How do you guys transition from eating for pleasure to eating for health, or better yet eating less for weight loss?

I have struggled my whole life because I love food and I eat impulsively. I think I am kind of addicted to sugar too, I love little chocolate candies and treats.

For the past two years I have been around 245 lbs which as a 6 ft broad built man doesn't look that bad on me, but I'd rather be around 200-220 lbs. Also I'm 21 for reference.

I typically go to the gym 3 times a week and save for the last two weeks I have kept this up pretty consistently for the last two years (I recently moved my living situation 2 hours away and started working 42 hours a week so I haven't had a chance to get back in the gym, its coming this week tho).

When I started college almost five years ago, it was the most fit I've ever been. I think it's because I had to walk all over a huge campus every day including uphill walks, and I ate exclusively at the dining hall which served healthy food that I didn't have to prep and was prepaid. Also not to mention I was extremely poor, I think I had like $40 in my checking account for most of my Freshman year. Anyways during my freshman year I dropped from the 245 that I was during most of high school to 225. I felt really good and I looked skinny, honestly.

Fastforwarding to the current day I'm about 270 lbs and I work at a desk job. Again I'm a big boy by default so I dont look obese but I'm way heavier than I want to be. I am pretty good at eating well while I'm at work, only maybe 1200 cals while I'm there. When I get home I usually eat fast food because I struggle to find the time to cook a nutritious dinner. I work a little more than full time and I do jiu jitsu 3-5 days a week after work so I'm out of my house 6 am to 8 pm most days.

After dinner (typically 1400 ish calories of fast food) I usually snack on like 400-1000 calories of chocolate and/or ice cream. I don't always do this but on average I do it probably 4.5/7 days of the week. I know this is the problem and I always regret it but in the moment it just feels so natural and warranted. Almost like a reward for a hard days work.

Anyways I'm just wondering if anyone has broken out of this way of thinking because I just feel like I'm so used to eating like shit in the nighttime. It doesn't help that my mom does the exact same thing and is also extremely overweight: ultimately it's my decision to put that stuff in my body though, although it's very hard to resist.

TLDR: how do you stop feasting on chocolate for the dopamine and enjoyment, and start only eating when hungry and mainly nutritious foods?

Thanks for reading y'all

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Small victories, bigger lifestyle changes

20sF 5’6” SW: 252.5 CW: 247 GW:160

I started taking my weight loss journey more seriously less than a month ago, and I’ve lost ~5 pounds since then!

I know I have a long way to go, but I’m so happy about this small SV. In the past, every time I’ve lost weight/attempted to lose weight, I would try to cut out the foods I loved (carbs!), cut calories unsustainably, and burn out after a week (or less).

This time around, I’m trying to take a more realistic approach. I refuse to cut out any foods I enjoy and instead focus on CICO; this means I can enjoy what like while not going overboard. Instead of spending an hour everyday on cardio and forcing myself to do try to HIIT, I now do a low intensity cardio warmup and have started weight lifting (which I really enjoy) 6 days a week. I’ve even convinced some of my friends to be gym buddies with me.

Most importantly, I also have a history of binge ED. I’ve learned that restricting food groups or trying to do intermittent fasting are the quickest way to trigger a binge. Now, if I want something sweet or know that eating something will make me go over my calorie limit by a little bit for the day, I don’t sweat it. I’d rather be over by 200-500 calories and get back on the wagon the next day than binge 2000 calories in one setting.

It’s a little tricky at points, because I have loved ones who advise me to crash diet (cut out carbs, cut out junk food, etc) and lose the weight fast and then go back to eating what I like when I’m in maintenance. In the past, I would have, mostly because I want to see results immediately, but I realize that’s just a recipe for disaster now.

However, weighing myself today and realizing I lost some weight — even if it is just water weight — has motivated me to keep going. I just wanted to tell someone, because I don’t think anyone in my life thinks 5 lbs is a big deal.

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lower energy levels and fatigue affecting my ability to study

hi friends! i've been steady on my weight loss journey for the last 1.5 months or so which has worked well, but recently it's caused some issues.. i lost like 20lbs already and i've only got another 10-20 lbs to go for my goal weight.

my daily deficit has been around 1000 calories which is completely fine when im not very busy, and purely in terms of eating it has been relatively easy. however, sometimes i feel extra tired and i get impatient and easily annoyed at times which isnt helping when studying.

over the summer ive had a lot more school work and other stuff show up that takes more effort than im used to, which hasnt been easy while at my current calorie deficit. by the end of the summer i wont need to put nearly as much time in to school work so this is just a temporary thing.

the simple solution would be to eat a bit more which would hopefully give me the energy i currently need. is this the only real option, or can i for example make sure i eat a lot just before my study sessions, then eat a bit less in the evening for example? i dont want to give up on losing weight, but its also hard to accept much slower progress of course!

any advice, have you tried different calorie deficits and how did it affect you? thanks!♥

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Is anyone else more critical of themselves post weight loss?

I’m not done yet, but I’m down 70+lbs and at a more socially acceptable size for a 5’10” F. But now that I’m here, I’m feeling hyper-critical of other things that never bothered me before like my nose, my fine lines, my thin, short hair.

I think I was sold the idea that “I was pretty for a fat girl” but that doesn’t translate to being pretty as a “thin” girl (not that I’m thin yet, but I’m closer than ever before).

Now I feel like I’m just below average looking, and I’m thinking about what else I can do to improve my appearance. I’ve been really thinking about things like Botox and tape-in hair extensions.

Or, maybe, my brain won’t let me be happy with my appearance. Maybe being fat was the obvious “flaw” I could focus on for the last 20 years and if that’s gone, I need to find other flaws to obsess over.

Anyway, I’m just feeling a bit deflated and wanted to see if anyone out there could offer some insight or could relate.

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I hate the "Health = Happiness" mindset that comes with weight loss

Just earlier I saw a comment that said "you can never be happy if you're unhealthy" relating to weight loss and body positivity.

Plenty of us suffer from chronic illnesses and disabilities. Many more will eventually see their bodies decline with age. It's such a short sighted, simplistic way of seeing health. Not everyone can achieve peak fitness or the body of their dreams.

I've had some not-so-great health news, so this hits me especially hard lately. I'm worried and struggling to accept my new reality. I know that even doing everything I can to be fit and at a healthy weight, I will never have the body I want, because some things can't be avoided or healed by living healthy. Some things are just out of our control, and that hurts. And being told that happiness is out of my reach because of that is just so demotivating.

Nothing is permanent, anything can be lost. We should enjoy our bodies when we have them, give them the best chance to thrive, but if we pin all our happiness on them, we might be in for a bad surprise. I certainly was.

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First time at the gym: let’s talk about it!

Hi everyone.

I think one of the most abysmal thoughts as a fat person is going to the gym. To be honest, I was SO worried. I know you all get it.

But I knew that I had to eventually get into the gym. Though I don’t believe that everyone HAS to go to the gym, I think it helps more than you expect. Especially with my end goals, I knew that I needed to start going to the gym.

And honestly guys, it went amazing. I took one of my friends with me. She was super patient with me, taught me how to use the machines, and showed me how to stretch to make sure I wasn’t super sore by the end.

I didn’t feel judged, I just enjoyed my workout! We stayed for 3 hours and we hit so much stuff. I even tried the Stairmaster for the first time! It was so sweet!

My point is, if you’re worried about the gym, just do it! I saw so many different ages, body types, and activities. It was comforting & the best part is - I didn’t feel alone.

Best wishes on your weight loss, all!

Earthy

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What do you use to visualize weight loss? I think of butter

What does everyone think of when considering the amount of weight to lose or amount of weight lost? I find it helpful to think in terms of butter. Here in aus butter comes in 500g blocks wrapped in paper and I think of weight loss in terms of kilograms so two blocks of butter equals one kilo.

I want to lose 5kg (in the immediate future but have much more to lose) so I have 10 blocks of butter to lose. I imagine a pile of blocks of butter and how big and heavy that would be to carry home from the shops and then how that effort is translated to the everyday effort for my body. I also visualise how those 10 blocks are distributed on my body and sculpting the butter off and creating blocks from where I hold additional weight.

I don't know if anyone does the same and if this even a healthy way of thinking about fat on my body but if you're into visualisation to achieve a goal what are you doing? They can be fitness goals not necessarily just physical changes but I'm so curious to see if anyone else has similar thoughts that they revisit.

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