I have been maintaining a weight range of 220-230 for the past several years. My highest weight was 450+. My weight loss was natural. My blood pressure is perfect (it used to be dangerously high) and so are other markers of health. I have begun losing weight again, and I'm getting close to being under 200. I am wondering if it's even realistic to think I could maintain less than 200. Previously in my life (teens and 20s), I've only maintained a sub-200 weight through eating disorders and drug abuse. I will not be overly restrictive in my diet or experience constant hunger as those are unhealthy behaviors in my ED recovery (and also binge triggers). I see most formerly 400+ (even those who have weight loss surgery) who don't get under 200 either (like many of the My 600 lb life patients who were successful in losing hundreds of pounds).
I also have no idea how much my loose skin weighs and it is everywhere, including my forearms and calves. I am mostly fine maintaining a low 200 range as I feel very healthy and can still fit into plus size (though barely) and regular sizes, so I have a lot of clothing options. But I worry about still getting harassed by doctors and also want to get a brachioplasty (arm lift), and I believe they'd want me to be under 200 as well.
Is there anyone here who healthily maintains sub-200 after being 400+?
I'm not going to lie and say that I've been following the plan perfectly (though that is the goal I'm after) so I know why I am at a Plateau. Ths last 3 weeks I have been hovering over the same 5 lb range. I have had about 2 days of binge eating each week despite my best efforts. I know this sounds like a cop out, but I I just really need advice on how to manage it, since im having a really hard time doing it on my own. I have most days a week where I do so well at meeting my goals and one or two where there's a meal I feel like I go almost into a fugue state. And it's really discouraging because I just feel like I have no control, and it's affecting my weight loss goals. I have to lose at least 60 lbs and I'm stuck at 15 because of those days
How do other people with eating disorders help manage those episodes? Any advice is appreciated 🙏
This may end up long winded, if so, feel free to jump to TDLR.
I am on the upper end of the healthy weight range but had been steadily putting on a few pounds a year for the past decade and reached a point of being unhappy with how I felt and looked. I also realized that throughout college and my early and mid 20s, I didn't like sweets, sugary drinks and unhealthy foods, which made weight maintenance a lot easier, but now I can't get enough. After falling off the bandwagon many times of trying to not binge eat at night, I vented to a friend at brunch who works in microbiome research (yeah, I know) who was explaining our gut and the impact that it has on our cravings, our habits, our weight, etc. I thought she was spewing some antiscience, optimistic future facing potential research, but I watched a documentary (The Invisible Extinction) and figured I'd give it a shot and see how I felt. At this point, my focus wasn't on weight loss, but just general fear mitigation as the documentary made me feel like I was going to die (and, frankly, had some problematic speculation on autism, but i digress).
It's been a few months and oh. my. god. I feel INCREDIBLE. Physically and mentally. I am a cheese ADDICT and late night binge eater and, at the point of writing this, its around midnight and I don't feel a single craving or urge. I've actually become weirdly obsessed with nuts, which I'd never been an eater of, and have a nuts drawer in my kitchen that are my go to snack. I can truly say that this renewed focus on gut health and my microbiome has changed my life and relationship with food. I think, for me, the worst part about being on a diet or trying to lose weight is that there are very few things that you are meant to DO, just lots of things you are meant to stop doing. For microbiome health, there are definitely things you should stop doing, but really it's about incorporating things that are good for your gut, which completely changed my relationship with food. Food is no longer calories, but fuel.
I think there are some claims around gut health that are wild science fiction, so take some with a grain of salt, but I would HIGHLY recommend incorporating a more gut friendly approach to your life and seeing if you have a similar experience. It's been about 3 months, but I started feeling the dietary stability after only a few days.
The changes that I've made are eliminating artificial sweeteners (I'm a sucker for splenda coffee and diet coke- probably 4 a day) which took some time to adjust to but now I'm just as happy with unsweetened coffee. I drink kombucha (absolutely hated the stuff until I tried "real" kombucha), try and ensure I am having 30 different plants per week, very little alcoholic beverages and 1 probiotic item (yogurt, kimchi, etc) per day. And that's (for the most part) it. I'm already a vegetarian, so the central premise of the most important thing to avoid is antibiotics/ antibiotic treated meat wasn't necessary for me.
To be clear- you lose weight through CICO. But if you're on a general health journey or can't seem to cut cravings, you have nothing to do lose by seeing if improving your gut health aids in that journey. The more research I did, the more I realized how absolutely horribly I was treating my gut by destroying my microbiome with my diet soda, wine, added sugar, etc. I actually can't imagine myself ever even WANTING a diet coke or "junk food" ever again as I just feel so good and am able to eat insanely "heavy" things in moderation where in the past I'd go crazy (for dinner, I had a huge slice of sourdough bread with ricotta cheese, cantaloupe and fig. I had one and felt satisfied and ACTUALLY FUCKING STOPPED).
TLDR: My friend got me hooked on giving a shit about my microbiome and now I drink kefir like it's going out of style and pooping like a champion.
EDIT: I bolded the part about antibiotics as I realize that I treated it as a side note since I don't eat meat, but that it's, like, the primary cornerstone of most of the reading material on the microbiome. Antibiotics destroy everything- good and bad. And antibiotic treated meat does the same. So I wanted to emphasize it in case anyone actually decides to give it a try.
Hey, y'all. Hoping for some advice or perhaps some encouragement.
I'm 5’4, 24, and weighed 231.2 as of last week. My goal weight is 130 or so - I am hoping to build up a lot of muscle mass so I'm okay with my final weight being a little higher if I'm happy with my figure.
I want to get on track with weight loss. I'm not very happy with my appearance, but I also don't feel great in other ways. A lot of my excess weight gathers on my stomach and it makes it hard to end over or squat for long periods of time. It also makes it hard to do certain movements in one of my hobbies. I know there are workarounds but I still get discouraged when I can't do certain things because of my massive gut.
I have been setting weight loss goals and making plans since 2017 but have only gained weight after each resolution. I am not very good at sticking to diet and exercise. What will happen is that I'll have a streak of daily exercise going from a week to about a month, and then I'll miss a day and then never her back on the wagon. Food is the same issue, with the added pressures of food cravings and impulsivity. I also like a lot of variety in my diet, which makes things worse. There was one point in time where I was able to stick to a caloric deficit, but at that point in time I had gone too far in the opposite direction and it was getting overly restrictive. I also was also making poor food choices (I remember doing shit like eating half a pint of ice cream for breakfast and then pretty much nothing else for the rest of the day).
I suspect I may have ADHD (or, if not ADHD, something that affects my concentration/habit building/organization lol) but haven't gotten tested yet. I have heard this can be a factor in weight loss and gain and want to know if any ADHD’ers have any advice.
I do have a few things going for me. I have picked up a few active hobbies, and take at least two work out classes a week to support those hobbies. I also worked with a personal trainer on my college campus for a year and a half, and through this I learned a lot about weightlifting and exercise in general. I also live with my parents, who have a lot of exercise equipment I can use. I think my main points of focus would be diet and maintaining regular exercise outside of my classes.
Do you guys have any good advice for maintaining a habit when you struggle with habit forming? Or maybe some diet tips? Thanks!
Has anyone here lost weight to their goal weight (or somewhere near there) and kept it off until the present without significant fluctuations?
This is kind of the opposite question of a recent post that asked if anyone else has lost a lot of weight and gained it back again. There were lots of replies from people who have done that, often multiple times. Has anyone lost a lot of weight and then just kept it off?
If so, please share the interventions you used to lose the weight in the first place, and what (if anything) you changed when you reached your goal weight. Any tips to the users here about how to maintain weight loss long term?
Surprised that eggs are considered a superfood? It wasn’t too long ago that eggs picked up a reputation as an unhealthy food to avoid because they could contribute to serious health problems. Now we know that just the opposite is true: Eggs are a concentrated source of potent nutrients and provide many health benefits. They can play a vital role in our diets, especially when we’re trying to shed excess pounds.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the many benefits of eggs… and a few tasty ways to prepare them!:
Nutrition Highlights
Eggs count as a PowerFuel on the Nutrisystem plan because they are a source of high-quality protein with only about 80 calories per serving. One large egg (one serving) comes with five grams of fat, including 1.6 grams of saturated fat. The concerns about egg consumption were based on the 187 milligrams of cholesterol in an average egg. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with heart disease, but recent research has determined that eating foods high in cholesterol does not directly increase the levels stored in your body. (Foods loaded with saturated fats, such as fatty meats, are more likely to lead to high blood cholesterol.)
A typical large egg provides you with about seven grams of complete protein (yet another one the superfood benefits of eggs), contained in both the yolk (yellow) and the albumen (white) parts. The yolk is a rich source of vitamin A and D, B vitamins, zinc and iron. It also delivers two important antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin. These nutrients protect your eyes from aging related conditions, such as macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in the United States that affects over 10 million people. They also support healthy brain functioning.
Eggs supply you with choline, a nutrient that is especially important for pregnant women, as it plays a key role in fetal brain development. For everybody, choline helps our bodies maintain and replenish all kinds of cells, transmit nerve impulses and process fat and cholesterol in our diets. Only beef liver gives you more choline than eggs do.
For all of us on a weight loss journey, eggs may be most valuable because they help stave off hunger. People who ate an egg breakfast felt fuller afterwards and consumed significantly fewer calories at lunch and over the next 24 hours than those who ate a bagel-based breakfast with the same number of calories, according to study published in the journal Nutrition Research.
If you buy eggs in the supermarket, they most likely have white shells. You may also see eggs with brown shells in grocery stores and if you shop at farmer’s markets or other sources, you may come across bluish and even speckled eggs. The color of the shells is directly related to the breed of chickens that laid them—there are no significant nutritional differences between eggs of different colors.
Many stores and farmers now offer “free-range” or “pasture-raised” eggs, which come from hens that feed themselves on their natural diet—insects and seeds—while roaming around outside. Chickens raised in standard conditions are kept inside and they get feed that’s pre-formulated for them, mostly from corn and soybeans. Egg yolks from free-range chickens tend to be brighter yellow or more orange than standard. Some research has found that free-range eggs are lower in saturated fat and higher in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Fresh Ideas
The many benefits of eggs make this superfood a healthy way to fuel up for your day, but breakfast isn’t the only time to enjoy them. Separating the yolk from the white greatly expands the kinds of dishes you can make with eggs.
You can make a filling flex lunch with all of the creaminess and flavor you love, but with more healthy fats and plenty of protein to keep you energized all afternoon.
Buffalo wings and deviled eggs come together to create this unique appetizer. Our Spicy Buffalo Deviled Eggs recipe is perfect for your holidays or Sunday football parties.
Been trying since may of 2020 to lose weight and I fail everyday. I have such a addiction to stuff I shouldn’t eat. I can’t even look at myself in the mirror. I can tell you where all the mirrors are in my house because I HATE seeing myself so much. My girlfriend dumped me In February because I wouldn’t FaceTime her.
Today I wouldn’t even go see my real family on Easter because I look horrible and everyone else in my family is pretty good looking. I just want shit to change man…
Eggs supply you with choline, a nutrient that is especially important for pregnant women, as it plays a key role in fetal brain development. For everybody, choline helps our bodies maintain and replenish all kinds of cells, transmit nerve impulses and process fat and cholesterol in our diets. Only beef liver gives you more choline than eggs do.
