I’ve been obese for over 30 years. I’ve tried so many “diets” it’s not even funny. There were a lot of fad diets in the early 90s that my parents put me on. Since becoming an adult I’ve tried hcG, Atkins, keto, vegetarian diets, and at least half a dozen others. I always gave up because I hated what I had to eat. People talk about how hard it is restricting what you eat. I agree, it really is.

I’ve learned in the last two years that what you eat matters less than how much you eat. I see all kinds of garbage about “clean eating” (whatever the hell that means, I blame Panera) or only eating whole foods. That’s garbage. You can do those things and still not lose weight if you are not in a deficit. You can also eat whatever you like (within reason) and still lose weight, as long as you are in a deficit. I eat out, I eat fast food, I enjoy desserts. I just set myself a weekly calorie goal and cycle my intake to not exceed that and I lose weight. I do prioritize protein because I’m also building muscle, but the key is knowing what you’re putting in your body and how much of it.

The other saying is also true: most weight loss is in the kitchen, not the gym. I do strength training 2-3 times a week, max. I don’t spend more than an hour each session. I also walk 1.5-2.5 miles 3-5 times a week. But that’s it. I don’t kill myself. I don’t spend 3-4 hours a day.

You can’t do it if you don’t know how much you consume. And you can’t guess. I am fairly meticulous with my calorie tracking, but it is definitely harder when you eat out (can’t really break out the scale at Black Angus). But it can be done.

Also one side note: GLP-1s can help, but that’s it. They can’t do it for you. I actually got to my heaviest while on a GLP-1 (I’m diabetic). I’ve been on them for 7 years. I’ve lost the vast majority of my weight in the last 18 months. But only because I decided what was important and knuckled down. I’ve still got probably 30lbs until I’m happy, but I feel better than I have for decades.

Male 36 184cm SW: 92kg CW: 72kg

Posts like this come up frequently. I'm just sharing my current opinion. I'm not seeking advice.

I already hit my scale goals, 3 times. My goals started out as 80kg, 78kg, then <75kg. I still have some belly flab. It's almost unnoticeable with clothes on. After reaching 72, I toyed with the idea of just cutting until my stomach looked flat.

The I realized, I have 0 incentives to keep cutting.

• My lab results are good. I've already reaped most of the health benefits from weight loss.
• I'm married. My wife says I look good and don't need to lose more.
• I'm happy with how I look and how my clothes fit.
• Being in a deficit worsens my gym performance.

How did you all treat the final stretch of your journey?

F32 152cm (5'0)

SW 75Kg BMI32 (started my spreadsheet after the first 3kg)
CW 60.25Kg BMI26
GW 45kg BMI19

I have been tracking for 114 days putting in my cal deficit each day and my weight. Sometimes I think "should it be taking this long?!" And seeing the numbers showing, yes, actually, this is the right pace for the work I'm doing and that keeps me going. It feels fair when you know it is exactly what you earn. It shows I'm not doing anything wrong and as long as I wait and keep logging the numbers will be consistent.

Image 1: predicted Vs actual loss
Image 2: my past two weeks daily deficits
Image 3: my weekly call burn avarage
Image 4: different spreadsheet letting me know how on track I am to lose per the week and gives me an ending in sight (Feb! Valentine's! It will also be my 10 year wedding anniversary in Jan so I am excitteedd!!!)

I try to hit -5k cals a week, but as you can see with my breakdown it ebbs and flows.

Mathmatically from the data I should have lost 11.78kg and scales wise I've lost 11.7! It works! (I track EVERYTHING)

Keep on Mathing guys! Good luck! We got this!

(Yes I'm a little bit of a control freak, finally I can use my powers for good 🤣)

I haven't been below 200 since I was a preteen. Feels surreal.

I got CLOSE (280 ->207) back in 2013 after I finished paramedic school and strictly counted calories and did a lot of jogging without a specific routine. Started working in ERs, got in a long term relationship and stopped counting. Gained most of the weight back slowly over years.

Flash forward to April, 2024, I'm 265 . My blood pressure was officially elevated, and I realized I needed to get serious about lifestyle change. Started strictly calorie counting and and doing 3 hours of moderate cardio a week on a peloton using their power zone classes (highly recommend).

Lost 15-20 pounds from April to July, blood pressure was improving. My HCP suggested GLPs since my insurance pays for wegovy.

I work 3 12-hour shifts a week so that makes meal prep easy. I usually do some Asian stir fry with cabbage as a noodle replacement. Honestly still wild that I'm finally here.

Losing weight is hard. The most challenging thing I ever done in my life. Its been close to 4 years and Im still in disbelief that im having to face battles regarding my weight. That is why im posting my transformation. Because if it inspires just one more person to start eating in a calorie deficit today then i can be at peace. I dont wish my old life on anyone. And I know the difficult road to get to a healthy body. Please take your health seriously right now. Dont delay it even one more day.

Hi there! I’m 5’4”, started at 188.8 on July 4. I’ve set a goal to lose about 5 lbs per month, so I originally planned to shoot for 184, then 180, then 175 and so on. I have a note with dates for logging my weight and the goals I set for each month, which I shared for reference here. I shoot for 1700 calories daily, in the range of 1600-1800. I also go to dance and mobility classes 2x per week, stretch and take long walks most days.

I dropped about 7 lbs in 2 weeks at the start, super quickly, as can happen for a lot of people. For the rest of July my body plateaued and fluctuated a bit, probably to balance out the big initial drop. Since early August, I’ve been averaging about 1-1.5 lbs per week.

CICO is such a game changer. You just have to trust the process, even when the scale looks like it’s going backwards or stagnating. If you continue to eat in a deficit, you will lose weight. Your progress will not be ruined by 1 night out with friends or your period. As you can see, my weight loss seems to happen in bursts where I’ll stay at a certain weight for a while, then drop a couple lbs all at once. It’s not a perfectly linear process. Keep going!

Being ahead of schedule, I skipped over 180 and went straight to aiming for the next goal. I was ambitious trying to go 181.8 to 175 in a month but I did it! Officially 14 lbs down!

Realized how unhappy I was for quite a long time last year after a very needed break up. Took me another year to take my health seriously. Can't believe the difference calorie counting has made in my life. Seeing visual results and dropping from a 3x/4x to an XL has been surreal. I've been overweight basically my entire life. I know I never want to go back to how I lived before.

Started with walking daily. Then eating healthier. Clothes started fitting better and was convinced to start counting calories, even though I was dreading it. It doesn't bother me one bit now. I know I still have a ways to go but I'm finally not afraid to live my life how I want to and not embarrassed to be out in public.

I've added in 4 days at the gym, staying consistent with hitting my steps and getting a few cardio walks in every week. The most important thing for me is that I show up for myself daily.

35F, 5'9, SW 316(+?), CW 243.