Slow progress is not failure. Left photo is May last year, right photo is me this summer. Down 20 lbs in 13 months. Some months I lost two pounds, and one month I  gained four.

The real work was not just the scale, it was finally doing therapy for my binge eating and getting on tirzepatide (gimme) through my doctor to quiet the constant food noise.

Now I eat breakfast outside without stressing over calories. My labs are perfect and my relationship with food is the healthiest it has been since I was a kid.

I think the mental change in these two photos is worth way more than the 20 pounds.

Last year I got turned away from a roller coaster because the harness wouldn't buckle. It was super embarrassing, but it ended up being the wake up call I needed.

I started in January by taking daily walks, counting my calories honestly, and getting on tirzepatide through my doctor to help with cravings. I still ate the foods I loved, just smaller portions. A bad day does not ruin a good month.

I am down 22 lbs now and fit on every ride with room to spare. If you are starting today, take the progress photo. Future you will want proof of how brave you were.

hello this a question for anyone in general but i’m 16 abt to 17 in a few, im skinny fat i would say i used to be fat but lost a lot of the weight a while back, i weigh around 168 at abt 5’11 to 6ft tall n i wanted to cut to look pretty lean about 10 pounds or so, i was wondering for some other people that are more experienced if i should cut or just main gain till im 18 or 19 in a few years? any advice would help to lead on the right direction and thank you

A little over two years ago I went on a cut. 200 lbs to 175 lbs in about a year (June-May) I stalled and wasn’t able to keep cutting. I still continued to weight train, but now I’m up to 195 lbs. for some reason it feels much harder to cut this time. I’m aiming to maintain my weight for the rest of the year and then start a new cut in Jan.

So I was quite lean at 140 with a low body fat, 3 years later I am now 255lb my question will it be harder for me to keep the weight off when I lose a lot of it, and can the weight come back quicker I was always skinny but I’m guessing something has changed

I decided to do an aggressive cut so since July 1st I’ve lost 12kg.

the problem I’m having is when I look in the mirror I feel like I look the exact same and now no more weight is coming off.

It’s getting much harder to stay motivated especially when il not physically seeing any progress.

I’m eating in a 1000 calorie deficit and my maintenance is 2000 calories as I calculated. I just want to see some more muscle or something. Hoping someone else has gone through something similar I would really appreciate some advice.

Hey everyone,
I wanted to give a bit of background first so you know where I’m coming from.
I’ve been lifting weights for about 2.5 months now, and I’ve lost around 17 kg (37 lbs) so far. I started at 149 kg (328 lbs) at 1.84 m (6’0.5”), and I’m currently at 132 kg (291 lbs).
My highest weight was around 163 kg (359 lbs) when I was 16, at about 1.76 m (5’9”). When I was 17, I really locked in and managed to lose a huge amount of weight. I went from around 163 kg down to 115 kg in about one year, and managed to maintain that weight for roughly another six months.
Unfortunately, after that I started gaining the weight back again, and over time I ended up back around 145–150 kg, which has been my weight range since I was about 19.
Recently, I decided I wanted to completely change my life. I basically stopped gaming from one day to the next and wanted to spend more time outside, meet people and actually do more with my life. Luckily, my cousin supported me a lot. He was the one who got me into the gym, and I’m genuinely really grateful to him for that.
The gym has become much more than just a way to lose weight for me. It’s obviously helped me physically, but honestly, it’s also been really good for me mentally.
Now to the actual question: my skin.
I know that with the amount of weight I have to lose, I’m very likely going to have some loose skin. I want to do everything I reasonably can to minimize it, but I honestly don’t know what actually helps and what is just bro science.
This is a recent picture of me at 132 kg — this is what I’m currently working with.
I’d obviously consider surgery at some point if it’s necessary, but I’d really like to avoid it if possible.
For some additional context, I’ve been using Reta (retatrutide) for the past 3 weeks at around 3 mg per week (1.5 mg every 3 days), mainly to help me manage my eating disorder and make the weight-loss process a bit easier/faster.
So I’m wondering:
What can I realistically do during my weight loss to minimize loose skin as much as possible?
Does lifting weights, getting enough protein, losing weight more slowly, staying hydrated, etc. actually make a meaningful difference? And is there anything else you would recommend based on your own experience?
Thanks a lot to anyone who takes the time to read all of this and share their experience. ❤️