My experience with the relationship between exercise and weight loss.

TL:DR I've lost about 20-25lbs over the last six months, and I've gone from running at most 1.5 miles before having to stop due to knee pain, to having just run 8.8mi before having to stop only because of blisters.

I'm gonna give all sorts of details here in a big layout of my past, largely for my own benefit to have written out.

I've (26M) always been a very active person, played soccer growing up, ran cross country in high school, have always enjoyed road and mountain biking, hiking, etc etc. Never particularly fast or 'talented' at any of those activities, but I enjoyed them. Was also in pretty good shape and at a healthy weight at this point. Then I dislocated my patella (kneecap) in April 2010, partially tore the MCL, had surgery to fix. Didn't completely fix the problem, had a few very brief dislocations in the following years while playing soccer, in gym class, wrestling around with my little brother, etc etc.

Went to college in 2013, and being on my own for the first time, and being in charge of what I ate, and having the freedom to buy whatever junk food was not good for me. I was still running and staying active, so my weight didn't totally explode, but I absolutely creeped into somewhat overweight category, developing lots of bad habits along the way and a sugar addiction I'm still struggling to kick to this day.

Then in February 2017, while finishing up school, had another serious dislocation, required a second surgery. Was a bit more involved, used cadaver tendon to support the MCL, fun stuff like that. In short, it worked a lot better, knee was feeling stronger than ever! I ran a half marathon at some point following recovery, and set a PR mile time in March of 2018. Setting that mile PR definitely tweaked something though, and I would start getting weird pains in the knee during future activity. My other joints have mild problems of their own, and between the hips, knees, and ankles, my running became pretty limited from 2018 onward (I'd still bike a lot to get exercise). I would go out once in a while, but not wanting to lead to worse injuries, I'd stop after something would start to hurt, usually about a mile, maybe one and a half. During this time, I hit my weight high, probably around 220lb. I don't have an exact number, I was weighing myself very very rarely, mostly getting that info from the occasional physical checkup.

Last summer was when I started to dig myself out of the depression hole I spent most of the last decade in. There wasn't a defining moment I started to change things or to lose weight or anything. I've just made a lot of changes in the past six months to improve my life, weight loss being one of those. One thing early in this time was my little brother convincing me to do a triathlon with him. I had to do some preparation to make sure I could swim 400m without drowning, but I can easily bike 16mi, and I figured I'd just run a mile or so, then walk the rest of the 5km when the inevitable pain started. Imagine my surprise when that never happened and I wound up running about three fourths of it (walking just cause I was very out of breath from using most of my energy on the bike section). After that I was curious how future runs would go as I really started eating better and very slowly lost some weight. Now I'm down about 25lbs to 195. A few weeks ago, I just kept on going, since I kept feeling good, and wound up running 6.4 miles. I hadn't done more than a 5k in at least four years. Had to stop cause my feet didn't like that, and had some nasty blisters. So I went and got non-cotton socks, since no one at any point in my life ever told me that cotton socks are terrible to run in and will give you blisters very easily! Last night I went out and did 8.8 miles, again stopping only due to blisters, not joint pain (the socks were better, but apparently not quite enough).

So while I'm sure a variety of factors are at play, I have to think that losing about 25 pounds really helped my ability to run long distance again. It's a lot of extra weight to have on the joints during impact activities. I see a lot of discussion about how exercise is obviously critical to weight loss, but not as much about how losing weight makes future exercise easier and more enjoyable. The level of joy I was getting last night from a long run was incredible, realizing that I wasn't being limited in the ways I previously was. If someone could have told me I would feel this way as a side effect of losing some weight, I'd probably have put far more effort into it from a much earlier age.

Now to keep it up, targeting 180lb for now

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Gained again after losing 80 lbs - reframing my mentality (motivation post)

I lost about 80 lbs (250 -> 170) in 2018-19, and after lockdowns, working a job with longer hours, gyms being closed for months, food delivery being easier and cheaper than ever, I slowly crept back up to 210 lbs. I’m a 29 y.o. guy by the way.

I noticed a huge difference in my mental health that I never thought was related to my physical health before. When I’m overweight and eating without any regard to my health I feel more depressed, less in control, and more prone to mood swings. This could be due to the chemical reactions in my brain from all the sugar, fat, carbs, etc., but I think it is pyschological - how can I respect myself if I don’t even respect my own physical body? By choosing to not care about what I’m doing to myself, I’m subconciously telling myself that I’m not worthy of care. This just reinforces my depressive thoughts and keeps me in a downward spiral of binge eating to satiate the sad feelings and then feeling worse because I binged. Rinse and repeat.

I remember how good I felt when I was at my physical peak - lots of energy, positive, more outgoing, able to deal with stresses easier, and not obsessing over negative feelings. Setting goals and achieving them and then setting new goals, like a 7-min mile, or doing 15 pull-ups. I think more than losing the belly fat I’d like to get back to that state of mind, where I am treating myself with respect by not stuffing it with donuts, ice cream, etc (plus, now that I am getting older those foods wreck havoc on my digestion).

I initially lost weight for more superficial reasons; wanting to look better and receive more positive attention from people. Then I realized the benefits of good health, but I never saw it as an act of self-love. I got complacent with where I was and thought I could maintain without consciously trying. I was wrong. Now that I’m getting back on track I want to stay focused on this idea. Every time I go to the gym, every time I cook a healthy meal, every time I say no to junk food, every time I come back from a run sweaty and tired - I’m subliminally telling myself that I am worthy.

I hope maybe this speaks to you too and your weight loss journey. I think reframing getting physically healthy as a way of improving mental, emotional, spiritual health will be how I finally stay committed.

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254 to 240 the past 3 weeks.

I'm 5'11 and 240 today. My weight loss journey started January 10 and losing 14 pounds is odd to me. Water weight maybe the the thing to losing so many pounds. However, I'm playing around with my calories the past couple of weeks because I work 5-6x a week on my feet and burning 300-500 calories just from work in a very hot work environment. I hope by next week or two that my water weight will slow down so I can know my actually weight to lose fat. I want to lose 1-1.5 pounds a week once I know. However, my only question is how long does the water weight go away? or does is it always there?

Daily calories: 2,400

maintenance: 3,000

Goal: 195

Macros: Protein-180g Carbs-230g Fats-70g

I'm very new to weight loss btw. the past year or 2 I gain probably 36-46 pounds due to enjoying life and not sports and school.

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Is Calorie Counting Considered A Diet?

I am doing a softer version of the 75hard, I am not calling what I’m doing the “75 hard” I’m calling it a “75 Medium”. I’ve gotten a lot of backlash due to this, and because I didn’t pick a diet where I cut out a million things I’m “wrong”. Calorie counting and eating in a deficit is what’s always worked for me. When I try to cut things out for extended periods of time I set myself up for failure and sabotage myself. The longest I’ve been able to fully cut out stuff is 30 days and I always regress and get sad because I enjoy occasional carbs, fat, or processed things. I don’t think it hurts you as long as you are in moderation. In the rules it states you pick a diet (any diet) and follow it for the 75 days. Is calorie counting (remaining in a deficit) considered a diet? Ps. I went on a weight loss journey in 2016 and lost 60lbs using this method, maintained a 40-55lbs loss for two years and got pregnant. I’m on my post part I’m weight loss journey and have lost almost 70lbs following this method as well. I’ve tried lots of other things and this is what works for me.

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How do I lose weight in a healthy and sustainable manner?

TW: Eating disorders

Hello all, I have what seems like a very simple question at hand, how do lose weight in a sustainable manner so I don't gain it back? The circumstances around my weight feel very complicated to me, even though I am aware that the formula for weight loss is quite simple: go on a calorie deficit.

Currently, I am 20(M), weigh 225lbs, and I'm 5'11", and have a BMI of 31.4. I have been successful at losing weight in the past. From May 2020 to September 2020 I went from 220lbs to 178lbs. I felt like I had finally conquered my weight issues and I was actually happy with my physical appearance at that point. However, the way I achieved this weight loss was through very unhealthy means. I biked to and from my job where I waited tables, and also did a lot of biking outside of my job. I essentially starved myself for a considerable period of time, I limited myself to 1400 calories a day, and only ate from the hours of 12pm or 2pm until 8pm. To give context, I found out later on that this is 100 calories less than the recommended amount for a 5 year old.

Eventually, I gave up as I had achieved my weight goal, but I slowly gained all the weight back through stopping exercise, binge eating, eating junk food, and depressive episodes.

Now I'm here. I desperately want to lose weight as I am uncomfortable in it and I hate how I look with it. It feels impossible to do, especially since I had gained it all back and the only way I have been successful at losing weight in the past is through unhealthy means.

I'm mostly looking for advice as to how I can conquer my binge eating, and lose weight while keeping it off.

Thank you very much to anyone who took the time to read this, I wish you the best of luck on your weight loss journey.

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Practical weight loss advice for someone with chronic fatigue?

Hello. If this doesn’t belong here please redirect me. TLDR is at the bottom.

I am female, 23, 5’1”, 145lbs.

I have scoliosis and PCOS. The TLDR version is that I get tired sooner and have chronic pain. My PCOS causes my weight gain to gather in the belly and chest area, so i have very large boobs which wreck havoc on my back and neck and shoulders which are already in pain because my spine is twisted.

I am currently working part time (1 shift a week) and i’m in university (4 days a week). School and work are always first thing in the morning, so the time i have to exercise is on weekends and afternoon/evenings. When I finish school and work I am usually far too tired to go to the gym. I have tried “just toughing it out” and going anyways and the result is almost always exhaustion to the point where I can’t go to school/work the next day. I LOVE yoga but haven’t been doing it partly because of fatigue but also because it is really physically uncomfortable for me being this overweight (to give you an idea, most of the 45lbs i’ve gained has gone to my torso and very little to my extremities)

My diet isn’t great, but I am a little afraid to use Lose It because I have in the past and was bordering on eating disorder territory. I will probably use it anyways but I am definitely feeling wary about it. The main issue with my diet is that I tend to eat takeout a lot because of the energy required to meal prep. Groceries and cooking are almost 100% my responsibility in my household and I am usually too tired to consistently figure out healthy meals and go shopping for their groceries not to mention actually cook.

Does anyone have any practical tips to make a healthy lifestyle more attainable for me? Hitting the gym 5 days a week and never getting takeout aren’t realistic options for me because of my chronic pain and fatigue. I realize that small changes will probably take 2-3 years for me to lose 45lbs like i want to. I don’t see any other option really because if i could just drop everything and become a gym rat i genuinely would.

I have been getting Hello Fresh which has helped with the stress of grocery shopping but no change to my weight.

TLDR; F/23/5’1”/145lbs, chronic pain makes me tired sooner, making exercise and healthy eating difficult to keep consistent, any ideas for small positive changes?

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From Athlete to Pudgy to Pseudo-Athletic Guy

26M, 6ft(1.68m) tall. SW 215lbs GW 180lbs CW 185lbs

I was hesitant to post this at first, as there are far more incredible stories of perseverance and intense weight loss here. Still, I figured I might as well say my piece, if for nothing else, but to show the appreciation I have for this community. Anyway, read my journey if you like, or skip to the bottom for a summary and progress pictures.

The Athlete

All my life, I was an active, skinny kid. I spent a lot of weekends and summers camping, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, etc. When I started 8th grade, my school required everyone to play at least some sports during the year; I ended up running cross country in the fall, wrestling in the winter, and playing lacrosse in the spring. My summers were also spent mountain biking and playing more lacrosse. I would also intersperse all these organized sports with side activities like ultimate frisbee, running, and weightlifting throughout the year. Suffice it to say that I was quite an active guy and ate as such. I never tracked my calories that intensely then, but I'd guess I was eating about 3,000 to 3,500 calories a day at my most intense. These were primarily healthy calories; I would stock up on lean meats, veggies, and lots of salads. During summers, my parents taught me how to cook, and I made tasty, healthy meals when school wasn't providing them.

I had a lot of arrogance about my physical fitness at the time. Most of my friends at school had similar activity levels, and the only overweight people I knew had only their muscle mass to blame. A lot of my self-worth had become wrapped around how much I could lift and how fast I could run a mile. When I went to college, I wasn't good enough to compete in any of my regular organized sports at a D1 level, but I still kept running, weightlifting, and eating obscene amounts of food in my routine. Now that I was in an environment where not everyone was an athlete, I started to look down on overweight people. This arrogant attitude that I feel shameful of now and a thought process that ultimately began hurting my progress down the road.

The Pudge

So it turns out alcohol has a lot of calories. It also turns out that having unlimited access to a high-quality gym is also not a regular part of adult life. Through college, I had found a girlfriend (now wife), exchanged my weed habit for a drinking habit, and began to let up on my intense workout routine. After graduation, I no longer had access to the fantastic athletic facilities I was so used to, so my daily workouts became semi-weekly, monthly, then non-existent. But I kept eating like an athlete, eating healthily but excessively. My dinners consisted of chicken, rice, veggies, and 12+ heavy beers.

I started to notice my muscle mass dropping, and while disappointed, I wasn't too surprised. But then my abs began to disappear. My wife would remark to others that "he had an eight pack when I met him, but now he's a bit more normal," which always got a laugh. I'd join in, attempting some self-deprecating humor, but it always stung. I had long clung to my athleticism as a core part of my identity, and it was slipping away. My arrogance around my fitness began to conflict with the reality before me. I switched between justifying myself to the mirror to crying in front of it. In my mind, I had failed. I had lost it all. So of course there was nowhere else to go but down. I stopped working out entirely, I drank more heavily, and I participated in more self-abuse. My morning routine often began with seeing myself in the mirror and cringing, then mentally tormenting myself in the shower by grabbing where my abs had once been. Instead of doing the things I know could fix the issue, I considered myself failed, so why bother? I might as well enjoy my beer and massive meals.

The Pseudo-Athletic Guy

COVID vaccines came around, with being overweight as a qualifying reason. My wife urged me to step on the scale and get my vaccine. The scale came up as a startling 210 pounds. At first, I was HAPPY, I had been trying to hit around that weight for a long time when I got really into weightlifting. Then I realized I needed to arch my neck over my belly pudge to actually see the number. Something about this event motivated me to change things.

I found this sub and began actually tracking calories, fully realizing the amount of food I was eating. "Healthy" food or not, the amounts were absurd. I switched to smaller plate sizes and controlled my portions that way. Alcohol was (and is) still a bit of a problem. I decided there were "no-drinking" nights, where no matter my stress levels, I would not drink at all. I also switched from heavy IPAs (there are like 250+ calories in a single bottle!) to white wine and seltzers.

I started working out again but found myself hating the long cardio sessions. I'd realize my lungs burning and legs aching to try and reach mile times I had no problems achieving in 8th grade. This led to more self-abuse, and almost led me to quit working out entirely. I finally switched to just weightlifting and was able to keep things more consistent that way. I still would beat myself up about how little I could lift now, but it was more bearable. Weightlifting had always been my version of meditation, and getting that back was soothing. I started longer walks with my dog and began seeing progress.

It took a long time with lots of ups and downs. I'm not back to where I was, and I don't think I ever will be. This whole process made me realize just how insane my schedule and habits used to be. I had to fix my mindset, my binary classification of athlete-vs-fat was affecting how I saw other people and myself in negative ways. I've learned to live in and appreciate the middle ground, and the effort that others put into these processes.

My Privileges

Seeing the amazing stories of transformation here, it's hard to consider my story as a difficult one. It had its own challenges that are unique to me, but I also recognize I had quite a few privileges that others here do not.

• I'm a young and tall male
• I went into this with knowledge and history of exercise
• I'm a decent cook, and often enjoy cooking and eating healthy meals (if sometimes to an excess)

Summary and Progress Pics

I used to be a 4-5 sport varsity athlete throughout high school and became a bit of a gym rat in college. After school, I kept the eating habits of an athlete but dropped all the exercise habits. Add in some alcohol and a good old pandemic, and you end up wondering how you got a beer gut eating chicken salads.

Progress pictures

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