Hi everyone. I wanted to stop by and just say how grateful I am for this subreddit and how much the posts and comments from all you wonderful people have helped me lose the weight. I started off on this sub back in 2019 weighing in at just shy of 220 pounds, and through everything I learned on this page, I lost 60 pounds.
Thank you. I needed the support and knowledge that I gained through this group.
I made a youtube video where I said the top five hacks I had in losing my weight. I want to pass along all of the information I gained from this group to others, and hopefully help with others' weight loss journeys as well.
The fifth tip in my video is to join this subreddit. Without r/loseit I would still be 220 pounds, if not more.
tldr; this reddit is the reason why i was able to lose weight and i made a youtube video telling others that this reddit is the biggest help in anyone's journey. click here to see it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjQ6wDsvUzA
I lost most of my weight 3 years ago by dieting and exercising. I ate whole foods, took supplements, everything. When I started my head was full of hair, my hair was extremely thick and pretty. Now at 160lbs my hair is so fine I cant look at my hair part. Its been like this for the past 2 years. I went to the doctor with this problem and she just told me that there are different stages of hair growth and its normal normal to lose hair after weightloss. Im still paranoid and depressed about it because my hair looked like it was made for hair products commercials and now I cant have any darker colour on my hair because the wide part is just so obvious. I dont have PCOS nor any other condition. My thyroid is fine. My bloodwork is fine. Its not progressing, its just extremely thin. Anyone else experienced this?
I’ve been eating super clean and hitting the gym for one full week so far. Started at 265 and weighed in at 259 this morning. Decent start, definitely had moments of challenge / weakness, but it feels good to get into a manageable routine.
Slightly concerned about the amount of weight loss in a short time - I’m fearing the “faster it falls, quicker it grows”, and this is the second time I’ve attempted a large weight reduction. Almost ten years ago, I went from 245 to 165 in 9mo. Gained back due to finishing school, getting an office job, having kids / starting a family, and a montage of unhealthy habits.
Feeling good today - my body already feels so much better from getting physical activity and not eating shit for a week! Thank you, to whomever reads this, feels good to share somewhere.
Before my weight loss journey days like today would have been filled with take out and comfort food. I know that it’s not really hunger I’m feeling, but that doesn’t make it easier to avoid the temptation.
Hi everyone, this is kind of a throwaway account, but I just wanted to talk about my weight loss journey and my recent developments because I don't really have anyone else who I can talk to about this. It also might get a bit long so sorry about that.
I've always been overweight and always have struggled with my body image. As a kid, I grew up overweight and was constantly bullied for it in middle school and high school. I lost a lot of weight once during the latter half of high school by cutting out lots of unhealthy foods and using an elliptical that I had in my basement. I thought that would be the end of these struggles, but I guess old habits die hard? My body image issues remained despite my massive weight loss and because of other life circumstances, I fell into a deep depression during my first few years of college. I ended up regaining all of the weight I had lost and even more, and my BMI had hit the obese zone for the first time in my life. I felt so, so terrible about myself once again. After struggling with my weight for a while, and failing diets over and over again, after talking with some friends about it, I decided to commit to a routine and actually try and get over these issues once and for all. I lost 36 pounds in the latter half of 2019, and I was at a normal range BMI for the second time in my life. I felt amazing, and thought that I wouldn't struggle with weight gain anymore.
However, quarantine began and, well other than my weight, my mental as a whole just fell hard. I've always struggled with stuff like depression and PTSD from various things that's happened throughout my life, but quarantine and everything going on in the world really got to me. I gained back even more weight, and recently I hit the heaviest I've ever been in my life. Throughout quarantine, I would always try to begin another "diet", fail, try again, fail, and it was just a terrible cycle that made me hate myself even more every time I had failed. When 2021 started, I think I just gave up on trying to lose weight. I told myself that I would never be happy with myself, and I would never, ever be able to feel comfortable in my own skin. Unfortunately, as a result of being picked on so much for my weight, that part of my body had been linked to my identity: if I was overweight, it would affect my mood every single day and my self value as well. It was really bad.
However, recently, I don't really know why or how to be honest but I just randomly had an epiphany. And I realized that what was important wasn't really "how" I was dieting, but "why" I was dieting. I realized that the past times I've tried to lose weight, it was never because "I want to feel good about myself" or "I want to stop feeling so shitty all of the time," but rather because I wanted others to see me in a better light, or see me improve, or like me more. I was only trying to lose weight because I was so scared of how others would see me, and that was the main focus and drive that would keep me going in the past. I was so, so wrong. Weight loss shouldn't be so that other people like you more, but rather so that I can like MYSELF more. I'm sure this isn't really a new concept, but for me, it's so new and refreshing that it actually started helping me feel better.
However, I also realized that "how" I was trying to lose weight was also very unhealthy. Here are some examples:
- I would have "time periods" of when I would restrict myself from a lot of foods: for example, if I knew that I was going to eat dinner out with my friends the next day, I would skip every other meal during that day. No wonder I had bounced back: I very rarely gave myself any sort of "cheat meal" or even a snack. I was just trying to lose weight as fast I could. So yeah, I learned the hard way that it's never good to completely restrict yourself, but rather to find a healthy balance of food with lower calories and higher calories, and instead of trying to lose weight fast, I should try to maintain a healthy weight loss over time and develop better eating habits during the time as well.
- I would also say "good" foods and "bad" foods, but I recently decided to try and change my perspective on food. Instead of "good" and "bad", I went with the terms "higher calories" and "lower calories". Honestly, it's kind of a miniscule change, but it's helped me a lot so far: I don't feel as bad when I eat foods I considered "bad" before. During my last weight loss attempts, I would always feel terrible when I ate something I considered "bad", and it would in turn make me lose the will to keep committing to my weight loss. It was a pretty unhealthy mindset tbh.
- This one isn't really considered "unhealthy" per say, and it's to each to their own. But I used to weigh myself every 2 weeks. While I didn't really see an issue with this back then, I realized that maybe it was counteractive in my own attempts. I'd try to lose weight for 1-2 weeks, check the scale, get disappointed in the results, and I'd give up. That's happened A LOT. So recently (my mom actually gave me this advice lol), I started to weight myself every single day around the same time. While the changes are miniscule (0.2 pounds), and sometimes straight up confusing to me (like today I'm 2 pounds lighter than I was yesterday?), it's been helping me a lot more. I guess for me, weighing myself every day helps me "re-motivate" myself every day. As in, if I had lost a little weight, I'd feel really good about myself and keep wanting to stay healthy the next day. And if I stayed the same, or even gained a little, I'd look back at the food I ate the day before and see what might have affected it. I think it's like a way to efficiently learn what kind of eating habits work for weight loss, and what doesn't.
- I also started to track my own foods instead of going by "feeling". I used to not track my foods, but now I do. To be honest, I'm not a fan of those calorie counting apps, because not all the calories match up perfectly and it kinda bothers me too much when that happens. So instead of trying to track calories, I decided to simply just write down what I ate throughout the day. It's honestly helpful in those moments where I don't really lose weight in the next day, or even gain: I can look back and see what I ate the day before, and make adjustments over time.
I've always had a terrible, terrible relationship with my weight, body image, and food. I let my weight affect my identity and self-love and care. Quarantine had been a huge struggle for many people, and I'm one of them as well. I genuinely hated myself for so long, even before quarantine, because I had never tackled the mental issues that came with my physical weight issues. It's a new and weird feeling for me, taking care of myself rather than doing things for everyone else. But it feels great.
To be honest, I've only recently began my weight loss journey, and I'm still a little scared that I would not be able to commit to this once again. But something feels different this time. I feel mentally cleaner, and healthier, not driven by superficial reasons but rather reasons that actually matter to ME.
I think yesterday was the happiest I've felt during this whole quarantine. I checked my weight, and for the first time in a very, very long time, I hit under 190 pounds, a number range that I had been stuck around for months. I know 189.8 isn't that far off from 190, but to be honest, progress is progress. It was weird, because I thought the world is shit right now and life is shit right now but even in all of this terribleness that I had been going through, I was able to find not just a method of losing weight in a healthier and more efficient way, but I was able to feel actually good about myself. I found my reason to work on both my physical and mental health. And I hope to keep this up and finally, finally recover from both my physical and mental issues that I've struggled with for a large part of my life.
I don't really know how to end this, but I hope I can come back to this account in the future and say to myself that "I did it," and that I'm proud of myself. And maybe at that point, I'll love myself a little more than I have before.
Last month I injured my back and I needed to go on prescription pain medication. Before taking the medication, I noticed that one listed weight gain as a potential side effect. In hindsight, I am so glad I read through all the potential side effects. Once I started taking the medication, I gained about 1.5 pounds and basically stayed there the rest of the month. In fact, one of my apps congratulated me on maintaining. Ugh.
While taking the medication, I was still logging food, maintaining a caloric deficit, and exercising (albeit less heavy exercise because of my injury). Based on those numbers, I was still on track to lose about 1.5 a week. However, the number did not budge. After two weeks, I started to become frustrated and then that turned into self-doubt. Maybe I was eating too much, maybe I was eating too little, maybe my kitchen scale was inaccurate, etc. etc. My husband sweetly reminded me multiple times that it was probably the medication.
Luckily I started feeling much better earlier this week. So, I stopped taking the prescription. Lo and behold, I “magically” lost a little over 6 pounds in 4 days. I lost all the weight I was supposed to lose this month. (I also had an NSV — fitting into a size 8 pant for the first time since my twenties this morning!)
So, if you are taking medication, it can hide your weight loss. Take it from me, maintain your deficit and you may experience the “woosh” after you stop taking the medication. While in the middle of my self-doubt, I searched the sub to see if there were any stories and did not find any. I could be terrible at searching, but, just in case, I wanted to post this (my first post here despite years on this sub) for someone who may be experiencing this and needs to hear this story. Thanks r/loseit — you are all the best.
When we hear about “superfoods,” we tend to think of exotic fruits and vegetables with hard-to-pronounce names and nutrients you never knew you needed. But spinach, a leafy green vegetable we’ve heard about since we were kids, has been identified as one of the most potent superfoods with many health benefits.
Spinach is among the most nutrient-dense foods, meaning it delivers lots of vitamins and minerals but has very few calories. What you may not realize is how versatile it is and how easy it can be to add more to your diet, even if you didn’t love it when you were growing up. The benefits of spinach are countless, so be sure to start incorporating it into your weekly menu!
Here’s why you should be eating more spinach:
Nutrition Highlights
One of the most notable benefits of spinach is the high nutritious value it carries. Your mother was right: Spinach is among the most healthful foods you can eat. A cup of raw spinach has just seven calories, but it provides you with 56 percent of your RDA for vitamin A and 14 percent of your daily vitamin C needs. Eating spinach gives you smaller but significant amounts of vitamin K (which helps protect heart health) and the B-complex vitamins, such as folate, niacin and riboflavin. Spinach is also rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium, a mineral that plays a key role in keeping your metabolism active. On the Nutrisystem program, spinach is considered an unlimited non-starchy vegetable.
Spinach has more than twice as much iron as other vegetables. Iron is essential for your body’s production of red blood cells—iron deficiency, known as anemia, may afflict vegetarians and others who avoid red meat. It’s a common cause of persistent fatigue, especially among women. To note, iron from plants is not as easily absorbed as iron from animal sources—if you want to enhance your body’s absorption of iron, combine it with a food source high in vitamin C. Enjoy spinach in chili with vitamin C rich tomatoes, add spinach with vitamin C rich red peppers to an omelet, or even add vitamin C rich fruits like mandarin oranges or strawberries to your spinach salad. The benefits of spinach are not just nutritious, they’re versatile, too!
You will see bunches of fresh spinach in the produce department of your local supermarket and it is also frequently available rinsed, trimmed and bagged. Spinach leaves and cooked spinach can be found in the frozen food aisle. When buying fresh, you may be able to choose from three different types, each with very similar nutrient content.
The leaves of savoy spinach are very dark green and crinkly. They tend to be crunchy and crisp, and to have the most noticeable spinach flavor. Savoy spinach is a good choice for salads, but because of all the wrinkles, minute amounts of dirt can get trapped in the leaves, so be sure to rinse it well before using. It also works well in recipes that need chopped leaves.
Smooth, spade-shaped flat-leaf spinach is easier to clean than savoy types, so it’s the kind most often used for dishes calling for whole leaves, such as omelets and sautés.
The very young leaves of baby spinach are very tender and have the mildest flavor. Baby spinach is a popular item on salad bars, and it’s the best choice for adding to smoothies and other dishes when you want the nutritional benefits but you don’t want to notice the taste.
When shopping for fresh bunches, look for leaves that are consistently dark green with lighter green, crisp stems. Avoid any that look damp, wilted, or yellowish. You can store fresh spinach in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for three to four days, but leave the bag open so moisture—which causes wilting and mold—can evaporate.
Just before you’re ready to use fresh spinach, drop the leaves in a large bowl of lukewarm water, stir gently with your hands, and then lift out them out to let the sand and grit settle. Repeat until there is no sand or grit on the bottom of the bowl and the spinach is clean. Pat the leaves dry before eating.
Raw vs. Cooked
Both fresh and prepared spinach are loaded with nutrients, but the cooking process affects which and how much of those nutrients you absorb when you eat the leafy green. Raw spinach contains oxalic acid, a natural substance that binds with calcium, making it unavailable for our bodies to use. Cooking spinach breaks down the oxalic acid and releases the calcium so your body can take it up. When spinach is heated, your body also absorbs more vitamin A and zinc from it. That doesn’t mean you should stop eating raw spinach. The fresh leaves deliver more vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, and potassium than you get from cooked spinach.
Here are 15 fresh recipes to get your spinach fix:
You can whip up this easy side dish in minutes (and reap the many benefits of spinach), with just salt, pepper and a splash of olive oil to bring out the flavor of the vegetable.
From Drab to Fab: 12 Fresh New Salad Recipes You’ll Love
This version of the party-time classic lets you dip and dunk, while staying on track to your weight loss goal. Non-fat Greek yogurt provides the creaminess, while scallions, garlic and dill supply the flavor. The spinach gives you a serving or two of vegetables as you enjoy the festivities.
Start your day off or fuel up your afternoon with a filling drink that blends the sweet taste of apples with the tartness of lemon juice. You get two servings of vegetables in each glass.
When you want a break from the same old chicken dishes, try this easy-to-prepare dinner that treats you to spinach two ways—mixed with rich ricotta cheese and blended with rice on the side.
Simple and satisfying ingredients come together to create this low carb Smoked Salmon and Spinach Frittata Recipe that’s packed with savory and smoky flavor.
Packed with the winning combo of cheddar and spinach, these perfect pastries are exactly what scones should be. Delicious flavor, perfect texture and diet-friendly!
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Packed with nutritious value from the spinach, these wontons combine an array of ingredients to make this delicious dish healthy, creamy, flavorful and most importantly, cheesy.
