Can you do this without spending tons of money??

Hi all! Long time lurker but don't think I've ever posted.

I'm 27f and last I weighed myself was months ago (don't own a scale) and I was around 180 and I am 5'3''... This is obviously not where I want to be. I just had my first child on 2/27/23 and now, a year later, I have finally recovered from most of my postpartum trauma that prevented me from doing, well, really anything lol.

I was fairly active up until 2021 although I was still slightly overweight. I walked regularly and boxed 1-2 times a week. But beyond that I was never very consistent and I think I only maintained my weight and didn't manage to really lose any.

I have started back in the last month trying to lose weight. I have been more consistent than ever. I do cardio twice a week for 30+ min at the time, I lift weights twice a week, and I try to take a day or two to focus on my core also. With this I am taking designated rest days (usually every Wednesday and Thursday) and walking nearly every day for 30-45 min as well.

I know this is all progress. Weight loss or no weight loss I know how incredibly important it was for me to start working out again for my mental and physical health.

As far as counting calories I am doing my best but... This is where my questions come in.

My family is financially struggling right now. Which is undoubtedly another thing I used as an excuse this last year (I told myself oh well we can't afford a gym membership. Or any equipment.) but I know it has to be possible regardless.

1. I know it is possible to lose weight and never step foot in a gym. But I don't consider myself an expert. Did anyone else here lose weight without spending money on a gym membership?

2. Counting calories is something I find nearly impossible. We are on a tight food budget right now but I make sure my family eats healthy. We have access to all good groups. But I have no kitchen scale and any expense seems daunting for us right now. I have made a very serious change in my eating habits, I used to eat just whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. Now I am very careful to eat high protein and low carb. I am not sure of the amount of calories I am consuming since I don't own a kitchen scale but I know it HAS to be less. Was there anything you did as far as a diet change you knew worked whether you really counted calories or not?

3. All I have is my stepper (think the popular one on TikTok right now except mine is a different brand I got years ago) and some dumbells. Do I really HAVE to have anything else? I know I've been told weight lifting is important to lose weight but I feel like my little set is probably enough?

I am hoping this year will be the start of my family being in a better position financially. But in the meantime I feel so discouraged. I see so many people saying they lost weight by hitting the gym or specific diets (I am willing to eat healthy and clean and I already have made major changes as I said. But I'm talking about doing keto or or something) and these are all things that are not obtainable for me right now as we need to be very frugal. Did anyone else manage to lose some pounds while in a hard spot like that?

If it's a silly question I apologize. I am just so discouraged because every suggestion I see when it comes to weight loss costs money, and not just a little, but a LOT! Lol

Thanks in advance for any input or advice ❤️

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My 4 year weight loss journey. Finally considered healthy

Hello all. Just under four years ago, in July 2020, I started a much needed weight loss journey. I finally reached a healthy weight (according to BMI) today. My journey isn’t done, and my next goal is 175. Though I am already quite happy with my progress. Here are my quick stats and progress pictures:

Start: 19M/293lbs/6ft0in Current: 22m/184lbs/6ft0in Pics: https://imgur.com/a/KZpU05n

Here’s my long story.

I was always the big kid growing up, but at the end of high school I really let go of control. I was gaining thirty some pounds every year. At the end of my first year at college, which happened to also be at the start of Covid (stress eating, little exercise) I was nearly 300 pounds. I was ashamed and needed change.

I went on a strict keto diet and began counting calories. I started to walk at least once a day. For the first few months, the pounds came off really fast. I wanted to lose at least 2lbs per week and be at the weight I am now in a year. Obviously, it took much much longer than that.

By Christmas time, my dieting has slowed and I hovered around 245 pounds until March. There wasn’t any reason, I believe I just needed a break. What I learned from this first break, however, is how to maintain. I could’ve easily gone back to my eating and nonexistent exercise habits, but I unexpectedly made some permanent lifestyle changes that really helped. I was, overall, eating better. And I kept my walks every day even when I wasn’t strictly counting calories or tracking weight.

I picked back up in March and started adding running to my routine, for the first time in my life (shoutout to C25K!) By August 2021, after being more than a year in, I was at 225 pounds. Looking back now, I am so impressed and proud of myself for losing nearly 70 pounds in one year, but at that time I was angry and disappointed. I wanted to be at my goal weight by then, and I was sad and stressed I wasn’t.

I went back to university a few weeks later, and truthfully had a terrible year. A bad living situation and stress led to a deep depression that year. I stopped caring about my weight exercise. I consider September 2021-May 2022 as my “lost year”. I had no motivation and, for the first time in my entire weight loss journey, increased weight significantly. I was going backwards and shot back to 246 pounds.

I needed to tackle my depression first. This is a tip to everyone, that I wish I learned first: your mental health matters so much. It means so much more than whatever weight you are, and by actually dealing with that first, you’ll make the entire weight loss journey much more easy. You deserve to be well mentally. I thought I was always unhappy because of my weight, but no. Those feelings won’t go away magically if you lose weight. These are separate things you have to tackle.

My doctor put me on Wellbutrin and I felt instantly better. It’s one of the only antidepressants that don’t cause an increase in appetite, and once I started feeling happy again I was able to focus on my weight loss. By the end of that summer of 2022, I was at 213 pounds.

My next and last semester at university was relaxing and I was able to really focus on my weight. I knew I was going abroad in January and wanted to not have to obsess over my weight while I was gone. In December, I was at 195 pounds. I was still considered overweight, but happy with my progress.

Since January 2023, I’ve been living abroad for work. I have stopped paying too much attention to my calorie intake, though I still eat well and exercise. I think I’ve been doing pretty well with the whole intuitive eating thing. Back in COVID, I could eat everything I see and still feel hungry. Now, not so much. Since living abroad, I’ve noticed the food is much different than in the United States. I truly do believe that we are often eating terrible things when it comes to the processed foods. Where I’m at, I’m eating fresh, real food for nearly every meal. And when I do crave junk food, I notice that the calories are nearly half of that than in the US. Food quality and restrictions are simply better abroad. I truly hope our government will implement some of these restrictions other countries enjoy.

I weighed myself sporadically since moving abroad. In May, I was at 190. And now, I’m finally at 184, nearly four years later. Could I have gone much faster? Yes. Do I wish I had sometimes? Also yes. But I’m glad I took my time. I think I realized how to maintain weight and how to eat without obsessing on calories. I urge everyone to take your time with your journey’s too. Sure, you won’t get there as fast. But you’ll make sure that when you do get there, you’ll know how to stay there.

Like I mentioned, I want to lose another ten pounds to reach my “goal” weight. But I’m in no rush to get there.

And thanks to this community for support. I’ve always lurked, but just reading other’s posts, advice, and successes, I felt inspired.

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Weight loss trophy

Anyone else keeping their belt as a reminder of how far they have come? Every time I get to drill a new hole is like getting a positive stamp on my report card

It’s actually pretty cool if you are not doing it. It’s been a great reminder for me on days when I don’t notice progress. I can look at my belt and see where I started Vs how far I’ve came.

I admit it’s a little ridiculous to use a belt that is way to big for me now but man, it’s nice to have something tangible that you can reference. Especially with guilt training when you go over calories. I can see with my own eyes that it didn’t ruin my progress if I can use the same belt hole the next day

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41/m/215lbs, 35 down, halfway to goal weight, OK to build during deficit?

Intermittent fasting, meat/cheese over a huge amount of greens daily. Down 35 lbs since January 21st and well on my way to my 180lb goal. I thought of maybe trying to get lower but not sure how that would look. Lean body mass appears to be about 160lbs.

Fat seems to be mostly coming out of my midsection now with nearing and inch off my waist weekly. In the instance that the weight loss itself starts to slow, definitely gonna focus on inches as the motivator.

Has anyone had any luck building muscle while being on some calorie restriction? It seems a little counterintuitive but not sure if it's feasible

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What was the key thing that helped you to lose weight?

Hi all!

I am just starting my weight loss journey, but there is so much information online that I don't really know where to start! What was the key thing that helped you in your journey to lose weight? Just wanting to know to get an idea of some good things to incorporate into my lifestyle.

Also, I am 5'2, SW 157lbs, GW 120lbs. I was originally 120lbs, but gained most of the weight within the last 2 years. I've had a poor diet, no exercise routine, & drank a lot of alcohol (a lot of my fat is concentrated in my belly). I am starting to eat healthier (lean meat, protein, fiber, more vegetables) & trying to exercise at least 30 minutes a day.

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Non scale victories / my wedding rings fit 💍

I'm a 50 year old female, height 5/2, starting weight 161.5, currently 146.4. I started keto in February, lost 10 pounds the first 2 weeks. The following 2 weeks weight loss stalled. I know it's because I added stevia and other creative keto alternatives. I'm not new to keto in 2019 I did perfect keto for 1 year and 3 months and got down to 120 pounds, I felt amazing. I'm a carb and sugar addict all it took was one cheat meal to little by little go back to my old ways. So here I am again. This is why I know the stevia and being a little too creative with my keto meals caused me to stall on my weightloss. I'll be able to get keto creative again once I reach my weightloss goal of 120 pounds. Because of the weightloss stall I knew I had to get strict, so starting March I've basically been doing the Carnivore diet, and already in one week lost 5 pounds. So I'm back on track. Oh yes! Another thing I should mention is I've also been Omad since February. I was so excited that my size 6 wedding rings fit perfectly. This is the first time I post on here, I wish I could post a picture but I don't know how 😄 What non scale victory have you experienced?

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My (21F) doctor is pushing me towards weight loss surgery, I'm unsure if I should get it.

I have been obese for most of my life and at my highest weight was 365 pounds, in two months I've lost 30 pounds, this isn't huge or anything but I'm pretty proud of myself. I've just stuck to a healthier diet, and regular gym routine which is really fun and I couldn't see myself going back to eat the junk I used to eat at all. My doctor is still recommending for me to pursue weight loss surgery, which I used to want but now I'm unsure because I feel like I may be able to do it naturally. What do you guys think? Should I maybe get weight loss surgery or try it naturally first?

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