Tracking calories/weight causes me to obsess and hate my body. Tips/recommendations for how to love your body before and during a weight loss?

Female, 27, 5'7.5", SW/CW: 187 lbs, GW: 140

Long story short: I've used MyFitnessPal on and off over the past several years. The issue is that when I see the numbers in front of me (weight, BMI, calories eaten), it makes me feel absolutely awful and I can't think about anything else. I start feeling guilty about eating anything--even if it's only 20 calories. I start to feel like 1200 calories a day is too much and I eat even less. Sure, I lose weight, but my body image becomes awful, I hate myself and I don't even want to look in the mirror or step on a scale. Inevitably, I tell myself it's not worth it and I give up and stop tracking and gain the weight back.

My body type has fluctuated between normal and midsize, but the way I view myself has always been that I'm fat and disgusting. I look at girls who are similar in size or bigger than me and I feel like they look good, but I can't see myself the same way. It hurts to see pictures of me when I've been a smaller size, because I know that I thought I was fat and embarrassed of myself back then too. I worry that even when I reach a healthy weight, I'll still see myself this way.

I think what would help me is learning how to love my body as it is, and then I wouldn't feel so much shame about the numbers. I try to follow body-positive influencers and people who look like me, which helps somewhat, but do you all have recommendations for how to love yourself through a weight loss journey? Podcasts, books, communities?

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I lost 135 lbs! I compiled a list of all the weight loss benefits I could remember as thanks to r/loseit

When I started losing weight, I looked up the benefits of losing weight on loseit a million times. It really kept me going, so I wanted to make my own list. And tell you that it is really worth it! Each little change you notice feels so great.

P.S. buy a damned scale and take progress pics. You're a smart person, you need to be scientific about this, and you will appreciate the data afterward.

I'm about 5'11/182 cm and 180ish lbs now

Timeline of My Weight Loss Benefits

• 315, 0 lbs lost: This is when I started. I was wearing XL shirts (Size 42+ pants) but should have been wearing 2 or 3XL. It was painfully obvious in photos. I needed to take breaks during short walks and rarely left the house.
• 285, 30 lbs lost: About 2 or 3 months after I started, I finally started to notice some subtle changes in my face
• 265, 50 lbs lost: I was able to go on a run! At this weight, it still hurt my knees quite a bit. When I went to get my blood pressure checked, it was still
• 260, 55 lbs lost lbs: I started going to a CrossFit gym. CrossFit was and STILL is difficult. I was able to complete a 1-mile run.
• 235 lbs, 80 lbs lost: I got my first date since gaining weight again. This was about the weight I had set an arbitrary limit to start letting myself go on dates again.
• 225, 90lbs lost: My blood pressure returned to normal. Started getting A LOT of compliments. I started wearing large size t-shirts. I bought a whole new wardrobe (the funny thing is that I got a bunch of size 34 pants for my birthday and they fit me well for about a few weeks because I was losing 4 lbs a week)
• 215, 100 lbs lost: This was a mental breakthrough. Until I hit the mythical 100 lbs lost, I still didn't feel like I had "done it".
• 205, 110 lbs lost: I saw some really big changes in my face. I started to look a lot more defined! My pants size at this point was about 33 (a decrease of 8 inches)
• 199.8 lbs: This is the mythical "onederland" that people online would talk about. Finally being under 100 lbs for the first time in a decade feels great, even if it's just a number.
• 185 lbs, 130 lbs lost: Started to notice a lot more definition with veins and muscles.
• 180 lbs, 135 lbs lost: This is my current weight, and it feels really good. I wear a size 31 in pants (-11 inches)
• 165 lbs, 150 lbs lost: My final goal! I really hope to hit this summer. It is just a number, but 150 lbs lost is huge. At this weight, I should be able to wear Medium size t-shirts comfortably.

Physical Changes After Losing Weight

• I don't have allergies or asthma anymore, it's just gone!
• No reoccurring sickness. Before, a sinus infection or cold was a twice-a-year ordeal.
• ZERO heartburn. I think that eating less and eating to half full really helps a lot with this!
• No more sleep apnea! I would hear from friends and family that I would stop breathing while I was sleeping.
• Blood Pressure problems are gone. I went from dangerous levels to better than average, also with the help of exercise.
• My breathing is just better in general. Before I would be huffing and puffing. One day I was lying in bed and just noticed that I take way fewer breaths per minute than before. Honestly, it was a little scary but I got used to it. No more gasping for air while talking!
• I need a lot less sleep. Before, it was almost guaranteed that I could sleep 10-12 hours straight, and now I can pretty comfortably subsist with 6-7 hours. The NEED to nap is gone!
• Along with sleeping less, I don't crash because I'm not eating a ton of sugar and bursting at the seams with food.
• I lost 11+ inches in my waist and have dropped from a 2XL to almost a medium in shirt size.
• It's possible to walk all day long! I can keep up with friends when exploring a new place.
• I just feel a lot lighter and don't feel like a bowling ball trying to move between pins when I'm walking through crowds. Sometimes I still move like I'm larger than I am and require the space I did before because that's what I'm used to.
• I'm quite cold sometimes, the wind really bites now. But I've also realized I'm just an always-hot type of person so it isn't as drastic as I expected.

Mental Changes After Losing Weight

• I'm not as hungry all the time and my stomach shrunk a bit from the change in diet.
• I'm happier and have less tendency to fall into depression (and when I do it's easier to get out).
• My taste in food has changed and I actually enjoy a lot of healthy foods like vegetables now.
• The opposite sex has a lot more interest now. It went from 0 to a marked increase. It's weird when people call me handsome.
• Everyone is a lot nicer to me. Unfortunately, I've found that people just treat me better and people are more likely to do a favor for me or give me the benefit of the doubt.
• Increased confidence. Side note: I check myself out in the mirror quite a bit more.
• I still have problems seeing myself as extremely different than before. That's not to say I have body dysmorphia but something is there.
• I have increased confidence that I have the ability to accomplish goals because this was a huge one.

Strange Changes I Didn't Expect

• Some loose skin. Overall, I think I got pretty lucky but in the end, I think I will have a bit of loose skin remaining. Not enough to need surgery, but I do feel a bit flabby in certain places like under my arms and legs.
• I lost half a shoe size! This one was pretty weird, but I suppose it makes sense.
• Beard filled in better. The face shrinks a bit so I think you can expect hair follicles to be closer.
• My veins are quite striking. I completely forgot that I even had them!
• The bathroom experience is a lot better. I don't need to use it as often and when I do - let's just say everything is a bit easier.
• It seemed like one day my penis just appeared a lot longer. Pop. Came out of its shell. If you are really overweight and insecure about your size IT WILL get better. I would say I gained 2 inches soft and an inch hard. Sorry for the TMI but it is a thing.

Thanks for reading guys! I hope I helped you decide to really get started. I have a few other posts about my weight-loss journey in my profile and write about my weight loss on my blog.

Throughout the whole process, I was taking mental notes. I was really concerned thinking: If I do this, HOW THE HECK will I reframe it into succinct advice to help others. And I'm not perfect, and I still don't have the answers but hopefully, I can be of service.

If you'd like to, follow me. I hope to write a short book on how to lose weight along with some more posts about my tips and tricks.

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After heart issues and covid made me fall back into my old ways, I am finally back on track. M/24/5'11" SW:320 CW:234.2 GW:190

Over the course of the last 4 years I decided to finally take my health into account. In 2016, I went from 320 pounds to 295. I maintained 295 with some fluctuations until I moved to college in the fall of 2018. From the fall of 2018 to the fall of 2019 I went from 295 to 238 with massive help from my roomate (fitness and strength training) and a complete 180 diet change. In the fall of 2019 I suffered some heart issues and was hospitalized. I was told no activity until the heart specialist could fully come in and look at me. Then Covid hit.

I was eventually cleared but I went from 238 to 270 in the span of almost a year. I was able to get down to 264 and just maintained it for a while. I felt like I was in a slump and just stayed at this weight thinking I was destined to be heavy forever. Something hit me this year and I decided now was the time to try again. I am now at a lower weight than I was in the fall of 2019. In almost 5 months, I went from 264 to 234.2.

I am astounded at myself and I couldn't be happier. This weight loss happened through caloric deficits and minimal exercises. For the next three months, I will be having a lot more free time on my hands and I plan to hit the weights again and just get into the best shape of my entire life. This newfound feeling of courage and hope is showing me the light at the end of the tunnel. If you've hit a slump, you can push through it. I believe in all of you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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Some days I'm under calorie but not hungry, is this okay if its not every day?

Hello, I'm female, 5'6, 168lb, 26 years old. Started at 179lb, desk job, no exercise over lockdown at all.

I've been doing the ol' CICO for over a month now, doing great, lost 10.5lb so far. Been exercising almost every day for a minimum of 30 minutes a day, but aim for an hour on a Saturday or Sunday most weekends. Feeling great and noticing a tiny bit of muscle forming on my arms as it seems to be the first place I've noticed fat reducing.

Anyway, I've been fairly meticulous in making sure I measure and scan foods and get the calories as close as they can be. I also track my calories burnt with things like ring fit and fitbit but know that both of these things get calorie burn wildly wrong, mostly I'm just using it to track my heart rate during periods of exercise. I also enter all the data into MFP and set it to not make a calorie adjustment based on my exercise and calories burnt because I know how inaccurate it can be and how that definitely hindered my previous attempts (working out just so I could eat more, and usually overestimating how much I had burnt).

So this time around I know I'm doing things right as I'm actually losing fat, gaining muscle and feeling much better overall. Also cut out soda and alcohol and that's made a big difference to my digestion. I'm monitoring my macros to try and get good protein and fibre and not too much sugar or salt and so far I'm feeling like it's all manageable and working for me.

The only thing I've noticed is that there are some days where I get to the end of the day and I'm under 1000 cals (my recommended is 1200 as my BMR puts me at needing about 1400-1600 to maintain). Most days I hit around 1100-1200 and the odd cheat day may see me at 1300 but I'm fine with that if it's occasional, it's not like I'm pushing 3000 calories or anything so I don't stress too much on that.

The days where I do occasionally come in at under 1000, they're usually no lower than 850, but I often find I'm really not hungry on those days, even after exercise, and I had tried to maybe have the odd soda or snack to bump up the calories, but because the only things we had around that were both small but high in calories were junk food, it boosted my calories but didn't make me feel great and slightly hampered my weight loss and messed with my GI. So I've gone back to leaving them alone for now, as I don't think it's the answer.

What would you guys advise, is it okay if its only like one day a week, should I skip working out on days when I'm not consuming as much, or are there any calorie dense foods that are easy to eat when you're not particularly hungry that aren't super sugary or salty and bad for you?

Just want to make sure I'm doing it all as healthily as possible to ensure 1)i don't cause myself any problems and 2) I can maintain this as a lifestyle of eating well and only having junk food or soda occasionally as a treat and not to pad out my intake.

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I've lost 14 lbs so far!

Let me say I've ONLY lost 14 lbs and have gone down two pant sizes so far. This is only the beginning of my weight loss journey. I've been overweight since I got pregnant 10 years ago and been diagnosed with hashimoto's. Nothing had been working to move the flab. I just started counting calories in late February and have had many "cheat" days, darn those strawberry shakes! Lol, but this years loss has been a major accomplishment for me! I can't really talk to a lot of people in my life about it because most of them are gaining and not losing right now and I don't want to bring them down. Anyway, I just put on a pair of shorts from last year and they practically fell off!! Oh my gosh it feels sooo good!! Yay me! 😁

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Tantrum Tuesday - The Day to Rant!

I Rant, Therefore I Am

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Well bla-de-da-da! What's making your blood boil? What's under your skin? What's making you see red? What's up in your craw? Let's hear your weight loss related rants!

The rant post is a /u/bladedada production.

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Please consider saving your next rant for this weekly thread every Tuesday.

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ADHD/autism makes cooking a huge chore for me. Would meal replacement drinks be a good idea?

tl;dr: Trying to come down from "morbidly obese", but my mental health prevents me from regularly preparing my own meals. Would protein shakes be a good option for me, and what do I need to know?

Long version: I've struggled with obesity and bad eating habits for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was always a picky eater - I couldn't stand salad or just about any uncooked foods, and mushrooms in any form still make me gag to this day. It wasn't until I was in my 30s that I figured out I was probably autistic and that it was probably a big cause for these issues, and last year (at the age of 36) I was finally diagnosed with ADHD. I take medication for that now, which helps me stay focused during work, but hasn't made it any easier to do my own cooking.

Since I moved in with my girlfriend, who's also autistic and has similar issues with cooking, we've mainly subsisted on store-bought ready meals, instant ramen, occasional takeaway, and ultra-low-effort meals like burgers, fajitas and the like. This has caused my weight to increase further, of course, and recently I was diagnosed with a hiatus hernia, which was a bit of a wake-up call. I've been gradually easing into exercise since then, but I also need to fix my diet - which is difficult, because both of us find it extremely difficult to cook from scratch. Meal replacement shakes seem like a good option, but how viable are they for long-term weight loss? And what other options are there, considering our limitations?

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