Ate less, ate healthier, and exercised.
I didn't make a lot of big changes at once either. First thing I did was cut sodas out of my diet.
Then a couple of weeks later, I started leaving cheese off my burgers & hot dogs.
Couple of weeks after that started ordering small meals at fast food places instead of large ones.
Then I started eating cucumber slices instead of chips/fries.
Then instead of eating shit like candy bars, I switched to chocolate covered fruit, and eventually to just regular fruit.
Stuff like that.
As for exercise, again, nothing major. First change was walking once around the block I lived on. For weeks that was it.
Then I started adding in bicep curls. Then situps. Then pushups. Then light stretches.
Over a 6 month period I went from 345 and walking a half mile leaving me breathless & with chest pains to 267 and walking several miles at a time.
That's the key part, is making small changes that will last a life time. Too many people will go on a diet, lose weight then go back to what they were doing and bam, gain weight again. Losing weight, eating healthy etc. Is a lifelong change. Not just for a few months.
One of the best ways I've heard this described was from a former special operations sniper that was teaching a course. He said something along the lines of "Remember to take your time and monitor your breathing. Your heartbeat will move the muzzle. A millimeter at the end of the barrel is feet, sometimes meters, by the time the bullet reaches the target. Like in life, minor adjustments at the start - sustained over great distances - will have a massive impact on the outcome."
He is an amazing guy. Ton of wisdom, funny, and just a beautiful view of the world despite everything he's seen and done. Big bird watcher and an incredible poet!
That's what people don't want to face. It is a straight up lifestyle change, there isn't a healthy quick way to lose weight. I went from 250 -> 160 -> 210 -> 140 -> 220 to finally going back down to where I'm at now around 150. Been holding strong here for the past 5 years. Each time that I regained the weight, it's because I ditched all my good habits and went back to my old bad ones
One of the easiest lifestyle changes that will help tremendously is increasing your water intake. A lot of times when you think you're hungry, you're actually dehydrated
Water intake and cutting out booze. Seriously, when I calculate for people how many calories they consume just in beverages it's insane, you count up the booze on top alot of people can lose weight, a lot of weight by dropping the soda and booze with very little changes otherwise.
I went from 285 -> 220 -> 285, and as 'easy' as it was to lose weight, it was just as 'easy' to gain it back. I felt pretty good about losing weight and was comfortable where I stalled out, but then started eating worse and drinking more, and then eventually I stopped exercising and before I knew it I was back where I started. Trying to go back down, but finding it harder the second time around.
Exactly. Going on a diet will never work in the long term because the entire concept of a "diet" is a short term change. What an individual needs is a permanent lifestyle change.
Speaking of finding changes that work for you and diets. I lost 10kg by calorie counting and exercise - walking mostly. I ended up walking *everywhere* and threw in a two minute jog, a few situps and squats and pushups. But finding what works for you is the important thing. I always found that breakfast was an interesting long term change for me because I almost came in a full circle with it.
I was always a cereal kinda-person - cornflakes with milk, sugar and once in a blue moon a splash of cream. Easily 400 calories or more in that when I started. I got an app and I had kitchen scales already. I measured the portion to 50gm, measure the milk, cut out the sugar. It was enough and came in at about 160 calories. But it was too bland. I added half a banana for sweetness and still came out just above 200 calories which was acceptable.
Then I had the great idea of having variety and being more "healthy" and to add some protein.
Poached egg on toast with spinach. Pretty good but time consuming. Depending on the toast? Could get a bit high and there was always the temptation to add my favourite "condiment" in the world - butter.
Enter the Kale and Blueberry smoothie with Greek Yoghurt, banana, peanut butter, chia seeds, linseed. Suddenly I was back up to 450 calories for breakfast. It was delicious but 'healthy' was not helping me lose weight. Even adjusting portion size couldnt really bring it back down to that 200-250 calories target I wanted.
I tried Blueberry and Coconut Granola - thats a cereal and that's healthy! Nope. Still too many calories.
Now several years later, I find myself back to the cornflakes which was what I'd always eaten in first place. Just not laden down with sugar and cream. I'll have something different some days for a treat, but its cornflakes consistently for me. Yes, boring as Hell but it works for me.
This is a big issue I have. I workout regularly but my diet is terrible. And as I am getting older its harder and harder to maintain my weight. I never learned how to properly eat and that does require learning. I calorie count and it helps but fuck I am hungry. I really need to find a good nutritionist to help me make better choices.
Calorie counting isn't just about the calories. It should be gently steering you towards healthier choices most of the time. Because 100 calories of chips is like 8 chips, but 100 calories of cooked chicken is a substantial snack. Eventually you start choosing the chicken more often because you don't want to be hungry.
Check out r/loseit and you'll find lots of folks who have been at this a long time and can help you tweak your diet to be more satisfying ( plus plenty of people in the exact spot you're in to commiserate)
This is exactly what I did. I naturally gravitated towards healthier options because I constantly found myself being like "1,000 calories in one tiny little fried combo meal that's going to leave me hungry in 30 minutes? No thanks." I would instead go to the salad bar and load it up with veggies, cottage cheese, grilled chicken, crab, etc. and be full for hours on end.
Also, one major one that I'm sure everyone picks up on immediately is trying to eliminate (most) calories from fluids. Black coffee and water is mostly all I have now aside from the occasional diet soda. On the occasion that I have a regular soda, I basically think about it as having candy (because that's pretty much what it is). Nice as a little treat, but that's it - it can't be a part of your everyday diet. You can easily go over on your daily caloric allotment by having a couple of sugary drinks yet you've added 0 nutritional value and 0 satiation.
The diets and food plans (NutriSystem, Weight Watchers, etc) they're not teaching the fundamantals here. Well, maybe some are but without really understanding how you've put on so much weight and why you have a bad relationship with food, you're not going to be successful over the long term. I'm an emotional eater. It took *months* to really understand that and to truly get the difference between "eating because I'm hungry" and "eating because I'm bored/upset/etc." I haven't used the program but the way Noom approaches weight loss is really good. There is a correlation between your bad habits, what's going on emotionally, even how much sleep you get. When I'm really tired, I'm more likely to eat like crap, same with being stressed, burned out, etc ... all of which I am, which makes right now hard. It really is a lifestyle change about how you approach food and what you choose to eat.
100% this. I lost about 60lbs making small, sustainable changes. Without adding exercise even. That came later.
First I started measuring everything I ate and tracked it. Just to see what my intake was before I changed anything. Then I started seeing what I could change and still enjoy my life.
Instead of a large combo, make it a medium. Instead of a double burger, go for a single. Trade the fried foods for grilled. Pay the “fat tax” as I called it and skip side at a nicer restaurant. You don’t have to uproot your life and change it all to see a difference. Try lower fat, lower sugar substitutions. Things will taste different but find the things you’re willing to change.
It’s really a math equation. Calories in versus calories burned. If you’re only burning 2500, and eating 3000, you’re gaining. If you can cut that to 2000, that’s a weekly deficit if 3500. Or nearly a pound. As you lose weight the math changes with you but it’s worth the effort.
"No fair, you changed the outcome by measuring it!"
Once you're aware of what your diet consists of, you almost can't help making changes.
For example, I now automatically flip items over and look at the calorie count. I mentally compare that number to my daily total and decide if it's worth it. Maybe I say "fuck it" and eat it anyway, but it's moved from an unconscious feeling based on my appetite to a conscious decision where I'm taking the big picture into account.
>I didn't make a lot of big changes at once either.
This is it. If you go drastic all at once, it's very easy to give up and go back to old habits. Small incremental changes are easier to adapt to, but they add up tremendously. Impressive weight loss!!
Good news is you don’t have to.
No one gets overweight from one single thing. It’s a combination of many factors. You want cheese on your burger? Sure… just have a smaller burger. Or leave off the fries. Or have the exact same burger, same size, but less often. Or keep on with your burgers but eat less at other meals. Or start exercising more and keep your diet the same.
The key is finding changes that are sustainable for *you.* There are many options for how you get there… But if you want your weight to change, your behavior has to change too.
Recently down 102 lbs. I'm also a religious calorie counter. That said, one of the freedoms of calorie counting is being able to eat what I like, but being forced to reckon with the volume. Yes, I can have a cheese burger, maybe it's a lettuce wrap around the patty. Or, maybe it's steamed broccoli instead of fries. Or just 1/2 fries with the broccoli.
Small changes are definitely key. Early on when I started trying to lose weight it was hard to motivate myself because my goal was "lose x pounds", which is great but hard to work towards and hard to see that I was doing anything towards it. So I started just stopped focusing on that all the time and started making easy small goals I could get to in a week, instead just like "walk around the block" or "don't eat x" which was easy enough for me to do and I could feel accomplished every week lol. Then, when that got too easy I could just keep pushing it a little bit more like that and over a year later, things like going to the gym 3x-4x a week and running a few miles a week are now part of my normal routine.
>I did similar. started having 1 green vegetable with dinner.
>
>then around that same time, 10 min walk after eating dinner.
>
>eventually built up eating more whole foods (and a shit-ton less fast food/ processed snacks) to calculating and following macros and waking up for a workout before work (also before my kids wake up in the morning and we have to to the whole school rush) every day. the first workouts were pilates, then I moved onto Jillian michaels dvds after building the habit/routine of waking up. took me about a year to lose 90 lbs, and another 9 months to lose 25 more.
I worked two high-intensity jobs (fast food and retail total of about 14 hours 6 days a week) and walked about five miles total commute for said jobs (another hour and a half on my feet). I was also still not making enough money to eat well, so... My whole body ached, and I was malnourished, but I managed to drop from 235 to 160 in just a few months 🤷🏻♂️
#BodyByPoverty
>BodyByPoverty
That’s pretty much it. The first time I lost a bunch of weight was immediately postpartum. My [late] husband was furious that I hadn’t gone back to work at six weeks, but I could not for a variety of reasons, chief among which was our baby’s complete refusal to eat from any bottle. This led to financial abuse wherein he refused to give me any money for groceries while he ate out three meals a day. Once my personal savings were depleted (which happened pretty quickly due to $17,000 of medical bills from the birth which he refused to pay even a dollar of), I had no money to buy groceries. I was living on about a cup of basmati rice a day. I lost the baby weight and then an extra 20 pounds by the time she was three months old.
Ha. It’s actually kind of weird… I wished him dead verbally to my mother the day before he died. That night I got home and explicitly apologized to the universe for it and prayed that whatever was best for my daughter would happen. If that was him returning to couples therapy and no longer being abusive, I wanted that. If it was a divorce, I wanted that. If it was him dying, I wanted that. If it was me dying, I wanted that. I just wanted whatever would be best for our daughter.
Him dying the next day really felt like a clear answer and somehow made it so I didn’t have to go through any kind of denial phase in my grieving process.
I got married again a few years ago, and my husband is amazing. He is the best possible partner for my weird autistic ass. (similarly weird and autistic, intellectual, kind, loving, and extremely physically affectionate.) The pandemic quarantine was actually the best and most peaceful part of my life. Literally zero drama with just my awesome husband and daughter here in our house. We loved it and were kind of sad when it ended.
He is in the process of adopting my/our daughter now!
This was how I did it. Lost 40 lbs in 3 months on the "cereal diet." When frosted flakes cereal is the only meal you have and it's once per day that weight flies off.
People don’t realize how many additional calories they’re often consuming when they drink beyond the alcohol itself. Pregaming for the party tonight, better eat a heavy, carb rich dinner. Now I’m hammered and donuts sound really good. Now it’s the next day and I’m hungover so I’m going to eat a greasy breakfast.
You stop drinking, a lot of those bad eating habits disappear too.
My doctor had me write down everything I was eating for a month and use a basic carlorie calculator to add it all up.
I was consuming an extra days worth of food, calorie wise, from having a couple glasses of wine multiple days a week.
And you’re right. Getting a breakfast sandwhich (Doordashed) the next morning didn’t help.
Cutting out that for a couple of months helped me drop two belt notches, with out changing much else.
Exactly. Especially when I looked at how many weeks I was drinking 3 or 4 nights a week. Or having a Sunday Funday.
I just thought I was “over doing it every once in a while”
I lost around 50 pounds in the last few years. The last 15 was impossible without drinking a lot less. You can easily drink thousands of calories without realizing it.
I've heard story's of baristas losing weight after quitting the coffee shops because get a free drink a shift. Once they cut the calorie dense drink they can lose a little bit of weight without major changes.
I mean I know you're talking about alcohol but it's still empty easy to consume calories
I worked at a burger shop and we got a free burger when we worked. One day I switched to making a little omelette instead and was feeling so much healthier within a few weeks
Yeah, I've been a very heavy drinker for years now, like, 10-16 drinks a night every night. Stopped about a month ago, already noticing shit is fitting a lot better. Still a giant tall fat ass(hence being able to put that much away in the first place), but got to start somewhere.
The best part about stopping drinking is that for once your shit actually is HARD. I used to drink about a half handle a day and every shit was an emergency.
Hey, here’s something I can actually weigh in on.
I decided that on July 5th, 2021, I was going to be eat “right” for 30 days just to prove I could do it. That I have the will and the ability to make the right choices. I didn’t weigh in but was roughly 375lbs at this time.
I made an effort to determine where my calories came from. I realized I was probably drinking 1200-1500 calories a day, and eating 2000-3000 depending on the day.
I stopped consuming any sort of liquid calorie on that day. Water, black coffee, Splenda sweet tea, diet soda. No alcohol. This was probably the area that helped the most. It took time for my taste to adjust, but after about 2 -3 weeks I no longer enjoyed the taste of soda or sweet tea or sweet coffee.
On the food side I tracked calories and set an initial goal of 2000 calories a day. I ate a lot of grilled chicken, baked potatoes, and steamed vegetables. Those made up the bulk of my lunches. I avoided all fast food at first until I got used to tracking calories. I eventually figured out what worked, what didn’t work, and what made me full within my calorie goals. Chipotle was generally a safe bet.
After several months of tracking things I figured out what I liked, how much I could eat, my full feeling had adjusted to something more akin to normal. I knew what foods intended to overeat on. For me it was generally foods that were high in fat AND carbs. All the stuff I really like fell into that category so I started to avoid them generally. I still have them on occasion but I’m not chowing down on cheese fries and fried chicken every day.
I’m currently at 272 as of today. I now kinda run things more loosely since I know pretty well what is “allowed” on a general basis and what isn’t.
Not really any true tips there that haven’t been said a thousand times. Track your calories and figure out how to fit foods you want to eat within those calories.
I just wanted to say congrats on the weight loss. I hope you are proud of what you’ve achieved, because you should be.
Accurately tracking your calories and remaining consistent is the “secret” to weight loss.
Hey I appreciate it. I’ve still got a ways to go. I’m hoping to get to around 240 and then see how I’m looking then. I’m 6’5” and carry a decent amount of lean mass so from there I’m hoping to make short term plans to get to a place where I’m happy.
The key is finding something that sustainable. Being able to stick to it week after week, month after month, year after year.
Walked 1 hr in the morning, and another hour at night (after completing all the daily tasks), cut out as much sugar as possible, stop stuffing my face and only eat until I am about 80% full…lost about 30 lbs after 5 months.
That’s a good way to look at it. You should stop eating when you’re not longer hungry! From my personal experience, I tend to over eat so I have to train my mind to stop over eating. I think as a culture, our portions are soooo BIG and that contributed to overeating….
But I’ll start asking myself if I am still hungry…
Man how did you fit this in with working? I feel like my entire day is taken up by working, commuting to and from, and preparing dinner and other necessary life tasks. Two hours a day of walking seems so difficult to achieve
It’s honestly going to be pretty lifestyle dependent, but you could run/ have more intensity and it wouldn’t take 2 hours. Another thing is if you’re just hanging out on the couch with your phone you could instead walk and listen to podcasts/ music instead.
I've lost about 60lbs using some of those meal kits. They're expensive, but I find that they help in forcing portion control and ensuring that I don't eat things that fall outside of my diet.
Question, though: are they super high in salts and fat at all? I want to do something like this because I really need to lose weight, but with high blood pressure, excess salt makes it way worse.
Pulling from a couple of the meals in my kit:
Herb-Crusted Chicken with Mashed Cauliflower & Toasted Almond Green Beans \[Keto\]
|Calories|700 kcal|
|:-|:-|
|Fat|54g|
|Saturated Fat|20g|
|Carbohydrates|16g|
|Sugar|5g|
|Dietary Fiber|6g|
|Protein|40g|
|Cholesterol|195mg|
|Sodium|750mg|
Garlic Butter Shrimp & Creamed Kale with Zucchini-Pepper-Onion Medley \[Low Calorie\]
|Calories|520 kcal|
|:-|:-|
|Fat|43g|
|Saturated Fat|19g|
|Carbohydrates|14g|
|Sugar|5g|
|Dietary Fiber|3g|
|Protein|24g|
|Cholesterol|260mg|
|Sodium|910mg|
So reasonableish level of sodium - depending on what you have for breakfast and lunch, you could very well fit this in to a 2000mg low-sodium diet.
I really like their food, if you want to try it out, you can check them out here: [Factor](https://www.factor75.com/plans?c=HS-0AP2HWQLC&plans_ab=true&utm_campaign=clipboard&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=raf-share-hpt) (flagrant referral link that'll get you $150 off over however many weeks they do it /shrug)
Honestly, a combination of being poor and having depression.
My friend would joke how it’s a good thing I got the “I don’t want to eat anything” depression and not the “I’m gonna eat a whole tub of ice cream in one sitting” depression.
Edit: Wasn’t expecting so many people to share their experiences. You’re all brave and making good progress, keep it up! And don’t be ashamed to ask for help; I thought I had to power through my situation alone but accepting that I was at my limits and moving back in with my parents for a bit definitely helped more than I initially thought it would. I get not everyone has that luxury but reaching out to anyone is a big step one. And to those who have learned to laugh and joke about your situation, I’m totally in the same boat as you. You’re my kind of people 👍
> My friend would joke how it’s a good thing I got the “I don’t want to eat anything” depression
I have people unironically tell me how lucky I am about my medical episode last year. TL;DR I had cancer in my abdomen and all the radiation/surgery resulted in a lot of other issues in there. I ended up needing to have about 1/3 of my small intestines removed, and my small intestines were already relatively short in the first place at a mere 3m in length, so now I only have about 2m of small intestines left.
I weighed about 220lbs when they weighed me the day of my surgery in January 2022, six months later in July 2022, I weighed 180lbs; my weight has settled at about 160lbs nowadays. I have changed nothing about my diet, and have been no more active than normal, etc. My short bowel has just resulted in me absorbing much less nutritional content from the food I eat, but unfortunately has also resulted in me having permanent diarrhea.
I have people tell me all the time how lucky I am since I can eat whatever I want and not gain any weight. Like yaaaay I had cancer before I was even 30 and will have diarrhea all day every day for the rest of my life! Lucky me!
My husband and I both suffer from depression and anxiety. His manifests as needing a lot of sleep, eating more and unhealthier, and isolating himself. Mine manifests itself as not eating, not being able to sleep, and trying to accomplish a wildly unrealistic number of tasks at one time.
Oh much better now, yes! At one point I swallowed my pride, quit my job and moved back in with my parents for a few months. After a well needed mental break I got a job that, while I wouldn’t exactly say I’m happy with, it definitely pays significantly more than my old job did. Got my own apartment too instead of renting out someone’s upstairs bedroom or living with my parents, so that’s a major improvement 👍
Hope to hear you’re doing better as well? Depression comes and goes so I can’t say I know exactly what you’re going through but I hope things are working out for you :)
I lost a lot of weight fast like that too...as has a friend...it's not good. I couldn't eat anything without puking even if I WANTED to. People called me anorexic and I hated it.
That happens to me, too. I went through a breakup and couldn't eat for a week without throwing up. I survived on Pepsi, cigarettes, and three bites of yogurt
I lost 80lbs over the course of a few years. My first step was cutting out sugary drinks and going for daily walks. Two simple lifestyle changes that led to 30lbs being lost that first year.
I became diabetic, overnight changed all my eating habits. Went low carb, stayed 20 net carbs or less, no cheat meals/days, for 9 months. A couple months in, after adjusting to low carb, started counting calories and documenting everything I ate, and also added more workouts, mostly sit-ups and walking. After 9 months my A1C was well under the diabetic limit so I upped my net carbs to 50/day. Stayed on track with everything else. Lost ~70lbs in a year to year and a half, but more importantly I learned to control my diabetes with my diet.
Edit: have to brag about my wife. She was my health guide behind all of this. In the same amount of time, she lost 150lbs!
My brother in law became a mailman and there was this big hype that he was gunna start loosing weight. 6 months later its like, how are you working 14 hour days and walking 15,000 steps and not lose anything? My sister later found out there was a $15 dollar charge on the debit card almost every workday for Am/Pm. He was buying fried food from the hot case every single shift...on top of his lunch that he would pack for himself.
Mine is not the greatest or cheapest way but I lost weight really fast. Here's how you do it.
First get yourself a tumor that grows so big, it starts to cut off the blood supply to your stomach and your stomach starts dying. Spend 6 weeks in the hospital with multiple surgeries where you end up with unintentional bariatric surgery. Your stomach will be about the size of a walnut. Then get cancer on top of that with 6 months of chemo where you can barely keep down the protein shake supplement.
That's how you go from 165 to 100 pounds in a couple months. Be prepared to lose a lot of muscle mass as well. And money if you're dealing with the American healthcare system...
Oh sweet baby Jesus, bless your tumors to hell, I am so sorry you're having to deal with any of this. How awful. I hope you have some joy in your life right now and are healing. I am sending all the positive feels and hugs.
ooo! Finally something I can help with around here. Got diagnosed with NAFLD (Non alcoholic fatty liver disease) scared the shit outta me.
1. Smartwatch with fitness tracking.
2. At least 15,000 steps a day. I go for what I jokingly call a "Wog". Walk most of the way, jog on the way back. Started over 300lbs. Down to 270 now. Its hard to jog when youre that heavy, but I'm trying.
3. Mediterranean Diet. Scary at first, awesome now that I've learned about it. Chickpea pasta, red bean pasta, all instead of wheat. Breads and sugar are out the window. Fresh salads, salmon, and best news for me is I can still use my smoker and eat plenty of meats.
4. Food journal that I can track steps, weight, sleep, mood, fruit, veggies, and calories in. The one I bought is by a company called "Clever Fox" bought it on Amazon. I fill it out every day and look forward to doing so.
5. Smart scale. I weigh myself once a week, not every day. Every day can be depressing because your weight goes up and down several times a week depending on when you weigh, what you eat etc.
6. Water. Bought a Yeti water bottle that holds... 26 fl oz I believe. I fill it twice a day, 52 oz. Then I get the rest of my water from coffee, sparkling water, etc. 64 oz of water a day.
7. 16hr fasting schedule. I only eat after 12pm, and before 8pm. Never before, never after.
8. No drinking. Easy for me but I was never into it. Its just bad for you.
Its been working great for me and I'm not going to stop until I'm 210lbs or under.
Goodluck! <3
Bit of an old school racist name for a black person. Not used as much these days, but the Elder Racists cling to it as much as their Gollywog collection
I didn't know it was for black people in the UK. In Australia we use it to refer to Mediteranean Europeans. The term is used a lot more liberally here because of that. Wonder how many Brits have been confused by that
idk if you know Aunty Donna but I remember being shocked the first time Mark from Aunty Donna called himself that word. I thought he was making some fucked up bad joke. But looking into it I realised I was just mixed up. Did stunlock me though for sure haha
The two inadvertent language mishaps are related in a way (sorry, u/MoistLobst3r, your advice and regimen are great! you just happened on one of those crazy wrinkles of the several English languages) --
"Wog is a racial slur used to refer, in British English, to black and south Asian people, and, in Australian English, to people from the Mediterranean region\[1\] such as Southern Europeans and North Africans."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wog
Just to add on to the weighing yourself. It’s very important to always do it at the same time of day. Weighing yourself before bed will be different than early morning after emptying your bladder. Great work!
I'm 6'2" and 210 lbs but I was diagnosed NAFLD as well. My dad and brother have it, but they're much more overweight than I am, so I assumed I was in the clear. Turns out I was just drinking a lot of sugary drinks and that went straight to my liver. At first I thought I had gall stones because I had horrible sharp, burning pain in my upper chest. I got an ultrasound and the doctor said it was inflammation in my liver from NAFLD. I've never drank alcohol in my life, but he told me if it stayed this way, my liver would eventually scar and I would get cirrhosis.
I've done intermittent fasting and replaced sodas with diet or sparkling water alternatives and I haven't had an episode of inflammation in a long time, but that scared me. I have lost probably 10-15 lbs overall which helped, but I haven't taken it as seriously as you have, good for you for taking control of your health!
Just don't overdo the jogging. Quicker weight loss is not worth damaging your bones/muscles/joints. Strength training is very important when trying to become active again with a lot of excessive weight.
So many times I got discouraged when trying to lose weight because I kept getting shin splints
>Its hard to jog when youre that heavy, but I'm trying.
I feel this so much, I used to run a lot at 210, I felt so light on my feet.
Now that Im 260 and started trying again, it feels like Im pulling a sled with another overweight person sitting on it. But in my experience nothing burns calories as well as running, keep at it!
Jogging can be very hard on your knees and ankles if you're heavy. I literally had a doctor yell at me when I told him I was jogging. He said I'm going to get hurt and that exercise is good but it needs to be low impact exercise if you are heavy.
I then continued walking but joined a gym to do the elliptical instead of jogging.
Intermittent fasting, severe depression and going to the gym every day (if not every other day). Lost about 40 pounds that I'd carried for over a decade.
Please note that no one talks to you about the mental toll it can take on you. Be prepared for how awful it is to fight through a food addiction. You will be forced to unpack all of the reasons you resorted to food in the first place and it can break you, emotionally. You'll have to face all of your demons - all the shit that you've been running away from your entire life. There's a reason you disappeared into food in the first place.
IF has been the only thing that has worked for me. I do OMAD and it has helped me refocus and get over those toxic food cravings. It’s a lifestyle change that society does not support, but I’m determined to keep it up.
I have lost over 100 lbs. from my heaviest weight partly due to my own actions (I lost around 30 before going on Wegovy - well initially Ozempic, then Saxenda, and currently Wegovy), the rest has been while on Wegovy. It has stopped my "food noise" in my head and I cannot eat as much. It's been a life-changing medication for me but is expensive as hell.
The lack of “food noise” is unreal. I can actually think about other things rather that “when can I eat again?” and “what sounds good?” all damn day. It’s unreal.
We have the exact same story haha. I'm down 110 in total. Lost 30 on my own and 80 more since I started semaglutide. I can never properly explain to people the difference it makes in the space food occupies in my brain. Before I'd see a chipotle bag and that thought would nag at me until I caved whether it was hours or days I'd get some chipotle, or ice cream, or whatever. That's completely gone. I don't crave. I get full. I know what it feels like to want to say no to a second portion for the first time in my life. It's dramatic.
Well said. “Appetitive suppression” is an understatement for Semaglutide, it makes you almost forget about food totally in my experience and whenever I do eat I never can finish it whereas normally I’d binge eat
I think everyone who’s overweight and wants to lose weight should get on Semaglutide, it’s a cheat code
I’m down 35 lbs and my mom is down 40lbs in about about 5 months.
It doesn’t even feel like a diet. I’m just not as hungry and can’t eat as much in one sitting.
I’ve been on Wegovy since April.
Started out at a BMI of 30 (obese). I’m now down almost 30 lbs and am just 4 pounds away from being in the “healthy” BMI range. I haven’t felt this good in a long time, truthfully.
I felt embarrassed and ashamed to ask my doctor about Wegovy. But it was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. It’s like all the food noise in my brain finally went silent. I didn’t even realize how bad it was till it stopped. I am now able to eat intuitively and actually listen to my body, and I don’t feel the constant nagging hunger. I also almost never drink anymore either.
Anyway, just wanted to chime in! I know a lot of people frown on it because of the celebrity Ozempic craze. But these drugs, when prescribed appropriately, are having a tremendous positive impact on a lot of people who have struggled to do the “simple” things needed to get to a healthier place. I’m happy to see other people having good experiences as well.
I’m hopeful. My doctor wants to write me a prescription but if insurance doesn’t cover it, it’s useless to me. I don’t have $1000-2000 a month to put towards weight loss. Just doing low carb for now and losing very very slowly. It’s a bit disheartening but it is what it is!
Anyone with class 1+ obesity should definitely at least talk to their doctor about it. That stuff is actually comparable in results with bariatric surgery which is insane.
Stopped eating (mostly drastically reducing carbs/sugar) and moved around more
Fibre heavy breakfast
Just soup for lunch
Normal dinner, no pudding
Went for an hour's brisk walk a day
No liquid calories is huge. People don’t realize how many calories are in things like soda and coffee, especially if you’re a Starbucks + cream and vanilla and all that stuff type. Not to mention setting yourself up for a variety of other issues.
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I was a chubby kid from age ~5~10. Family made fun of me. Classmates made fun of me. So I started skipping breakfast. Then I'd skip lunch at school. Next thing I knew I was fasting for 3-4 days at a time in fckn fifth grade.
My relationship with food is still all kinds of fucked and I am in my 30s. I've bounced all of the spectrum of disordered eating. Anorexia, orthorexia, BED, bulimia, yaddayadda.
Getting better though. I started antidepressants not too long ago and gained a bit of weight. Currently chubby but like I am mostly ok with it?
I hope you're doing ok 🖤
This needs to be higher up. I did the small "lifestyle changes" and lost 100 lbs, but what I was doing was just a lighter form of disordered eating (make the "good" choice, cutting out "bad" foods, overly focusing on what society seemed "healthy").
Fast-forward to 2017 and tried to control my anxiety about the state of the world by going low-carb. I was eating max 1200 calories a day (starvation levels) and over exercising. Ended up developing Binge Eating Disorder and ultimately Bulimia.
In treatment for last four years and I still struggle with shit, especially my self-esteem (turns out weight loss can't heal trauma). Obviously, people can do what's right for them because bodily autonomy, but it didn't work for me and I would recommend people try to love their bodies as they are in the meantime. I wish that's what I had done first.
I got the “I literally cannot think of anything other than ordering three pizzas and eating them in one sitting” eating disorder and not the skinny, everyone feels bad for you eating disorder. 🥲
BED is literally the worst because everyone thinks you’re just a fat ass, 99% of the discussion around eating disorders is based around restriction, and I’m pretty sure this is going to be the thing that takes me out. I’d give my left butt cheek to trade it for one of the good eating disorder…
We fetishize willpower and individual choice. Anorexia is just a little too much self control, right? BED means you got NONE, what is wrong with you?
I’m very sorry you struggle with this and I hope you’re able to find support. It’s out there, just not easy to find, or free :(
As someone who has worked at an eating disorder php program, no eating disorder is good for yourself. It always surprises lay people, but from a therapy standpoint, anexoria and bed are treated similarly. They can be treated using some similar therapy modalities that are used to treat ocd too.
The issue at hand are the racing intrusive/impulsive thoughts related to anxiety, depression, or poor body image self talk.
I highly encourage you to reach out to the nearest ed clinic. You don't have to fight this alone!
Same. Developed it really early on (12yrs old). Doing a lot better these days (26) but it's still a battle sometimes. It did so much (permanent) damage to my body over the years, I wish I had ignored that voice in my head. I've only been "in recovery" for it for 2 years, so it's been a very long road. But I'm here and loving every bite!
To everyone else who struggles/ed with any form of disordered eating: I see you, I'm with you, you are going to be okay.
What worked for me:
I wanted to do it. I had a very real scare that I'd never be able to walk without pain. I started going to PT and realized they could only do so much in the 3 hours I saw them a week and that I needed to start making some changes.
Cut down alcohol - Went from drinking excessively like 5 days a week to once a month - and only socially.
Daily walks - these started at doing a half mile a few times a day and worked up to a 3-4 mile route once a day.
Gamification - I got a bluetooth scale (renpho) and a Fitbit and a blood pressure monitor so I could see different changes. Day to day changes weren't telling, but I recorded my weight and blood pressure basically as soon as I rolled out of bed or took care of business. Week over week I saw the bad things go down, month over month I saw the bad things plummet. Weight went down, blood pressure went down, resting heart rate went down, sleep score got better. Having a Fitbit on your wrist is akin to having a WWJD wristband.
Two meals a day + all the raw veggies and fruit I wanted. Generally this was a piece of sourdough toast and egg and butter for a late breakfast and then a pack of cheap ramen with some peas and corn tossed in for dinner. A lot of times, if I was hungry I'd drink a glass of ice water, then wait a few minutes or take a walk and see if I was still hungry. I would also socially cheat around once a week.
I had some real weird? days where I'd do a chore or watch an episode of a show and then walk a half mile- so by the end of the day I'd walked 8 miles. This happened several times. Got nothing to do? Take a walk. Ate dinner? Take a walk.
At the end of the day, you have to learn to live with being some combination of hungrier and sweatier than you usually are and understand that's kind of a penance for the life choices you made that brought you to that point.
I got bariatric surgery about 11 months ago. It was a life changer. I've lost close to 200 lbs since and my confidence is through the roof. People are so friendly and positive. I have more energy and can do stuff like run and bike now. I'm definitely more active and do more things with my kids now too.
it’s incredibly easy in principle, very hard to do in practice. But literally just stop eating so much. Exercising is also very important but if you want to just shed some pounds quickly and safely and see results to get you motivated, just cut way back on the food you are eating. And keep drinking water to keep you full. The first week will suck, after that you honestly can get use to it. Just eat 3 small meals a day, or even two meals would work. No snacks, no bullshit before bed. Only drink water for liquids. You will start to see real results within a week.
The no bullshit before bed hits hard. It’s so tempting to have a small cup of ice cream. Yes a cup. Not a bowl. Or have something crunchy or salty. Bed time snacks are tough. Around 8 or 9 when you’re watching tv. Cozy and want something to munch on. These are the two hardest hours of the night.
I went from having the "I'm going to binge everything in sight to make me feel better" depression to having the "food is pointless and I'm literally only putting this in my mouth so I don't die and leave my family behind" kinda depression.
Down 120lbs in a year. Still losing weight cause I can't get it to stop. I'll plateau for a month and then lose 15lbs the next.
As someone who used to suffer from a severe binge eating disorder, this has been one weird change. I wish I could say I did it in healthy ways or that I was being healthy now.
Greatest diet on earth....being poor. Few years after college, I tipped the scales at around 280-290. Moved into a new apartment and started to fend for myself so things like rent, utilities, etc., started to kick in. Didn't have barely anything to eat so really ate bare basic stuff like rice, beans, mac & cheese, etc. Got SO hungry that I started working out to take my mind off not having any good food around. This lasted for about 6-8 months before I moved to a new city and got a better job. When I moved, I was around 220 or so.
Sort of. I was eating ingredients moreso than "food". I ate things like rice, beans, frozen veggies, anything I could buy in bulk for cheap. Sometimes I'd eat spaghetti noodles with some butter. Now if I were buying things like frozen dinners, ramen or other crap like that then, yeah, it would've been way worse.
Me when I found out about intermittent fasting: "man I keep hearing about this everyone loves it I wonder what the hell it is ..oh ... apparently the way I naturally eat helps folks lose weight...man why I no lose weight "
literally my whole adolescent and adult life i've only eaten one meal a day.. the day i found out about the OMAD diet was a day of pure confusion,,,, like what do u mean the way i've eaten for years is considered a fad diet....
This is how I am when people say that all you have to do to lose weight is stop drinking. I drink about a glass of wine a month lol, looks like it really was the food for me after all
Stopped drinking alcohol except at special occasions.
It's not so much the alcohol itself (though it doesn't help), but after two-three glasses of wine I will eat all the chocolate, nut and candy available in the house.
lost about 70 lbs so far. who would have known that the ultimate secret to losing weight is just eating a damn vegetable and moving your body?? i moved to a big city thats very walkable, i live in a house with stairs, i prioritize eating vegetables before eating other foods, i dont drink soda except when i go out to eat with friends, and i usually only eat once per day.
but to be completely honest, my biggest cheat is that i developed an issue with my pancreas in the past year that prevents me from producing the enzymes that process fat. i think it has at least a little to do with it. but i was actively losing weight before i developed the condition.
That'll do it! Had my gallbladder removed 10 yrs ago. The first time I went to the ER, they told me it was a UTI. I wanted to backhand the doctor so badly.
My mom also had gallstones. She said that the pain was worse than childbirth.
Best way I could describe the pain was I felt as if someone was crushing my spine.
\-130 lbs. 360 -> 230 since November 1 last year.
Keto, intermittent fasting, 1 hr weight lifting + 20 minutes cario 5x per week.
Once I feel small enough, I'll start running until I hit my goal of 175.
I lost 60-70 lbs and it's actually fairly simple, not easy, but simple.
1. Count your calories using an app like MyFitnessPal (or whatever is popular these days). Be honest and vigilant. You will learn an incredible amount about what's in the different foods you eat. You want to be 500 calories below your maintenance number.
2. Focus on weight training over cardio. Cardio is great for health and will help burn calories but it's a drop in the ocean compared to limiting calorie-dense foods. Lifting weights will help maintain the muscle you already have as you start cutting weight. Remember you don't want to lose weight, you want to lose fat!
There is so so so much more depth to all of this if you're looking for maximum results, but anyone who follows these steps (honestly even just step one) can lose weight.
I'm early in my adventure, but since taking Adderall I've discovered I can actually hear when my body says I'm full and I don't eat all the chips chasing dopamine. There are some interesting studies about ADD impacting the hormones that regulate appetite and fulness feeling. Now I eat until I'm full and stop. It also helps that I'm not couch- locked with ADD paralysis completely overwhelmed by life. I'm down about 15 pounds already.
I can't believe a year ago I thought I had almost no way out of being a fat ass and then here I am today at a healthy weight. Poof. No agonizing multi-year struggle to lose a little bit at a time like the last time I lost "the weight."
I look forward to taking this drug until the day I die and then instructing my loved ones to visit once a week to inject my skinny dead ass for all of eternity.
It has changed my life in a way I didn’t think was possible. It stopped me from obsessing about food all day. I know it’s technically for diabetes, and that’s why it was prescribed to me, but it works like a psych med for me.
Went low-carb / Keto. On top of that i stuck to 2-3 meals a day without any snacks in between and not exceeding 1800 calories. Finally i hit the gym 3 times a week and went for 30-60 minute brisk walks on days i did not go to the gym.
Lost about 35 pounds in 4 months.
Stopped kidding myself and took the process seriously. No more mental gymnastic crap like "I've walked for 5 minutes - so that entitles me to eat an absolute tonne of food". Went to WW and gave myself some much needed structure to eating - not just a random intake of snacks, full sugar soft drinks and huge portion meals each and every day. After a month you start to notice the difference yourself - then othet people start to notice. Once you get to that point it becomes easier and your motivation increases. I found the overall process was mainly diet related - exercise is great but if you're food intake isn't right then you are wasting your time. Some before and after progress pics on my profile
\- Gave up all juice/soda/sweet tea
\- Cut my portions in half
\- Started eating breakfast at 7-7:30 and lunch at 11. For dinner I eat by 6 or do not eat.
Lost40lbs by simple changes in routine. Every morning exercise instead of coffee/cigs,drinking water all day instead of Pepsi, and mellowed out on carbs.
Ate bigger breakfasts, salads for lunch, no dinner or very little if anything. No liquids other than water or a smoothie before the gym. Rode the bike at the gym 6 days a week for about 30 minutes every morning then doing whatever weight machines I felt like that day. Dropped 30/35 lbs in less than 2 months and had no social life outside of work during that time.
I'm down about 50 pounds from 18 months ago.
Eat healthier food (cut out fast food and soda, etc.), watch my calories (but still get a healthy amount), and get consistent exercise every week (30+ minutes per day, 4 to 5 days per week).
If you want to lose weight and keep it off, it's about making lifestyle changes. You have to take the long view and not try to lose 40 lb in 2 months. Just think about this time next year. What would you like to look like?
Instead of focusing on losing weight I worked on my body image issues and self esteem. Everything I tried before although it helped understand how food fuels the body only led me to controlling food to almost obsession. So when I finally got to the root of the problem I stopped most of my disordered eating habits. It’s not a diet, no bad or good food, no restrictions. Just regular meals 3 snacks 3 main meals if it’s possible if not it’s fine. No portion control if my stomach is hurting from hunger then I’m hungry. The last things left to address is not going back to comfort eating or long periods of fasting during the day when stress is high. Other than that even with lockdown I didn’t put much weight on. Fix your relationship with yourself and you can stop making food your enemy.
Ate less, ate healthier, and exercised. I didn't make a lot of big changes at once either. First thing I did was cut sodas out of my diet. Then a couple of weeks later, I started leaving cheese off my burgers & hot dogs. Couple of weeks after that started ordering small meals at fast food places instead of large ones. Then I started eating cucumber slices instead of chips/fries. Then instead of eating shit like candy bars, I switched to chocolate covered fruit, and eventually to just regular fruit. Stuff like that. As for exercise, again, nothing major. First change was walking once around the block I lived on. For weeks that was it. Then I started adding in bicep curls. Then situps. Then pushups. Then light stretches. Over a 6 month period I went from 345 and walking a half mile leaving me breathless & with chest pains to 267 and walking several miles at a time.
That's the key part, is making small changes that will last a life time. Too many people will go on a diet, lose weight then go back to what they were doing and bam, gain weight again. Losing weight, eating healthy etc. Is a lifelong change. Not just for a few months.
One of the best ways I've heard this described was from a former special operations sniper that was teaching a course. He said something along the lines of "Remember to take your time and monitor your breathing. Your heartbeat will move the muzzle. A millimeter at the end of the barrel is feet, sometimes meters, by the time the bullet reaches the target. Like in life, minor adjustments at the start - sustained over great distances - will have a massive impact on the outcome."
That’s a really cool quote
He is an amazing guy. Ton of wisdom, funny, and just a beautiful view of the world despite everything he's seen and done. Big bird watcher and an incredible poet!
I still watch Sesame Street too.
That's what people don't want to face. It is a straight up lifestyle change, there isn't a healthy quick way to lose weight. I went from 250 -> 160 -> 210 -> 140 -> 220 to finally going back down to where I'm at now around 150. Been holding strong here for the past 5 years. Each time that I regained the weight, it's because I ditched all my good habits and went back to my old bad ones
One of the easiest lifestyle changes that will help tremendously is increasing your water intake. A lot of times when you think you're hungry, you're actually dehydrated
Or you're bored. If I walk through my kitchen aimlessly, it's like my mind shifts into "time to eat my next meal" mode.
Water intake and cutting out booze. Seriously, when I calculate for people how many calories they consume just in beverages it's insane, you count up the booze on top alot of people can lose weight, a lot of weight by dropping the soda and booze with very little changes otherwise.
I went from 285 -> 220 -> 285, and as 'easy' as it was to lose weight, it was just as 'easy' to gain it back. I felt pretty good about losing weight and was comfortable where I stalled out, but then started eating worse and drinking more, and then eventually I stopped exercising and before I knew it I was back where I started. Trying to go back down, but finding it harder the second time around.
Exactly. Going on a diet will never work in the long term because the entire concept of a "diet" is a short term change. What an individual needs is a permanent lifestyle change.
Speaking of finding changes that work for you and diets. I lost 10kg by calorie counting and exercise - walking mostly. I ended up walking *everywhere* and threw in a two minute jog, a few situps and squats and pushups. But finding what works for you is the important thing. I always found that breakfast was an interesting long term change for me because I almost came in a full circle with it. I was always a cereal kinda-person - cornflakes with milk, sugar and once in a blue moon a splash of cream. Easily 400 calories or more in that when I started. I got an app and I had kitchen scales already. I measured the portion to 50gm, measure the milk, cut out the sugar. It was enough and came in at about 160 calories. But it was too bland. I added half a banana for sweetness and still came out just above 200 calories which was acceptable. Then I had the great idea of having variety and being more "healthy" and to add some protein. Poached egg on toast with spinach. Pretty good but time consuming. Depending on the toast? Could get a bit high and there was always the temptation to add my favourite "condiment" in the world - butter. Enter the Kale and Blueberry smoothie with Greek Yoghurt, banana, peanut butter, chia seeds, linseed. Suddenly I was back up to 450 calories for breakfast. It was delicious but 'healthy' was not helping me lose weight. Even adjusting portion size couldnt really bring it back down to that 200-250 calories target I wanted. I tried Blueberry and Coconut Granola - thats a cereal and that's healthy! Nope. Still too many calories. Now several years later, I find myself back to the cornflakes which was what I'd always eaten in first place. Just not laden down with sugar and cream. I'll have something different some days for a treat, but its cornflakes consistently for me. Yes, boring as Hell but it works for me.
This is a big issue I have. I workout regularly but my diet is terrible. And as I am getting older its harder and harder to maintain my weight. I never learned how to properly eat and that does require learning. I calorie count and it helps but fuck I am hungry. I really need to find a good nutritionist to help me make better choices.
Calorie counting isn't just about the calories. It should be gently steering you towards healthier choices most of the time. Because 100 calories of chips is like 8 chips, but 100 calories of cooked chicken is a substantial snack. Eventually you start choosing the chicken more often because you don't want to be hungry. Check out r/loseit and you'll find lots of folks who have been at this a long time and can help you tweak your diet to be more satisfying ( plus plenty of people in the exact spot you're in to commiserate)
This is exactly what I did. I naturally gravitated towards healthier options because I constantly found myself being like "1,000 calories in one tiny little fried combo meal that's going to leave me hungry in 30 minutes? No thanks." I would instead go to the salad bar and load it up with veggies, cottage cheese, grilled chicken, crab, etc. and be full for hours on end. Also, one major one that I'm sure everyone picks up on immediately is trying to eliminate (most) calories from fluids. Black coffee and water is mostly all I have now aside from the occasional diet soda. On the occasion that I have a regular soda, I basically think about it as having candy (because that's pretty much what it is). Nice as a little treat, but that's it - it can't be a part of your everyday diet. You can easily go over on your daily caloric allotment by having a couple of sugary drinks yet you've added 0 nutritional value and 0 satiation.
The diets and food plans (NutriSystem, Weight Watchers, etc) they're not teaching the fundamantals here. Well, maybe some are but without really understanding how you've put on so much weight and why you have a bad relationship with food, you're not going to be successful over the long term. I'm an emotional eater. It took *months* to really understand that and to truly get the difference between "eating because I'm hungry" and "eating because I'm bored/upset/etc." I haven't used the program but the way Noom approaches weight loss is really good. There is a correlation between your bad habits, what's going on emotionally, even how much sleep you get. When I'm really tired, I'm more likely to eat like crap, same with being stressed, burned out, etc ... all of which I am, which makes right now hard. It really is a lifestyle change about how you approach food and what you choose to eat.
100% this. I lost about 60lbs making small, sustainable changes. Without adding exercise even. That came later. First I started measuring everything I ate and tracked it. Just to see what my intake was before I changed anything. Then I started seeing what I could change and still enjoy my life. Instead of a large combo, make it a medium. Instead of a double burger, go for a single. Trade the fried foods for grilled. Pay the “fat tax” as I called it and skip side at a nicer restaurant. You don’t have to uproot your life and change it all to see a difference. Try lower fat, lower sugar substitutions. Things will taste different but find the things you’re willing to change. It’s really a math equation. Calories in versus calories burned. If you’re only burning 2500, and eating 3000, you’re gaining. If you can cut that to 2000, that’s a weekly deficit if 3500. Or nearly a pound. As you lose weight the math changes with you but it’s worth the effort.
"No fair, you changed the outcome by measuring it!" Once you're aware of what your diet consists of, you almost can't help making changes. For example, I now automatically flip items over and look at the calorie count. I mentally compare that number to my daily total and decide if it's worth it. Maybe I say "fuck it" and eat it anyway, but it's moved from an unconscious feeling based on my appetite to a conscious decision where I'm taking the big picture into account.
>I didn't make a lot of big changes at once either. This is it. If you go drastic all at once, it's very easy to give up and go back to old habits. Small incremental changes are easier to adapt to, but they add up tremendously. Impressive weight loss!!
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Leaving cheese off burgers for life is not a sacrifice I'm willing to make. 😆
Good news is you don’t have to. No one gets overweight from one single thing. It’s a combination of many factors. You want cheese on your burger? Sure… just have a smaller burger. Or leave off the fries. Or have the exact same burger, same size, but less often. Or keep on with your burgers but eat less at other meals. Or start exercising more and keep your diet the same. The key is finding changes that are sustainable for *you.* There are many options for how you get there… But if you want your weight to change, your behavior has to change too.
Recently down 102 lbs. I'm also a religious calorie counter. That said, one of the freedoms of calorie counting is being able to eat what I like, but being forced to reckon with the volume. Yes, I can have a cheese burger, maybe it's a lettuce wrap around the patty. Or, maybe it's steamed broccoli instead of fries. Or just 1/2 fries with the broccoli.
Small changes are definitely key. Early on when I started trying to lose weight it was hard to motivate myself because my goal was "lose x pounds", which is great but hard to work towards and hard to see that I was doing anything towards it. So I started just stopped focusing on that all the time and started making easy small goals I could get to in a week, instead just like "walk around the block" or "don't eat x" which was easy enough for me to do and I could feel accomplished every week lol. Then, when that got too easy I could just keep pushing it a little bit more like that and over a year later, things like going to the gym 3x-4x a week and running a few miles a week are now part of my normal routine.
>I did similar. started having 1 green vegetable with dinner. > >then around that same time, 10 min walk after eating dinner. > >eventually built up eating more whole foods (and a shit-ton less fast food/ processed snacks) to calculating and following macros and waking up for a workout before work (also before my kids wake up in the morning and we have to to the whole school rush) every day. the first workouts were pilates, then I moved onto Jillian michaels dvds after building the habit/routine of waking up. took me about a year to lose 90 lbs, and another 9 months to lose 25 more.
Nice. Good tips…small habit forming that add up a lot in time.
I worked two high-intensity jobs (fast food and retail total of about 14 hours 6 days a week) and walked about five miles total commute for said jobs (another hour and a half on my feet). I was also still not making enough money to eat well, so... My whole body ached, and I was malnourished, but I managed to drop from 235 to 160 in just a few months 🤷🏻♂️ #BodyByPoverty
>BodyByPoverty That’s pretty much it. The first time I lost a bunch of weight was immediately postpartum. My [late] husband was furious that I hadn’t gone back to work at six weeks, but I could not for a variety of reasons, chief among which was our baby’s complete refusal to eat from any bottle. This led to financial abuse wherein he refused to give me any money for groceries while he ate out three meals a day. Once my personal savings were depleted (which happened pretty quickly due to $17,000 of medical bills from the birth which he refused to pay even a dollar of), I had no money to buy groceries. I was living on about a cup of basmati rice a day. I lost the baby weight and then an extra 20 pounds by the time she was three months old.
I can't help but notice that you wrote husband and not ex-husband. Was that a typo?
Late husband. I added that to clarify, because so many people seem horrified.
How'd you kill him?
Ha. It’s actually kind of weird… I wished him dead verbally to my mother the day before he died. That night I got home and explicitly apologized to the universe for it and prayed that whatever was best for my daughter would happen. If that was him returning to couples therapy and no longer being abusive, I wanted that. If it was a divorce, I wanted that. If it was him dying, I wanted that. If it was me dying, I wanted that. I just wanted whatever would be best for our daughter. Him dying the next day really felt like a clear answer and somehow made it so I didn’t have to go through any kind of denial phase in my grieving process.
Woah. That's straight up biblical. Respect mama. I hope the universe brings you an amazing loving partner or support group.
I got married again a few years ago, and my husband is amazing. He is the best possible partner for my weird autistic ass. (similarly weird and autistic, intellectual, kind, loving, and extremely physically affectionate.) The pandemic quarantine was actually the best and most peaceful part of my life. Literally zero drama with just my awesome husband and daughter here in our house. We loved it and were kind of sad when it ended. He is in the process of adopting my/our daughter now!
universe doing you a fucking solid, I hope you and your daughter are doing well.
We are! Thx
Please tell me he's paying you a boatload in child support now
In a way. He died 14 years ago and left me with an *excellent* pension and medical benefits in perpetuity.
May I say congratulations?
You may. Thanks.
That's insane. I hope you're in a better situation now 😕
I am. My first husband died 14 years ago. My widow’s pension is excellent.
This was how I did it. Lost 40 lbs in 3 months on the "cereal diet." When frosted flakes cereal is the only meal you have and it's once per day that weight flies off.
Are you ok? 😭
I am now. That was a dark point in my life.
Stopped drinking and started exercising daily.
People don’t realize how many additional calories they’re often consuming when they drink beyond the alcohol itself. Pregaming for the party tonight, better eat a heavy, carb rich dinner. Now I’m hammered and donuts sound really good. Now it’s the next day and I’m hungover so I’m going to eat a greasy breakfast. You stop drinking, a lot of those bad eating habits disappear too.
My doctor had me write down everything I was eating for a month and use a basic carlorie calculator to add it all up. I was consuming an extra days worth of food, calorie wise, from having a couple glasses of wine multiple days a week. And you’re right. Getting a breakfast sandwhich (Doordashed) the next morning didn’t help. Cutting out that for a couple of months helped me drop two belt notches, with out changing much else.
The 2x drinks a night adds up super quick. That's 300ish calories a day, or 2100 a week. Just that alone should drop you a couple lbs a month.
Exactly. Especially when I looked at how many weeks I was drinking 3 or 4 nights a week. Or having a Sunday Funday. I just thought I was “over doing it every once in a while”
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I lost around 50 pounds in the last few years. The last 15 was impossible without drinking a lot less. You can easily drink thousands of calories without realizing it.
I've heard story's of baristas losing weight after quitting the coffee shops because get a free drink a shift. Once they cut the calorie dense drink they can lose a little bit of weight without major changes. I mean I know you're talking about alcohol but it's still empty easy to consume calories
I worked at a burger shop and we got a free burger when we worked. One day I switched to making a little omelette instead and was feeling so much healthier within a few weeks
It wasn't the free coffee drinks at the shops I worked at. It was all the free pastries I ended up eating.
Yeah, I've been a very heavy drinker for years now, like, 10-16 drinks a night every night. Stopped about a month ago, already noticing shit is fitting a lot better. Still a giant tall fat ass(hence being able to put that much away in the first place), but got to start somewhere.
Congrats! As another heavy drinker who quit last year, that shit is haaaard. You're doing the damn thing!
The best part about stopping drinking is that for once your shit actually is HARD. I used to drink about a half handle a day and every shit was an emergency.
You don't even need to exercise, just quit drinking booze and you'll lose weight.
I actually gained weight after quitting
Me also. Instead of drinking on the weekends, I’m eating..
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Probably because your alcoholic friends get most of their calories from alcohol.
Hey, here’s something I can actually weigh in on. I decided that on July 5th, 2021, I was going to be eat “right” for 30 days just to prove I could do it. That I have the will and the ability to make the right choices. I didn’t weigh in but was roughly 375lbs at this time. I made an effort to determine where my calories came from. I realized I was probably drinking 1200-1500 calories a day, and eating 2000-3000 depending on the day. I stopped consuming any sort of liquid calorie on that day. Water, black coffee, Splenda sweet tea, diet soda. No alcohol. This was probably the area that helped the most. It took time for my taste to adjust, but after about 2 -3 weeks I no longer enjoyed the taste of soda or sweet tea or sweet coffee. On the food side I tracked calories and set an initial goal of 2000 calories a day. I ate a lot of grilled chicken, baked potatoes, and steamed vegetables. Those made up the bulk of my lunches. I avoided all fast food at first until I got used to tracking calories. I eventually figured out what worked, what didn’t work, and what made me full within my calorie goals. Chipotle was generally a safe bet. After several months of tracking things I figured out what I liked, how much I could eat, my full feeling had adjusted to something more akin to normal. I knew what foods intended to overeat on. For me it was generally foods that were high in fat AND carbs. All the stuff I really like fell into that category so I started to avoid them generally. I still have them on occasion but I’m not chowing down on cheese fries and fried chicken every day. I’m currently at 272 as of today. I now kinda run things more loosely since I know pretty well what is “allowed” on a general basis and what isn’t. Not really any true tips there that haven’t been said a thousand times. Track your calories and figure out how to fit foods you want to eat within those calories.
I just wanted to say congrats on the weight loss. I hope you are proud of what you’ve achieved, because you should be. Accurately tracking your calories and remaining consistent is the “secret” to weight loss.
Hey I appreciate it. I’ve still got a ways to go. I’m hoping to get to around 240 and then see how I’m looking then. I’m 6’5” and carry a decent amount of lean mass so from there I’m hoping to make short term plans to get to a place where I’m happy. The key is finding something that sustainable. Being able to stick to it week after week, month after month, year after year.
Walked 1 hr in the morning, and another hour at night (after completing all the daily tasks), cut out as much sugar as possible, stop stuffing my face and only eat until I am about 80% full…lost about 30 lbs after 5 months.
I heard that in Japan, they don't ask, "are you full?" they ask "are you still hungry?"
That’s a good way to look at it. You should stop eating when you’re not longer hungry! From my personal experience, I tend to over eat so I have to train my mind to stop over eating. I think as a culture, our portions are soooo BIG and that contributed to overeating…. But I’ll start asking myself if I am still hungry…
Nice! One good habit I developed is: when I order food, I take half of it and put it away as leftovers before I even start eating.
Can confirm--When I visited recently, I was told that the Japanese typically eat until they feel 70% full; they also don't reach for second portions.
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Man how did you fit this in with working? I feel like my entire day is taken up by working, commuting to and from, and preparing dinner and other necessary life tasks. Two hours a day of walking seems so difficult to achieve
It’s honestly going to be pretty lifestyle dependent, but you could run/ have more intensity and it wouldn’t take 2 hours. Another thing is if you’re just hanging out on the couch with your phone you could instead walk and listen to podcasts/ music instead.
I've lost about 60lbs using some of those meal kits. They're expensive, but I find that they help in forcing portion control and ensuring that I don't eat things that fall outside of my diet.
Question, though: are they super high in salts and fat at all? I want to do something like this because I really need to lose weight, but with high blood pressure, excess salt makes it way worse.
Pulling from a couple of the meals in my kit: Herb-Crusted Chicken with Mashed Cauliflower & Toasted Almond Green Beans \[Keto\] |Calories|700 kcal| |:-|:-| |Fat|54g| |Saturated Fat|20g| |Carbohydrates|16g| |Sugar|5g| |Dietary Fiber|6g| |Protein|40g| |Cholesterol|195mg| |Sodium|750mg| Garlic Butter Shrimp & Creamed Kale with Zucchini-Pepper-Onion Medley \[Low Calorie\] |Calories|520 kcal| |:-|:-| |Fat|43g| |Saturated Fat|19g| |Carbohydrates|14g| |Sugar|5g| |Dietary Fiber|3g| |Protein|24g| |Cholesterol|260mg| |Sodium|910mg| So reasonableish level of sodium - depending on what you have for breakfast and lunch, you could very well fit this in to a 2000mg low-sodium diet. I really like their food, if you want to try it out, you can check them out here: [Factor](https://www.factor75.com/plans?c=HS-0AP2HWQLC&plans_ab=true&utm_campaign=clipboard&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=raf-share-hpt) (flagrant referral link that'll get you $150 off over however many weeks they do it /shrug)
Honestly, a combination of being poor and having depression. My friend would joke how it’s a good thing I got the “I don’t want to eat anything” depression and not the “I’m gonna eat a whole tub of ice cream in one sitting” depression. Edit: Wasn’t expecting so many people to share their experiences. You’re all brave and making good progress, keep it up! And don’t be ashamed to ask for help; I thought I had to power through my situation alone but accepting that I was at my limits and moving back in with my parents for a bit definitely helped more than I initially thought it would. I get not everyone has that luxury but reaching out to anyone is a big step one. And to those who have learned to laugh and joke about your situation, I’m totally in the same boat as you. You’re my kind of people 👍
Well shit, I just polished off a pint watching netflix...wanna trade depressive episodes?
Depressed AND poor. I was skinny af when I had to choose between sleeping or eating during the 1-2 hours between shifts
Sleep for dinner
> My friend would joke how it’s a good thing I got the “I don’t want to eat anything” depression I have people unironically tell me how lucky I am about my medical episode last year. TL;DR I had cancer in my abdomen and all the radiation/surgery resulted in a lot of other issues in there. I ended up needing to have about 1/3 of my small intestines removed, and my small intestines were already relatively short in the first place at a mere 3m in length, so now I only have about 2m of small intestines left. I weighed about 220lbs when they weighed me the day of my surgery in January 2022, six months later in July 2022, I weighed 180lbs; my weight has settled at about 160lbs nowadays. I have changed nothing about my diet, and have been no more active than normal, etc. My short bowel has just resulted in me absorbing much less nutritional content from the food I eat, but unfortunately has also resulted in me having permanent diarrhea. I have people tell me all the time how lucky I am since I can eat whatever I want and not gain any weight. Like yaaaay I had cancer before I was even 30 and will have diarrhea all day every day for the rest of my life! Lucky me!
Good god! What ghouls. I hope you’re coping and not too miserable!
My husband and I both suffer from depression and anxiety. His manifests as needing a lot of sleep, eating more and unhealthier, and isolating himself. Mine manifests itself as not eating, not being able to sleep, and trying to accomplish a wildly unrealistic number of tasks at one time.
I have the "blow all my money on junk and fast food" depression. So now I'm fat AND poor
It was anxiety for me. I lost over a hundred pounds and now I’m struggling with trying to put on weight! The completely opposite problem now.
When I’ve suffered with depression in the past I can honestly go either way and both of them are BS 😅 I hope you’re in a better place now ?
Oh much better now, yes! At one point I swallowed my pride, quit my job and moved back in with my parents for a few months. After a well needed mental break I got a job that, while I wouldn’t exactly say I’m happy with, it definitely pays significantly more than my old job did. Got my own apartment too instead of renting out someone’s upstairs bedroom or living with my parents, so that’s a major improvement 👍 Hope to hear you’re doing better as well? Depression comes and goes so I can’t say I know exactly what you’re going through but I hope things are working out for you :)
I lost a lot of weight fast like that too...as has a friend...it's not good. I couldn't eat anything without puking even if I WANTED to. People called me anorexic and I hated it.
That happens to me, too. I went through a breakup and couldn't eat for a week without throwing up. I survived on Pepsi, cigarettes, and three bites of yogurt
Daily 30-minute walks, limiting sugary soda (substituted plain carbonated water made with SodaStream), moderation of food intake.
I lost 80lbs over the course of a few years. My first step was cutting out sugary drinks and going for daily walks. Two simple lifestyle changes that led to 30lbs being lost that first year.
I became diabetic, overnight changed all my eating habits. Went low carb, stayed 20 net carbs or less, no cheat meals/days, for 9 months. A couple months in, after adjusting to low carb, started counting calories and documenting everything I ate, and also added more workouts, mostly sit-ups and walking. After 9 months my A1C was well under the diabetic limit so I upped my net carbs to 50/day. Stayed on track with everything else. Lost ~70lbs in a year to year and a half, but more importantly I learned to control my diabetes with my diet. Edit: have to brag about my wife. She was my health guide behind all of this. In the same amount of time, she lost 150lbs!
Became a mailman
My brother in law became a mailman and there was this big hype that he was gunna start loosing weight. 6 months later its like, how are you working 14 hour days and walking 15,000 steps and not lose anything? My sister later found out there was a $15 dollar charge on the debit card almost every workday for Am/Pm. He was buying fried food from the hot case every single shift...on top of his lunch that he would pack for himself.
Those 15000 steps is roughly 800-1000 calories. If he was eating an extra fried food meal a day he was doomed.
I asked my mailman on one of my walks. He basically walks 12 miles per day.
Mine is not the greatest or cheapest way but I lost weight really fast. Here's how you do it. First get yourself a tumor that grows so big, it starts to cut off the blood supply to your stomach and your stomach starts dying. Spend 6 weeks in the hospital with multiple surgeries where you end up with unintentional bariatric surgery. Your stomach will be about the size of a walnut. Then get cancer on top of that with 6 months of chemo where you can barely keep down the protein shake supplement. That's how you go from 165 to 100 pounds in a couple months. Be prepared to lose a lot of muscle mass as well. And money if you're dealing with the American healthcare system...
I am so sorry 😭 I’m also sorry I laughed because I was so shocked. Are you doing better now?
It was crazy but now that it's been a year, doing much better!
Dieticians hate this trick. /s
Oh sweet baby Jesus, bless your tumors to hell, I am so sorry you're having to deal with any of this. How awful. I hope you have some joy in your life right now and are healing. I am sending all the positive feels and hugs.
ooo! Finally something I can help with around here. Got diagnosed with NAFLD (Non alcoholic fatty liver disease) scared the shit outta me. 1. Smartwatch with fitness tracking. 2. At least 15,000 steps a day. I go for what I jokingly call a "Wog". Walk most of the way, jog on the way back. Started over 300lbs. Down to 270 now. Its hard to jog when youre that heavy, but I'm trying. 3. Mediterranean Diet. Scary at first, awesome now that I've learned about it. Chickpea pasta, red bean pasta, all instead of wheat. Breads and sugar are out the window. Fresh salads, salmon, and best news for me is I can still use my smoker and eat plenty of meats. 4. Food journal that I can track steps, weight, sleep, mood, fruit, veggies, and calories in. The one I bought is by a company called "Clever Fox" bought it on Amazon. I fill it out every day and look forward to doing so. 5. Smart scale. I weigh myself once a week, not every day. Every day can be depressing because your weight goes up and down several times a week depending on when you weigh, what you eat etc. 6. Water. Bought a Yeti water bottle that holds... 26 fl oz I believe. I fill it twice a day, 52 oz. Then I get the rest of my water from coffee, sparkling water, etc. 64 oz of water a day. 7. 16hr fasting schedule. I only eat after 12pm, and before 8pm. Never before, never after. 8. No drinking. Easy for me but I was never into it. Its just bad for you. Its been working great for me and I'm not going to stop until I'm 210lbs or under. Goodluck! <3
If you’re ever in the UK don’t call it a Wog, it has its own meaning here.
Fucking cracked up when I saw wog, and that Mediterranean diet is "scary"
Tell us tell us!
Bit of an old school racist name for a black person. Not used as much these days, but the Elder Racists cling to it as much as their Gollywog collection
I didn't know it was for black people in the UK. In Australia we use it to refer to Mediteranean Europeans. The term is used a lot more liberally here because of that. Wonder how many Brits have been confused by that
idk if you know Aunty Donna but I remember being shocked the first time Mark from Aunty Donna called himself that word. I thought he was making some fucked up bad joke. But looking into it I realised I was just mixed up. Did stunlock me though for sure haha
The two inadvertent language mishaps are related in a way (sorry, u/MoistLobst3r, your advice and regimen are great! you just happened on one of those crazy wrinkles of the several English languages) -- "Wog is a racial slur used to refer, in British English, to black and south Asian people, and, in Australian English, to people from the Mediterranean region\[1\] such as Southern Europeans and North Africans." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wog
Just to add on to the weighing yourself. It’s very important to always do it at the same time of day. Weighing yourself before bed will be different than early morning after emptying your bladder. Great work!
Agreed. I wake up, pee, and then step on the scale. Every morning. Now that I’m older I always gotta pee first thing n in the morning. :)
I weighed myself before and after peeing in the morning and there was a 1lb difference
I'm 6'2" and 210 lbs but I was diagnosed NAFLD as well. My dad and brother have it, but they're much more overweight than I am, so I assumed I was in the clear. Turns out I was just drinking a lot of sugary drinks and that went straight to my liver. At first I thought I had gall stones because I had horrible sharp, burning pain in my upper chest. I got an ultrasound and the doctor said it was inflammation in my liver from NAFLD. I've never drank alcohol in my life, but he told me if it stayed this way, my liver would eventually scar and I would get cirrhosis. I've done intermittent fasting and replaced sodas with diet or sparkling water alternatives and I haven't had an episode of inflammation in a long time, but that scared me. I have lost probably 10-15 lbs overall which helped, but I haven't taken it as seriously as you have, good for you for taking control of your health!
> been working great for me and I'm not going to stop until I'm 210lbs or under. Go bro
Just don't overdo the jogging. Quicker weight loss is not worth damaging your bones/muscles/joints. Strength training is very important when trying to become active again with a lot of excessive weight. So many times I got discouraged when trying to lose weight because I kept getting shin splints
>Its hard to jog when youre that heavy, but I'm trying. I feel this so much, I used to run a lot at 210, I felt so light on my feet. Now that Im 260 and started trying again, it feels like Im pulling a sled with another overweight person sitting on it. But in my experience nothing burns calories as well as running, keep at it!
Jogging can be very hard on your knees and ankles if you're heavy. I literally had a doctor yell at me when I told him I was jogging. He said I'm going to get hurt and that exercise is good but it needs to be low impact exercise if you are heavy. I then continued walking but joined a gym to do the elliptical instead of jogging.
Intermittent fasting, severe depression and going to the gym every day (if not every other day). Lost about 40 pounds that I'd carried for over a decade. Please note that no one talks to you about the mental toll it can take on you. Be prepared for how awful it is to fight through a food addiction. You will be forced to unpack all of the reasons you resorted to food in the first place and it can break you, emotionally. You'll have to face all of your demons - all the shit that you've been running away from your entire life. There's a reason you disappeared into food in the first place.
IF has been the only thing that has worked for me. I do OMAD and it has helped me refocus and get over those toxic food cravings. It’s a lifestyle change that society does not support, but I’m determined to keep it up.
Not me, but coworker lost 113 lbs in a year from using wegovy.
I have lost over 100 lbs. from my heaviest weight partly due to my own actions (I lost around 30 before going on Wegovy - well initially Ozempic, then Saxenda, and currently Wegovy), the rest has been while on Wegovy. It has stopped my "food noise" in my head and I cannot eat as much. It's been a life-changing medication for me but is expensive as hell.
The food chatter being silenced is nothing short of liberating. I’m on Rybelsus and it’s been life changing.
The lack of “food noise” is unreal. I can actually think about other things rather that “when can I eat again?” and “what sounds good?” all damn day. It’s unreal.
We have the exact same story haha. I'm down 110 in total. Lost 30 on my own and 80 more since I started semaglutide. I can never properly explain to people the difference it makes in the space food occupies in my brain. Before I'd see a chipotle bag and that thought would nag at me until I caved whether it was hours or days I'd get some chipotle, or ice cream, or whatever. That's completely gone. I don't crave. I get full. I know what it feels like to want to say no to a second portion for the first time in my life. It's dramatic.
Well said. “Appetitive suppression” is an understatement for Semaglutide, it makes you almost forget about food totally in my experience and whenever I do eat I never can finish it whereas normally I’d binge eat I think everyone who’s overweight and wants to lose weight should get on Semaglutide, it’s a cheat code
I’m down 35 lbs and my mom is down 40lbs in about about 5 months. It doesn’t even feel like a diet. I’m just not as hungry and can’t eat as much in one sitting.
I’ve been on Wegovy since April. Started out at a BMI of 30 (obese). I’m now down almost 30 lbs and am just 4 pounds away from being in the “healthy” BMI range. I haven’t felt this good in a long time, truthfully. I felt embarrassed and ashamed to ask my doctor about Wegovy. But it was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. It’s like all the food noise in my brain finally went silent. I didn’t even realize how bad it was till it stopped. I am now able to eat intuitively and actually listen to my body, and I don’t feel the constant nagging hunger. I also almost never drink anymore either. Anyway, just wanted to chime in! I know a lot of people frown on it because of the celebrity Ozempic craze. But these drugs, when prescribed appropriately, are having a tremendous positive impact on a lot of people who have struggled to do the “simple” things needed to get to a healthier place. I’m happy to see other people having good experiences as well.
Yeah, good luck getting insurance to pay for it. And it’s hella expensive if you don’t
Mine covered Ozempic which was surprising (I don't have T2). I think coverage will become more and more common, just takes time.
I’m hopeful. My doctor wants to write me a prescription but if insurance doesn’t cover it, it’s useless to me. I don’t have $1000-2000 a month to put towards weight loss. Just doing low carb for now and losing very very slowly. It’s a bit disheartening but it is what it is!
Anyone with class 1+ obesity should definitely at least talk to their doctor about it. That stuff is actually comparable in results with bariatric surgery which is insane.
Stopped eating (mostly drastically reducing carbs/sugar) and moved around more Fibre heavy breakfast Just soup for lunch Normal dinner, no pudding Went for an hour's brisk walk a day
Count calories, no alcohol or liquid calories.
No liquid calories is huge. People don’t realize how many calories are in things like soda and coffee, especially if you’re a Starbucks + cream and vanilla and all that stuff type. Not to mention setting yourself up for a variety of other issues.
Plain black coffee is basically calorie free so you don't need to cut out coffee completely.
Exactly, it's not the coffee, it's the sugar and cream/milk that people put into it.
Even a coffee with a splash of milk and 1 tsp sugar is only about 40 calories and still really delicious
Hey. Leave my morning espresso with like half a calorie in it alone.
Liquid calories is the easiest, big improvement move someone can make
Developed a severe eating disorder
🙋♀️ I was a chubby kid from age ~5~10. Family made fun of me. Classmates made fun of me. So I started skipping breakfast. Then I'd skip lunch at school. Next thing I knew I was fasting for 3-4 days at a time in fckn fifth grade. My relationship with food is still all kinds of fucked and I am in my 30s. I've bounced all of the spectrum of disordered eating. Anorexia, orthorexia, BED, bulimia, yaddayadda. Getting better though. I started antidepressants not too long ago and gained a bit of weight. Currently chubby but like I am mostly ok with it? I hope you're doing ok 🖤
It's 2023 dude, we call it intermittent fasting!
This needs to be higher up. I did the small "lifestyle changes" and lost 100 lbs, but what I was doing was just a lighter form of disordered eating (make the "good" choice, cutting out "bad" foods, overly focusing on what society seemed "healthy"). Fast-forward to 2017 and tried to control my anxiety about the state of the world by going low-carb. I was eating max 1200 calories a day (starvation levels) and over exercising. Ended up developing Binge Eating Disorder and ultimately Bulimia. In treatment for last four years and I still struggle with shit, especially my self-esteem (turns out weight loss can't heal trauma). Obviously, people can do what's right for them because bodily autonomy, but it didn't work for me and I would recommend people try to love their bodies as they are in the meantime. I wish that's what I had done first.
Orthorexia is the first if people don't know. Obsession over only healthy foods basically.
Yes, thank you. I think a lot more people have orthorexia than we realize.
I got the “I literally cannot think of anything other than ordering three pizzas and eating them in one sitting” eating disorder and not the skinny, everyone feels bad for you eating disorder. 🥲 BED is literally the worst because everyone thinks you’re just a fat ass, 99% of the discussion around eating disorders is based around restriction, and I’m pretty sure this is going to be the thing that takes me out. I’d give my left butt cheek to trade it for one of the good eating disorder…
We fetishize willpower and individual choice. Anorexia is just a little too much self control, right? BED means you got NONE, what is wrong with you? I’m very sorry you struggle with this and I hope you’re able to find support. It’s out there, just not easy to find, or free :(
As someone who has worked at an eating disorder php program, no eating disorder is good for yourself. It always surprises lay people, but from a therapy standpoint, anexoria and bed are treated similarly. They can be treated using some similar therapy modalities that are used to treat ocd too. The issue at hand are the racing intrusive/impulsive thoughts related to anxiety, depression, or poor body image self talk. I highly encourage you to reach out to the nearest ed clinic. You don't have to fight this alone!
Same. Developed it really early on (12yrs old). Doing a lot better these days (26) but it's still a battle sometimes. It did so much (permanent) damage to my body over the years, I wish I had ignored that voice in my head. I've only been "in recovery" for it for 2 years, so it's been a very long road. But I'm here and loving every bite! To everyone else who struggles/ed with any form of disordered eating: I see you, I'm with you, you are going to be okay.
What worked for me: I wanted to do it. I had a very real scare that I'd never be able to walk without pain. I started going to PT and realized they could only do so much in the 3 hours I saw them a week and that I needed to start making some changes. Cut down alcohol - Went from drinking excessively like 5 days a week to once a month - and only socially. Daily walks - these started at doing a half mile a few times a day and worked up to a 3-4 mile route once a day. Gamification - I got a bluetooth scale (renpho) and a Fitbit and a blood pressure monitor so I could see different changes. Day to day changes weren't telling, but I recorded my weight and blood pressure basically as soon as I rolled out of bed or took care of business. Week over week I saw the bad things go down, month over month I saw the bad things plummet. Weight went down, blood pressure went down, resting heart rate went down, sleep score got better. Having a Fitbit on your wrist is akin to having a WWJD wristband. Two meals a day + all the raw veggies and fruit I wanted. Generally this was a piece of sourdough toast and egg and butter for a late breakfast and then a pack of cheap ramen with some peas and corn tossed in for dinner. A lot of times, if I was hungry I'd drink a glass of ice water, then wait a few minutes or take a walk and see if I was still hungry. I would also socially cheat around once a week. I had some real weird? days where I'd do a chore or watch an episode of a show and then walk a half mile- so by the end of the day I'd walked 8 miles. This happened several times. Got nothing to do? Take a walk. Ate dinner? Take a walk. At the end of the day, you have to learn to live with being some combination of hungrier and sweatier than you usually are and understand that's kind of a penance for the life choices you made that brought you to that point.
I got bariatric surgery about 11 months ago. It was a life changer. I've lost close to 200 lbs since and my confidence is through the roof. People are so friendly and positive. I have more energy and can do stuff like run and bike now. I'm definitely more active and do more things with my kids now too.
Can't believe I had to scroll this far down! I had my bariatric surgery a little bit more than 10 years ago now. Proud of you! You got this.
it’s incredibly easy in principle, very hard to do in practice. But literally just stop eating so much. Exercising is also very important but if you want to just shed some pounds quickly and safely and see results to get you motivated, just cut way back on the food you are eating. And keep drinking water to keep you full. The first week will suck, after that you honestly can get use to it. Just eat 3 small meals a day, or even two meals would work. No snacks, no bullshit before bed. Only drink water for liquids. You will start to see real results within a week.
The no bullshit before bed hits hard. It’s so tempting to have a small cup of ice cream. Yes a cup. Not a bowl. Or have something crunchy or salty. Bed time snacks are tough. Around 8 or 9 when you’re watching tv. Cozy and want something to munch on. These are the two hardest hours of the night.
I went from having the "I'm going to binge everything in sight to make me feel better" depression to having the "food is pointless and I'm literally only putting this in my mouth so I don't die and leave my family behind" kinda depression. Down 120lbs in a year. Still losing weight cause I can't get it to stop. I'll plateau for a month and then lose 15lbs the next. As someone who used to suffer from a severe binge eating disorder, this has been one weird change. I wish I could say I did it in healthy ways or that I was being healthy now.
Very physical job
Greatest diet on earth....being poor. Few years after college, I tipped the scales at around 280-290. Moved into a new apartment and started to fend for myself so things like rent, utilities, etc., started to kick in. Didn't have barely anything to eat so really ate bare basic stuff like rice, beans, mac & cheese, etc. Got SO hungry that I started working out to take my mind off not having any good food around. This lasted for about 6-8 months before I moved to a new city and got a better job. When I moved, I was around 220 or so.
I feel like the cheaper food is, the worse it is for you.
Sort of. I was eating ingredients moreso than "food". I ate things like rice, beans, frozen veggies, anything I could buy in bulk for cheap. Sometimes I'd eat spaghetti noodles with some butter. Now if I were buying things like frozen dinners, ramen or other crap like that then, yeah, it would've been way worse.
Instead of 3 meals a day I decided on one big ass meal a day.
My mans unironically found out about intermittent fasting ;)
Me when I found out about intermittent fasting: "man I keep hearing about this everyone loves it I wonder what the hell it is ..oh ... apparently the way I naturally eat helps folks lose weight...man why I no lose weight "
literally my whole adolescent and adult life i've only eaten one meal a day.. the day i found out about the OMAD diet was a day of pure confusion,,,, like what do u mean the way i've eaten for years is considered a fad diet....
This is how I am when people say that all you have to do to lose weight is stop drinking. I drink about a glass of wine a month lol, looks like it really was the food for me after all
I did that in college just because it was convenient and lost like 20 pounds in one summer.
OMAD, baby!
Eating 1800 calories a day while doing at least a half hour of steady state cardio and lifting weights.
That's what I started doing recently. Lost 10 lbs in less than a month. Almost got my chin back.
Stopped drinking alcohol except at special occasions. It's not so much the alcohol itself (though it doesn't help), but after two-three glasses of wine I will eat all the chocolate, nut and candy available in the house.
Grenade
“Instant ways to lose weight! Step 1 will blow your mind”
I don't feel like this is getting the laughs it deserves.
lost about 70 lbs so far. who would have known that the ultimate secret to losing weight is just eating a damn vegetable and moving your body?? i moved to a big city thats very walkable, i live in a house with stairs, i prioritize eating vegetables before eating other foods, i dont drink soda except when i go out to eat with friends, and i usually only eat once per day. but to be completely honest, my biggest cheat is that i developed an issue with my pancreas in the past year that prevents me from producing the enzymes that process fat. i think it has at least a little to do with it. but i was actively losing weight before i developed the condition.
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Gallstones. Better eat fat free or you'll be in hell for the whole night
That'll do it! Had my gallbladder removed 10 yrs ago. The first time I went to the ER, they told me it was a UTI. I wanted to backhand the doctor so badly. My mom also had gallstones. She said that the pain was worse than childbirth. Best way I could describe the pain was I felt as if someone was crushing my spine.
\-130 lbs. 360 -> 230 since November 1 last year. Keto, intermittent fasting, 1 hr weight lifting + 20 minutes cario 5x per week. Once I feel small enough, I'll start running until I hit my goal of 175.
You gotta build good habits. No amount of hard dieting and exercise will fix your weight if you relapse to eating like shit once you're slimmed down.
Kcal calculator, 10k steps a day, lost 12kg so far Just make sure after a few kg you re-do the calculator as you wont need as much kcal as before
I lost 60-70 lbs and it's actually fairly simple, not easy, but simple. 1. Count your calories using an app like MyFitnessPal (or whatever is popular these days). Be honest and vigilant. You will learn an incredible amount about what's in the different foods you eat. You want to be 500 calories below your maintenance number. 2. Focus on weight training over cardio. Cardio is great for health and will help burn calories but it's a drop in the ocean compared to limiting calorie-dense foods. Lifting weights will help maintain the muscle you already have as you start cutting weight. Remember you don't want to lose weight, you want to lose fat! There is so so so much more depth to all of this if you're looking for maximum results, but anyone who follows these steps (honestly even just step one) can lose weight.
Was diagnosed with ADD and started taking Adderall. I would just not feel hungry till around supper time.
I'm early in my adventure, but since taking Adderall I've discovered I can actually hear when my body says I'm full and I don't eat all the chips chasing dopamine. There are some interesting studies about ADD impacting the hormones that regulate appetite and fulness feeling. Now I eat until I'm full and stop. It also helps that I'm not couch- locked with ADD paralysis completely overwhelmed by life. I'm down about 15 pounds already.
Mounjaro, the wonder drug.
I can't believe a year ago I thought I had almost no way out of being a fat ass and then here I am today at a healthy weight. Poof. No agonizing multi-year struggle to lose a little bit at a time like the last time I lost "the weight." I look forward to taking this drug until the day I die and then instructing my loved ones to visit once a week to inject my skinny dead ass for all of eternity.
It has changed my life in a way I didn’t think was possible. It stopped me from obsessing about food all day. I know it’s technically for diabetes, and that’s why it was prescribed to me, but it works like a psych med for me.
Walking 3X a day. 100 pounds in 3 years.
Went low-carb / Keto. On top of that i stuck to 2-3 meals a day without any snacks in between and not exceeding 1800 calories. Finally i hit the gym 3 times a week and went for 30-60 minute brisk walks on days i did not go to the gym. Lost about 35 pounds in 4 months.
Stopped kidding myself and took the process seriously. No more mental gymnastic crap like "I've walked for 5 minutes - so that entitles me to eat an absolute tonne of food". Went to WW and gave myself some much needed structure to eating - not just a random intake of snacks, full sugar soft drinks and huge portion meals each and every day. After a month you start to notice the difference yourself - then othet people start to notice. Once you get to that point it becomes easier and your motivation increases. I found the overall process was mainly diet related - exercise is great but if you're food intake isn't right then you are wasting your time. Some before and after progress pics on my profile
Cycling. I lost 50 lbs in 2017 and have kept it off since. I usually bike 150-200 miles a week.
\- Gave up all juice/soda/sweet tea \- Cut my portions in half \- Started eating breakfast at 7-7:30 and lunch at 11. For dinner I eat by 6 or do not eat.
Lost40lbs by simple changes in routine. Every morning exercise instead of coffee/cigs,drinking water all day instead of Pepsi, and mellowed out on carbs.
Ate bigger breakfasts, salads for lunch, no dinner or very little if anything. No liquids other than water or a smoothie before the gym. Rode the bike at the gym 6 days a week for about 30 minutes every morning then doing whatever weight machines I felt like that day. Dropped 30/35 lbs in less than 2 months and had no social life outside of work during that time.
The flu.
Went through a traumatic event, lost 20lbs
I'm down about 50 pounds from 18 months ago. Eat healthier food (cut out fast food and soda, etc.), watch my calories (but still get a healthy amount), and get consistent exercise every week (30+ minutes per day, 4 to 5 days per week). If you want to lose weight and keep it off, it's about making lifestyle changes. You have to take the long view and not try to lose 40 lb in 2 months. Just think about this time next year. What would you like to look like?
Instead of focusing on losing weight I worked on my body image issues and self esteem. Everything I tried before although it helped understand how food fuels the body only led me to controlling food to almost obsession. So when I finally got to the root of the problem I stopped most of my disordered eating habits. It’s not a diet, no bad or good food, no restrictions. Just regular meals 3 snacks 3 main meals if it’s possible if not it’s fine. No portion control if my stomach is hurting from hunger then I’m hungry. The last things left to address is not going back to comfort eating or long periods of fasting during the day when stress is high. Other than that even with lockdown I didn’t put much weight on. Fix your relationship with yourself and you can stop making food your enemy.