u/DiamondCalvesFan

Riding a bike at 30°C, and then on the way back home, seeing those transparent fridges with perfectly cooled sodas... that was my weakest point. The temptation was real and I slipped during the first week, and you probably know the outcome. I drank the sodas, and then came the feeling of, like, I’m losing the whole effort... nah, I knew that was just a momentum which won’t affect my path forward.

The next day I was on the bike but carrying a bottle of water with some ice. That way, my bottle looked just like those sodas, but filled with still water. To take the process even further and to trick my brain, I skipped those soda fridges for like a week or so. Then, to test myself, I started to stop in front of those fridges and drink my own water, just to show myself that I won that battle, even if it was only at the beginning, but still, every win is a win.

My main point is this: one bad day is just part of the journey, and we need to accept it, because it can’t affect the final goal if it stays a one-off slip! Actually, what affects the path forward is building on those slips, and then they become habits, and you know the final outcome.

Now I use those one-off slips as rewards, because I have built strong training and eating habits. Just listen to your body, and if you feel the need (once in a while) to eat a piece of cake or drink a glass of cola, just do it.

What was your weakest point when you started, and how did you deal with it?

I'll go first:

You see someone on the street, and essentially what you notice about them is the flaw.

I was fat, and food was my best friend for years. So I needed a few tricks to bypass my brain, because the transformation starts there. I've shared two before (candy by my bed, egg + chia before dinner). Here's another one: brushing my teeth ~20min. after dinner.

It's really simple. Most people brush twice a day, in the morning and right before bed. I moved the evening brushing to 20min. after dinner. For our entire lives, brushing our teeth has been the final step before bed, so doing it after dinner sends a strong signal to the brain: the kitchen is closed!

Even if your brain starts thinking about eating again, don't worry. Food tastes terrible after brushing (especially sweet things), and once your teeth are clean, your brain realizes that eating again means going through the whole effort again. That's psychological friction working for you.

Now I brush my teeth 3 times a day. Once the after-dinner habit is automatic, you can add one more brushing right before bed to close the cycle.

What helps you stop snacking after dinner?

I went from 238lbs to 137lbs in 2 years, with no loose skin.

During the day, boil 1-2 quail eggs (protein). I prefer them because they're small, but if you like eggs, take a normal chicken egg + 1 teaspoon chia (fibre), soaked in water for at least 2h!

Eat it right before you sit down for dinner (when you are at home). Protein and fibre trigger the release of gut hormones, which tell your hypothalamus that you are full faster!

Many people are stuck because they concentrate their effort on the physical part, but the important part is the mental one! I figured it out the hard way! We need to win the battle with our brain, and then the physical transformation can begin.

When I started, I was pretty sure my brain was working against me, but that’s pretty common because when we are fat, we are thinking about how much we’re gonna eat, and the first signal is to tackle the amount of food, which is a double-edged sword! Of course, we need fewer calories, BUT most people are missing the big picture: when we try to lose weight, our brain views the drop as life-threatening, then just increases the hunger hormone (ghrelin) and aggressively reduces our resting metabolic rate! Even when I ate and my leptin levels were high, my brain mistakenly sensed starvation and slowed down my metabolism to preserve fat.

I was trying so hard, but nothing worked. I ate a full meal and, let’s say, in 30-40min, I was hungry again. I knew it was something to do with the mental side because my stomach was full and it seemed like my brain was completely blind to the food. Then I found out about those things I already wrote about (leptin resistance, ghrelin, etc.) and started to tackle the brain.

I completely eliminated the junk food, sugar, sodas, etc., until I won the battle with my brain and also developed strong eating habits. In that way, I was able to do a neurological detox!

If you are trying to lose weight and have failed so many times, maybe it’s time to shift your efforts to tackling your brain instead of your stomach!

I went from 238lbs to 137lbs in 2 years, and since then I'm maintaining the result.

I have built good eating and training habits which are helping me a lot. This is my base: Oats, Buckwheat flakes, Quinoa flakes, Wheat germ flakes, White teff flakes and Chia seeds.

200-250ml of milk (for those who can't drink milk, soya milk works perfectly); 3-5 full tablespoons of Oats; 2-3 full tablespoons each of Buckwheat and Quinoa; 1 full tablespoon each of Wheat germ and White teff, and 1 teaspoon of Chia seeds.

When I start to prepare my breakfast/lunch I'm starting first with the milk because that allows me to trick the brain: when you pour the milk, the bowl already starts looking full, and I have a saying: we eat first with our eyes.

My whole point is to enjoy eating, not to turn it into punishment. To the base you can add 1/2 teaspoon of pistachio paste (which is excellent for your body), half of your favorite cookie, etc.

Just remember this, the base is a must, the tricks are for flavour.

What's your base, and what's your trick?

Now that summer is almost over, I know from experience that some of you are looking back and realizing you didn’t achieve anything, despite the fact that it’s the best season to reduce your weight. That’s simply because when the external temperature rises, your body doesn’t need to burn as much internal energy to keep you warm, and it naturally suppresses hunger signals because digesting heavy food generates metabolic heat.

To boost your motivation, you don’t need anything special. Just start from within, because that’s the sustainable way to go. It’s completely opposite to when the push comes from external sources (parents, a girl/man, etc.), because that’s like a crash diet, a short-term solution that doesn’t work in the long run.

When you are feeling down, remember this: Start by starting! Enough is enough! Instead of asking questions, you need to start looking for answers.

Being fat was a huge mental barrier to have a social life. The problem was just me and my thinking, because I was too insecure and even put some limitations on myself.

Let me give you an example to better understand my point. When I was at that age (around 15) and first crushes started to show up, my thinking was: what girl would even notice a fat blob like me? I wasn't scared of rejection, just deep inside my brain I wasn't ready to take that step forward.

Still remember the second year in university when I said Enough is Enough, I have to change this right now. It was summer and I really hate that season, because when you are fat it's a whole new level. You know, chafing thighs when walking, can't go to the beach because how the hell will I show my fat body, even though I like the sea so much. The real click came from my body!

I started training, gradually. When you suddenly start training, your body is stressed in a good way, so the results are much more visible. Believe it or not, just during the summer I achieved good results, nothing even close to the final result but good enough to know I was on the right track. The wow moment was when I stood in front of the mirror, without fear, and those magic words: Aaa, now it's different! My confidence grew, and I realized that all the limitations were just in my head.

Looking back, I consider myself a lucky one because I was able to recognize and then tackle the biggest problem, my mindset.

I did it! I achieved my final result in the span of 2 years, and since then, I’ve been maintaining it. IMO, maintaining the result is actually harder than reaching it in the first place.

My current setup is this: a 15min warmup on the stationary bike, then 35min concentrated on my whole body (mostly arms, back, and abs) + the power tower because I really like it, and 25min cooldown on the stationary bike.

I never wanted to be a shredded bodybuilder because that wouldn't make sense since I started at 238lbs (at 5'8"). I also never used any supplements because my final goal was just to achieve a natural, athletic body.

When I started at 238lbs, I wasn't even able to run for 5min. Now, at 137lbs, I can do about 20-22 pull-ups (even 2-3 with one hand), and I even ended up with no loose skin because of my gradual approach.

I was 238lbs and just thinking about the gym made me sick, especially the feeling that everyone is judging you or the shame of walking in when everyone around you looks fit and you're still carrying the weight.

I went from 238lbs to 137lbs in 2 years, but the most important battle was with my brain, because the transformation starts there, then the physical transformation can begin.

I started by riding a normal bike (9-11km a day) + stationary bike at home (at least 40min a day), then changed my exercises like more walking, light running, etc until my confidence grew and I was ready to hit the gym (mentally and physically).

I managed to build an athletic body mostly by using my own weight as resistance and never lifted a bar with heavy weights.

This is my setup: 15min stationary bike to warm up, 35min concentrated on the upper body (arms, back, abs, etc) + power tower (really like it), 25min cooling down on a stationary bike.

I went from 238lbs to 137lbs in 2 years, and since then I'm maintaining the result.

I have built good eating and training habits which are helping me a lot. This is my base: Oats, Buckwheat flakes, Quinoa flakes and Chia seeds.

200-250ml of milk (for those who can't drink milk, soya milk works perfectly); 4-5 full tablespoons of Oats; 2-3 full tablespoons each of Buckwheat and Quinoa; and 1 teaspoon of Chia seeds.

When I start to prepare my breakfast/lunch I'm starting first with the milk because that allows me to trick the brain: when you pour the milk, the bowl already starts looking full, and I have a saying: we eat first with our eyes.

My whole point is to enjoy eating, not to turn it into punishment. To the base you can add 2 teaspoons of coconut wheat, and to really enrich it, try 1/2 teaspoon of pistachio paste, which is excellent for your body, or even half of your favorite cookie.

Just remember this, the base is a must, the tricks are for flavour. Find yours.

What's your base, and what's your trick?

I went from 238lbs to 137lbs in 2 years and since then I'm maintaining the result. I have built good eating and training habits which are helping me a lot. This is my base: Oats, Buckwheat flakes, Quinoa flakes and Chia seeds.

200-250ml of milk (for those who can't drink milk, soya milk works perfectly); 4-5 full tablespoons of Oats; 2-3 full tablespoons each of Buckwheat and Quinoa; and 1 teaspoon of Chia seeds.

When I start to prepare my breakfast/lunch I'm starting first with the milk because that allows me to trick the brain, because when you pour the milk, the bowl already starts looking full, and I have a saying: we eat first with our eyes.

My whole point is to enjoy eating, not to turn it into punishment. To the base you can add 2 teaspoons of coconut wheat, and to really enrich it, try 1/2 teaspoon of pistachio paste, which is excellent for your body, or even half of your favorite cookie.

Just remember this, the base is a must, the tricks are for flavour. Find yours.

What's your base, and what's your trick?

Noticed something odd sorting GetMotivated by New today. Posts are 3h, 10h, and 15h apart with very low engagement. I've posted there 9 times with over 2 million combined views, so this isn't a new-account issue on my end. Wondering if there's a known issue. Anyone else noticing the same?

I went from 238lbs to 137lbs in 2 years.

In my opinion, it's harder to keep the result than to reach it.

Genuinely curious to hear other opinions.