r/loseit

Please, please, please for anyone on their weight loss journey - do not neglect your resistance training and protein, and get into the habit now rather than waiting to get smaller first. I found out the hard way myself that just dropping the calories and the weight endlessly will not end up where you want.

For reference, I used to be very sedentary, and just continually dropped the cals and upped the steps to get from 110kg to 52kg (5foot10) and still just ended up looking like a sad, emaciated, and shrunk down version of my obese self - rather than the athletic/lean look I imagined. I had no muscle on my frame, and probably lost a fair bit during the weight loss, and was terrified of upping the calories in case I gained the weight back. I am testament to the fact that you can be underweight and still have a high body fat%.

It's taken over a year of solid gym work and eating more than I was comfortable with get back up to 80kg and a decent foundation of muscle to the point where I am ready to finally go back onto another weight loss phase now.

I’ll keep it short and sweet.

I’m 31m. I started in May at 355 pounds. I weighed in at 285 this morning. My goal is to end at 220 pounds and start dating for the first time in my life. I’ve never had a relationship… but as soon as I’m 220 and am more palatable I’m going to try.

I’m just worried about loose skin. I eat a shit ton of proteins, im fairly young, I strength train, walk a ton and I don’t have much too speak of just yet, but I know that how heavy I was, it’s going to be pretty much a given.

I’m terrified I’m going to do all this work to experience companionship and still be not good enough. I’m terrified I finally get into bed with a woman and she loses interest.

I know a lot of people say you gotta lose weight for yourself and not others an I agree. But I just want to give my younger self something he never got… a chance to be loved and be wanted. I really don’t want to be lonely but becagsd if loose skin.

Any thoughts or words of wisdom?

The kicker is that I was 135 before being pregnant, and even then I looked better than now.

I’ve been working my ass off to get healthy again, and I just look like a deflated balloon. I used to be curvy with a defined waist; now my hips and bust have gotten slimmer than ever before, but my waist (and neck/chin) are staying stubbornly the same. My breasts are 2 empty tube socks. My stomach skin is loose and doughy. My butt is nonexistent.

The worst, though, is my face. The lost weight has given me noticeable jowls in my early 30’s, not to mention the pronounced double chin.

I feel like abject crap. The only silver lining is that the strength I’ve gained is really helpful in caring for an infant and preventing pain… but my appearance is still just awful; if anything, the weight loss has made it worse.

Recently I downloaded the game “dressmaker” and thought I’d input my measurements to make myself a pretend dress. My hip measurement was smaller than the smallest setting available, but my waist was the average size (91 CM hip/75 CM waist). It didn’t even occur to the developer to make my wonky proportions available.

I guess I’m looking for encouragement, that it’s ok to still look frumpy when healthy, maybe hear from folks who found satisfaction in their slimmer yet somehow softer bodies. Thank you

I have gone from 90kg to 77kg, I’m not done with my weight loss yet but that’s a significant loss, 13kgs and I think that’s around about 30lbs (you can correct me if I’m wrong, I’m terrible at maths and my country doesn’t use lbs)

I usually dread summer, it’s so hot and humid (I live in New Zealand and we have very humid summers, the worst kind of heat) and I am constantly needing a fan in front of me and I would feel like i could pass out in certain temperatures, and I can barely handle anything at or above 18 degrees Celsius

So I was wondering if anyone experienced heat differently after losing that amount of weight? Because it’s spring in my country right now and I am absolutely dreading summer

So apparently when I was eyeballing the half-and-half I was putting in my coffee (both at home and outside at convenience stores and cafes), and when I was eyeballing the whipped cream I was putting on some of my snacks, I was underestimating the calories by overestimating the portion sizes.

I started using a tablespoon now to measure my creamer (yes, even when I make my coffee outside lol), and I just measured my whipped cream at home on a scale to see what 1tbsp (aka 3 g) of it looked like. It was way smaller than I thought! So I guess I was undercounting those. I'm glad I caught that.

Just wanted to share as a reminder of how we may undercount when we eat small portions of stuff when we "eyeball" it. I'm going to measure until I feel I'm fully "trained" and comfortable in eyeballing it.

I (F5'6", age 26) am currently at 145 lbs, down from 180 over the course of this year. When I began my journey in January, I had long been sedentary and so calculated my deficit with that in mind - which was at the time quite modest, I was eating 1500 cals with about 1880 maintenance.

My regular habits have changed a lot over this year and while at the beginning I was regularly meeting 10k daily steps I have averaged to about 6-7k daily which I'm happy with. For the last few weeks, I've also recently incorporated strength training twice a week (~1-hour full-body sessions) which I see myself managing to stick with. I realized I should likely increase my calorie intake so bumped up to 1600 for a couple weeks and still saw weight loss. Thinking I may want to take a temporary break from fat loss (would like to eventually be back to about 135 lbs to be in the middle BMI range for my height) to focus on muscle gain because I've been seeing more hair shed than usual which I know often means underfueling, and I don't want that.

Would you consider 6-7k daily steps and twice weekly strength training "lightly active"? My job is sedentary and I currently don't do any cardio other than walking. If you calculate using this parameter please fill me in about what your activity levels are like (and if you're my height would be curious what your maintenance cals are). A TDEE calculator is suggesting my maintenance at that level would be 1945 which seems so high, but that might be because I'm just so used to 1500-1600.

Hi!

I'm finally starting to lose weight in a slow but steady, healthy manner. I'm 25F, 165cm, between 65 and 70kg. I've had to stop because of sickness and work-related injury, but I had implemented 3 strength training sessions a week. I'm still losing weight because I can take in my daily steps at my job.

I've always had a "frog butt" while overweight, and it got better with strength training, but now that I'm losing weight, I feel like it's worse than ever? I lose fat from EVERYWHERE but the places that make me the most self conscious; lower back, upper back and stomach. From the back I have this weird X shape that is not an hourglass shape because I have no butt, because I lost fast from there and have lost muscle because of injury and bed rest. It's not that flat, but my love handles are wider than my glutes, so it gives me a frog butt..

So my question is: have any of you got rid of this "frog butt" / apple body shape simply by losing weight before? Or is it a body shape more than body fat issue, and can't be helped without building muscle?

Thanks in advance!

I’d love to hear what your favourite NSVs have been. Things for me to look forward as I lose the weight rather than just focusing on the numbers.

Things like seeing collarbones you didn’t know existed, or being able to go kayaking with your kids, or taking the stairs at work without getting out of breath, or going shopping with a friend and being able to actually try on clothes instead of awkwardly browsing earrings and handbags.

Anything that’s changed your life for the better is welcome, too. Enjoying the taste of healthy food now or getting sick less often.

Please share! I’ve got a long road ahead and want to look forward to the journey as much as the destination at the end.

I’m down 142lbs/64.5kg. F/37/5ft9(175cm). Lost a lot of it at once, stalled hard, had a little pity party about my loose skin. It’s still better than being 350 lbs.

I’ve been at the gym every day for the past 2.5 months, and working a physical job. I was absolutely wallowing because I was stalled for the past two months at +/- 10 lbs. I measured my legs/chest/thighs/etc but I haven’t remeasured, which is silly. Scale not moving had me bummed.

Today riding in the car I realized that my thighs don’t touch anymore when I’m driving. The last time that happened I was in my early 20’s. Even with my extra skin, there’s a gap there. I seriously sat in a parking spot staring down and almost cried (which would have been weird as hell to see, lol).

I’ve been really hung up over the skin situation, and it’s honestly not as bad as I’ve seen others dealing with. I should be proud of my body for snapping back as much as it has. It’s just the dysmorphia. I’ve had days where I think im hot as fuck and days where I feel like the same old 350lb mess I started at. Sometimes the same damn day.

I started out this time last year barely able to walk due to an injury. Through a ton of physical therapy, a spine surgery, and good ol rage I’m here. I have clothes that make me feel attractive. I don’t get out of breath doing nothing. If you had told me I’d be here staring at the gap between my thighs like a total loon I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s a process, but it will happen if you keep working at it.

TLDR; holy hell I have a thigh gap when I sit in my car now, this is amazing and no one in my life is going to get it like yall will. One year, down 142 lbs, at the gym every day. I thought my injury would be the end of me but through luck, medical care and rage I’m here.

Update to: https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/s/WtgGgcPo2n

37 M
SW 330
CW 255
GW Unknown

Not that I’m vain enough to think anyone was wondering how it went, but I think it’s a decent story considering the train wreck it sorta was, so here!

I’ll start off by letting you all know that I overslept and almost missed it! Race time was 8:30 and I woke up at 8:06 😬 thankfully, I live very close, so I brushed my teeth and drove a very respectable 8-over the speed limit and made it.

I truthfully felt good the entire race. It was fun. Almost 700 people were in it, so there was always a crowd, which helped me. I was never truly alone with my thoughts (my worst nightmare).

Disaster stroke at the halfway point and I thought I was going to be carried out on a gurney. I felt it right on my lower calf. BAM. Stung by a bee. Fret not, I powered through and finished without walking, in 38 minutes and 18 seconds.

All the goofy storytelling aside, I’m insanely proud of myself. I was certain that my running days were over. I did nothing I’d be back here. I ran the race with my sister and we fled to a bar immediately after and I had a celebratory Bloody Mary and held back tears a few times. I also signed up for another 5k just before Thanksgiving.

I hope this motivates someone.

26, 4’11. 135.8lbs

Hello! I had an aunt who was disabled and required full time care, being completely bedridden and medically complex (sepsis, T2D, arthritis, obese). This started in January and I took care of her with the help of her oldest, 19F, who is in school full time and working part time. I also helped take care of her teenage boys (14, 16) during this time. I’m in grad school and working one full time job and two part time jobs to further financially support myself, her, and her 3 children.

She unfortunately passed a month ago and I’m trying to navigate all the changes happening at home. Supporting the boys through school, supporting the oldest with obtaining guardianship, potentially looking at dual-guardianship so she isn’t carrying this alone. Staying ontop of my own work and studies. Etc.

I stepped on the scale for the first time in a while. The most I’ve ever weighed was 120lbs. Lo and behold I was up at 140lbs, officially being overweight for my height.

I’m almost down 5lbs (CICO) but cant help but feel stuck in the sense that Ive let myself gained so much in a semester and a half. I’m aware of the health complications that come with being overweight/obese and I cant help but get nervous when the numbers are that high. I’m happy my weight is gradually decreasing but I cant help but feel anxious.

I am 25 M from Ohio, who has seen better days weight wise. Looking for another overweight dude to chat with and push each other to lose weight, eat better, and work out more consistently. Just looking for a solid bro. Only interested in other overweight guys. Any age is fine, but prefer at least to be 25+.

No pressure type deal, just someone who’s in a similar spot and actually wants to make progress. Feel free to hit me up if youre down to chat and push each other to be better and work harder for a healthier body.

I want to start going to the gym and i have a routine set up. I really want to lose weight (at least lbs). Just to start off and get into the habit of going often though, would it be good to start with cardio only? I was thinking about going for a little bit and doing just cardio while there to get used to the gym and get into the habit of going in general. Would this help me lose any weight at all? I’m not fully sure how much of weight loss works in general and would be extremely open to any advice or any tips people may have for me. Thank you sm in advance!

I just discovered Metamucil, and I feel like a different person. This could be a placebo effect, or there could be another variable that I am overlooking, but I am noticing a benefit after only a week.

I am in my poor-girl-era to the point of eating roughly the same three cheap meals everyday. I normally have to white-knuckle my way through the evening without consuming two portions of my “sweet treat” for the sake of rationing.

I decided to take a risk and invest in Metamucil after reading Reddit reviews. I started having a serving after dinner, and, man, the post-dinner cravings are gone. I have very little to no desire for my “sweet treat” now. Plus, I don’t wake up in the middle of the night ravenously hungry anymore, and I feel relatively more satiated throughout the day. It’s great.

I’ve been losing weight for ~1.5 years so far, and I feel like nobody in my life has really noticed it. I’m currently 25F, started losing when I was 23. Not sure exactly what my highest weight was bc I was too scared to look at a certain point, but my highest recorded was 308 and I’m currently down to 165 with plans to lose more. Obviously that’s something that people notice, but I opted to “move in silence” and so I don’t really discuss this with friends or family besides things that come up in normal conversation (aka what I had for lunch that day, or a new workout class that I’m trying). I know that people shy away from pointing out other’s weight (frankly I do this too), but it’s almost discouraging at a certain point. I struggle with looking in the mirror and seeing the version of me from 2 years ago, and I feel like everyone else sees the same thing too.

But I obviously can’t bring this up to people in my life without sounding like I’m fishing for compliments or affirmation or something, and I’m scared that the minute I acknowledge the fact that I’m intentionally losing weight it’ll invite way too many opinions. Tbh the last thing I want is someone preaching to me about step counts and protein goals. A lot of my friends are women too, so the topic of weight loss can be touchy and I don’t want anyone to think that I’m putting them down or promoting diet culture by talking about my accomplishments. Honestly though I AM super proud of what I’ve done, and in a very selfish way I want people to acknowledge it too! The fact that nobody talks about it is making me feel like what I see in the mirror is reality when I know it can’t be 😭

Anyway please forgive the rant this has been killing me lately. Is there anything I can do to make the people in my life feel like they’re allowed to acknowledge this? Or am I doomed to just pretend like nothing happened and I’ve always looked this way.

EDIT: Thank you all for the comments! I think I got too in my head about this. It’s definitely taboo to comment on peoples bodies or weight, so if I don’t break the ice the people in my life probably won’t say anything. Maybe I’ll update if I get some good reactions from them!

This time I didn't quit just because I couldn't stop binge eating. I lost 11kg so far in 6 months (67kg--->56, 157cm)

What kept me overweight for so long was that I didn't try because I couldn't stop binging sometimes and I'd relapse. I thought to myself what's the point of eating healthy or moderately if Im going to ruin everything through binge at some point anyway.

But then something in me clicked and I started small, I thought okay I might still have huge binging periods but outside of those windows I will eat in a healthy small deficit and walk/move. So I did. I still had binge relapses, at first weekly, sometimes multiple days over 6k calories.

Still I stuck to it and over time managed to decrease binge calories, then decrease frequency and change habits. I still relapse and binge because its an emotional comfort thing in tough times and man my life gets tough. But it doesn't matter because I know how to get back. I dont restrict myself. I know whatever I eat will be my energy source for walking/dancing or whatever I choose to do that day.

I didn't think weightloss was an option if I still struggled with binge eating. Im so glad I didn't give up despite relapses and cravings, addiction even, I would still be overweight or maybe even heavier. So if you feel hopeless and want to quit because you relapse often due to binge eating, dont give up! It takes time to rewire old habits, replace them, minimize harm and so on. Keep at it

Personally I also eat in a very very small deficit, it takes longer this way but Im still losing fat so Im good.

A question for the women who had hormone issues at their starting weight but no evidence of things like PCOS. Did any hormonal issues resolve once you lost the weight along with any symptoms?

For example, did hair loss improve/grow back, did periods/PMS improve, any mood improvements, no longer holding weight in midsection etc?

I’m trying to lose weight but it seems that I have something going on hormonally. Superficially, I’ve been labelled as PCOS despite not quite meeting the criteria, which is very confusing. Honestly, I don’t agree with me having it either, but I’m facing increasing hair loss, facial hair and mood issues throughout my cycle. Has anyone else suffered with “PCOS” symptoms which have resolved when they lost the weight? Needing a little reassurance at the moment. Thank you!

So F20 here! I started my weight loss journey in July at 175 pounds and I’m now at 150!! I feel so much better, and honestly people treat me better. However I noticed despite losing weight my body still looks fat and is the same compositionally. I’m a 5’5 woman, so technically I’m almost at a normal BMI, but I still look overweight imo. My goal is 130-140 pounds so that’s still in progress, however I know now after losing 25 pounds that my body will look pretty much the same. I carry lots of weight specifically around my stomach and face which really sucks. My face 100 percent looks better, but my body shape is still horrible. If anyone has any tips on how to actually start exercising and changing this that would be awesome. It’s sooooooo confusing to me and frustrating. I get so lost on what you are supposed to do in the gym that actually works. I feel like there are so many different plans I don’t know what to do. I used to run in high school and my family are hikers, so cardio I understand. However weight training is so confusing and all it does is stress me out to the point where I don’t even try. If anyone has any advice at all that would be much appreciated!!

I started getting my weight slowly under control back in May. As of Wednesday I was down 50 pounds. I had gone four months without binging. I can’t think of the last time I had that long of a streak. Then I had a rough month. Spent a lot of money on unexpected car issues, pulled an ab muscle, and had surgery on my wrist for carpal tunnel release last week.

I haven’t been able to strength train the way I want for a while due to not having a car for a bit and loss of grip strength with carpal tunnel. I haven’t been able to walk much either due to the muscle strain. I thought I was managing it well. I lowered my daily calorie intake to offset the loss of burned calories and kept a positive outlook.

I had my carpal tunnel release surgery last week. A friend came into town and stayed with me to help. She does not calorie count and kept wanting to go get unhealthy foods; it was hard to turn down when I both couldn’t do much for myself and also secretly really wanted it. I feel like the week slowly snowballed me back into bad habits. I ate out multiple times, drank alcohol three nights, had sweets most days, and barely moved around because I’m trying to heal both the ab muscle and wrist. I still logged everything and while I went over most days, I only went over maintenance a couple times.

Well she left yesterday. I told myself it was time to get back into routine, but what did I do? Instacart'ed donuts and chips and binged it all in one night. I’m sure I had around 4K calories yesterday on top of all the extra calories throughout the past week. Can’t really blame it on her anymore since she’s not here.

I feel horrible. I don’t want to fall back into old patterns. I feel stuck and I am having spiraling thoughts. I'm worried that when I get to the point of using both hands again, I'll be too deep into bad habits to pull out of and I'll lose my progress. I know part of it is because I’m bored. All my normal hobbies include using two hands which I can’t do for a while. I also haven't been taking my ADHD meds due to the surgery, though I will be starting back tomorrow.

The positive side is that I think my ab muscle is mostly healed, so I'm going to go try and drive to my closest park today as long as my hand can handle it. I just needed to speak this into existence. Any kind words or rational thinking would be appreciated.

TL;DR: a serious of unfortunate events has caused me to binge. Any advice on not letting it consume me is appreciated.

For someone who’s immobile, I need help on dieting and ways I can lose weight without being super active in the gym. I used to be someone who was very athletic and physically fit. I spent so much time on bed rest that I’m now gaining weight. I got my leg amputated and now I’m leaning how to walk again on my prosthetic. I think all I need now is to find a diet that will help me lose weight. I’m completely devastated. What are the best tips that have worked for you guys in losing weight? I feel chunky and I’m not used to having this much excess fat on my tummy.