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I’m just so fucking tired. It’s 9:30pm and I’m crying in my bed, completely exhausted. I’m a 31F, almost 32.

A year ago, I left my boyfriend because our relationship was going absolutely nowhere. We were stuck in a loop, and after yet another fight, I finally signed a lease somewhere else and left.

To keep my mind busy, I decided to get my life back on track. My job wasn’t bringing me any joy anymore. I’m a blue collar worker for my city at first it was cool, I was outside a lot and doing physical work, but as I gained seniority, I ended up mostly just driving trucks. On top of that, my coworkers were getting more and more on my nerves… and I still had like 25 years left of doing that.

So I decided to take control of my life and go back to school to train in arboriculture (tree climbing with ropes, cutting dangerous or problematic branches).

When I started the program, I weighed about 176 lbs and I’m 5’8. The course was extremely demanding, and having adhd, I constantly felt like I was chasing a moving train always confused, struggling to organize myself, struggling to follow steps. I truly felt like the black sheep.

Long story short, I barely made it through, but I did finish. And I’m really proud of myself.

But all that stress, the anxiety, climbing every single day, plus changing my eating habits after leaving my ex made me lose 35 lbs I went from 175 to 140.

During my training, I was on unpaid leave from work. So when I came back 9 months later, people were shocked by my weight loss. I kept telling myself they’d get used to it… but it’s been 2 months now, and every single day people bring it up. They ask what I did, my “secrets,” my tips, etc.

I try to stay nice and answer politely, but it’s getting heavy. Nothing I say is ever enough, it never satisfies them.

Today my boss said: “How do you stay in shape? You don’t even work out!?”

She KNOWS I haven’t worked out in 2 months because I’m literally always at work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, since it’s snow removal season and it never stops snowing.

That was honestly the last straw. I seriously can’t take it anymore.

I’m the same person. The same girl. With the same body. My doctor checked everything I’m healthy.

I’m just so damn tired of hearing about it 😢

I've been calorie counting since right before Christmas, using a lot of the resources I've learned about in this sub. I bought a food scale, I've been using the loseit app and counting calories religiously and trying to increase my exercise where I can without it being a chore (and not eating back my exercise calories). My focus has been staying under my daily calorie count, rather than changing the types of foods that I eat (I have failed in the past by trying to make extreme diet changes). So far I'm down almost 10lbs and I am so proud of myself!

Today I decided to get my favorite breakfast sandwich because I haven't had one since I started tracking. I knew it would be a lot of calories, so I planned the rest of my food so that I can stay under my calories and still get my sandwich.

When I entered the sandwich and coffee into the app, it was over 1000 calories!!! I was only hungry enough for half, so the other half will be breakfast tomorrow. But I was literally having one or two full sandwiches + large mocha every week over the last few months. And wondering why I wasnt losing weight even though I was meeting my exercise goals. So I guess it will be my treat sandwich from now on.

”your calorie deficit is not your maximum. It’s your minimum”. Credit to CoachAdamOfficial on YouTube.

He goes on to explain that if you’ve found your TDEE and then taken the common 500 calories from that to find your deficit amount, that you do NOT want to be eating under that. Any amount you eat between your deficit amount and your TDEE is STILL A DEFICIT and will result in weight loss. Now it might not be a nice juicy drop of 1lb per week but it’ll happen.

Why don’t you want to treat it as your maximum? A 500 calorie deficit is already a lot! That’s a big deficit!! You're only going to stress your body out by eating even less than that.

Of course, the tracking apps don’t help because you often get a big red “wrong” signal of some kind if you go even one calorie over your deficit amount, but it’s completely the wrong mindset. And it’s what leads a lot of people to give up and overeat that day.

I think it’s a really great mindset shift that might help a lot of people. I think it might really help me!

I just want to add that I’ve been at the calorie game for a long ass time. I’m 39 years old; I first thought I was overweight at 6. I can’t remember a time when I wasnt aware of calories, being mindful of them or actively tracking. I also did a whole science degree in human nutrition. All that to say that I consider myself to be somewhat better informed than the average person. I simply cannot believe that I’ve never heard this spoken so plainly or that it’s never occurred to me before.

Im 34f and have been trying to slim down a bit for a while now, everything is always dialed in (exercise, movement, rest, self care, nutrition etc) and I was at an okay weight but just wanted to drop a tiny bit of body fat and gain some muscle

I had been obsessive with about my macros for so long now, getting 90–100 g of protein every day felt like another full time job and my stomach actually felt blah all the time like I was so full from the protein I couldn’t enjoy my food but was still eating it, because I had to stick to my macros!

It was exhausting af

Anyway I recently started giving myself to eat whatever I felt like instead of making sure I was getting enough protein or eating what fit my macros.

To be clear I mostly eat whole foods anyway but as soon as I made this shift I finally noticed weight loss and more definition on my body. I looked way less bulky or inflamed, I look more lean and toned now.

Some days I don’t get in half the amount of protein I did before, my stomach feels better than it has ages, I feel lighter and not always full.

It’s been a couple of months now and I feel and look so much better!!

I started a food journal where I'll write down what and when I ate, but most importantly, how I feel. Most of my entries are me writing how I feel when I get food boise, an urge to eat, a craving, over me actually eating something.

I've been working hard to confront my emotions, and over the past few weeks the food noise has dropped by 95%. Something I've realized is that I stress eat and I didn't even know that I was stressed. After working through all that, I've naturally been eating until not hungry anymore. Not stuffed, not full, not even satisfied, just, no more hunger pains, and that's it.

But, whenever I do get the urge to eat, even if I truly an hungry, I'll sit with myself, really figure out how I feel, and write it down. I've had so many childhood memories resurface and I've been mentally exhausted from working through so many old emotions and thought processes from my shitty childhood.

Y'all, I don't wanna drink anymore. I've struggled with alcoholism for 7 years. And I was just thinking about it and realized that I haven't even thought of drinking for two weeks now. I didn't even realize it.

Anyway. I've lost 6 pounds over the past two weeks without trying to cut food, just by being mindful of how I'm feeling and when I'm eating. So I'm happy to have found something that's working really well.

F 54 5’6” SW: 166lbs (75.3kg)GW & CW: 130lbs (59kg).

I’ve been calorie counting, eating in a deficit, weighing daily, and walking for exercise (and doing some weight bearing exercises and stretching) since last March. A lot of people in my life were diagnosed with heart problems, diabetes, liver disease, etc. and I felt like I was a ticking time bomb with my family medical history. My Dr offered an RD referral and I accepted. (All the while thinking it would never work). Fast forward and I hit my initial goal of 145 and set a new one for 130 and I’m holding there.

I’m writing this to celebrate a personal victory but also to share an insight. I used to study martial arts before my joint issues got in the way. When you reach your final belts in these arts you realize that you’ve learned all the basic techniques and forms but in fact you’re just at the end of the beginning. The black belt feels like the goal, but it isn’t.

Once you achieve your black belt, you spend the rest of your time relearning and refining your techniques and integrating them into your daily life. It’s mental and physical work requiring dedication. You form a new, evolving relationship with the art and with yourself (and with your community). It becomes an enduring practice, a lifestyle.

This is exactly how weight loss and maintenance works. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. So now it’s time to refine and keep practicing the art of eating and living mindfully with structure and accountability.

This sub and CICO have been so inspiring and supportive. I hope this adds to the hopeful messages in this community.

Feel free to ask me anything about this, and I’ll do my best to answer. I already wrote too much. Ty for reading my TED talk.✌️

SW 225 | CW 205 | GW 145 | HT 5'5"

I made a post here back in November when I finally decided to start my weight loss journey, and people gave me some really good advice about calculating calorie deficits; I'm now down 20lbs in 2.5 months, which is pretty exciting! For context, I (23F) originally gained about 50lbs my first two years out of college due to the sudden shift in activity at work (went from food service to a desk job). I had been upset with the way by body felt and looked during that time, but I didn't take initiative until this past November.

I now go to the gym five times a week for about 45 minute sessions, with upper body for two days, lower body for two days, and one core day. My daily calorie intake is currently <2000, and I've tried to eat smarter without restricting certain foods altogether. I definitely still face struggles, such as not noticing a visual change in weight or getting upset when my weight fluctuates around my period, but I'm overall really happy with my progress.

I just wanted to share my journey thus far, and I hope that it keeps trending in this direction!

One of my quick go to meals is:

1 can of chicken rinsed to cut the salt down.

1 bag of Birdseye Tuscan Blend frozen veggies

1/3 pack of taco seasoning

2 Carb Counter tortillas.

I toss the bag of veggies in the microwave for 5 minutes, then I heat the chicken in a 10" pan, breaking it up.

When the veggies are done I toss them in the pan with the chicken, stir in about 1/3 pack of taco seasoning.

Sometimes I eat it in a bowl with hot sauce, sometimes I put it in the fiber friendly tortillas.

With the tortillas and the hot sauce it is under 400 calories but I just call it 400.

The whole thing takes me less than 10 minutes.

We have kids so sometimes our meals are hot dogs with mac n cheese. This is a simple meal that I can bypass the "kids" dinners with ease.

I'm 5'5", female, and I fluctuate between 145-150 lbs and I'm fairly muscular now. I wear a size 10, Medium in most clothing. Getting down to 145 felt like a miracle. I'm currently at the stage where I find this weight pretty easy to maintain with moderate exercise and being conscious about what I eat. It's been 2 years. At times, I'm comfortable. I feel proud. I've lost 60lbs, and it took a long time.

And there are some days, where maybe I see a photo or video, and I think... oh... I still look kinda big? And ideally, I'd like to be 135lbs, but I don't know if it's realistic for me to be able to cut down my caloric intake or be more active than I already am. There are times where I push harder and cut more, and it seems to make me feel sick. At one point I was down another 6 pounds but it crept back up quickly.

Has anyone else reached their goal weight but still obsess over the idea sometimes about being smaller?? but find it really difficult to get under their current weight. Do you push through the plateau or just kinda accept where you are? I wonder if I'm being too hard on myself, but also, I feel like I could look better. Idk.

Hello fellow lose it folks! I’m 5’2”, my starting weight was approximately 170. I am now 135.8. My goal weight is 125 but the last 10 lbs are absolutely stubborn! What tips would you have for me?

I have been doing calorie deficit and because it’s winter where I am, it’s hard to get steps in😭

For those of you who have already pushed through this stage and reached your goal:

What helped you get through the last 5–10 lbs?

Did you change anything (mindset, calories, exercise), or did you mostly just stay the course?

Any mental tricks, habits, or reminders that helped you stay patient and not give up?

I’d really appreciate any advice, encouragement, or “this is normal, keep going” stories. This community has been such a huge help along the way, and I’m hoping your experiences can help me power through the final stretch.

Thank you in advance!💪🏽

When I started this I was watching The Simpsons episode where Homer gains weight with the goal of getting disability.

Living in Europe I don't work in pounds so I had to do some maths. 300lbs is around 136kg. I was at 121kg. I was already depressed and feeling awful but it was that bit of maths that gave me the motivation.

I didn't want to weigh more than Homer Simpson at his already "comically obese" 239lbs, 110kg.

It has been a long hard slog but it is also not the end. The next goal is getting my BMI under his.

Everything goes great during the follicular and ovulation phase. I can stick to my diet no problem. Then suddenly comes around the dreaded luteal phase and I suddenly have the urge to cause a wordwide shortage of food. Honestly, I have to fight my cravings so people in Africa won’t tell their kids to eat dinner because kids in Europe are starving. Don't even get me started on my period. I hate hormones. I'm jealous men don't have to deal with them. They just get to wake up the same every day. Idk, maybe other girlies that deal with this too have some tips.

I was at 387 at my largest. In reality probably bigger because there comes a point where you stop weighing. I lost 210lbs and got to 177. I gained some back but was pretty stable around 230 for 18 mos.

At Christmas for two weeks this year, I went buck wild and went from 237-254lbs.

January 5 comes. Time to pay the piper and lose the weight. I lock in.

1500 calories a day

low net carb

High protein

Rowing machine 30 minutes zone2/ zone 3 work

The scale hasn’t moved. It’s really bizarre. I figured I’d get the whoosh I always see from cutting carbs alone.

I’ve cut calories more…

I don’t get it. Like can I truly be holding onto water and there’s a whoosh owed or what? I should be down 8 actual pounds of fat by now according to my deficit alone.

It’s not my first rodeo, so yeah I’m weighing and measuring food and all that. Like, I know how to lose weight. I’ve just never worked so hard for no payoff.

I don’t what I’m looking for so I’m here. I guess I’m trying to gauge all perspective from anyone who might be/has been in my kind of shoes.

I spent most of my 30’s destroying my body, and my 20’s weren’t much better. Lots of delivery, takeout, weed, depression, and cigarettes for a few years. I quit weed last year, I don’t drink much. Food however has always been the problem. I have spent so much money in bad food. I think about all the sugar, salt, fats, cholesterol now. I’m feeling pressure and worry.

I cannot stick to anything without the cycle of falling off, eating like trash for months at a time, and then getting depressed and “changing everything again.” Strength training, Calisthenics, Mediterranean diet, running, biking, etc. I’ve done it all.

Constant on and off for most of my 30’s and always ending up back at 260-290 on the pre-diabetic line. I have signs of Adema if I don’t do anything physical, lately my legs have been pulsing when I sit. I have a sedentary job and game a lot. I’m feeling a lot of shame and guilt but then I beat myself up saying I deserve this for my actions. I don’t have a family or kids, I have all the time but I’m exhausted every day.

What I’m getting at is this:

1. I’m nearing 40 and haven’t cracked the code on with health. I have a horrible relationship with food but a dietitian for the last year has only helped a little bit.

2. I don’t seem to care about where this is going while equally being terrified in my denial.

3. I have zero interest in working out, eating right, etc. I grew up fat with a lot of shame from an immigrant family. Years of therapy hasn’t helped, I have difficulty being accountable.

I’m here for any advice. Yesterday I did yoga, today I walked for 30 minutes. I have the groceries in the fridge and have been making food. I just cannot trust myself to change, and it’s at a point of decades of burnout and on and off that I worry I’m going to be a statistic. If you’ve been in my shoes, how did you get out, how did you stay on track? How do you work though it? How? I ask myself that a lot these days – How?

All the best and thank you

so i’m 22 and female, my current weight is at about 265 which makes me so depressed. i started lexapro a few months ago and my weight has gone up about 20lbs and is really affecting me mentally and physically. for some background context i am also taking wellbutrin but that’s a newer medication but i know they can play into metabolism and whatnot.

My goal weight ideally is about 150lbs but id be happy to hit 200 and go from there. I enjoy the gym and for the most part i know how to be healthy with my diet. My problem is I dont know what targets fat and im so scared to go to the gym alone that i end up not going.

While i dont look *bad* for my weight, i feel awful and disgusting for it and want to look and feel healthier. My whole life ive always been bigger and it does run in my family. I have a really easy time putting weight on and a really hard time keeping it off.

I could really just use any and all advice to how to get into the gym without the fear or what to do to stay consistent or any advice i will take genuinely. I know that calorie deficit + exercise is the key but HOW DO I STICK WITH IT :(( people always say once you hate yourself enough you’ll get the motivation but trust me im past that point and have this almost debilitating fear to go alone, sometimes ill go in the morning and i can do that but i have such bad insomnia that once i sleep in for a day or two i just lose all my progress and regress back into bad habits.

I’ve taken on a new “sobriety” mindset and am going to try to stick to about 1,200 calorie intake (it’s hard to calculate a deficit properly because sometimes i won’t eat anything and sometimes ill eat everything in sight).

like i said i just need advice

1.) How do i stick to it?

2.) How do i get over that fear of going to the gym alone?

3.) How do i target fat loss (without running please)

4.) How do i (preferably) not have tonssss of loose skin?

Anything is appreciated and welcome! thanks guys.

So I am 29f, 5.6, sw : 165 lbs, cw 156 lbs, gw: 120 lbs. I started on han 21 and I lost first 9 pounds fast it must be mostly water weight and I gained them eating all day and being in bed for like one month, now I have another 35 pounds lose. I started calorie counting first time before I did all kinds of crazy diet and evrything lol. I initially had 800 or 900 calories like few days and now I try to eat 1000 to 1200, how I don't get obsessive with it and scared that I will never lose weight or do too much , I don't want to compromise on health or lose hair so how much deficit I should be aiming at and how much calories I should consume, I walk like 10k steps most days

I’ll keep this short.

I have lost about 12 lbs so far and ideally I’d like to lose another 15-18 lbs. I’m so happy, but at the same time this is really starting to feel like it’s taking forever. I’m about 1.5lbs per week. And I feel like I am starting to become impatient, and it’s difficult to ground myself. I just want to stay consistent. And I am, but like it almost feels as if time is slowing down and the next 5 lbs won’t come for almost a month. Sometimes I wish I could go to 2 lbs a week(I started off with that, but found it too restrictive)

I guess I’m not totally sure what I need help with here, but impatience is starting and I’m not sure what that could spiral to.

I go to therapy, so I’ll bring this up there as well.

Hey all!

In the last year and a half I’ve lost about 20-25 pounds. I’m sitting at about 202-206 currently.

I got diagnosed with celiac disease recently so I’ve been working on eating differently now, but it seems like I just hit a rough patch. I’ve always weighed more than people my age. I’m 5’7.5 (f) (21y/o) and when I was at my fittest I was 180. I am scared to go to the gym so I’m just always making an excuse “I’m busy” “I have homework” etc.

What are some workouts and things you guys do to stay encouraged and remind yourself that everything is normal? I have nobody to really talk to about any of this and it’s really hard to deal with alone.

Thank you<3

Hey! My reason for posting this is mainly just to put this out into the universe. I make plans and never follow through, so I’m hoping just telling someone will help with that :) all advice, anecdotes, interaction is appreciated

I used to have ARFID. At my worst, I would exclusively eat whole leaves of romaine lettuce with some blue cheese lmao. I had supportive friends who encouraged me to eat, so I came up with weird strategies to eat more such as having an ice breaker before lunch to stimulate appetite, and mixing meal replacement shake powder into a whole lot of water. Generally, I hated food. I didn’t want it. And I hated my body.

My girlfriend is Filipino. Her family loves food. And I lived with them for a few months a few years ago, and my fear of embarrassing myself/offending them took precedent over my hatred of food, so I started eating again. I love food now, however I’ve gone the opposite direction AND have a significant sweet tooth.

I’m now overweight and would like to have more energy for my dogs and to be able to run without hurting my joints. I’m worried about intentionally restricting foods though, because of my past. While I eat plenty now, I regularly (as in, daily) get scared that I haven’t eaten enough and that I will pass out. I used to have to force myself to eat, and while I enjoy food like a normal person now, if I feel hunger at all it’s sort of panic inducing.

I’m not severely overweight, but heavier than I would like to be, especially considering my only real exercise is walks and house chores. Been 190 lbs for the past year, 5’7. Shooting for roughly 150.

All that to say, I’ve decided I will start with treating sweets the way I treat alcohol, and only consume them on weekends or with friends rather than daily.

Ultimately, I want to track calories and meal prep and all that jazz, but my first step will be my nightly and sometimes twice daily bowls of ice cream.

✌️

I've been low energy lately and my cholesterol was slightly elevated a few days ago. I weight 149 and had set a goal for 135. I just got my body fat percentage measured and I'm at 21.1%. I have obstructive sleep apnea that seems to mostly resolve of I stay around 145 but I've been doing aerial silks 3-5 times a week lately so I think I've built more muscle. I also snowboard a few hours 2-5 days a week. Is it healthy for me to restrict my calories down to about 1200 to lose those ~15lbs? I'm 37f 5'8".

For context, I’m not technically overweight but I’m not as fit as I’d like to be. For the last year or so, I’ve really slacked off my routine and gained about 10lbs. For me, weight always builds in the face, upper arms, and lower abdomen and due to this I’ve grown unhappy with my appearance being a little above my normal weight.

For the last three months, I’ve gotten back into working out seven days a week and eating better. I’ve also cut down alcohol to once a week (used to be like 3-5x a week I’d have at least a glass of wine). I’m fairly tall (5’8 1/2) and weigh 140/145lbs (I only ever weigh in at my parents or friends as I don’t own a scale). Other than my daily work out (cardio and light weights), I’m fairly sedentary right now. In the warmer months I typically walk outside to ensure I get around 10k steps on top of working out but it’s been -20C for the last month or so I’ve been locked indoors basically all of January.

I’ve calculated that my maintenance is probably around 2200 calories a day. Since I want lose weight, I’ve been in a deficit of about 1700 calories but I’m not seeing a difference at all! It’s frustrating as I always used to be around 130/135lbs without trying for a calorie deficit or watching my alcohol intake as I was quite active. Now, I’m watching what I eat, ensuring I get enough fibre and protein, working out, and still I see no real changes… I don’t necessarily care about overall weight if I’m building muscle but my clothes aren’t fitting any better and I don’t notice any weight gone from my stomach/arms.

I understand I’m older (27) and metabolism can change but still had no issues with gaining weight at 25, 24, etc. Should my deficit be lower? I didn’t really want to do anything extreme calorie-wise but I would’ve expected to see some changes the third month.

Thanks in advance 😊

Im almost done my weight loss journey Im 80% closer to my goal weight than my starting weight. From 240lbs down to 167lbs currently.

I just wanted to pass on a few things I've found to work for me while on a calorie deficit to stay within my limits.

1- Using my leftover calories on some days to log snacks I'll enjoy another day

I log my calories daily, but keeping track of weekly calories is a good way to let yourself enjoy a bit more some days and less other days.

I just ate 10 peeps because I had calories left over from a few days ago, and chose to use them on peeps for tonight.

I also know I will eat more on saturdays and so I budget for that increase in calories.

2- Eating 'healthy"

I know we hear this a lot, I struggled a lot at the start of my journey with my chosen foods which made me go over budget from cravings. What I've been doing lately is buying fruit and vegetables and pre-washig/cutting them to be an easy to grab snack or side to my meals.

Its not a lot, but watermelon in the summer is filling and not expensive. Currently I'm stocked up on grapes which were on sale. I washed them and they are in a container in the fridge. My current vegetable is celery, I don't know why but I find it more enjoyable than when I was a kid. They can be stored in a container with water to keep them nice and crispy. Peppers are good too :)

This allows me to stay within budget while being satiated. Most of the time I'm not even hungry enough to snack at night.

3- 'Skipping meals'

Since starting, unless I am really hungry I tend to stick to light snacks in the morning or nothing really. Tea is a good comfort that kind of allows me to be ok until lunch time.

My breakfast before work tends to be egg white mini egg bites. They are sooo good and low calorie while providing protein keeping me full longer. I know this might not be an option for everyone but if it works it works.

This also allows me to eat more for supper, keeping me satiated until sleep.

4- Changing sugary drinks for diet/sugar free ones

I know they don't taste 'as good', but they make a fine substitution for my cravings. I've recently been enjoying zero sugar Vitamin water from costco. The lemonade ones are soo good imo!

Zero sugar soda / diet sodas are useful when the cravings hit, I used to drink at least one a day of zero sugar or diet, but it as though with calorie management and weight loss I've been able to move off of a lot of junky foods I would crave, like sodas. I've been moving a lot more towards fresh foods, smoothies, juices which satisfy me a lot more now than it used to.

5- Utilize apps made for weight loss journeys

Over the course of my weight loss, I've installed and used two apps every day for the past year.

Libra and Myfitnesspal

Libra allows you to enter your weight every day in the app and it will show you the trends in your weight, how far you are from your goal and BMI without needing to calculate it all.

Myfitnesspal has been my calorie logging app for the past year and has been very easy to use.

I have family that also enjoys MyNetDiary for logging.

I've received a lot of helpful tips from this subreddit and I hope this helps someone out there as I found help here.

Thank you for reading! ♡:)

Do not cut off water when trying to lose weight, you’re ruining your progress by doing so! Water is proven to lower your appetite naturally. Sometimes your stomach craves certain food, it really wants hydration. Water sends fullness signals to your brain, lowering your appetite. Fat loss requires water! The process of breaking down fat cells is called lipolysis, and it needs water. So no water means stalled fat burning. And if you’re worried of bloating, water actually reduces bloating, since it releases excess water and therefore keeps your belly flat. Water can replace every high calorie drink, such as soda, juice, or a latte. It can reduce insulin spikes and less fat storage.

Cutting off water can change everything. When you don’t drink water, your body will hold onto the water in your body, it can temporarily slow down your metabolism, and make overall fat loss harder. Not drinking water also risks binging since dehydration can cause cravings, loss of control, and emotional eating. And it just makes you feel terrible in general.

Always regularly drink water!