Things that have Surprised Me on My Weight Loss Journey

I recently hit my goal weight, and am shocked by the things I have learnt along this way. Here is a list:

• I will always have things I dislike about my body, at any weight. Even at a skinnier weight, I do not have a "model" body. My breasts are tiny and a bit saggy now, my stomach is still not flat. I still look like I have poor posture due to scoliosis. I can see why being confident in your body is a mental shift, because we are all imperfect, and it's about embracing it.

• It really is a journey, and I cannot guarantee how my body will look in the future. Part of the things that keep me in track is that I live alone right now, and that I have the free time to exercise. I do prioritize some things over my weight loss journey - I eat extra chocolate when I'm feeling down, skip a workout class if I have a lot of work, or eat more than usual if I'm out with friends. I'm not sure that I will always be in a place to maintain this weight, and hopefully that will be okay!

• It has been really hard when clothes that I love don't fit anymore. When I buy clothes, I realized I am placing a bet on the future - that I will wear my clothes for X amount of times, on Y occasions. It has been really hard letting go of that idea, especially when I know I would have kept wearing those items more if I hadn't lost weight. I thought about tailoring some things, but it's about the overall shape of the clothes, and so, I have to let it go.

• Along similar lines, buying new clothes is not simply about buying things you love in a smaller size. I had a pair of joggers that I practically lived in, and I always thought I would rebuy them when they don't fit anymore. I tried on the smaller size in store, and guess what? The crotch was too tight and the shape was wrong. When I buy clothes, I have to remind myself to ask whether it looks good now, or if I am holding onto the idea of what it should look like.

• One last clothing thought: things that I never thought would look good on me now do! I learnt to not hold on to absolutes, like X would never work, or I would always like Y, because when it comes to clothing, we simply just don't know these things. Side note: this makes online shopping impossible now, because I don't know my size in anything unfortunately.

• It feels good to have accomplished something that I never thought I would! The simple fact that I did something hard makes me feel confident, and that is something that I underrated.

• I really like having an activity that I can invite people to join me in. I've been doing a lot of fitness classes, and I liked the idea of having people know they can always join me for those. It's a low stakes way to hang out and get to know people, I don't have to make socializing the main thing, and even if we don't end up clicking, at least we did something fun together.

• I feel a lot better about doing activities with friends! I don't have to fear that I can't do things physically. If people want to try something active, I can just go for it, without worrying that they would judge me for not being able to do it.

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How to deal with monthly fluctuations as a woman and an extremely slow progress as I’m getting closer and closer to my goal?

I (23F) have been on a slow but steady weight loss journey since October 2022. Lost 31kg (68lbs) and went from 85kg to 54kg (187lbs to 119lbs). Though I’m finally within a healthy weight range, I still got 5 more stubborn kg to lose until I reach my goal but it’s literally taking me forever!

In the first few months of my weight loss journey I lost 2-3kg each month and now if I’m lucky I lose 500 grams. Sometimes more, sometimes less but never above 1kg. In the first 8 months of my progress I lost 20kg and then it has taken me more than a year to drop 10 more.. Well this is not why I’m making this post. I know that the less you weigh the harder it gets to drop off the weight. I’m making this post because now each 1kg I gain or lose is making a big difference in my body. And during my monthly cycle, about a week after my period, I ALWAYS, no matter how much I eat, I always gain weight! And it takes me 4 weeks until my next period is done to lose this weight and then some.

In short, my body can lose weight only in a span of one week out of a whole month and then there’s probably an hormonal change that causes me to gain weight or something. I am just wondering if it’s like that for other women as well, and if there’s anything I can do to prevent this and speed up my final step towards my dream body. I should mention that I’m short (5’2 1.58cm) therefore I’m definitely not underweight. I am getting closer and closer to my goal and I am already very pleased with my progress and my body. It’s just those 5 stubborn kg I can’t wait to be rid of! Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

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33lbs Down in 3 Months - Need Help With Weight Loss Plateau

Hi, everybody. I'm 19M (170cm) and used to weigh around 240lbs (108kg) in May 2022. I joined a gym in May 2022, started doing some light cardio, with a deficit of 1500 calories and my weight dropped down to 180lbs (82kg) in 2.5 months.

However, due to some issues in my family, I stopped doing cardio, and started binge eating again, and in about two years, that is, April 2024, my weight was at 207lbs (94kg). I felt really shitty about my body at this stage and decided to lose as much weight as I could before I go to university (September 2024).

So, since April 2024, I started following a balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, nuts and chicken and eggs, with a deficit of about 1000 calories (I eat 800 calories). I also started following One Meal a Day (OMAD), so I eat at about 2.30PM daily. For cardio, I walk about 5-7k steps a day. I don't eat more than 150g of carbs, and to minimize muscle loss, I'm hitting the RDA for protein (0.8g/kg). That's all. And there has not been a single day where I have altered this routine.

Now coming back to the present, as of today, I weigh 174lbs (79kg), but my weight has been reducing at a very sluggish rate since the starting of this month. I had hit 180lbs (82kg) during the end of June, and now July's about to end but I've only lost barely 5.5-6lbs (2.5-3kg) in this month, while I had lost majority of my weight during the initial two months. I even cut my calorie intake down to 600 calories while retaining the RDA for protein, and observed for a week, but the plateau didn't break.

I'm not able to figure out why exactly this has been happening. I researched for a while and found that if I hit my maintenance calories during a weight loss plateau, then go back to the deficit I was following, it might break the plateau. So, I did the same but not even that helped.

I would really appreciate if anyone could help me. Thanks!

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Little Victories

sw: 337 (May 5th) cw: 323 gw: 220

I have a ways to go, and I'm happy to take it slow but I wanted to share some little Victories I've noticed/accomplished this week!

-My team has one of those big red vine "jugs" in the common area. While a few months ago I would have been grabbing and snacking red vines almost constantly, I have had a total of four this week and each one I was able to eat over a period of 10-20 minutes to actually enjoy it.

-Similarly, one of my coworkers gave me a full-size 3 musketeers bar. It is currently sitting in my drawer for a day when I really need a pick-me-up, and I know I'll savor it when that time comes. This time last year it would have been gone minutes after I received it.

-I have gone for walks 4/5 days during my lunch break! Three of the days was .75 miles, and today I pushed myself and was really enjoying the weather and made it 1.2 miles!

-Today while eating lunch, I realized I was actually aware of what I was eating! I was munching on my apple slices while watching a video, and then all of a sudden paused what I was doing and checked in with myself, and realized I was eating absent mindedly and was actually content with how much I had eaten already. So now I have half an apple for later, and I'm comfortably satiated!

I don't have anyone in my life to really talk about weight loss with, and I just really wanted to celebrate these little victories. I know it won't always be an easy weight loss journey, so acknowledging the improvements I am making feels very important to me.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk haha

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My positive progress!

So, if my calculations are correct, I’ve lost about 30 pounds over the past three months with my cal deficit of 1,400-1,500 plus some “heavier” days that are more like 2,000 cals (maintaining).

I’ve basically lost 10 pounds a month but I also believe this is because I have such a high percentage of body fat, based off my own assumptions. Plus I cut out soda and most sugars, and only drink water and coffee.

I still have my ways of indulging. Like I use creamer in my coffee in the morning, and every time I have coffee, because while I’m focused on being healthy I don’t want to deprive myself of happy things.

I am so proud of myself thus far, to be honest, because I feel like being healthier and focusing on weight loss has helped me with confidence and just life in general. Not getting winded when I’m doing basic walking, being able to walk longer distances without feeling like I’m dying (except for the sweat because it’s summer ahahah), and just feeling overall great!

Things I need to work on is balancing my meals. I get A LOT of protein and fiber, but other nutrients that come from veggies and fruits I tend to ignore- which I can admit. My ultimate goal is to become comfortable enough to go to the gym, which I think will be soon.

I have about 60 pounds more to go before I’ll be at a healthy weight, but I’m again very happy for all of the progress I’ve made. Practically 40 pounds down now, so honestly what’s 60 more? Plus I feel like I’ve been doing this in a sustainable way. I enjoy walking and the things I eat, so I have no worries that this way of living will just be natural to me even after dropping the weight. RAHHH 🦅🦅

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Lost weight, need to bulk to put on muscle but I’m scared to

Need to bulk but scared to gain weight and fat again

I have a picture of my physique on my profile if you are curious.

I used to be 250 lbs, now 170 lbs. Anyways, I think I need to bulk because I don’t have enough muscle mass to cut more. But the one problem I have. I’m scared to bulk and gain weight again. I don’t want to go fat again and look like I did before i started my weight loss journey. I’ve heard about lean bulking but I’m not sure exactly what to eat and what my macronutrients need to be. I don’t want to get fat but I want to put on more muscle.

Any tips?

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Down 20 pounds in 2.5 months- would you feel guilty not tracking for an overnight hotel/concert trip?

I’m pretty in the trenches of work/toddler parenting these days and don’t get a lot of opportunities to connect with when I was still a fun person who did adult things. I have not had a night out in a shockingly long time. My wife and I are getting a hotel, a sitter, and seeing Green Day in a couple weeks and I’m a little stressed about undermining my CICO weight loss but I also want to get a nice lunch before the concert and then get baked and have nachos while I enjoy the show, followed by maybe a nice breakfast the next day. If you guys NEVER go out and do fun things/go over your calories, would you have guilt about not worrying about it for 36 hours?

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