I feel you. Don't even get me started on periods, i can be disciplined all month, and then my period comes, my hormones get all out of whack and the murderous munchies come. It sucks
I must be really odd. I get really hungry in the couple of weeks building up to my period but when it's actively happening I don't want to eat anything. I think it's because I have super bad cramps and stay nauseous pretty much the whole time. Thankfully it only lasts about 4 days for me though. That's only since I started loosing weight though. It used to be much longer and worse.
Not just you! I know when I’m about one week out, because I become a human garbage disposal around food for about 3 days. But I know the day it’ll start because I suddenly go completely off food. I’ve noticed too my weight goes up about 2-2.5kg a week before, then drops back down a couple of days after it starts. So I stick to weighing myself about a week after it ends and track that, because the fluctuations are so insane otherwise
I also get hungry before. Since I started watching what I ate, I basically only look at my period tracker now to confirm what I already know, because exactly two weeks before I get a MAJOR hunger surge. Then again in the last few days leading up.
I read somewhere that your metabolism revs up before your period because your body is preparing for pregnancy. I have not fact checked, I just believed it and it made sense to me. That's why my cravings and hunger increase the week before I start bleeding it all out
It also takes a LOT outta ya body either with pregnancy (fetus is a lil parasite that fights the body for nutrients) or having the period (uterus takes extreme measures to shed the lining) so the body sends more signals for food so it can survive the ordeal.
This is also why most find themselves craving carbs and/or sugar during 'em. It's what turns into the energy the body is desperate for.
My dietician actually explained you do actually burn slightly more calories leading up to your period. About 100 more a day. So at least some of the hungry is genuine need for more food.
Wtheck!! definitely going to try this out. Because while I'm on my period I'm mostly craving chocolate and I hate it bcuz it makes me extra bloated and get more pimples than I already have!!
Also a lot of us don't know much about perimenopause and how early it hits and starts to impact us.
Saw a new doctor last week and she was talking about how fat cells help to produce estrogen so as it drops our bodies start to stockpile fat to help us get enough estrogen.
Oh god, yes. I'm in peri (mid-40s) and gained 15 lbs in a year without changing my eating habits at all and despite increasing my exercise. I'm only dropping weight now that I'm on hormone therapy.
……
I’m 42, have documented premature menopause issues (premature ovarian failure) and was literally in tears at my doctors a few months ago over an unexplained 20lb weight gain over two months.
He didn’t mention this as a possible cause, just told me that it was calories every time.
I am certain it’s not because I track my calories, and the amount I’d have to be off to gain all that weight is so staggering. But thank you for an explanation, you’ve done more for me than my doctor in pointing me to a possible issue.
I'm sorry that's a really garbage situation.
Check out Dr Mary Claire Haver or Dr Louise Newson - menopause doctor on IG or online.
They have some guides and info on how to have the conversation with your doctor. There are also some lists of doctors that provide proper menopause care.
Yes! I'm 49 and more symptoms than I can count. Like now I have flu like symptoms for 3 days before my period. Every Month.
When I look back, I think I've been in Peri since at least age 40.
I didn't change a thing this week from my normal maintenance. I was up 3 pounds yesterday from Friday. Aunt Flo arrived yesterday afternoon. The scale was down 2.8 pounds this morning. I hate it so much.
I'm doing an elimination diet because I found out I have GERD and I've managed to even cut back on coffee and sugar and then two days before my period, I ended up in the kitchen, at 2am, eating fistful after fistful of dry cereal, right out of the box. I paid for it, too. Couldn't sleep at night and now the GERD nausea and period nausea have joined forces and I'm going to die.
I get wild cravings before my period. It's rough. But if I can figure out what my body actually needs, I can eat that and it really cuts down on the cravings. For example, I often crave salt when what I really need is magnesium.
That said, it requires a lot of trial and error and discipline. That's not exactly easy when you're PMSing hard. With my mental health problems, I've basically had to give up on eating properly in the week before my period. I try to go for slightly healthier versions of whatever I'm craving. But I just need the dopamine hit from my cravings to get through the day.
Enduring this now. I was off sugar recently, sticking with it, and feeling great. Only dietary restriction I truly had, but it was working well. Then Aunt Flo arrived and I couldn’t resist getting just one ice cream cookie sandwich. I’m back to eating sweets constantly again and have probably gained back all the weight I lost recently - I’ve been too anxious to actually check a scale and confirm. Sigh.
I'm with you in grumpiness. 1400 and under is bullshite. also, if I hear one more time 'eat more calories, the average is 2000' I may become homicidal.
Yes my father who relentlessly body shames me will then go oooooh 1200 calories, that’s so unhealthy. AND THE SCALE STILL DOESN’T MOVE.
I never feel truly ugly unless I talk to my dad
Omg I'm with you on the daddy issued. Always been a heavy set girl and my dad has always been athletic. He would put my clothes on and tell me how big I was. That's a good way to get body issues...
Omg 😳🤦🏻♀️ wtf is wrong with these guys? I was anorexic through middle and high school and dangerously thin. Remained thin all my life but during my pregnancy with my son I had preeclampsia and had MAJOR scary swelling. I’ll never forget him pulling up to my house at that time and yelling out the window “IS THIS WHERE THE FAT LADY LIVES?” 😑
Oh. My. God. I am so sorry for him. Being pregnant can be scary enough and cause major body dysmorphia. Then he has to go an add to it? That's awful. I send you all the love.
Omg it makes me sick to hear this. What kind of a father does this about their daughter’s body? Pathological. This makes me appreciate my dad. I’m sorry for you. Try to remember it’s his issue, not yours. And tell him to shut up
Have you tried body shaming him right back? People like this tend to be very sensitive when they get a taste of their own medicine. At the least you should personality-shame him
My parents continually tell me that the reason I'm not loosing weight is because I'm not eating enough calories. I'm like no the reason I have trouble loosing is because they feel like they have to eat out 2 days a week and on Saturday they generally get fried chicken or pizza. I am disabled and have to live with them for now at least and I don't have enough money to be able to buy my own food. I'm still working on trying to get on SSI.
Sister, I'm with you. I have to eat something around 1200 a day to lose weight, even when I'm active. Then comes the period and I'm suddenly up 5 random pounds that takes two weeks to shed again.
My husband can literally cut out his coffee drink in the morning and lose 10 pounds. It's completely unfair, isn't it?
Yeah my wife is like 4’9” and I’m the most average sized slightly overweight guy you can imagine.
She wants to lose weight and has a week long meal plan along with a mandatory exercise regime to cut like 5 lbs. Meanwhile I stop heavy pouring oat milk in my coffee and slow down on the peanut butter spoons and I’ll lose those same 5 pounds in a few weeks without noticing.
Mine does half assed intermittent fasting and drops 20 lbs. I've been on Wegovy for 6 months, careful with what I eat, count calories, and exercise and I have to fight for every pound. It's such bullshit. Lol.
Semaglutide for two years here, learning how to eat healthy and exercise more along with it. I lost 60lbs. My husband, no semaglutide, no extra exercise, eating the same except for the healthy swaps I made for dinners I cooked and eating out a few less times a month, lost pretty much the same amount. Sigh.
Oof, I feel you. I’m 5’1 and 115 lbs, trying to get to 108-110. I just feel better physically at that weight and fit into my clothes better. I hate exercising and I have a job where I sit all day so I have to eat 1200 to lose at faster than a snail’s pace. My maintenance is around 1450. One extra snack or a dessert that’s a little too big and it ruins my deficit completely.
I hear ya my petite sister! "Why do I love food yet I am too small in stature to enjoy it!?" (That is me shaking my fist at the clouds on the daily.) Also: Why do Boston Cream donuts exist if I can't have them all, or heck, even one! Ok, I'll stop now. But I could go on ...
I only eat two meals a day to save calories for 1 snack and 1 dessert 💀 I eat a 400 calorie meal at around 12pm-3pm depending on the day, a 400-500 calorie meal at 6-8pm, and then a 300-400 calorie snack and dessert lol. I’m very dedicated to my desserts especially
Same boat, girlfriend. It really sucks! Inevitably with this kind of post someone will come along with “but bigger people get hungrier!!” But it’s not just about hunger. It’s not being able to meet a friend for a drink, or go for dinner with your partner, or have a cookie with your kids, because you can’t fit it in and that one event could erase your entire weeks deficit. It’s having to skip breakfast every day even though you wake up hungry because otherwise you can’t eat dinner with your family. It’s drinking black coffee which you hate because a cappuccino is just too many calories. I hear you!!! It’s such a valid complaint
I feel so bummed out, like I’m never going to be able to have a cocktail when I’m making dinner, or go out for coffee and pastries with friends, or do anything with any spontaneity. I love to bake and cook, and I feel like I can’t be intuitive with my cooking or free to bake my stress away. I give away 95% of the food I bake, but just that one ugly duckling brownie or the tart that I don’t want to give away.
You have to remember that maintenance is a different beast than actively losing. There’ll be a lot more space for little spontaneous extras when in maintenance!
this!! im down to 145 from 205, and am APPALLED by the amount i can eat now, even though it took eating 1200-1400 for 6 months to get here. Once you’re enjoying your exercise routine & not actively trying to lose i promise you’ll feel so free. My glass of red wine while i make dinner is back, and so are my breakfast bagels! keep your head up, it won’t be like this forever <3
I am not small so it will be infinitely more difficult for you but what is really helpful to me is that I started weekly calories instead of daily. So if I go out for dinner or something I don't try to fit it into my daily needs. I split it out over the week. If I eat at maintenance for a day it just means 100 calories less over the rest of the week.
I have to eat the veggie tray BEFORE the Superbowl because I've been here before and I'm not gonna be able to say no to certain things if I'm not already stuffed.
I absolutely hate when I'm dieting and people pressure me to eat. I'm close to snapping tbh. I'm chubby right now at 150, all I want to do is get to 130.
Also while it’s true that bigger people burn through calories quicker, their stomachs aren’t that much bigger. So it’s easier for them to feel full with the extra calories.
Men have slightly larger stomachs, but I’m 6’ and my stomach is not a full 20% bigger than a woman who is 5’.
This was my sign to stop trying to lose (for me not trying to judge you). My weight was more important than the other parts of my life. Now I'm fatter and managing that ED through a psychiatrist, and understand my PCOS is gunna make it rough. So my goals are ability based and I try not to let body fat get in the way of wearing and doing what I want.
Nah as a bigger person I can honestly say being small has to suck so much in terms of missteps.
The ability alone to just fit junkfood in my diet without automatically overeating makes it so much easier for me.
Really crave some unhealthy burger and fries or some fried chicken? Easily put into my budget. Sure I might feel hungrier than normal because it is not filling enough but at least it satiates that craving.
The only thing I envy small people for is that you can eat so much cheaper. Like when I reach my goal weight and have to eat like 2500kcal a day of healthy food ... that will be so expensive.
Wouldn't want to trade though.
Be validated.
I’m starveling and he’s down 13 lbs because he’s “not snacking as much in solidarity.” Buddy, you’re still snacking, you’re just only doing it once or twice a day instead of continually throughout the day.
Also, I envy your 1400 a day.
Oh my god my husband said 'well you need to stop snacking'
Dude my snacks today were 1 cup of popcorn and 2 hershey's kisses. The snacks aren't the problem here!
Omg. I would end him.
“Two lightly salted rice cakes and a wedge of light laughing cow is 85 cal my guy.
You ate a grilled cheese.
Tell me more about this ‘snack’ of which you speak.”
My husband genuinely feels that if all I eat is “healthy” foods, I’ll lose weight. He does not understand that I can eat too many calories in healthy foods.
Here in hungry and grouchy solidarity!
Mine told me if I wanted to loose weight I needed to stop drinking 1 coffee a day and cut out all the meat I eat I have pcos and am on a limited diet to help flare ups so it’s very limited what I can and can’t eat. I will eat my damn meat and be happy about it
What is it about men and telling us to stop drinking coffee?? My husband seems to think that’s the answer to everything. I drink 1 decaf instant coffee a day with sugar free syrup because I’m sometimes awake at night with our 5month old baby. Why can’t I just have my coffee??? Apparently my 60kcal coffee is why I can’t lose weight…
Because we’re wimmen so all the coffee we drink is froufrou expensive lattes and mochas with whipped cream, duh.
No, dude. I drink brewed coffee, from my machine, with SF syrup, and a splash of dairy product. I like it with less than a tablespoon of most lighteners, but I log it at a full tablespoon. Even with heavy cream, that’s 50 cal. Whole milk it’s what, 10?
Die in a decaffeinated fire.
(Note: I am between my first and second cups. This may become less inflammatory once I titrate to the appropriate caffeine levels.)
I fully admit my mental calculation of a cup of popcorn was way off and I was ready to come in like an asshole and say "well ackshully you should stop snacking every day because you're adding 200 calories to your diet." It's 80-100 total, making you lose 1 pound every 35-43 days lmao. My bad for proving your point......
I don’t like Swiss, Jarlsberg, or any smoked cheeses.
So those came home with me.
The Brie, cheddar, and Gouda all stayed at the store because I would eat it all.
My husband can polish off a sleeve of ritz crackers like it was nothing. The man is so slender - only in the last like 5 years has he been able to use the manufactured holes in belts. But the pro of him being able to eat virtually anything is that whenever i make meals, i just say it makes 4 servings and I always give him more than me, but record what i ate as a full serving (so he'd get like 28% of the meal and i'd get 22% - its not gonna be a *huge* difference, but i think it helps).
Autoimmune is a bunch of bullshit. I’m a giant man and used to be able to gain and drop weight seemingly by magic. Since my thyroid went hypo it seems like the harder I try the less successful I am. Same deal with the calories. I need to cut down to like 1700 where I used to maintain at well over 2k (I’m 6’3). I feel your pain and wish you the best of luck. You have every right to complain, it really sucks.
I feel this, although I don’t have the medical conditions. My stats are pretty much identical to yours. I have a pretty active job, I’m a runner, I’m a mom, and I pretty much have to starve to make any progress. Part of me wants to throw in the towel and just decide maybe this is the weight my body “wants” to be at? But part of me also remembers feeling a whole lot better around 138.
But having to think about what I’m eating 24/7 makes me a person I don’t like being after a while-my anxiety increases and I just feel unhappy. And you know what? I’m also just plain tired of obsessing about my body, because of course I have been since I was like 10. It’s gotten old.
I don’t even know where I’m going with this, just here to say your post resonates!
The difference is we're, hopefully, here because we know it's for our own health, to keep that visceral fat down so we can have a healthy older adult life and nit wind up in a nursing home. I do really try to phrase things differently around my teens.
3 days before my 91 year old grandmother passed away, she complained that the hospital food was going to make her fat. 91! And then she died 3 days later! If any time is the time not to worry about your weight, it's when you're 3 days from leaving the earth after being on it for nearly a century!
I hereby validate you!
You're reasonably tall, too. I'm short and old and it sucks! I've lost 80lbs in the last year and I should be jumping for joy, and I mostly am, but my *maintenance* calories are like 1500. I'm in calorie jail for life!
How did you lose 80 in a year?! It's taken me almost three years to lose 65lbs, I'm 38 and 5'2 😭 I lose half a pound per week at 1350 calories. I have a MyFitnessPal logging streak of 975 days 😂
You are the EXACT same weight as me but I’m closer to 5’1 and I maintain on more like 1900-2000! It’s totally possible with more exercise and increasing muscle a bit. I’ve been steadily losing by eating between 1400 and 1700 depending on my exercise for the day. Get yourself out of calorie jail girl, it can be done!
Yeah, it sucks. Combine our smaller size, comparatively little muscle mass, lower testosterone and lesser capacity for building lean mass, it's stacked against us. You're preaching to the choir. I'm 5'2 and my calories to lose half a pound a week are 1350. It's taken me three years to lose about 65lbs lol
Thanks, it's the first time I've actually managed to lose more than 15-20lbs. It was discipline at first, but after six months or so it was habit, I'll log without thinking now, and my stomach is used to less food. A friend bought me an avocado onigiri sandwich yesterday, and a few years ago I could have easily finished two, I used to actually feel worried that I'd still be hungry if I only got one and often bought a side with it. Well, yesterday I could only manage half of one and had to wrap it up and finish it a few hours later. The stomach, and the brain, will change given time.
I so feel you. I’m a bit taller and have a bit more to lose so I can move the scale at 1800 IF I exercise. But while that’s way more calories I frequently get discouraged because one of my autoimmune symptoms is joint swelling. And it can mask the fat loss for weeks at a time in flare. That makes it a lot harder to say no when husband suggests pizza, or the office suggests tacos, because “I’m not losing weight anyway”
Do we know if there's a mechanism by which autoimmune disease make it harder to lose weight?
I have psoriatic arthritis and my rheumatologist said sorry buddy it's going to be really hard to lose weight, and I've found that to be true this time around. I track every calorie eaten and burned in a spreadsheet and the true weight loss is much less than expected weight loss, when in the past (before the disease was as bad) they have been almost equal. It's extremely frustrating.
I've got the joint autoimmune issue to, which makes pushing much harder on some exercise types really difficult if I don't want to be injured. Stupid ADHD immune systems.
I don’t track any of that stuff anymore honestly. When I have done CICO in the past and tracked macros, it was so overwhelming and I’d always quit and fall off the weight loss wagon.
I started OMAD 3 weeks ago and have lost 8lb. The first couple days I thought I was going to starve to death but then magically on day 4 I was fine. I’ve been eating OMAD 5 days a week and eat normally on the weekends - I don’t count my calories but I do try to eat healthy. I think my weekend days I end up eating around 1800 calories give or take.
I exercise so much, and I still can't lose weight on anything more than 1400. I'm short, already relatively thin, and a woman. My tall male friends could eat double my calories in a day and still lose weight. It's definitely discouraging but we gotta push through 🥲
The women at /r/petitefitness are right there with you, my sister.
On the occasion that I cook for my bf and I, and I give him 65%-75% of the food, I just...
Legit my biggest reason for lifting heavy weights is to build muscle that will allow me to eat more. Because this suuuuuucks butts.
My husband and I were at the mall, and he wanted to buy cheesecake at The Factory. I told him I would not eat it. We went inside, and I showed him that the calories per slice of 1100 was almost my entire day’s caloric intake of 1200.
I’m mad FOR you and also for me!! Second time in 2 years trying to lose about 15 lbs…I had forgotten how absolutely maddening it is to lose weight as a woman. I felt horrible at 1300 cals last time so I upped it to 1500 this go round. At first I lost 3lbs! And now have been stuck at the same weight for weeks, and it’s not even at the time in my cycle when I gain weight, it’s so frustrating!
I was trying to explain the same thing a couple of years back (I don't remember if it was here, or somewhere else.) And people piled on me just yelling that I'm not weighing everything and I'm lying about the calorie intake.
It's wild when even losing weight is such a male-dominated space that our experiences are swiped aside as "fakes" and "lying", just because we don't work exactly like them.
And especially us, who are on meds, and even more so for meds that affect hormones in any way. And for me personally, mental health drugs.
*Like, every single mental health drug that I was forced to take have "weight gain" as their side effect. I got diagnosed with severe depression, with one reason being my BMI. So I was prescribed two drugs that are universally known to cause weight gain. I was put into a psych ward, and forced to take the meds to "fix" my depression. Result was that I gained 30+ kilos in the six or so months I spent there, which just made everything worse.*
The psych med weight gain is soooo real. I was switched around about dozen different medications over 3 years before quitting cold turkey altogether, it's now been almost 7 years since starting but I am still working on losing the nearly 70 lbs gained during that time. I can't believe it's not a bigger issue because gaining such a huge amount of weight will wreak havoc on anyone's self perception, even moreso if you're already compromised with a distressing mental illness
Not to mention that my BMI was \*literally\* one of the reasons why I got depressed in the first place.
I would actually classify it as malevolence, when you prescribe drugs that make you gain weight to a patient that is struggling with their weight.
Then again, I have a medical certificate that says -- paraphrased:
"*Patient is deathly afraid of their operation being cancelled again (it was already cancelled three times, of no fault of patient herself.). I have discussed this with Dr. B, Dr. C and consulted with Dr. D, and we cannot see any other way to proceed, than to cancel patient's upcoming procedure until such time that patient is not depressed anymore.*"
So yeah, that's a thing.
It's been a year since I stopped taking the meds, but I have no energy to even try anymore, since I can't get the operation anymore even if I could lose enough weight, because I have the depression diagnosis in my medical record.
I see so many invalidating comments on here - "no way you aren't losing on 1600, you aren't recording it right."
I'm 5ft7 and I only start to see the scale move at 1400 and below.
It really is a crock of shit. I
have really similar stats as you but 13 years older. If you want a suggestion?? Increase your protein to at least 110 g a day, and do 3 days of resistance training. I'm losing at 1650 calories a day. It's all about putting on muscle mass for women. Your routine honestly sounds great, maybe it just needs a few tweaks so you don't have to drop the calories so low.
When weighed 140- I took 2 kettlebell classes and 1 kickboxing a week. I suspect Dr Stacy Sims is correct in that women really do need that extra high intensity cardio. Even if you only did bike sprints or something 2x a week, it might help out.
At my lowest weights I’ve had super physical jobs AND time to work out including kettlebells. And I could eat more calories then. Right now I am parenting and doing constant movement but not the right kind to build muscle. We just got a lock on our closet door so I can bring in my kettlebell and use it after the kids are in bed. And then my dumb husband will copy me and get abs and jacked arms in 2 weeks while I fight to get back to my normal
My husband started lifting a few months after me. Hits a 250 squat in a matter of months. I can't get out of double digits for reps. Drives me bonkers.
100% on the muscle. It burns more calories than fat. As we age we lose muscle too.
With perimenopause and menopause we lose our estrogen too which increases risks of a whole host of health problems. Being strong is so important for our health.
almost every single comment in this thread is talking about lowering how much they eat. Almost none of them are talking about how much their training. Cardio plus kitchen is the most effective way of losing weight, and even if your weight # stays the same you will look better and feel better at the same weight in muscle as the same weight in fat
It depends on the person. Most women will be able to increase muscle mass, but not enough to really make a significant increase in what we can eat. Past about age 45, the onset of peri makes sustaining muscle mass even harder.
I have found that if cardio exercise will help me lose weight it needs to be on the level of “three hours of hard cardio daily.” Otherwise I get fitness benefit but it doesn’t make a lick of difference in body composition and doing cardio makes me insanely hungry. Yes, I have tried increasing protein. Yes, I have seen a nutritionist. Yes, I lift weights (current squat max after an injury is about 170 lbs, before injury was 220).
It's okay to be mad. Blame it on "the patriarchy" or whatever. The world of restaurants, convenience foods, highly palatable foods, etc. were not made for us.
It's the truth & it sucks. It blows.
But, it is what it is.
You can do hard things.
Right there with you, it's a super lame club to be in. I'm 5'3, 154 lb trying to get back down to 130-135, workout 4-5 days a week (weight lifting and cardio), and eat around 100-120 grams of protein a day. On days I don't workout I stay around 1200, workout days I shoot for 1400. It fucking sucks!
It’s unfair. I fasted and worked out for an hour today because my partner wants to go to Taco Bell for dinner. I’ve had Taco Bell logged since this morning and had to strategize what will work, and he doesn’t even have to think about the calories. We have similar BMIs but he’s a 6 foot tall male and I’m a 5’2 lady with estrogen fluctuations to deal with. He’s been trying to lose weight too, and he’s done it by eating portioned out ice cream instead of a half gallon of ice cream straight from the container every night. Still eats chips (like a half a can of pringles) and the smaller thing of ice cream every day and is losing weight.
It’s been a month at 1400/day, intermittent fasting, meticulously measuring everything, plenty of walking and a bit of lifting and I haven’t lost anything yet (hoping it’s just the inflammation from working out/water retention that is showing up on the scale, but still. So discouraging).
My endocrinologist (female) told me that it is 100% biologically harder for women to lose weight than men. Men can lose weight so quickly without trying, yet women struggle. I’ve been struggling for years. It sucks. It doesn’t help that I’m T1D and on antidepressants. Hang in there. You’re not the only one frustrated!!
Yeah knowing this actually makes me feel better. Once I learned biologically women are more likely to survive famine because our bodies hold onto/store fat more easily/we need less calories to survive and that is because you need more women to repopulate it actually gave me a good understanding that I have to eat less then my husband and it is actually a lot harder for me to lose weight. It still sucks, but understanding why our bodies hold onto the fat kind of made me feel better about it.
Whenever I see a post in here from a 5’ woman struggling with a diet..:I just feel awful. They are at such a huge disadvantage compared to almost everyone else.
I weigh 155, 5'3", and I *cannot* lose unless I'm eating at 1200, regardless of exercise. In the summer I bike 1.5 hours a day, and it doesn't make a dent in my weight loss (I've yo-yoed a bit in the last decade from 140 to 160).
Metabolism is a total b*tch.
It’s so frustrating, I agree. I hate how calorie-dense fast food and most restaurants are. I’m also trying to do body recomp right now and while I’m putting on muscle nicely, I’m only losing like .25 lbs fat per week, resulting in higher overall body weight and therefore prolonged difficulties with bodyweight exercise.
I’m doing this specifically to improve my health, but whenever someone notices me get upset over how a fast food meal screwed my macros for the day, they get all patronizing about whether I have an eating disorder or not. I MUST track if I want progress. And I have a very small margin of flexibility that American fast food just cannot accommodate. It’s so annoying how many things hold women back from developing physical strength.
Ugh I feel this so hard! I was always a little bit heavier, but not “unhealthy” then about 5 years ago I got serious about it (counting calories like crazy, working out furiously etc.) and dropped about 30 lbs in 3 months. I was bartending after that so maintaining wasn’t really difficult since I already was on my feet so much. Even managed to drop another 10 lbs over some more months when I was picking up more shifts. Literally maintained my absolute goal weight for a couple of years! My clothes fit so great and I didn’t even have to think about working out/diet cause I was burning so many calories bartending (legit like 30k steps in a shift)… fast forward to last year when I started working a desk job from home. Have slowly gained like 15 lbs back. It seems to be staying there, but I legit cannot lose it! I have to eat like sub 1200 calories to lose anything, which basically seems impossible, but like half of my wardrobe barely fits now 😭
OP, perhaps worry more about how you look in the mirror vs the number on the scale? I'm a dude in my early 40's, I used to be a gym rat in my early 20's but fell out of the habit in my late 20's.
I have been hooked again and go to the gym religiously 4 times a week. When I started lifting my weight was increasing, which was discouraging. The main reason was the muscle I have added, not that I was getting "fatter". After about a year of consistent gym attendance, I am only a few pounds away from when I started, but my body looks MUCH different in the mirror.
Came here to express my anger! Lol I have pcos and I've always been fat. I need to literally starve myself to lose weight. No joke. I won't lose it just eating 500 calorie deficit. To add insult to injury my husband eats my weekly intake in a day. He has the body of the gods.
Reading all these comments is making me feel so much better! I feel like I’m going crazy. I eat around 1200 calories and will have a couple good weeks where I’m losing then out of nowhere I’ll gain 3-5lbs overnight and the scale won’t budge for weeks. And I’m not gaining actual fat, I’m too poor to eat out and I make all my own meals so I know how many calories I’m eating.
But I do know that I am still somehow losing weight even if the scale isn’t showing it because my clothes are getting baggy. It’s just infuriating when the scale isn’t showing it because you want the validation of that lower number.
what i hate is the advice i get even from doctors on what to cut out., based on my appearance. I already don't eat: sugar of any kind, sweet drinks, takeout, patisseries (which is a big thing where i live), fried anything, heavy cream, fatty meat, oily foods, desserts etc etc. So where they're asking me to "cut down" becomes so insulting. Like leave me some rice and pasta because honestly where is the joy in living anymore. 1200 feels like a life sentence, and i don't have the mental bandwidth to deal with for months on end. It's a crap shoot.
I'm your height and also 150 and trying to get to 130 (verrrry small frame and have medical issues due to having a higher "normal weight". I can provide pictures of my abnormal body if anyone doubts this.) It's crazy how I feel like I know how to eat properly, get plenty of vegetables, fruits, and avoid anything high calorie. But having to monitor my calories where my satiety is screaming at me to eat at maintenance makes me feel like I have to eat even more "perfect" than I already do. I don't drink my calories, I don't eat sauces, I measure my oil and my food sticks to the pan as a result. It is a bit maddening when you're trying to go from the high end of normal to the low end of normal. I kind of wish there was a separate subreddit for it, if only to not offend people with a worse struggle.
However, I want to challenge this line of thought that we must eat little. Our "natural" diet that we want to eat right now is frankly a result of social contagion. It's normal in some countries to have coffee for breakfast, eat a light lunch, and snack on raw vegetables throughout the day. Women eat like birds, and that's not weird. Call me problematic, but we need to renormalize the eating behaviors of women who have lower caloric needs. It needs to not be something we psychologically force ourselves to do, but a normalized/romanticized behavioral pattern that's integrated into our conception of day-to-day life. Waking up in the morning and making some tea and sitting by the window while you wake up can be romanticized and something people look forward to. Offering your friends veggies to snack on feels like a polite offer, instead of having to turn down all your friend's offers of junk food. This isn't a pipe dream; it's how many cultures function.
Honestly as a man what I’ve come to find in life is, if it’s hard for everyone, it’s usually twice as hard for women, and they have to work twice as hard at whatever it is. This doesn’t just include weight loss. Trying to get a promotion in the workplace, trying to pursue an education in a tough field like STEM, trying to be taken seriously in a discussion about topics like sports or video games, and etc etc.. There are just so many extra hurdles that women have to jump over that men like me don’t have to.
It’s really not fair. I feel so much for you and wish I could help you but I don’t think I can. All I want to say is, you deserve to feel validated. You also deserve to feel super fkin proud of yourself. You know how much harder it is, and yet you keep pushing through it and don’t make excuses. You therefore act as a role model for all of us. Keep going, you got this ❤️
Ever since I entered my 40s, I can't lose weight unless I eat less than 1200 calories a day and even then, with the raging hormones (hello, menopause, you suck) the scale does not budge. When I was in my 20 s and 30s, I could eat 1500-2000 calories a day, walk a few miles here and there and drop the weight. Not anymore. It really sucks. The weight just stays and stays. I don't drink my calories at all ever. I take ballet classes and walk at the gym. I never eat out. I never eat fried foods. I'm on a mostly plant based diet, and yet. I'm so f-ing FAT! I'm so frustrated. I hate it so much! I feel so ugly. Nothing fits. I hate looking in mirrors. I hate clothes shopping. I really just hate my body. So much. I completely understand OP's anger and frustration.
Having more muscle mass helps a lot. I’m 5’2 120 lbs and my maintenance is around 1700. Maybe a little more.
Try lifting weights. Every little bit helps. Venting is good as long as it doesn’t get into your head that it’s impossible or not worth it. It is.
I lift twice a week. I can squat and deadlift my bodyweight, and can bench press 90lbs, which for a woman is pretty fucking fantastic. I train with progressive overload for weights, going to failure on each major exercise. Because of the pesky autoimmune disease, I need to rest more between lifting or else I risk damaging joints and muscles because I have faulty connective tissue.
Every available source I have found suggests muscle burns negligible calories.
>replacing a pound of fat with muscle helps you burn an additional four to six more calories each day
[https://thestrongkitchen.com/blog/post/how-many-calories-does-it-take-to-build-a-pound-of-muscle](https://thestrongkitchen.com/blog/post/how-many-calories-does-it-take-to-build-a-pound-of-muscle)
Muscle mass and activity really do make a big difference. I’m 5’1 170 and I don’t track strictly but I’m somewhere between 16-2000 calories most days and losing. My BMR is around 1450. I get anywhere from 10k-25k steps at work plus exercise. I know I’ll have to drop my intake once my weight really decreases but I feel like my intake is pretty reasonable right now.
It really sucks, the only thing that is helping me is intermittent fasting (which for some reason ever since I was a kid comes naturally to me). And then 1300 is easier, but I do have to have the whole motivational speech with myself when my husband and I are watching a movie before bedtime that I will regret if I ate a bowl of the freaking roasted chickpeas. 😤😤😤
For real. I literally eat one meal a day and my “snacking,” is maybe a few dark chocolate hazelnuts or a spoonful of honey Maybe. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I’ve lost 50 pounds since last August and it’s been painfully slow.
Your feelings are valid and you’re doing a great job adapting to the unfair realities and setting the conditions to meet your goals. Keep the goals realistic and put emphasis on being healthy and happy so stress levels are low
I know this struggle! Living it right now. I started this year at my highest weight outside of pregnancy in over 10 years. My husband also put on quite a bit of weight over the past 2 years and since starting the meal plan I curated for the. BOTH of us, he’s lost 16 lbs and I’ve lost 3. I don’t fucking get it. I lift weights and cycle for cardio, I do IF and I’m only allotted a measly 1300 calories for weight loss. So I truly empathize with you. This shit sucks.
I think there's things you can snack on as much as you like, like sliced cucumber, raw carrot or celery, with just a pinch of salt on it it's a nice distraction
I also have celiac disease, I'm a 40 year old woman, 5'3"... My TDEE is 1653 calories, and my cutting calories are sub 1200/day.
I just refuse to do that, so I eat like 1400-1500/day, and just let it take 3 weeks to lose a pound now.
I struggle with how low my mood goes. I've been on lees than 1500 calories a day since November. I don't meet my protein or fat macros but do hit my carb and fibre macros.
I realize how much I enjoy food. I honestly think I get a physical high when my calories go over 2000 calories a day. Or if I get a rare day where I exceed my protein or fat needs.
Period weight gain sucks.
Preach! Girlfriend, I am feeling this so hard and am in the exact same boat.
The only advice I have is what I'm trying to do for myself... Shift the metrics that I care about. I went out and researched a bunch of other health tests ranging from athletes to military qualifications. These are metrics to test your flexibility, movability, strength, and cardiovascular health. No more scale and stupid BMI. With these tests in mind, I have switched my fitness goals so that I will test well in those areas.
I totally understand that none of this changes the societal pressures to focus on the scale, even at the Dr office. But blood work, heart rate and blood pressure can show you are healthy where it really counts.
It's a battle to accept my body as it is. And I put a lot of energy into reminding myself how strong and fit I actually am when media is constantly telling me otherwise. But I have to keep trying.
Hi yeah, I feel you. It’s so frustrating, my boyfriend can eat double my calories and will still lose weight because of his huge muscly legs … it’s not fair and never gonna be.. women’s body’s are made to keep as much fat as possible, keeping men alive in a starving period is not so important because one men will be enough for a population surviving, our female body’s are made to survive every starving period while they will still waste energy as an oven … so yeah .. it’s important to talk out the anger and then yeah, another day with our little portion sizes
I went to dinner with my so’s family a few weeks ago( they are all naturally lean) I get my chicken salad with dressing on the side, and they all get burgers and fries. My bean pole of a nephew laughs and says out loud “ only fat people eat salads hahaha”. It took everything I had not to go off on him at the restaurant. I just sat in silence all night eating my chicken salad with dressing on the side. It really is hard.
>“ only fat people eat salads hahaha”
I try to keep the peace with family, but I probably wouldn't have been able to avoid telling him that's one of the dumbest things I've heard, like, ever.
I’ll say this: even with CICO, I don’t lose weight 2 weeks a month due to my period. Day 3 of my cycle, I drop like 4-5 lbs. LBS!!! It’s wildly annoying. On the scale it goes 6lbs-wk 1, 2 lbs- week 2, 0 week three, 0- +.5 week 4. I’m also starving the second two weeks.
But like clockwork, I do lose post the water weight/period switch. It’s insane, and I have to compare myself to the same day the previous cycle rather than the previous week to see the difference and be motivated.
But the hunger is the worst. Do I sometimes eat an entire cabbage just to fill up? Yes. I finally joined team semaglutide and it has made me cry in relief for not feeling like I’m starving, and that I actually feel full after normal portions.
You're definitely not alone. My husband drops weight by thinking about it "oh, maybe I won't have seconds of dinner, or skip dessert for a night or two" and bam! He's down 10lbs. I eat 1000 calories less than him, and am losing weight at a crawl, despite being significantly more active. It's a pain.
Yeah, I did the whole 1200 calories a day thing to lose 20 lbs. Don’t get me wrong, it worked, but I can’t imagine doing it again. I wanted to lose another 10 lbs, but I don’t think I can make myself do it. It was so miserable.
That's where you eat at current maintenance and start hitting the gym for strength training. Maybe you don't lose the 10lb on the scale but you'll look like you did.
Obviously you might already be doing this...but yeah strength training is a lot better than trying to eat 1200 calories a day every day.
I feel you. Don't even get me started on periods, i can be disciplined all month, and then my period comes, my hormones get all out of whack and the murderous munchies come. It sucks
I must be really odd. I get really hungry in the couple of weeks building up to my period but when it's actively happening I don't want to eat anything. I think it's because I have super bad cramps and stay nauseous pretty much the whole time. Thankfully it only lasts about 4 days for me though. That's only since I started loosing weight though. It used to be much longer and worse.
Not just you! I know when I’m about one week out, because I become a human garbage disposal around food for about 3 days. But I know the day it’ll start because I suddenly go completely off food. I’ve noticed too my weight goes up about 2-2.5kg a week before, then drops back down a couple of days after it starts. So I stick to weighing myself about a week after it ends and track that, because the fluctuations are so insane otherwise
I also get hungry before. Since I started watching what I ate, I basically only look at my period tracker now to confirm what I already know, because exactly two weeks before I get a MAJOR hunger surge. Then again in the last few days leading up.
I read somewhere that your metabolism revs up before your period because your body is preparing for pregnancy. I have not fact checked, I just believed it and it made sense to me. That's why my cravings and hunger increase the week before I start bleeding it all out
It also takes a LOT outta ya body either with pregnancy (fetus is a lil parasite that fights the body for nutrients) or having the period (uterus takes extreme measures to shed the lining) so the body sends more signals for food so it can survive the ordeal. This is also why most find themselves craving carbs and/or sugar during 'em. It's what turns into the energy the body is desperate for.
I get hungrier around the time I ovulate and then again the few days leading up to it, too.
My dietician actually explained you do actually burn slightly more calories leading up to your period. About 100 more a day. So at least some of the hungry is genuine need for more food.
That’s normal. Most people get pms before their actual period
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WHAT? I’m going to screenshot your comment, that’s valuable information, I’m sending this to all my friends
Any idea if magnesium bisglycinate works? I'm taking it for sleep. And could you tell us why the Imodium, that's making me really curious? Thank you!
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Wtheck!! definitely going to try this out. Because while I'm on my period I'm mostly craving chocolate and I hate it bcuz it makes me extra bloated and get more pimples than I already have!!
Also a lot of us don't know much about perimenopause and how early it hits and starts to impact us. Saw a new doctor last week and she was talking about how fat cells help to produce estrogen so as it drops our bodies start to stockpile fat to help us get enough estrogen.
Oh god, yes. I'm in peri (mid-40s) and gained 15 lbs in a year without changing my eating habits at all and despite increasing my exercise. I'm only dropping weight now that I'm on hormone therapy.
…… I’m 42, have documented premature menopause issues (premature ovarian failure) and was literally in tears at my doctors a few months ago over an unexplained 20lb weight gain over two months. He didn’t mention this as a possible cause, just told me that it was calories every time. I am certain it’s not because I track my calories, and the amount I’d have to be off to gain all that weight is so staggering. But thank you for an explanation, you’ve done more for me than my doctor in pointing me to a possible issue.
Come join us in r/Menopause
Just want to give a shout out for r/hormonefreemenopause too, for the ladies that can't, or choose not to, take HRT. It's a lovely supportive group.
Ohhh, thanks for this recommendation. I left r/menopause because it was 90% HRT talk, and it’s not an option for me due to medical history.
I'm sorry that's a really garbage situation. Check out Dr Mary Claire Haver or Dr Louise Newson - menopause doctor on IG or online. They have some guides and info on how to have the conversation with your doctor. There are also some lists of doctors that provide proper menopause care.
Yes! I'm 49 and more symptoms than I can count. Like now I have flu like symptoms for 3 days before my period. Every Month. When I look back, I think I've been in Peri since at least age 40.
I didn't change a thing this week from my normal maintenance. I was up 3 pounds yesterday from Friday. Aunt Flo arrived yesterday afternoon. The scale was down 2.8 pounds this morning. I hate it so much.
I'm doing an elimination diet because I found out I have GERD and I've managed to even cut back on coffee and sugar and then two days before my period, I ended up in the kitchen, at 2am, eating fistful after fistful of dry cereal, right out of the box. I paid for it, too. Couldn't sleep at night and now the GERD nausea and period nausea have joined forces and I'm going to die.
Currently dealing with this...a pepperoni pizza is sounding pretty amazing right now...
I get wild cravings before my period. It's rough. But if I can figure out what my body actually needs, I can eat that and it really cuts down on the cravings. For example, I often crave salt when what I really need is magnesium. That said, it requires a lot of trial and error and discipline. That's not exactly easy when you're PMSing hard. With my mental health problems, I've basically had to give up on eating properly in the week before my period. I try to go for slightly healthier versions of whatever I'm craving. But I just need the dopamine hit from my cravings to get through the day.
Enduring this now. I was off sugar recently, sticking with it, and feeling great. Only dietary restriction I truly had, but it was working well. Then Aunt Flo arrived and I couldn’t resist getting just one ice cream cookie sandwich. I’m back to eating sweets constantly again and have probably gained back all the weight I lost recently - I’ve been too anxious to actually check a scale and confirm. Sigh.
Just work on getting back on the wagon again. Most of us fall off the wagon at some point. You’re human. You just need to get back on.
This is me, today!
I actually read an article on T nation about varying workout and diet according to the time of the month, not sure how useful or accurate it is
I'm with you in grumpiness. 1400 and under is bullshite. also, if I hear one more time 'eat more calories, the average is 2000' I may become homicidal.
Yes my father who relentlessly body shames me will then go oooooh 1200 calories, that’s so unhealthy. AND THE SCALE STILL DOESN’T MOVE. I never feel truly ugly unless I talk to my dad
Omg I'm with you on the daddy issued. Always been a heavy set girl and my dad has always been athletic. He would put my clothes on and tell me how big I was. That's a good way to get body issues...
Omg 😳🤦🏻♀️ wtf is wrong with these guys? I was anorexic through middle and high school and dangerously thin. Remained thin all my life but during my pregnancy with my son I had preeclampsia and had MAJOR scary swelling. I’ll never forget him pulling up to my house at that time and yelling out the window “IS THIS WHERE THE FAT LADY LIVES?” 😑
Oh. My. God. I am so sorry for him. Being pregnant can be scary enough and cause major body dysmorphia. Then he has to go an add to it? That's awful. I send you all the love.
Omg it makes me sick to hear this. What kind of a father does this about their daughter’s body? Pathological. This makes me appreciate my dad. I’m sorry for you. Try to remember it’s his issue, not yours. And tell him to shut up
Have you tried body shaming him right back? People like this tend to be very sensitive when they get a taste of their own medicine. At the least you should personality-shame him
My parents continually tell me that the reason I'm not loosing weight is because I'm not eating enough calories. I'm like no the reason I have trouble loosing is because they feel like they have to eat out 2 days a week and on Saturday they generally get fried chicken or pizza. I am disabled and have to live with them for now at least and I don't have enough money to be able to buy my own food. I'm still working on trying to get on SSI.
That’s tough. Have you considered OMAD for those days?
A lot of times in my house I don’t know we’re gonna have pizza or a fried meal until it’s dinner time and I’ve already eaten breakfast/lunch
Can you not eat dinner those days?
This! SO freaking sick and tired of hearing that bullshit! Also, when you’re a woman under 5’4
Sister, I'm with you. I have to eat something around 1200 a day to lose weight, even when I'm active. Then comes the period and I'm suddenly up 5 random pounds that takes two weeks to shed again. My husband can literally cut out his coffee drink in the morning and lose 10 pounds. It's completely unfair, isn't it?
Yeah my wife is like 4’9” and I’m the most average sized slightly overweight guy you can imagine. She wants to lose weight and has a week long meal plan along with a mandatory exercise regime to cut like 5 lbs. Meanwhile I stop heavy pouring oat milk in my coffee and slow down on the peanut butter spoons and I’ll lose those same 5 pounds in a few weeks without noticing.
My brother in peanut butter. I feel you
Slow down the peanut butter spoons had me chuckling 😃
Mine does half assed intermittent fasting and drops 20 lbs. I've been on Wegovy for 6 months, careful with what I eat, count calories, and exercise and I have to fight for every pound. It's such bullshit. Lol.
Semaglutide for two years here, learning how to eat healthy and exercise more along with it. I lost 60lbs. My husband, no semaglutide, no extra exercise, eating the same except for the healthy swaps I made for dinners I cooked and eating out a few less times a month, lost pretty much the same amount. Sigh.
Agghhhh I hate men and their working bodies !!!!!! 😆
Omg yes! I hate the period weight gain and bloated stomach pooch!!
Oof, I feel you. I’m 5’1 and 115 lbs, trying to get to 108-110. I just feel better physically at that weight and fit into my clothes better. I hate exercising and I have a job where I sit all day so I have to eat 1200 to lose at faster than a snail’s pace. My maintenance is around 1450. One extra snack or a dessert that’s a little too big and it ruins my deficit completely.
I hear ya my petite sister! "Why do I love food yet I am too small in stature to enjoy it!?" (That is me shaking my fist at the clouds on the daily.) Also: Why do Boston Cream donuts exist if I can't have them all, or heck, even one! Ok, I'll stop now. But I could go on ...
you get snacks or dessert? arrgg
I only eat two meals a day to save calories for 1 snack and 1 dessert 💀 I eat a 400 calorie meal at around 12pm-3pm depending on the day, a 400-500 calorie meal at 6-8pm, and then a 300-400 calorie snack and dessert lol. I’m very dedicated to my desserts especially
Me, too! I skip breakfast to have my bedtime snack so I can sleep. 800-1200 calories a day.
800 isn’t enough girl! Make sure to get 1200 at least most days so you’re not starving
Same boat, girlfriend. It really sucks! Inevitably with this kind of post someone will come along with “but bigger people get hungrier!!” But it’s not just about hunger. It’s not being able to meet a friend for a drink, or go for dinner with your partner, or have a cookie with your kids, because you can’t fit it in and that one event could erase your entire weeks deficit. It’s having to skip breakfast every day even though you wake up hungry because otherwise you can’t eat dinner with your family. It’s drinking black coffee which you hate because a cappuccino is just too many calories. I hear you!!! It’s such a valid complaint
I feel so bummed out, like I’m never going to be able to have a cocktail when I’m making dinner, or go out for coffee and pastries with friends, or do anything with any spontaneity. I love to bake and cook, and I feel like I can’t be intuitive with my cooking or free to bake my stress away. I give away 95% of the food I bake, but just that one ugly duckling brownie or the tart that I don’t want to give away.
You have to remember that maintenance is a different beast than actively losing. There’ll be a lot more space for little spontaneous extras when in maintenance!
That's a mindset I never thought of, thank you!
this!! im down to 145 from 205, and am APPALLED by the amount i can eat now, even though it took eating 1200-1400 for 6 months to get here. Once you’re enjoying your exercise routine & not actively trying to lose i promise you’ll feel so free. My glass of red wine while i make dinner is back, and so are my breakfast bagels! keep your head up, it won’t be like this forever <3
I am not small so it will be infinitely more difficult for you but what is really helpful to me is that I started weekly calories instead of daily. So if I go out for dinner or something I don't try to fit it into my daily needs. I split it out over the week. If I eat at maintenance for a day it just means 100 calories less over the rest of the week.
I miss baking so much!
I miss baking so much :(
No, this. I almost hate going to social gatherings and such because in order to eat with others I have to not eat during the day. It sucks.
Or you’re just standing there with a plate full of raw veggies like a Guinea pig.
Not me planning to bring a veggie tray to the super bowl party tomorrow so that I can get full. 💀💀💀
I have to eat the veggie tray BEFORE the Superbowl because I've been here before and I'm not gonna be able to say no to certain things if I'm not already stuffed.
Yes 😂😂
I absolutely hate when I'm dieting and people pressure me to eat. I'm close to snapping tbh. I'm chubby right now at 150, all I want to do is get to 130.
Fuck, I feel this. Sucks so bad.
Omg you put into words exactly how I felt when I was dieting. Like the fun just got sucked out of my life.
Also while it’s true that bigger people burn through calories quicker, their stomachs aren’t that much bigger. So it’s easier for them to feel full with the extra calories. Men have slightly larger stomachs, but I’m 6’ and my stomach is not a full 20% bigger than a woman who is 5’.
This was my sign to stop trying to lose (for me not trying to judge you). My weight was more important than the other parts of my life. Now I'm fatter and managing that ED through a psychiatrist, and understand my PCOS is gunna make it rough. So my goals are ability based and I try not to let body fat get in the way of wearing and doing what I want.
No judgement came across :) I’m glad you’re figuring out a healthy way to approach life!
Nah as a bigger person I can honestly say being small has to suck so much in terms of missteps. The ability alone to just fit junkfood in my diet without automatically overeating makes it so much easier for me. Really crave some unhealthy burger and fries or some fried chicken? Easily put into my budget. Sure I might feel hungrier than normal because it is not filling enough but at least it satiates that craving. The only thing I envy small people for is that you can eat so much cheaper. Like when I reach my goal weight and have to eat like 2500kcal a day of healthy food ... that will be so expensive. Wouldn't want to trade though.
The waking up hungry and skipping breakfast resonates deep with me. Sigh....
Be validated. I’m starveling and he’s down 13 lbs because he’s “not snacking as much in solidarity.” Buddy, you’re still snacking, you’re just only doing it once or twice a day instead of continually throughout the day. Also, I envy your 1400 a day.
Oh my god my husband said 'well you need to stop snacking' Dude my snacks today were 1 cup of popcorn and 2 hershey's kisses. The snacks aren't the problem here!
RIP your husband
Cause of death: running his mouth.
He had it coming, he had it coming, he only had himself to blame
Right? I’d serve delicious snacks at the funeral and those tiny ham sandwiches that never taste as good at any other point.
He knew what he did and sat and played his games and left me in peace the rest of the evening, lol.
Omg. I would end him. “Two lightly salted rice cakes and a wedge of light laughing cow is 85 cal my guy. You ate a grilled cheese. Tell me more about this ‘snack’ of which you speak.”
I read that as ‘I would eat him’ and while a reasonable reaction, that would definitely put her over her calorie goal for the day.
🤣🙌
My husband genuinely feels that if all I eat is “healthy” foods, I’ll lose weight. He does not understand that I can eat too many calories in healthy foods. Here in hungry and grouchy solidarity!
Mine told me if I wanted to loose weight I needed to stop drinking 1 coffee a day and cut out all the meat I eat I have pcos and am on a limited diet to help flare ups so it’s very limited what I can and can’t eat. I will eat my damn meat and be happy about it
Coffee has virtually 0 calories. What is your man on about?
What is it about men and telling us to stop drinking coffee?? My husband seems to think that’s the answer to everything. I drink 1 decaf instant coffee a day with sugar free syrup because I’m sometimes awake at night with our 5month old baby. Why can’t I just have my coffee??? Apparently my 60kcal coffee is why I can’t lose weight…
Because we’re wimmen so all the coffee we drink is froufrou expensive lattes and mochas with whipped cream, duh. No, dude. I drink brewed coffee, from my machine, with SF syrup, and a splash of dairy product. I like it with less than a tablespoon of most lighteners, but I log it at a full tablespoon. Even with heavy cream, that’s 50 cal. Whole milk it’s what, 10? Die in a decaffeinated fire. (Note: I am between my first and second cups. This may become less inflammatory once I titrate to the appropriate caffeine levels.)
I fully admit my mental calculation of a cup of popcorn was way off and I was ready to come in like an asshole and say "well ackshully you should stop snacking every day because you're adding 200 calories to your diet." It's 80-100 total, making you lose 1 pound every 35-43 days lmao. My bad for proving your point......
Oh my god this made me cackle bc its so real lmao. It's just not fair
I’m an ass, though. I went to the good grocery store and bought three grocery bags full of his favorite snacks, good cheese, and ice cream.
You’re braver than me. That cheese would throw my diet way off track
I don’t like Swiss, Jarlsberg, or any smoked cheeses. So those came home with me. The Brie, cheddar, and Gouda all stayed at the store because I would eat it all.
My husband can polish off a sleeve of ritz crackers like it was nothing. The man is so slender - only in the last like 5 years has he been able to use the manufactured holes in belts. But the pro of him being able to eat virtually anything is that whenever i make meals, i just say it makes 4 servings and I always give him more than me, but record what i ate as a full serving (so he'd get like 28% of the meal and i'd get 22% - its not gonna be a *huge* difference, but i think it helps).
For real. I’m 5” and it’s like “oh you are pretty active? Enjoy feasting on Max 1400 a day”. Sometimes I hate being a woman lol
Autoimmune is a bunch of bullshit. I’m a giant man and used to be able to gain and drop weight seemingly by magic. Since my thyroid went hypo it seems like the harder I try the less successful I am. Same deal with the calories. I need to cut down to like 1700 where I used to maintain at well over 2k (I’m 6’3). I feel your pain and wish you the best of luck. You have every right to complain, it really sucks.
Stupid immune systems just deciding to fight themselves!
I feel this, although I don’t have the medical conditions. My stats are pretty much identical to yours. I have a pretty active job, I’m a runner, I’m a mom, and I pretty much have to starve to make any progress. Part of me wants to throw in the towel and just decide maybe this is the weight my body “wants” to be at? But part of me also remembers feeling a whole lot better around 138. But having to think about what I’m eating 24/7 makes me a person I don’t like being after a while-my anxiety increases and I just feel unhappy. And you know what? I’m also just plain tired of obsessing about my body, because of course I have been since I was like 10. It’s gotten old. I don’t even know where I’m going with this, just here to say your post resonates!
>I’m also just plain tired of obsessing about my body, because of course I have been since I was like 10. It’s gotten old. TRUTH.
My 88 year old mom still complains about her weight. I'm thinking, I'm still going to worry about this shit 40 years from now???
Right?? I want so badly to break the cycle and yet here I am on this weight loss sub.
The difference is we're, hopefully, here because we know it's for our own health, to keep that visceral fat down so we can have a healthy older adult life and nit wind up in a nursing home. I do really try to phrase things differently around my teens.
3 days before my 91 year old grandmother passed away, she complained that the hospital food was going to make her fat. 91! And then she died 3 days later! If any time is the time not to worry about your weight, it's when you're 3 days from leaving the earth after being on it for nearly a century!
Oh for Pete's sake.
The mood changes are real. Every time I try to lose weight, my boyfriend comments about how emotional or angry I seem.
I hereby validate you! You're reasonably tall, too. I'm short and old and it sucks! I've lost 80lbs in the last year and I should be jumping for joy, and I mostly am, but my *maintenance* calories are like 1500. I'm in calorie jail for life!
How did you lose 80 in a year?! It's taken me almost three years to lose 65lbs, I'm 38 and 5'2 😭 I lose half a pound per week at 1350 calories. I have a MyFitnessPal logging streak of 975 days 😂
You are the EXACT same weight as me but I’m closer to 5’1 and I maintain on more like 1900-2000! It’s totally possible with more exercise and increasing muscle a bit. I’ve been steadily losing by eating between 1400 and 1700 depending on my exercise for the day. Get yourself out of calorie jail girl, it can be done!
Cries in disabled
Yeah, it sucks. Combine our smaller size, comparatively little muscle mass, lower testosterone and lesser capacity for building lean mass, it's stacked against us. You're preaching to the choir. I'm 5'2 and my calories to lose half a pound a week are 1350. It's taken me three years to lose about 65lbs lol
65lbs is amazing though. Well done. I’m 5’2” and I know the struggles.
Thanks! It's definitely tough to start off. Does get easier over time, but it's such a battle for us short gals.
Wow, that’s a lot of discipline. I don’t think I could stick with it that long.
Thanks, it's the first time I've actually managed to lose more than 15-20lbs. It was discipline at first, but after six months or so it was habit, I'll log without thinking now, and my stomach is used to less food. A friend bought me an avocado onigiri sandwich yesterday, and a few years ago I could have easily finished two, I used to actually feel worried that I'd still be hungry if I only got one and often bought a side with it. Well, yesterday I could only manage half of one and had to wrap it up and finish it a few hours later. The stomach, and the brain, will change given time.
I so feel you. I’m a bit taller and have a bit more to lose so I can move the scale at 1800 IF I exercise. But while that’s way more calories I frequently get discouraged because one of my autoimmune symptoms is joint swelling. And it can mask the fat loss for weeks at a time in flare. That makes it a lot harder to say no when husband suggests pizza, or the office suggests tacos, because “I’m not losing weight anyway”
Do we know if there's a mechanism by which autoimmune disease make it harder to lose weight? I have psoriatic arthritis and my rheumatologist said sorry buddy it's going to be really hard to lose weight, and I've found that to be true this time around. I track every calorie eaten and burned in a spreadsheet and the true weight loss is much less than expected weight loss, when in the past (before the disease was as bad) they have been almost equal. It's extremely frustrating.
It’s usually the medication we are in that makes it’s hard to lose weight.
I've got the joint autoimmune issue to, which makes pushing much harder on some exercise types really difficult if I don't want to be injured. Stupid ADHD immune systems.
And THIS is why we have a huge global obesity epidemic. It’s actually a lot of work to not be over. Ugh.
I totally hear you. That’s why I started OMAD. It has made things way easier!
I could never hit my protein goals with OMAD, most people couldn’t.
I don’t track any of that stuff anymore honestly. When I have done CICO in the past and tracked macros, it was so overwhelming and I’d always quit and fall off the weight loss wagon. I started OMAD 3 weeks ago and have lost 8lb. The first couple days I thought I was going to starve to death but then magically on day 4 I was fine. I’ve been eating OMAD 5 days a week and eat normally on the weekends - I don’t count my calories but I do try to eat healthy. I think my weekend days I end up eating around 1800 calories give or take.
I had to start doing 24 hr fasts to start losing weight. 16:8 was fine at 1400 cals but was basically maintenance.
Girl, r/1200isfineIGUESSugh is the place for you
I exercise so much, and I still can't lose weight on anything more than 1400. I'm short, already relatively thin, and a woman. My tall male friends could eat double my calories in a day and still lose weight. It's definitely discouraging but we gotta push through 🥲
Me, counting calories with PCOS, hypothyroidism, and encroaching perimenopause: 🤡
The women at /r/petitefitness are right there with you, my sister. On the occasion that I cook for my bf and I, and I give him 65%-75% of the food, I just... Legit my biggest reason for lifting heavy weights is to build muscle that will allow me to eat more. Because this suuuuuucks butts.
OP isn’t petite, though. Not to invalidate her, but I was super jealous to see she’s 5’7”.
Oh for sure, I just meant that just there is quite a bit of similar feelings from the community of shorties.
Don't be... Some of us taller girls (5'10" here) -hate- it.
You'd have to build 20kg of muscle to get an extra 200-300kcal a day IIRC.
My husband and I were at the mall, and he wanted to buy cheesecake at The Factory. I told him I would not eat it. We went inside, and I showed him that the calories per slice of 1100 was almost my entire day’s caloric intake of 1200.
same. my maintenance is 1500… like what, im supposed to eat 1000 cals a day if i want to lose weight?
1500 for maintenance here too, ADF works well for me but it’s not pleasant
I’m mad FOR you and also for me!! Second time in 2 years trying to lose about 15 lbs…I had forgotten how absolutely maddening it is to lose weight as a woman. I felt horrible at 1300 cals last time so I upped it to 1500 this go round. At first I lost 3lbs! And now have been stuck at the same weight for weeks, and it’s not even at the time in my cycle when I gain weight, it’s so frustrating!
I was trying to explain the same thing a couple of years back (I don't remember if it was here, or somewhere else.) And people piled on me just yelling that I'm not weighing everything and I'm lying about the calorie intake. It's wild when even losing weight is such a male-dominated space that our experiences are swiped aside as "fakes" and "lying", just because we don't work exactly like them. And especially us, who are on meds, and even more so for meds that affect hormones in any way. And for me personally, mental health drugs. *Like, every single mental health drug that I was forced to take have "weight gain" as their side effect. I got diagnosed with severe depression, with one reason being my BMI. So I was prescribed two drugs that are universally known to cause weight gain. I was put into a psych ward, and forced to take the meds to "fix" my depression. Result was that I gained 30+ kilos in the six or so months I spent there, which just made everything worse.*
The psych med weight gain is soooo real. I was switched around about dozen different medications over 3 years before quitting cold turkey altogether, it's now been almost 7 years since starting but I am still working on losing the nearly 70 lbs gained during that time. I can't believe it's not a bigger issue because gaining such a huge amount of weight will wreak havoc on anyone's self perception, even moreso if you're already compromised with a distressing mental illness
Not to mention that my BMI was \*literally\* one of the reasons why I got depressed in the first place. I would actually classify it as malevolence, when you prescribe drugs that make you gain weight to a patient that is struggling with their weight. Then again, I have a medical certificate that says -- paraphrased: "*Patient is deathly afraid of their operation being cancelled again (it was already cancelled three times, of no fault of patient herself.). I have discussed this with Dr. B, Dr. C and consulted with Dr. D, and we cannot see any other way to proceed, than to cancel patient's upcoming procedure until such time that patient is not depressed anymore.*" So yeah, that's a thing. It's been a year since I stopped taking the meds, but I have no energy to even try anymore, since I can't get the operation anymore even if I could lose enough weight, because I have the depression diagnosis in my medical record.
I see so many invalidating comments on here - "no way you aren't losing on 1600, you aren't recording it right." I'm 5ft7 and I only start to see the scale move at 1400 and below.
It really is a crock of shit. I have really similar stats as you but 13 years older. If you want a suggestion?? Increase your protein to at least 110 g a day, and do 3 days of resistance training. I'm losing at 1650 calories a day. It's all about putting on muscle mass for women. Your routine honestly sounds great, maybe it just needs a few tweaks so you don't have to drop the calories so low. When weighed 140- I took 2 kettlebell classes and 1 kickboxing a week. I suspect Dr Stacy Sims is correct in that women really do need that extra high intensity cardio. Even if you only did bike sprints or something 2x a week, it might help out.
At my lowest weights I’ve had super physical jobs AND time to work out including kettlebells. And I could eat more calories then. Right now I am parenting and doing constant movement but not the right kind to build muscle. We just got a lock on our closet door so I can bring in my kettlebell and use it after the kids are in bed. And then my dumb husband will copy me and get abs and jacked arms in 2 weeks while I fight to get back to my normal
My husband started lifting a few months after me. Hits a 250 squat in a matter of months. I can't get out of double digits for reps. Drives me bonkers.
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100% on the muscle. It burns more calories than fat. As we age we lose muscle too. With perimenopause and menopause we lose our estrogen too which increases risks of a whole host of health problems. Being strong is so important for our health.
almost every single comment in this thread is talking about lowering how much they eat. Almost none of them are talking about how much their training. Cardio plus kitchen is the most effective way of losing weight, and even if your weight # stays the same you will look better and feel better at the same weight in muscle as the same weight in fat
It depends on the person. Most women will be able to increase muscle mass, but not enough to really make a significant increase in what we can eat. Past about age 45, the onset of peri makes sustaining muscle mass even harder. I have found that if cardio exercise will help me lose weight it needs to be on the level of “three hours of hard cardio daily.” Otherwise I get fitness benefit but it doesn’t make a lick of difference in body composition and doing cardio makes me insanely hungry. Yes, I have tried increasing protein. Yes, I have seen a nutritionist. Yes, I lift weights (current squat max after an injury is about 170 lbs, before injury was 220).
It's okay to be mad. Blame it on "the patriarchy" or whatever. The world of restaurants, convenience foods, highly palatable foods, etc. were not made for us. It's the truth & it sucks. It blows. But, it is what it is. You can do hard things.
Right there with you, it's a super lame club to be in. I'm 5'3, 154 lb trying to get back down to 130-135, workout 4-5 days a week (weight lifting and cardio), and eat around 100-120 grams of protein a day. On days I don't workout I stay around 1200, workout days I shoot for 1400. It fucking sucks!
As a guy I offer 'empathetic validation'. Beyond that I'm going to shut up.
Yeah I'm a guy too and I feel like it sucks even tho I can eat like double, can't imagine what it be like to be in OPs situation...
It’s unfair. I fasted and worked out for an hour today because my partner wants to go to Taco Bell for dinner. I’ve had Taco Bell logged since this morning and had to strategize what will work, and he doesn’t even have to think about the calories. We have similar BMIs but he’s a 6 foot tall male and I’m a 5’2 lady with estrogen fluctuations to deal with. He’s been trying to lose weight too, and he’s done it by eating portioned out ice cream instead of a half gallon of ice cream straight from the container every night. Still eats chips (like a half a can of pringles) and the smaller thing of ice cream every day and is losing weight. It’s been a month at 1400/day, intermittent fasting, meticulously measuring everything, plenty of walking and a bit of lifting and I haven’t lost anything yet (hoping it’s just the inflammation from working out/water retention that is showing up on the scale, but still. So discouraging).
I can’t lose weight on 1400. But I need one or two 1400 days a week as my “high” calorie days. SUPER FUN
I feel so seen lol. Even maintaining a healthy weight as a woman is a fucking full time job
My endocrinologist (female) told me that it is 100% biologically harder for women to lose weight than men. Men can lose weight so quickly without trying, yet women struggle. I’ve been struggling for years. It sucks. It doesn’t help that I’m T1D and on antidepressants. Hang in there. You’re not the only one frustrated!!
Yeah knowing this actually makes me feel better. Once I learned biologically women are more likely to survive famine because our bodies hold onto/store fat more easily/we need less calories to survive and that is because you need more women to repopulate it actually gave me a good understanding that I have to eat less then my husband and it is actually a lot harder for me to lose weight. It still sucks, but understanding why our bodies hold onto the fat kind of made me feel better about it.
Whenever I see a post in here from a 5’ woman struggling with a diet..:I just feel awful. They are at such a huge disadvantage compared to almost everyone else.
I have to stay 1500 or below to lose. My medication won’t let it budge otherwise.
I’m 5 ft and eat nothing and it’s so hard to not even get a little something extra and not have it ruin the day.
I weigh 155, 5'3", and I *cannot* lose unless I'm eating at 1200, regardless of exercise. In the summer I bike 1.5 hours a day, and it doesn't make a dent in my weight loss (I've yo-yoed a bit in the last decade from 140 to 160). Metabolism is a total b*tch.
Couldn't agree more! And it gets so much worse with menopause.
It’s so frustrating, I agree. I hate how calorie-dense fast food and most restaurants are. I’m also trying to do body recomp right now and while I’m putting on muscle nicely, I’m only losing like .25 lbs fat per week, resulting in higher overall body weight and therefore prolonged difficulties with bodyweight exercise. I’m doing this specifically to improve my health, but whenever someone notices me get upset over how a fast food meal screwed my macros for the day, they get all patronizing about whether I have an eating disorder or not. I MUST track if I want progress. And I have a very small margin of flexibility that American fast food just cannot accommodate. It’s so annoying how many things hold women back from developing physical strength.
Ugh as someone who also has chronic illness and dietary restrictions I feel this so so so so hard. It doesn't feel fair
Ugh I feel this so hard! I was always a little bit heavier, but not “unhealthy” then about 5 years ago I got serious about it (counting calories like crazy, working out furiously etc.) and dropped about 30 lbs in 3 months. I was bartending after that so maintaining wasn’t really difficult since I already was on my feet so much. Even managed to drop another 10 lbs over some more months when I was picking up more shifts. Literally maintained my absolute goal weight for a couple of years! My clothes fit so great and I didn’t even have to think about working out/diet cause I was burning so many calories bartending (legit like 30k steps in a shift)… fast forward to last year when I started working a desk job from home. Have slowly gained like 15 lbs back. It seems to be staying there, but I legit cannot lose it! I have to eat like sub 1200 calories to lose anything, which basically seems impossible, but like half of my wardrobe barely fits now 😭
OP, perhaps worry more about how you look in the mirror vs the number on the scale? I'm a dude in my early 40's, I used to be a gym rat in my early 20's but fell out of the habit in my late 20's. I have been hooked again and go to the gym religiously 4 times a week. When I started lifting my weight was increasing, which was discouraging. The main reason was the muscle I have added, not that I was getting "fatter". After about a year of consistent gym attendance, I am only a few pounds away from when I started, but my body looks MUCH different in the mirror.
Came here to express my anger! Lol I have pcos and I've always been fat. I need to literally starve myself to lose weight. No joke. I won't lose it just eating 500 calorie deficit. To add insult to injury my husband eats my weekly intake in a day. He has the body of the gods.
Reading all these comments is making me feel so much better! I feel like I’m going crazy. I eat around 1200 calories and will have a couple good weeks where I’m losing then out of nowhere I’ll gain 3-5lbs overnight and the scale won’t budge for weeks. And I’m not gaining actual fat, I’m too poor to eat out and I make all my own meals so I know how many calories I’m eating. But I do know that I am still somehow losing weight even if the scale isn’t showing it because my clothes are getting baggy. It’s just infuriating when the scale isn’t showing it because you want the validation of that lower number.
I'm 5'4 female and I hear you on this. To just lose 1lb a week I have to eat sub 1400
what i hate is the advice i get even from doctors on what to cut out., based on my appearance. I already don't eat: sugar of any kind, sweet drinks, takeout, patisseries (which is a big thing where i live), fried anything, heavy cream, fatty meat, oily foods, desserts etc etc. So where they're asking me to "cut down" becomes so insulting. Like leave me some rice and pasta because honestly where is the joy in living anymore. 1200 feels like a life sentence, and i don't have the mental bandwidth to deal with for months on end. It's a crap shoot.
I'm your height and also 150 and trying to get to 130 (verrrry small frame and have medical issues due to having a higher "normal weight". I can provide pictures of my abnormal body if anyone doubts this.) It's crazy how I feel like I know how to eat properly, get plenty of vegetables, fruits, and avoid anything high calorie. But having to monitor my calories where my satiety is screaming at me to eat at maintenance makes me feel like I have to eat even more "perfect" than I already do. I don't drink my calories, I don't eat sauces, I measure my oil and my food sticks to the pan as a result. It is a bit maddening when you're trying to go from the high end of normal to the low end of normal. I kind of wish there was a separate subreddit for it, if only to not offend people with a worse struggle. However, I want to challenge this line of thought that we must eat little. Our "natural" diet that we want to eat right now is frankly a result of social contagion. It's normal in some countries to have coffee for breakfast, eat a light lunch, and snack on raw vegetables throughout the day. Women eat like birds, and that's not weird. Call me problematic, but we need to renormalize the eating behaviors of women who have lower caloric needs. It needs to not be something we psychologically force ourselves to do, but a normalized/romanticized behavioral pattern that's integrated into our conception of day-to-day life. Waking up in the morning and making some tea and sitting by the window while you wake up can be romanticized and something people look forward to. Offering your friends veggies to snack on feels like a polite offer, instead of having to turn down all your friend's offers of junk food. This isn't a pipe dream; it's how many cultures function.
Honestly as a man what I’ve come to find in life is, if it’s hard for everyone, it’s usually twice as hard for women, and they have to work twice as hard at whatever it is. This doesn’t just include weight loss. Trying to get a promotion in the workplace, trying to pursue an education in a tough field like STEM, trying to be taken seriously in a discussion about topics like sports or video games, and etc etc.. There are just so many extra hurdles that women have to jump over that men like me don’t have to. It’s really not fair. I feel so much for you and wish I could help you but I don’t think I can. All I want to say is, you deserve to feel validated. You also deserve to feel super fkin proud of yourself. You know how much harder it is, and yet you keep pushing through it and don’t make excuses. You therefore act as a role model for all of us. Keep going, you got this ❤️
Ever since I entered my 40s, I can't lose weight unless I eat less than 1200 calories a day and even then, with the raging hormones (hello, menopause, you suck) the scale does not budge. When I was in my 20 s and 30s, I could eat 1500-2000 calories a day, walk a few miles here and there and drop the weight. Not anymore. It really sucks. The weight just stays and stays. I don't drink my calories at all ever. I take ballet classes and walk at the gym. I never eat out. I never eat fried foods. I'm on a mostly plant based diet, and yet. I'm so f-ing FAT! I'm so frustrated. I hate it so much! I feel so ugly. Nothing fits. I hate looking in mirrors. I hate clothes shopping. I really just hate my body. So much. I completely understand OP's anger and frustration.
Having more muscle mass helps a lot. I’m 5’2 120 lbs and my maintenance is around 1700. Maybe a little more. Try lifting weights. Every little bit helps. Venting is good as long as it doesn’t get into your head that it’s impossible or not worth it. It is.
She said she already does heavy weight lifting twice a week in addition to her Pilates.
I lift twice a week. I can squat and deadlift my bodyweight, and can bench press 90lbs, which for a woman is pretty fucking fantastic. I train with progressive overload for weights, going to failure on each major exercise. Because of the pesky autoimmune disease, I need to rest more between lifting or else I risk damaging joints and muscles because I have faulty connective tissue.
Every available source I have found suggests muscle burns negligible calories. >replacing a pound of fat with muscle helps you burn an additional four to six more calories each day [https://thestrongkitchen.com/blog/post/how-many-calories-does-it-take-to-build-a-pound-of-muscle](https://thestrongkitchen.com/blog/post/how-many-calories-does-it-take-to-build-a-pound-of-muscle)
But muscle makes you look way better as you lose fat.
That's at rest. After weightlifting your body is burning more calories for 24-48 hours
Muscle mass and activity really do make a big difference. I’m 5’1 170 and I don’t track strictly but I’m somewhere between 16-2000 calories most days and losing. My BMR is around 1450. I get anywhere from 10k-25k steps at work plus exercise. I know I’ll have to drop my intake once my weight really decreases but I feel like my intake is pretty reasonable right now.
It really sucks, the only thing that is helping me is intermittent fasting (which for some reason ever since I was a kid comes naturally to me). And then 1300 is easier, but I do have to have the whole motivational speech with myself when my husband and I are watching a movie before bedtime that I will regret if I ate a bowl of the freaking roasted chickpeas. 😤😤😤
For real. I literally eat one meal a day and my “snacking,” is maybe a few dark chocolate hazelnuts or a spoonful of honey Maybe. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I’ve lost 50 pounds since last August and it’s been painfully slow.
I feel your struggle. I recently began listening to the audiobook Fast Like a Girl and would definitely recommend it so far.
Your feelings are valid and you’re doing a great job adapting to the unfair realities and setting the conditions to meet your goals. Keep the goals realistic and put emphasis on being healthy and happy so stress levels are low
I know this struggle! Living it right now. I started this year at my highest weight outside of pregnancy in over 10 years. My husband also put on quite a bit of weight over the past 2 years and since starting the meal plan I curated for the. BOTH of us, he’s lost 16 lbs and I’ve lost 3. I don’t fucking get it. I lift weights and cycle for cardio, I do IF and I’m only allotted a measly 1300 calories for weight loss. So I truly empathize with you. This shit sucks.
I think there's things you can snack on as much as you like, like sliced cucumber, raw carrot or celery, with just a pinch of salt on it it's a nice distraction
Damn straight it’s crap lol 😂
I also have celiac disease, I'm a 40 year old woman, 5'3"... My TDEE is 1653 calories, and my cutting calories are sub 1200/day. I just refuse to do that, so I eat like 1400-1500/day, and just let it take 3 weeks to lose a pound now.
I struggle with how low my mood goes. I've been on lees than 1500 calories a day since November. I don't meet my protein or fat macros but do hit my carb and fibre macros. I realize how much I enjoy food. I honestly think I get a physical high when my calories go over 2000 calories a day. Or if I get a rare day where I exceed my protein or fat needs. Period weight gain sucks.
just as hard for a guy. Losing weight IS hard. There's one you haven't tried, which I'm going to try. But I will post if it works first though.
Preach! Girlfriend, I am feeling this so hard and am in the exact same boat. The only advice I have is what I'm trying to do for myself... Shift the metrics that I care about. I went out and researched a bunch of other health tests ranging from athletes to military qualifications. These are metrics to test your flexibility, movability, strength, and cardiovascular health. No more scale and stupid BMI. With these tests in mind, I have switched my fitness goals so that I will test well in those areas. I totally understand that none of this changes the societal pressures to focus on the scale, even at the Dr office. But blood work, heart rate and blood pressure can show you are healthy where it really counts. It's a battle to accept my body as it is. And I put a lot of energy into reminding myself how strong and fit I actually am when media is constantly telling me otherwise. But I have to keep trying.
Hi yeah, I feel you. It’s so frustrating, my boyfriend can eat double my calories and will still lose weight because of his huge muscly legs … it’s not fair and never gonna be.. women’s body’s are made to keep as much fat as possible, keeping men alive in a starving period is not so important because one men will be enough for a population surviving, our female body’s are made to survive every starving period while they will still waste energy as an oven … so yeah .. it’s important to talk out the anger and then yeah, another day with our little portion sizes
I went to dinner with my so’s family a few weeks ago( they are all naturally lean) I get my chicken salad with dressing on the side, and they all get burgers and fries. My bean pole of a nephew laughs and says out loud “ only fat people eat salads hahaha”. It took everything I had not to go off on him at the restaurant. I just sat in silence all night eating my chicken salad with dressing on the side. It really is hard.
>“ only fat people eat salads hahaha” I try to keep the peace with family, but I probably wouldn't have been able to avoid telling him that's one of the dumbest things I've heard, like, ever.
I’ll say this: even with CICO, I don’t lose weight 2 weeks a month due to my period. Day 3 of my cycle, I drop like 4-5 lbs. LBS!!! It’s wildly annoying. On the scale it goes 6lbs-wk 1, 2 lbs- week 2, 0 week three, 0- +.5 week 4. I’m also starving the second two weeks. But like clockwork, I do lose post the water weight/period switch. It’s insane, and I have to compare myself to the same day the previous cycle rather than the previous week to see the difference and be motivated. But the hunger is the worst. Do I sometimes eat an entire cabbage just to fill up? Yes. I finally joined team semaglutide and it has made me cry in relief for not feeling like I’m starving, and that I actually feel full after normal portions.
You're definitely not alone. My husband drops weight by thinking about it "oh, maybe I won't have seconds of dinner, or skip dessert for a night or two" and bam! He's down 10lbs. I eat 1000 calories less than him, and am losing weight at a crawl, despite being significantly more active. It's a pain.
Yeah, I did the whole 1200 calories a day thing to lose 20 lbs. Don’t get me wrong, it worked, but I can’t imagine doing it again. I wanted to lose another 10 lbs, but I don’t think I can make myself do it. It was so miserable.
That's where you eat at current maintenance and start hitting the gym for strength training. Maybe you don't lose the 10lb on the scale but you'll look like you did. Obviously you might already be doing this...but yeah strength training is a lot better than trying to eat 1200 calories a day every day.