that I have a good amount of muscle, 111.1 lbs. Which is Close to his, I'm guessing more because that was the only number that he never shared with me and was vague about lol

When he realized that he couldn't sell me anything, he was ready to get out of there. My major takeaway was that people don't think of the mental health aspect of weight loss. Numbers Don't mean anything, unless there is story or feelings behind them.

Thanks again for sharing all of your information and stories with me. I was able to figure out a good routine for myself that is bringing me good results. More people have been talking to me and I've been able to express myself in new ways. I feel more comfortable in my clothes and I'm finally able to buy "normal" pants again.

Lastly, I've been helping people in my personal life and people at the gym. It feels good to give back, to know what's going on with my body, and to be there for others. No more assumptions or bad guess work! Amen

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Difficulty losing weight in winter

Has anyone else struggled to maintain weight loss throughout the winter? I lost about 15 lbs (30yo F, 5”4, down from 165 to 150) between April and December and would like to lose 10 more pounds. I put on a couple pounds over the holidays which I prepared myself for and have lost, but there’s an obstacle to losing weight right now which I think is probably psychological. I’m very consistent with my workouts (I did Strong Curves but am currently doing Fitnessblender’s FB Strong program for a change), and on weekdays I have no issue with healthy eating and staying between 1200-1500 calories. The weekends are a different story. I feel like with the winter blahs, terrible weather and nothing to do (my area is on lockdown currently due to COVID), by the time I get to the weekends I’m DESPERATE to enjoy something and end up overdoing it on wine, treats and just big portions, even of healthy food. I keep making the resolution to do better every weekend but by the time Friday rolls around I just DGAF. I’m at the point where I’m wondering if I should just try to maintain for another couple months and restart the weight loss process in April when the weather improves and I’m feeling more motivated. Anyone have similar experiences, or tips and tricks to share? The winter struggle is real!

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It’s hard to balance weight loss and mental health

I’m sorry for the formatting I’m on mobile. English isn’t my first language, sorry if there are any mistakes.

I (19F) have been struggling with mental illnesses for quite some time, but mainly depression and ED. When I started losing weight and getting back in shape (around may 2020) I thought what I was doing was right, I thought I did it healthily. And it wasn’t until I talked about it to one of my friends, that I realised I had fallen back into the old habits I worked so hard to abandon. It took me months and great support to not be scared of eating again. It took me so much effort to accept my body as it was, once again. Today, I’m starting my journey again, but with a better mentality. I decided to not count my calories intake because it triggers my ED. I also chose to not push myself to hard while working out. I have to be less hard on myself and understand that I’m just human and I can make mistakes. Fortunately, my roommate gave me healthy and easy recipes, and is willing to work out with me. Food will definitely be the main obstacle, but I have more support than I ever had. Losing weight, or just getting back in shape is a whole journey, to each is own pace. And now, I’m ready to take it each day at a time. I hope I’ll become a better version of myself.

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“Someone said _______ and it made me feel [motivated/discouraged/positive/negative] about my weight loss journey.”

Lately, I’ve seen a ton of posts about others’ reactions to weight loss, comments about food, etc. that made the poster feel some type of way about their progress or plan. Weight loss is challenging, it can be emotional, and it can involve serious changes. For many of us, it can be hard to make those changes without asking for accountability from friends or coworkers, or at least giving your family the heads up to help you avoid temptation. That being said, a common theme I’ve noticed is that folks who are already very anxious and negative about their body open up to someone else, who doesn’t say the right thing in response. Inevitably, this discourages the poster from weight loss or alternatively motivates them to prove the commenter wrong.

Weight loss is something that should be pursued out of love and respect for your body and yourself. That sounds like an ideal, but it has practical benefits: emotional motivators come and go, but you and your body are in it together for life. It is so crucial to approach weight loss through a positive lens rather than a punishing or depriving one - it has to work for you, not for anyone else, and honestly: others’ opinions do not matter unless they are your doctor or mental health professional. If you are fueled by others’ reactions to your current weight or weight loss, or your dedication to your new lifestyle wavers with any expressed doubt from others, you may not be in a good headspace for this journey.

Making new changes is hard, so it’s tempting to seek support and validation wherever you can. However, if you don’t feel like you are getting it from the people in your life, this sub is a great place to seek it out. We all get it and will give reasoned feedback and gentle, good-faith correction where appropriate. People in your life may be chronic fad dieters, may have never needed to lose weight, may be recovering from their own disorders, or simply may think themselves armchair experts on everything. For me, keeping weight loss talk abbreviated IRL and focusing on my own goals and what works for me has been key to success. If you’re not there yet and obtuse off-handed comments about food and weight upset you enough that you deviate from your plan, you may want to avoid having those conversations.

As a final note: Part of the reason that these posts stand out to me is that I recovered from an eating disorder and have worked very hard to approach weight loss in a healthy way. Many people have not been diagnosed with disorders but hold unhealthy beliefs about themselves, including that their weight is defining feature or a central focus to everyone around them. This can be true, as many people can be toxic about weight, but the goal of changing your eating habits should be to get to a place where you can thrive. If your weight is a constant negative focus, consider talking with a therapist to work towards embracing a more neutral view of yourself as you adopt a healthy lifestyle. The best defense against regain, in my opinion, is to lose weight for long-term reasons like preserving your quality of life. If that’s what’s driving you, an ignorant comment might sting but should not change your commitment to being your best you.

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What do you do when you don’t feel like working out as much and are starting to get cravings all the time?

For the past couple of months I’ve been changing my diet to include more home cooked food like vegetables mixed with shrimp, and eating more probiotic and prebiotic food like plain kefir/chia seed pudding, fermented pickles, homemade miso with seaweed, and replacing cravings for soda with an occasional kombucha.

I also recently incorporated regular exercise in the past 2 or 3 weeks at about 4 times a week. 15 minutes of cardio, 45 minutes of full body strength training (or segmenting muscle groups if one feels too sore to safely work out), and then 15 to 20 minutes of cardio before leaving the gym; roughly an hour to an hour and a half depending on how I feel.

I’ve also been significantly increasing my water intake. Started aiming for a gallon a day since the meds I’m on dehydrate me (40 mg of Vyvanse for ADHD), it helps with digestion, and the dry ass winter air sets me skin on fire.

But since Sunday I haven’t felt like working out and have gotten constant cravings for junk food. Wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for fried stuff and having been told by my doctor that my cholesterol is high and I need to cut back on fried foods and red meat; the latter isn’t an issue since I wanted to adopt a predominantly pescatarian diet and care a lot about my gut biome.

My starting weight was 181 and I’m down to 157 (5’5” 29F) and while my goal weight is 132 I also want to build muscle tone. Most of my protein is from kefir, chia seeds, and shrimp but when I need a post work out meal and don’t feel like cooking I get ready made sauce-less and non-fried sushi from the Korean grocery store.

I don’t want to completely ignore my cravings, while also considering my cholesterol, since it’ll just make me likely to binge but I feel like I’m losing the momentum to work out consistently.

What do you do when you feel too tired to exercise, start craving more processed food, and are experiencing a weight loss plateau?

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It’s sometimes hard to adjust to the new “me.”

Forewarning: I don’t know technical terms of this sub or weight loss. Or exercise. I’m just me and an Apple Watch. And I move. 😂

Since the beginning of last year, I’ve lost 65lbs (250 to 185).

Me: Male, 28, 5’9”. 👋🏻

It’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to close my move ring on my Apple Watch, which is set at 770. Which is a good thing, but also kind of a pain sometimes when I’ve known that I’ve moved a lot through the day.

I also have to realize that I don’t need to eat as many calories to sustain myself. I can FEEL that. My blood sugar doesn’t drop as much now that I’ve controlled my eating habits.

My clothes don’t fit. Everything falls off of me. Except my shoes. No reason to shop for much of anything other than exercise clothes, considering that I’ve been working from home since COVID started.

But there’s still a long journey to travel. Before I’m happier. And healthier. But I’m so proud of how far I’ve come!

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