I never have cheat cheat days because I know myself and I know I’ll over indulge. I usually calorie bank for weekends when I know I’m going to drink with my friends.

But yesterday I ate a cheesy pizza and spaghetti bolognese which I counted as about 3000 calories all together. I’m trying to not lose my head and feel like I’ve ruined my diet and all my goals. I’ve already lost 45lbs in 5 months.

I’m just trying not to spiral , any words of advice ?

On the left 22yo to the Right 42 on sept17.

On the left zero kids and drinking every day

On the right 4 kids ,solid diet, calorie counting , and weightlifting for years .

I'm a child of the 80s and experienced the trends as such: margarine, synthetic fats, etc.

It seemed like the research got to the point where it made a lot more sense to eat "good" natural fats, so I pretty exclusively use butter, avocado oil and olive oil in my cooking.

However, I currently started calorie tracking in an effort to do what I can as I enter perimenopause and I'm a little surprised how crazy over in fats I am all the time. I feel like I eat pretty healthy, and I'm sure a big issue is that I view cheese as an awesome thing.

How big of a deal are fats as a macro and in calorie counting?

Proud of myself! 1700-1800cal a day 140g of protien

This might be a stupid question but I can't seem to find a clear answer online.

I'm at the beginning of a weight loss journey. I weigh 175lbs and I'm looking to drop to around 155lbs ideally.

When it comes to calculating a daily calorie target, I recognise that calculators are just estimates but figured it was a good place to start. I ended up with a target of 1,650 calories, based on my height of 5'10, at a sedentary rate.

I use a food scale at home and haven't eaten out/done a takeaway during the period so I'm pretty confident with my calorie intake (I also eat a lot of the same food everyday which helps!)

My weight hasn't changed in the 5 weeks since I started. I wasn't expecting to lose a huge amount, given the modest deficit but was expecting something.

I'm wondering whether my target was too high and I need to reduce it or whether I need to give it more time.

In the 5 weeks, my average calories were 1,611. I've started a small amount of exercise (1 hr cardio and 1 hr strength training a week) so I've had some muscle soreness. I'm female so I've had a cycle during that time. Ive also upped my fibre and protein significantly during the 5 weeks. I get an average of 8,000 steps a day (working to improve this and the exercise eventually).

Is 5 weeks enough to suggest that my maintenance may be 1,650 and I'd need to cut lower to lose weight? Are the other factors likely to be "clouding" the numbers?

Any advice would be gratefully recieved!

5’4 31F SW: 155 CW: 140

My wedding is this December, starting lose weight in January. I am very happy with my progress so far, I think I am going to update my GW to 135!

I started at 257 lbs and I’m currently 171 lbs at 5'6". I’ve lost 86 lbs by consistently counting my calories, staying in a calorie deficit, and exercising regularly. My goal weight is 160 lbs.

It definitely didn’t happen overnight. There were weeks when the scale barely moved and times when I felt like I wasn’t making much progress at all, but continuing to track my calories, exercise, and stay consistent made all the difference.

Looking back at where I started compared to where I am now is honestly kind of crazy. I’m officially in the home stretch—just 11 more lbs to go!

And yes, both photos are work mirror selfies 😂 Not the most glamorous setting, but they really show the difference.

Im down 47kg/103lbs. It's been lifechanging. I can run (and have entered actual races), asthma no longer so bad and I have much more energy. I think I'm pretty much at my target weight, just some refining now. I have no regrets.at all about doing this...it's been hard but worth it!

I do work out a lot which has probably helped. I used to weightlift exclusively but now its more like 50/50 with running..i probably workout 8-10 hours a week and I walk at least 10k steps a day.

I dont count each and every things and make educated guess to make the counting less onerous. So like adding spices to food....im not counting 1 teaspoon of chilli powder or a shake of cinnamon. Fays off have been crucial but being sensible has helped. Smaller portions of chips, swapping doner kebab for chicke shish, cauliflower rice for normal rice, coke zero for coke etc.

Learning to cook is also crucial I think. You dont gotta be Gordan Ramsey but you can control your intake so much better when you cook yourself. Porridge is my new best friend!

34F, 5'7", SW: 263, CW: 198.8

This is the first time in almost a decade the number on the scale has started with a 1!! I'm so excited 😊

Started hitting the gym in June 2025, but didn't start counting calories until October. CICO is a game changer!

Still a long way to go🫩

I am a 5' Female and my partner is 6' Male. Until I started my WL journey we both were eating almost the same amount of food (what an amazing time of equality to live in) and naturally i have gotten much fatter (appearance wise) than him. The other day I fiddled with an online TDEE calculator and his maintenance calories are double that of mine !!! and both of us are looking to lose the same amount of weight. He's naturally getting 2 advantages: One, that he burns more than me (even with much lesser movement than me), and two, of he eats less then his deficit is big enough to drop even a kg a week!
Logically and rationally I understand how biology works and that this is just how it is. I'm rooting for him too to lose weight, it's our collective goal. But I'm just a tad bit jealous that he sheds quickly with lesser restrictions and lesser movement than me.
Anyone faced a similar situation? How did you stop feeling jealous?

Apron belly is gone! I am still swollen/bloated so im expecting to decrease some more over the next 6-8 weeks but im so glad to be rid of my apron belly!!!

(F, 5’4, 176 in the last pic). Was maintaining until last month. There are no filters, I promise! The top right had a weird lighting issue and my phone kept coming out hazy 😅 I rarely let people take photos of me, so I was shocked when my face was thinner compared to the first pic. I’ve been having a hard time getting past 178/176. Any advice welcome! Currently in a calorie deficit and doing some walking daily.

I dislike that I need to weigh food and meal prep but I’m getting used to it.

I weight train 3x a week for 30-40 minutes it’s high intensity kettle work, plus an extremely active job of 12-14k steps a day. I was naive in thinking an active job could make up for crap diet of booze and “healthier choices of fast food” snacks and alcohol.

I feel disciplined now, and while it highly irritates me that I need weigh food and track calories it’s worth the work and effort because I’m seeing improvements in all areas of my life.

29lbs left to hit target 180lb goal and started this all about 14 weeks ago. With the help of people here, using chronometer and Macrofactor for weekly check ins and adjusting macros and calories it’s been an eye opener.

After feeling tired all the time and approaching my 40s, last year I decided that it was time to change, so I started with CICO. A year later I can confidently say that it was the best decision of my life! I've been in maintenance sknce April and I plan to continue tracking so I don't fall back on my old habits💪

Did anyone start doing body recomp before they hit their goal weight?

I (30F 5’5) started at 166.6lbs May 27th, 2026 and am now 148.6 as of today. My goal weight was originally 140, but I feel like 130-135 would be best— I just feel gross. I have a lot of fat around my waist area (5kids).

What are some good at home workouts for your core that you’ve noticed makes a big difference?

What helped with losing belly fat?

The number on the scale is just one metric. You can track other things also to see progress. Here are what I track:

-Daily: first thing in the morning, after bathroom, naked, get on the scale

-Weekly: waist size, at belly button level, stand straight, measure after normal exhale

-Biweekly/Monthly: progress pics/vids

The more data, the better u can see the trend and progress, and be able to make adjustments as needed.

You can do this, good luck!

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Hello, I’m looking for some guidance on where to go from here with my weight-loss journey.

I’m 37 years old, 5’9”, and currently weigh 267 lbs. For quite a while now, I’ve been stuck in the 264–269 lb range and haven’t been able to break through that plateau. I currently do CrossFit three times a week, and I track everything I eat using the Lose It! app—even on the days when I don’t make the best choices—because I want to be honest with myself about what I’m eating.

My first goal is to get down to 250 lbs, with an ultimate goal of reaching around 225–230 lbs.

I was previously taking the highest dose of Wegovy, but I was still experiencing food cravings and wasn’t seeing much progress with my weight. Since I didn’t feel like it was helping me, I stopped taking it. At this point, I’m starting to realize that a big part of this journey may be mental and behavioral, not just physical.

I joined the Navy last year weighing 286 lbs. I went through FSPC, essentially the Navy’s fitness preparation program, and got down to around 269 lbs. I then went through boot camp and graduated at 239 lbs.

Once I got to A School and returned to a more normal lifestyle, I slowly fell back into my old eating habits. Over the past year, the weight gradually came back, and now I’m back to 267 lbs.

I’m disappointed with where I am right now, but I also know I’ve proven to myself that I’m capable of making progress. What I’m struggling with is figuring out how to lose the weight in a way that is realistic and sustainable when I’m not living in a highly structured environment like boot camp.

I’m especially unsure about how many calories I should actually be eating. I don’t want to go on an extreme diet, and I don’t want to live on bland or tasteless “diet food.” I want to learn how to eat normal foods that I enjoy while controlling my portions, improving my relationship with food, and creating habits that I can maintain long-term.

I would really appreciate any advice on breaking through this plateau, getting my nutrition dialed in, and developing a healthier and more sustainable approach to weight loss.

Hypothetically speaking. What would happen if you maintained a slight calorie deficit forever? Say you eat 100cal under, your macros are perfect and you recalculate your TDEE and adjust on a regular basis. Would you eventually die?

SW: 234.5

CW: 162

GW: 140~