u/Idkhowtoredditplzhlp

Commonly posted question of "should I weigh everyday?"

I know that I'm still in the first mile of a marathon. I just wanted to share some stats and show why it is realistic and kinda healthy to weigh everyday. It's more encouraging to see the data over time where the circumstances stay the same but my weight fluctuates.

Anyways, I weigh myself every morning at 6am without clothes, after using the bathroom and before eating or drinking anything. If I had just weighed on random days at random times, I would have missed getting to see consistent progress.

Here's some data from weeks 4-6. A few tops that used to feel suffocating are fitting a bit more nicely and my energy levels are better. I can squat down to look at things on the bottom shelves at a grocery store and tie my shoes again without propping my foot up.

Week 4:

W: 353.0

Th: 350.8

F: 350.8

Sat: 350.0

Sun: 350.4

M: 348.8

T: 349.0

Week 5:

W: 347.8

Th: 346.4

F: 347.4

Sat: 344.8

Sun: 342.6

M: 340.2

T: 343.4

Week 6:

W: 342.6

Th: 342.0

F: 342.2

Sat: 341.8

Sun: 341.4

M: 341.0

T: 339.2

I've got ~180lbs to lose and I've been steadily dropping for over a month now. I know my progress is going to slow down eventually, I guess I'm just trying to be prepared for when it happens?

I'm 342lbs right now. My start was 375 and I'm not doing anything extreme. I'm eating 3 high-volume low calorie meals a day, cardio daily, strength training 3 days a week, and various other activities. I average around 12k steps per day and get around an hour of exercise in.

I know my current weight loss isn't sustainable, but I'm making a lifestyle change - my grandmother asked when I was going to "be done with eating healthy" and I told her "this is just how it's going to be for the rest of my life" and she was like "don't you miss eating out or having spaghetti?"

Of course I did at first, but I had some fast food for the first time in weeks the other day and it MESSED UP my stomach big time. I think my micro biome has finally adjusted.

Anyways, when did you hit your first plateau and how did you move through it?

So I got a TON of great advice from everyone - y'all were very encouraging.

I saw a plethora of comments advising to stay slow and walk before I jog. I did do a lot of research and determined that I still have steps to take before I start jogging. Here is my plan moving forward and what I started with today.

- Get fitted for some better shoes, designed for active people my size. I'm currently wearing new balances and they've done well, but I think something specifically designed for obese people would be better

- find a place - track or treadmill, smooth dirt path, NOT our asphalt trail we have in town - that is better designed to distribute impact when I start jogging

- lose 50lbs before I try again

- train in the meantime

So today I went bike shopping for a bike with wide tires that can support up to 450lbs (I'm 349 currently) adding: It's like they make normal bikes and then they make plus size bikes and all the ones I see go up to 450 but not any cheaper ones that go up to 350 but they're SO expensive and my family is ballin' on a budget...so we'll have to stick with free options for the time being. 😅

I also went back on the trail. I only had 30 minutes so I wanted to make the most of it. I did a stretch, 10 minute warmup, and then I alternated between squat walking and brisk walking in 2 minute intervals for the rest of my time. The squats were a real workout and they got my heart rate up super quickly. I was able to maintain 175bpm while squatting and then back down to 150 while brisk walking. If I strengthen my legs, it'll make (eventual) jogging easier.

Thanks for the feedback I took it all to heart!

I have done workout videos at home twice a day for weeks, getting my steps in daily at our local trail, and doing dumbbell strength training every other day - rest on Sunday. I'm able to get through my favorite 30 minute aerobic video that I struggled with a couple weeks ago. So I thought..."today's the day. I don't care what anyone else thinks, I'm gonna jog on the trail"

So I downloaded a plan for interval jogging 1-minute jog, 2 minute walk etc for 30 minutes total. I can do the first stretch of trail in 30 minutes so I thought that was perfect.

Welp, I jogged for a total of 3 minutes, in 30 second intervals and that sucked really bad. My shins are killing me.

I don't feel defeated. I understand that every step jogging is like someone slamming my shins with a sledgehammer, so I stopped right when I felt myself on the edge of potential injury and stretched.

I did everything I thought would be good to prepare. I woke up and had a great breakfast (1 portion of steel cut oats, 2 boiled eggs, and a protein smoothie with Greek yogurt, strawberries, chia and flax seed) Then I stretched when I got to the trail and did a 10 minute walking warmup.

I guess I just expected to be able to meet my goal with ease. If it was really easy, I guess I wouldn't weigh 350lbs right now. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I'll do my strength training tomorrow and try jogging again on Sunday.

I'm loving every minute of trying to be healthy. I've made a lot of diet changes and I exercise every day.

For the time being, I absolutely love that my heart has to work hard to get me through my workouts. I'll get more intensity in a shorter amount of time.

I know there will come a day when I have to work harder to get the same results from my exercise. So for now, I'm finding joy in every part of the journey - not in being obese, but in the way my bodyweight is acting like a tool to help me.

Last night, I was out of chamomile tea, so I had a cup of valerian root with lemon balm instead.

What followed was the worst dream I've ever had in my life. I woke up sobbing.

Context: My mom passed away from complications of metastatic breast cancer on December 7th, 2022. She went to the East Coast for a clinical trial and it killed her. I've dreamed about her before, but it's always been pleasant.

In my dream, we were in a house - she and I were on the floor and I was holding her. She was dying and so I sang to her as she "passed" but she hadn't actually passed yet. She wound up soiling herself. I went to go get her nurse from the living room for help. She said she wanted to get in the shower and clean herself up. While I ran to go and get her nurse for help, she had fallen in the shower.

I ran in there and she was trying to crawl towards me and she was screaming and crying because her artwork was crumbling (she was an artist) and there were all of these ceramic pieces that were falling to the floor and shattering all around.

I was begging the nurse to save her and screaming "do something, I know she's going to die tonight!"

Then the alarm woke me up. It was the worst I've felt since she passed away. It took me a solid 15 minutes to ground myself.

I threw the rest of the tea away.

I've started the journey. I've downloaded the calorie tracking app and decided it's time to start.

It's difficult because my husband is supportive of me making changes, but he's not interested at all himself. I've had breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.

What do you do when you're used to sharing meals with your spouse and now you're eating different meals at different times? It's really hard because he was having chili cheese dogs (one of my comfort meals) and I chose to have a chicken sausage with coleslaw and chickpeas instead.

I'm not going to force him to make any changes, but I feel like when he sees how much progress I'm making, he'll become more invested too.

I guess it's just a waiting game. Is anyone else in this type of situation?

In an effort to actively track what I'm putting into my body, I've started paying attention to portion sizes. I was doing food delivery service this morning and picked up an order from a donut shop. I made a passive comment to the cashier...something like "Oh my gosh, these all look so good but I can't have this much dough and sugar anymore"

The guy proceeds to give me the customers order and a bag FULL of donut holes. Like 25 donut holes. I took it to be polite because I knew they would go in the garbage shortly. It's almost past donut time for them.

I had 3...that's it. It gave my brain the sugar boost I craved after cutting out soda over the last week or two. I took the rest to my husband at work so he could share with his coworkers or whatever.

What really gets to me out of all this is that 25 donut holes used to feel like a "normal" portion and something I've seen people have just on a regular basis. No wonder it's so hard to be healthy and everything is so expensive when most people I observe are having 3-5 "portions" and think that it's something meant for one person.

Edit to add: not shaming anyone who would enjoy the donut holes. I just was so surprised in trying to lose weight how much is actually offered on a regular basis - not just donut holes, but everything.

I weigh 375lbs. For years I've fantasized about being able to move my body and feel good, not be winded, and ride fair rides with my family. I'm tired of avoiding certain places or activities that aren't fat people friendly.

I've tried off and on to get an hour of exercise a day, I've switched to a Mediterranean diet, and I've drank teas and stuff but none of it seems to fit into my lifestyle.

How do you just "start" one day and decide to be healthier? I'm struggling. I'm only 27 and I haven't been able to have kids and I know if I go to a doctor, the first thing they're going to tell me is lose weight and I want my issues to be taken seriously.

There are so many reasons for me to start, but it's just taking the leap...I feel like I need help from a doctor or physical trainer, but I can't afford it...

I don't know what to do. There's a lot to digest here, but I guess I'm wondering - what helped y'all get started? What keeps you going when it's hard?