Friday, January 6, 2023

What was the one thing you did that made a major impact on your weight loss?

If you could pick one thing from all your changes in order to lose weight, what was it?

For me I am still on this journey but if I could look back and choose one thing that gave me the biggest difference where I noticed not doing it stunted my growth, it is strength training! I used to do body weight and other classes (spin, yoga…etc) but training with weights (gradually raising weights over time) gave me the biggest difference in my body especially after a few months.

Obviously calorie deficit helped but even with maintenance calories, strength training still shaped and toned my body the most compared to anything else.

What’s yours? I’m curious to see how different everyone’s bodies are and what worked for them! Hopefully it will help other people to get some ideas!

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Just a FYI. Body recomp or fat loss

Hey folks

This post is just to make people aware.

On my weight loss journey, I decided back in October that I would give the scales a miss. Got my missus to do my measurements instead and just continued with my cardio work outs / weight lifting routines / eating healthy and high ish protein.

The big reveal came on New Year’s Day. I had lost 16 inches of size across my whole body and put on 1kg!

If I hadn’t of been doing my measurements I would have been so disheartened with the 1kg weight gain after so much effort so I guess what I am trying to say is fuck the scales in the bin, unless your main target is weight loss. Or if you’re exercising, the scales can go up due to gaining muscle.

There is not enough info out there about body recompensation and I personally feel it’s the best way to go about getting healthier.

Further info can be read here

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/body-recomposition

Good luck on your journeys, I hope this post helps somebody.

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Restarted 2 weeks ago to counteract a sedentary job. Here's what works for me

Pre-covid I went from 215 to 175, I was extremely happy with that but plateaued around there and wasn't too focused on finishing my journey (GW: ~155-160). Since then I've maintained around 180, and was fine with it, but no gym and not focusing on my intake.

I recently started a new job where I'm very sedentary, travel often, and have generous per diems (allowing basically any meal and quantity I could want). I've realized that I either take control of my health or will rapidly re-gain weight. After binging over the holidays, I committed to gaining control over my body. I wanted to share what I do as the posts here provide me so much motivation:

Eating:

I track my intake with Lose It. I've tracked intermittently over the last few years, but I'm on a ~2 week streak right now and don't see this resolve breaking. I've found that a proper setup in the app contributes to success.

  1. CICO: In this community, I feel that most have an awareness of this. There are many posts that can be found in search diving deep into the importance. If you're just starting out, know that the only way to lose weight is to be at a calorie deficit
  2. Set a caloric goal that is achievable: I'd previously set goals that were far too low. I could do it for ~3 days, but once I broke for a day, I'd be off it and would need to restart a month later. Using LoseIt's tools I found a calorie level that I rarely hit (which is motivating), while maintaining health and sustainable loss.
  3. Understand how you think about your calorie limit: Personally, I hate seeing the dial on LoseIt turn red (when I exceed my set calorie limit). I therefore have my limit set a bit higher than what my actual one is. As a result, I end the days 'under' which motivates me to continue
  4. Focus on more than just calories: Macros are a rabbit hole that I don't want to go too deep down. However, I track two additional things:
    1. Protein: I've been pescatarian for almost a year, it's been a journey finding appropriate protein substitutes. Protein's ability to fill me up, combined with starting to exercise and wanting to build muscle has made this my number one priority to ensure I get enough.
    2. Fiber: I've had some GI scares (ended up just being appendicitis), but it has made me more in-tune with my body's movements. Having solid, easy, poops is something most people probably don't appreciate when they happen. Eating enough fiber facilitates them, therefore I loosely make sure I get enough each day.
  5. Intermittent Fasting: I've loosened up my fasting regiment, and don't really formally track it, but it helps how I think about food and eating. Previously I wouldn't eat except for noon - 10pm. My schedule complicates this now, but it helps me think twice if that midnight snack, while being within my caloric limit, is worth it
  6. Track almost everything: When I tracked every single calorie, I'd get exhausted by the tedium of it. I track almost all of my food, but I allow myself certain things to make my life easier and because they don't cause much harm. I figure I miscount ~100 calories daily, but I see this as just built into having a lower limit and keeps away logging-fatigue.
    1. Examples
  • I don't drink soda, but I do drink a lot of sparkling water and an occasional Bodyarmour Lyte. A spindrift is ~10 calories & BA is ~20. I don't bother logging this, it isn't going to change my habit or goals.
  • My Preworkout is ~60 calories. If I'm tired before working out I'll have it. If I'm not, I don't. Either way it gets me to the gym so I don't bother logging it.
  • When I put balsamic vinegar and oil into my cucumber tomato salad, I measure and log that.
  • It's about picking your battles. Ultimately you only cheat yourself.

Weight Loss:

  1. Set small, achievable goals: Previously, I'd set my single goal as my ultimate goal weight. 20-40 pounds seemed so far off and the perceived lack of progress was discouraging. Now, I'm planning to go 5 lbs at a time. That seems achievable in a month and I see clear progress towards it. My ultimate GW is always in the back of my head, but I feel like each day is actually making meaningful progress.
  2. Weigh yourself constantly & consistently: Weight fluctuates throughout the day as you're more or less full. Every morning, I wake up, shower, brush teeth, go to the bathroom, and then step on the scale. This, in my opinion does two things:
    1. Makes checking weight a natural part of my morning routine. It isn't something I fear or forget, it just happens. As soon as I step off the scale, I log it in LoseIt.
    2. Eliminates as many factors as possible when taking the measurement (as any scientist would want). Your body is as empty as it will be during the day, allowing you an accurate sense of what your weight is
  • This also provides the satisfaction of having multiple data points on your weight graph. Infrequent logging makes lots of long straight lines connecting them. Daily logs create a true accurate graphic of your journey.

Exercise:

  1. "You can't out-exercise a bad diet": This is extremely true. It is so much easier not to eat calories than it is to burn them.
  2. Learn how to exercise: I'm not an authority here and still don't fully know what I'm doing. There are resources, trainers, and friends who can help you become comfortable in a gym. Find what works for you. The first few times will be awkward and uncomfortable, and I don't think most people at the gym know what to do with every single machine. Being uncomfortable is part of this process.
  3. You can build muscle while losing weight: I had this notion that I would only do cardio until I hit my goal weight. I did no strength and just did cardio. Maybe that works for some people, but I feel much more satisfied and motivated by incorporating strength training alongside cardio. In just 2 weeks I've noticed muscle and changes to my body. Small ones that only I'd notice, but it drives further motivation to continue going to the gym.
  4. Go to the gym regularly, even if just for a little bit: I know that once I start allowing myself excuses, it'll start a cycle where I skip more days. This week I felt pretty crappy one day, but still took myself to do some light cardio for 40 minutes. Your body needs to move, let it.
  5. Get clothes that are comfortable to workout in: I'm not saying go spend hundreds on nice gear. No hobby or life choice should start with that. But get a pair of shorts and 2 lightweight shirts [Or whatever you're comfortable in] to reduce barriers to working out. Personally, I could never workout in jeans and hate doing cardio in any pants - some people love that though. Understand what is comfortable so you can maximize your workout.
  6. Have something you do every day: I end at the gym with 20 crunches, 20 squats, and 20 pushups. My pushup form is shit, but I see this routine as a constant to track progress. In a month hopefully all of these are easier.

The journey is hard, and then maintenance begins. But the confidence being in your own body, health benefits, external recognition, and (realistically) societal prestige make it worth it.

I've had success in my journey by thinking about the time it takes for habits to form. Its hard to get through the first 3 days, then to get through the first 2 weeks, and then to get through the next month. Setting goals that push you over these hurdles will keep you motivated and lead to long term change

I've started and stopped many times. I hope this post illustrates that weight loss can be nuanced and there are a lot of things to consider, but hopefully you took something away from it or can add your own experience to it.

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Suddenly "gained" 4lbs due to menstrual cycle. Is this normal?

SW: 151 lbs | CW: 117.2 lbs | GW: 110 lbs. | Height: 5'1"

Hi guys. My weight loss journey started back in May of 2022 when I reached an all-time high weight of 151 lbs. Got really serious and started doing CICO, tracking my calories and following along to Fitness Blender YouTube workouts when I could. I'm also a single parent to a now 2 year old. It's been close to two years since I've had a period thanks to birth control completely stopping it. I've gotten as low as 113 lbs, as of last week. I was elated because I was so close to my goal weight.

Now all of a sudden, I'm weighing in at 117.2 this morning. I also started my first period in a long, long time. I'm cramping, bloated. But I have no appetite, I'm literally forcing myself to eat and drink water because the thought of it is making me nauseous.

Is it normal to suddenly put on 4 pounds of what I'm assuming is water weight and retention due to my period? I'm hoping it will just shed and fall off by this time next week, but I'm also feeling kind of defeated and annoyed, like all of my hard work wasn't worth it (which I know isn't true). Just looking to see if this has happened to anyone else! Thanks!

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Thursday, January 5, 2023

Going to a Chinese Buffet Tomorrow — How do I make sure I’m still in a deficit?

Hi, guys. Really need some advice if you’ve got the time. So tomorrow my family has planned a big day and want to go to a Chinese buffet afterwards. The problem is I can’t count calories (or can I??? let me know if it’s possible! they don’t have calories on their site, already checked) and I want to be sure I stay in a deficit. I’m 315 lbs 5’6 female so I can eat around 2,340 calories per day at my fitness level (one above sedentary, 30-60 minutes of exercise per day) 5-7 times per week and still lose weight (around 2 lbs per week according to MyNetDiary app). I don’t want to blow my calorie budget on one stupid day or even just say “f*ck it” for a day. I also can’t really back out of eating there with my family or it’ll cause more problems than it’s worth. My weight loss is a secret because my whole family is obese and anytime I mention wanting to get healthy they completely freak out. If you have any tips on how I can make tomorrow go smoothly without affecting my weight loss, I’d really appreciate it! Thanks in advance.

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Question for women in maintenance …

39F 5’10” SW250 CW200 GW170

Did your real-life maintenance TDEE end up matching the online calculations once you reached your goal weight?

The online TDEE calculator says the maintenance calories for a woman my height when I hit 170lbs will be 1832/day. Right now the loseit app has me eating in a deficit of about 1500/day and I’m 200lbs.

Did y’all in maintenance find the calculations accurate once you got there or did you need to eat less than you expected to maintain?

I guess this relates to the theory that the act of weight loss wrecks our metabolism … does it?

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My [38M] Journey with my weight.

Hi there everyone.

I've heard of this sub a while ago and have been quietly lurking about, but i finally decided to take the plunge and jump in to document my story with weight from childhood till current. Mods, if my story isn't allowed please feel free to lock/delete this thread. Also, apologies for those in this thread who use imperial measurements, i am from a country which uses the metric system so i will be using those.

As a child i was always overweight, throughout my time in primary and high school, thus i was constantly bullied about my weight. Eventually i grew up to ignore this bullying and out of my teens and into my early to mid 20's i was hovering around the 120kg to 130kg mark. This was also around the period i got my first job in a factory, while the job was quite heavy lifting working with steel and metal products, although i was overweight i did get quite fit so was able to handle the job well.

All my troubles came to a head back in 2014. While i was at work i suffered an injury which caused me to loose mobility. Because i could no longer do my previous tasks at work and my lack of mobility i got into a deep depression and my weight began to spiral out of control. I began to smoke cigarettes quite a lot, i had picked up smoking when i got my job in the factory but where previously i would smoke maybe 10 cigarettes a day i had now began smoking up to two packets 40+ cigarettes per day. The cigarette smoke would irritate my throat and the only thing that i found, or perhaps should say thought, would ease the irritation was drinking soft drinks(coke, sprite, etc). I would drive down to the local petrol station and pick up my cigarettes, usually 3 packets, and multiple bottles of soft drinks. I had become quite a regular customer that the staff at the counter and i became friends on a first name basis and they would recognize my car as soon as i pulled up.

My life was a mess. In 2016 i spoke to a specialist in regards to getting a gastric bypass surgery. My weight at this time was 196kg. The Dr, who was actually great, wanted me to loose 20kg before he would consider the surgery on me. He had a dietician in his office who put me on a diet plan, which to my surprise worked. I had gotten down to 175kg which took me about 2 months to achieve, when i went back to see the Dr he told me he wanted me to loose another 10kg more. I tried, oh how much i tried but i could not loose that last 10kg. I tried everything he and his dietician told me but nothing worked. I was disappointed in myself and my body, my depression came back and once again i completely spiraled back out of control.

2019 and my near death experience. At the beginning of 2019 i was so heavy i had no idea of knowing how big i was as i could not weight myself on any scales. My GP's scales could only go up to 200kg so i knew i was way over that. I had these strange pus filled bubbles all over my lower legs. They smelled really bad and were constantly leaking pus everywhere i walked. I decided I'd had enough and shortly after New Years 2019 i decided to go to the hospital to get them checked out. Just as i stepped out of the shower i slipped and fell on the tiled floor. I found myself unable to pick myself up off the floor. I lived with my elderly mother who was unable to help so she called a friend who lived down the road to come help. I was embarrassed. My mothers friend was also unable to help so they decided to call an ambulance to help. The ambulance crew came and were also unable to help me get up, so they eventually called a 2nd ambulance crew and the fire brigade who bought a special mattress kind of thing which they laid me down on and inflated which was able to finally get me upright. I spent the rest of January 2019 right up till the end of February 2019 in hospital going between ICU and the respiratory clinic. Remember my smoking i mentioned, well it seems it caused me severe lung issues which i now suffer from but its getting better albeit slowly though will never be the same again. In hospital i was in a special bed which they were able to weigh me finally. I was 237kg. That was my record all time highest weight. I was put on a fluid restriction and my weight was bought down to 192kg when i was finally released. I had quit smoking and also quit the soft drinks, i began loosing some weight finally and got down to 187kg. I was feeling good but then i met up with a friend who i hadn't seen for a while. This friend offered me a cigarette, i was clean for 4 months and silly me accepted his offer which again lead me to spiral down the path of cigarettes and soft drink.

September 2019 my mother and i went for a vacation to her home country to visit my eldest sister and relatives who live there. My bad habits got even worse. You see where i live, things like cigarettes and alcohol are quite expensive where as in my mother's home country it is cheap, VERY CHEAP. I saw how in expensive the prices were and boy i was like a kid in a candy store. My smoking increased from two packs a day up to 4 packets per day. That's 80 cigarettes plus. My throat irritation from the smoke came back two fold and to suppress that, again lots and lots of soft drink. That weird puss filled infection i had in my lower legs earlier, they came back too. 10th of October came around, once again i slipped and fell getting out of the shower. This time after a long struggle i was able to pick myself up and threw myself on my bed and wanted to sleep. My sister came over and saw my condition, forced me to get up and took me to the hospital. The last things i remember from that day are walking into the emergency department, being taken for an ultrasound of my heart, then having a chest x-ray and finally being told to lay down in a bed then i blacked out completely. I finally awoke 9 days later to find my self intubated, strapped to machines and my hands tied to the railings of the bed. I was told i was comatose for the previous 9 days and the reason for my hands being tied were i kept trying to rip out the intubation hose from my throat. They weighed me again in the hospital. I was up at 226kg. Not quite my all time highest of 237kg but still close enough. Again they restricted my fluids but this time they got my weight down to 187kg. When i left the hospital on November 1st i decided no more cigarettes. The soft drink i struggled with and still do.

2020-2022 NYE, my weight kept fluctuating, going between the high 170's to low 190's during the pandemic years. Just before the New Year i made myself a promise, that I'm finally going to do something about my weight. I weighed myself a couple of days before NYE and i was 172kg. Dec 31'st and Jan 1st i didn't weigh myself, however on Jan 2nd i did and i was 169kg and felt good. Its the first time in a very long time that I've seen my weight anywhere below the 170's, so i began to do some light exercises every morning. That brings me to today 6th Jan 2023, i weighed myself again and my weight was 166kg. Even just that that small weight loss of 3 kg made me so happy i could feel tears welling up in my eyes. I know it may not be good loosing big numbers fairly quickly and sometimes i may not loose anything at all but i hope to continue my journey to weight loss throughout this year. My goal for the time being is to get down to 150kg, then the step after that will be to get down to my weight i was when i first started working pre injury (120kg). I will continue my weight loss after i hit my two goals but after achieving my pre injury weight I'm not certain what weight i will choose to make my goal.

Also among my plans is to try to get out more and meet new people. My depression and weight gain and health issues has caused me to loose a lot of friends along the way which in turn makes my depression even worse. I feel quite lonely at times. Its been quite difficult at times.

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