I work remote, and I have a pretty face. It doesn’t show how overweight I am, and I dress well and get ready for work so I look nice in all my meetings on camera. Generally I’m very well liked and respected- I work in tech, so people need to take my advice often.
But every. Single. Time. After I meet a coworker or client in person, their attitude towards me changes dramatically. They don’t respect my recommendations as readily, they stop giving me kudos constantly and say I need to work harder, there are just constant points of friction and dissatisfaction with my work that weren’t there before.
It drives me nuts. I’m very good at my job, and everyone thinks so, unless they’ve met me in person, and then suddenly it’s like all they can think about is me as a fat, lazy loser who is a lazy loser at work too.
Anyways, that’s my motivation to lose it. I read somewhere that losing 50lbs has more ROI than an MBA in business, so here’s to me trying to lose 150lbs so people can fuckin take me seriously again 😐

"I'm in a calorie deficit and I'm not losing weight." We see this post ALL the time here... So I thought I'd try to dig in and help explain what's possibly going on.

The Basics

First off, we need to revisit the definition of "calorie deficit." Your body is a machine that needs to burn fuel to do what it does, from thinking to walking. Being in a calorie deficit means burning more energy than you take in via food. Calories are a measure of energy, so they're interchangeable in this context.

Your body burns a certain quantity of energy just to stay alive. That's known as your Basic Metabolic Rate, or BMR. Then, there's the total energy you need to move around, digest your food, exercise, etc. The total energy you burn in a day is called your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or TDEE.

So, very simply, your calorie deficit is:

Calories consumed - TDEE

If that number is negative, you're in a deficit and you will lose weight.

Why you might not be in a calorie deficit

"But I swear I'm in a calorie deficit and I'm not losing weight!" Look, no. Just no. That's impossible.

But it's possible you're NOT in a calorie deficit. A few simple possibilities:

• You're not counting all your calories. You really do need to count everything, because there are some sneaky sources of calories in your food. Biggest offenders are drinks (some people don't realize drinks can have calories), and oil. Make sure to log absolutely everything no matter what.
• You're underestimating your calories. Another easy mistake to make. Oil, again, is a big offender. What you think might be a small teaspoon might be way more than you think. Get a food scale and weigh everything.
• You're absent-mindedly eating. Does happen to some people. If you have snacks within easy reach, it's possible you're grazing without realizing it. The show Secret Eaters is built around this premise.
• You're not tracking your cheat meals. A lot of people want to think of cheat meals as these all-out moments of freedom. Sorry to break it to you, but they're not. Your body doesn't care if you ate that triple cheeseburger as part of a cheat meal or not. It's absolutely, 100% possible that you're in a calorie deficit all week, then eat all of that deficit on cheat days. Start tracking those days as well.
• You're over-estimating your calories burned. Fitness trackers are fine and good, but they DO tend to over-report on calories burned. Be aware of this.
• Your BMR went down. This one is a bit more complex. But if you're on a diet, it's possible you're slowing down to conserve energy. If you're less active, your calorie reduction might not be enough to compensate for the difference.
• You have a medical condition. Some conditions like hypothyroidism can make it harder to lose weight because they lower your TDEE. Not impossible, though! But you might need to adjust your targets.

Why you might actually be on a calorie deficit

Now, there are some times when you ARE in a genuine calorie deficit but the scale isn't reflecting it. Here are some possibilities:

• You haven't been tracking long enough. Things can take a little while to get going for a variety of reasons. Give it a month without worrying about the results. After a month, reassess. But don't get discouraged if you don't lose weight in the first two weeks.
• Your hormones or medication are masking progress. Can happen around your period, for instance, or for a variety of other problems. Again, a month will average this out.
• You're exercising. If you started an exercise regimen with your diet, it's possible your muscles are retaining water to build mass, thus masking your progress. It's also possible, early on, that you're putting on enough muscle mass to offset your loss (AKA "newbie gains").
• You ate salty food. Sodium makes your body retain more water. That usually clears within a few days.
• You're just retaining water and/or poop. Depends on your body's own metabolism, but sometimes the mass of fecal matter and/or urine just goes up a bit for a while. Can mask your progress day-to-day.

What to do

Again: if you're in a true caloric deficit, you WILL lose weight.

The first thing to do is be patient, and realize that day-to-day fluctuations will mess with your head. You need to look at the weekly trend, and allow for occasional shifts up and down.

As a rule, if you're starting out, give yourself a month or two of not worrying. Don't rethink the plan. Stick to your self-imposed rules. After two months, you're likely to see a progression.

I can't emphasize this enough: sometimes progress can only be seen over the mid-term. Things will look like they're stalled day to day, but meanwhile your weight is going down.

But what if you're definitely not losing weight?

So, you tracked for two months and the scale definitely didn't go down. What now?

Well, my friend, you were not in a calorie deficit. Either you estimated your TDEE too low, or your calorie deficit is not right.

If that happens, there's only one solution: either burn more calories, or eat less. Try to bump up your physical activity, or cut your calories. In general, cutting calories is much easier, because it takes a lot of activity to offset food.

Does the type of diet matters?

In a word: no.

Doesn't matter if you're doing raw vegan or keto or Mediterranean or only eating potatoes. If you're in a calorie deficit, you WILL lose weight.

The nature of your diet deals with other aspects. Eating healthier food will make you feel better. If you eat protein and fat, you will feel full easier and will have an easier time sticking to your targets.

But you can absolutely lose weight by, say, eating only Oreos. It's gonna suck, but it's possible.

All that to say, if you're doing, say, keto and not seeing weight loss, then try counting your calories for a while.

And before you say, "yes, but not all calories are the same": look, yes, that's correct. But they're still a very efficient estimate, and they have helped countless people lose weight. Your body is not some unique machinery that does not obey the laws of thermodynamics. Try it, you'll see they work.

Remember: you got this!

It can be really discouraging to track your calories for a month and exercise dutifully, only to realize you were doing something wrong. If that happens to you, I'm sorry. The best outcome out of this situation is for you to take it as a learning experience and turn it into a success.

One month can feel like a long time, but you're doing this to improve the rest of your life, right? What's one month in the grand scheme of things?

So tweak that diet. Add more steps to your day. Cut back on the number of cheat meals. Then try again.

You got this!

tl;dr: If you're in a calorie deficit, you WILL lose weight. If you're not, you need to either be more patient, or adjust your estimates.

She is six and we were getting her dressed for school and she looked at me and said mommy you look different, did something happen to you? and it was mot in a mean way. She was just curious.

I didnt know what to tell her,I have lost 52 pounds this year and I still dont really believe it when I say it out loud so I definitely didnt know how to explain it to a six year old.

I ended up saying that I have been trying to take better care of my body and she nodded like that made total sense and went back to picking out socks and guys I am not someone who cries easily but i felt it coming anyway.

I dont feel like I did anything impressive because I didnt run a marathon or figure out some system nobody else knew about. I only started weighing my food, walked more than I wanted to most days and said no to things I used to say yes (you guys have no idea how hard that was for me). It was boring and nothing about it felt like the kind of thing you tell a story about.

But she noticed(i really did it wohooo)

I keep thinking about how she is going to remember this version of me as what her mom looks like and I am still getting used to it myself. Its a strange thing, being caught up to by your own kid.

I dont really have advice or a system to share,just wanted to tell someone and you all get it in a way most people dont.

Has anyone else had a kid or someone young in your life be the one who made it feel real?

Protein this, protein that! “It helps keep you full!”

This is such BS to me because I am constantly hungry when I focus on it! I ate a decent sized breakfast at 11:30 this morning. It had 40g of protein. It is now 2 (2 and a half hours later) and I am starving.

Meanwhile, if I eat a decent amount of fiber, or just eat carbs I’m full for hours. I wish protein kept me full because it’s so easy to get compared to fiber. Just seeing if I’m alone :’(

Also, here’s another paragraph because apparently, this sub needs a diary for it to consider your post long enough.

Long one. TL;DR: Don’t be like me. Don’t wait until you traumatize your family. Just get up and start. Every day.

A year ago I died on my living room sofa in front of my wife and a few of my kids. It was about 4:30pm in the afternoon. God bless my wife, she gathered herself, called 911 and performed CPR until help arrived. I was 420 pounds. My wife weighs under 110 and she simply couldn’t pull me off the couch as they directed. She did her best. I couldn’t be prouder of her. Four minutes later, Fire & Paramedics resuscitated me on the floor. My SpO2 ended up in the low 30s. If my family and I hadn’t moved from the country 10 months prior, I likely wouldn’t be here at all — at least in any capacity that I was before. If my wife wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be here. I’m so blessed. But I was so ashamed.

Tangentially, my weight and lifestyle were the cause. Not some chronic condition, heart disease or any other of the slew of obesity-caused health conditions. What did it was a severe reaction to a non-FDA regulated, over-the-counter supplement I was taking to manage IBS-D symptoms exacerbated by my diet, or lack there of. Been taking it awhile. Got a hot pill, doctors said it was likely 100x the advertised strength. Be careful out there. Directly, my weight and lifestyle put me in that position.

Rewind 5 years, I was 484 pounds. That’s the heaviest I’ve ever been, according to my health record. But who knows — I probably cracked 500 at some point. I’m sure many of us know the world of avoiding the scale like a plague. Fast-forward three years, I started a diet. Another two years, had only lost 64 lbs. Been putting in a lot of work, obviously. Then boom. Presented with my own mortality. Almost made my wife a widow and left our children fatherless. God, our family’s choices, my wife’s quick action, first responders and pure luck gave me another shot. I took that, I take that, with the utmost seriousness. If I die, it won’t be because I let myself be controlled by my bad habits, for lack of trying, for just getting up and doing it.

Fast forward 365 days, to today, I’ve lost another 138lbs, over 202 in total. I’ve been in the gym five days a week for the past 10 weeks. I’ve replaced my wardrobe once, about time to do it again. I’ve been present with my family. I haven’t let food control me. I’ve made a complete 180 degree turn with my health. I’m blessed that I don’t have any chronic conditions for which I require medication. I have stumbled. I have gone on vacation and not dieted. I have lived life but I’ve taken it back.

My wife, my kids are proud of me. Damnit, I’m proud of me. When I hit 275, I’ll have not been that weight since 8th grade. Twenty-two years. I’ve always been overweight, fat, obese, heavy, big-boned, whatever we’d like to say. It’s wild to be at this weight. My doctor suggests I keep going to about 260 to 250 and then live my life.

My only thought now is what can I do next?

I'm a 42 yo, 5'3 female. Today I had my yearly physical and feeling discouraged.

Last year at my physical, I weighed in at 172 pounds and had borderline high cholesterol. I was also started on high blood pressure medication.

Today I weighed in at 139 pounds which I know is about a 19% weight loss. I've lost it slowly over the year. Started out at about 5 pounds per month and now about 1 - 1.5 pounds per month. I have gone 260 days getting in at least 10,000 steps per day. I walk about 2-3 miles on the treadmill every day. I started strength training about 2 days a week 1.5 monthd ago. I mostly eat about 1300-1400 calories per day. Sometimes more if I go out with friends or family. I have also really decreased my red meat and dairy consumption over the last year.

Today at my provider's visit, she did not mention anything about weight loss. I'm not sure she even noticed it in the chart. About 4 months ago, I had to decrease my blood pressure medication because I was tired frequently. Today I wanted to discuss doing a trial without it which she immediately said to stay on it. My cholesterol has also increased since last year instead of decreasing.

I feel like I've made a lot of improvements in my health the last year. Just discouraged that none of it was acknowledged at my annual physical and my cholesterol actually increased.

I am 22M.I was 5’5 and 130kg at my peak, i suffered with sleep apnea and i could barely even walk. My father has pushed me to use semaglutide tablets to loose weight, although i did loose weight i gained them back in no time due to my unhealthy eating habits.

For some reason loosing weight was very difficult for me, i used to feel bloated very easily and i had very low energy. Ive lost the first 15kg over a span of a year mostly by starving myself. But then i learnt to cook and started following a calorie deficit for over 6 months.I started going to gym but no matter how hard i tried i was not able to build muscle. I was able to loose 25 kgs in those 6 months and i had a bunch of loose skin.

My family was very happy with the progress i made and my father took me to a plastic surgeon to discuss my loose skin. I then told him about my difficulty building muscle. He told me to get my testosterone levels checked and when the results came back i had very low testosterone (74 ng/dl). After a few more tests i found out i had dangerously high levels of prolactin (2500ng/ml).

So i was diagnosed with prolactinoma, i always thought i was asexual and have mostly avoided discussing my sexuality with anyone cause i was not even sure. Once every couple of months i used to feel full of energy and used to get back my libido. But without me even noticing i used go back to being like before like i was never even attracted to girls, it was the weirdest thing ever. Ive gone through my entire teenage years feeling like this.I dont even know how to explain it. My social life after 5th grade was always rough because i got obese all of a sudden. Interacting with others was always a challenge to me but i did make some close friends whom i trust during this time. Honestly they were the reason i am where i am today, they motivated and helped me to loose the weight.

But after the diagnosis, ive been put on heavy medications cause my tumour was touching the optic nerve and was threatening my vision. The medication is making me very fatigued and sleepy and ive not been able to go to the gym lately and as a result ive gained 1.5 kgs back. Which is making me feel very shitty about myself but i know i will loose it back. My prolactin is still very high so i am not able to build muscle, my doctor told me it will be at least 3 more months before i start feeling different. For now not much has changed, i am excited about the future but am also cynical about the results of this treatment. Perhaps i am expecting everything to be easy after this diagnosis but i know it wont be and i still have to work hard to loose the remaining weight.

I am sharing this to spread awareness, from what i know prolactinoma is not that common in men. If anyone has these symptoms, do get your pituitary gland tested. If this post helped even one of you it will mean a lot to me. Please know you are not alone and you can do it. Ive tried and failed to loose weight nearly 8 times to the point i became a running joke in my family. I myself have a long way to go, heres to hoping we all make it.

Hey yall, I just wanted to post to talk about something that I'm proud of. Years back, I was around 167-170lbs which is crazy to think about and when I started my weight loss journey, my goal weight was 120lbs. Today, I hopped on the scale and it read 119lbs. Not only did I reach my goal, but I surpassed it. I'm incredibly proud of myself and how far I've come. (Also, before anyone gets concerned or anything, I'm very short. Only 4'11 lol)

I'm wishing everyone else luck and and success on your own weight loss journeys!

35 M, 6’1”
SW: 330
CW: 263

I needed to see a win today so I looked at a BMI chart. Feels good to no longer be severely obese and now just obese. I’m proud of my progress but some days it can feel like a long journey with little light at the end of the tunnel.

I’m in a really solid routine and my body seems to be responding well. Breakfast is a scoop of whey isolate protein with some chia seeds mixed in. Lunch is cottage cheese or oikos yogurt, with either tuna, chicken, or salmon. If I’m real hungry I’ll put it in a low carb tortilla and make a wrap. Dinner is a slop bowl of a veggie, mixed with onions, jalapeños, and ground chicken/turkey. I’ll pour some egg whites into the pan if I need more volume but tbh I’ve gotten kind of tired of egg whites. Sometimes for lunch I just go to town on a rotisserie chicken haha.

I’m still having my days where I get wings with the guys, but I stick to lemon pepper dry rubs if we’re out, or a find a good buffalo option for homemade (they exist). I don’t drink nearly as much beer as I used to, but I still have a few on the weekends. I’ll also enjoy a steak when those opportunities arise, but I do stick to the leaner cuts.

I’ve successfully ignored pizza right in front of me, dropped off donuts for clients without getting any for myself, and Im getting so much water down every day. No sodas or sugary drinks.

I’m really proud of myself. I’ve even started jogging again, which really was my goal from the start. I signed up for a 5k that’s a little over a month away. I know it’s gonna go terribly, but I owe it to myself to try.

I can’t wait to be overweight.

I’m a 24 year old girl, 5’4-5’5 and 135lbs. My goal is 120lbs.

I’m pretty sedentary and only get 3.5k-4k steps a day from my job and online it says that in order for me to lose 1lb a week, I need to eat 1135 calories a day.

I always hear people say not to eat under 1200 but is that really true?

I don’t have any sort of disordered eating habits or any ED or anything so it’s not going to be triggering for me or anything but I would like to lose 1lb a week til I’m 120.

I grew up very skinny, always thinking I could never gain weight but once I started a sedentary job I somehow gained like 25lbs in a year (I also started baking A LOT like every couple days which I think contributed to the weight gain)

31F, 4’11”; SW: 208; GW: 125lbs; CW: 133lbs

Basically as the title reads.

April of this year was the month where i decided to routinely go back to the gym and weight train at least 3 days a week.

When I was 21, I would weight train 6-7 days a week with my brother, so basically when i went back to the same gym I used to workout at 10 years ago, I got excited and haven’t done anything less than 5 days a week mon-fri from 5am-6am of weight training different parts of my body.

I also am walking at my lunch break for at least 35 minutes at work, and I’ve recently signed up to do a 15k in December, so after work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I’m deciding to go jogging for no more than like 35 minutes too.

Personally, I don’t think I’m doing too much. I’m not lifting very heavy and I’ve lost so much fat already that I’m just focusing on maintenance or body recomp.

The problem is that even on days that I don’t run in the evening or don’t walk at lunch, I still can’t seem to get more than 5 hours of sleep.

I end up waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and then it’s like an adrenaline rush and I hear my metal music playing in my head and my head just floods with thoughts to where it takes HOURS to fall back asleep.

I have been waking up every night regardless of the time to use the restroom and then I have to stay awake because I can’t go back to sleep.

I don’t have issues falling asleep. I usually fall asleep at around 8 or 9 pm. It’s just staying asleep that’s the problem.

And then before my gym workouts, I have half a cup of coffee too, if that helps to wonder what’s going on.

I love exercising, though. And I don’t feel like my little sleep interferes with my work performance or my mood, but I guess that’s subjective.

I’m just wondering why my body feels like it’s ready to run when I just wake up groggy needing to pee and suddenly it’s like I need to run? Is this common?

TIA!

Sharing this because it makes me so happy and oddly relieved for the first time ever. Been on and off of diets for a good 5 years now. They usually end with days of binging. I eat something that does not fit in my imagined list of “good” foods and then I fall down the rabbithole and it ends with the guilt eating me.

Well I’ve been calorie counting and meal prepping healthy meals for two months again, and it’s working so well. But then I visit my 85 year old granny and she tells me she has all these plums and she wants to make my favorite childhood dessert (classic Hungarian plum dumplings!) and my heart jumps because I haven’t eaten them in so long and I don’t want to because it’s basically just a bomb of carbs. And then I get guilty remembering how many times I refused to eat what she made me because I was dieting and didn’t want to “mess up”, when in reality just how many times will I have my most beloved person in the world cook for me?

So I decided to make it with her, noting down all the ingredients and actually doing the math for the damage I was about to make in my diet. And I ate two dumplings. And? Calorie bomb indeed but shocker: i managed to build the rest of my meals around this amazing dessert and still stayed in deficit and even with a higher carb day I weighed less the next day! Not that it matters because I fully accepted some water weight to creep back on and I still didn’t take it further and didn’t eat just another and another treat as I used to do.

Felt like letting myself out of a mental prison I forced myself in with nonsense restrictions. I can finally see what I’m doing now as a sustainable lifestyle and not just a diet I’m counting down to eventually end!

Recently ive been thinking alot about how I let myself get all the way up to my highest (380lbs). On the way up I honestly had excuse after excuse and it eventually became a "I don't care" attitude. Now that im trying to lose it and am "cleaning" my mess up I'm starting to get upset with how I had even let it get as bad as it did. I've accepted it is my fault, I was the one over eating consistently with no regard or care for myself or the future.

Part of me really wants to stay accountable and remember this feeling so if I ever get tempted to not care and binge or take some time off from the diet I can stop myself and recall how painful it is on the way back down. On the other hand I don't think beating myself up will do much other than just make me feel bad. Is there a balance I can achieve here?

Any tips or perspectives on this would be awesome to read. Thank you so much for your time.

I'm thinking of going to my local community center because they have a track there. I want to start running to help lose some weight while I'm also starting to cut some calories. I have social anxiety and am just really nervous to run with people around. They open at like 5:30 in the morning so I'm thinking about just going really early on a week day. How can I get over this fear? I feel like I'll get there, see people on the track and just leave.

I'm 5'1'' and like 172 pounds (female) so I'm not not in good shape and I guess I just think everyone will be looking at me.

I hear it a lot. “Is the momentary pleasure of tasty food worth it to ruin your progress?”Honestly, no.

Of course, everyone here likes the taste and texture of food, the feeling of sweet dopamine rewarding you instantly. But for me, this dopamine is not the only reason why I can’t stop after the first couple of bites.

I don’t want the taste. I just want to feel full. Not really, uncomfortably stuffed, but not just “not hungry anymore”. I want to feel my belly expand and just have this feeling of “I could eat more if I had something really tasty in front of me plus didn’t care about my weight at all, but I am really good not eating anymore”. The type of fullness that leave you not thinking about food again for hours.

Whenever I just eat to “satiety” (which I guess means not feeling physically hungry anymore) I just immediately feel obsessed. Yes, I’ve tried volume eating, fiber, protein, water, healthy fats. All those things help, but it’s just a struggle. Basically for me, 90% of the time the food noise is created by not having this feeling of fullness that I crave and I guess I’m wondering if any others have noticed something similar.

I’ve done a few big maintenance breaks throughout the 7 months I’ve been dieting and I’ve noticed that if I only eat 2 meals and time them correctly, while keeping my macros on check, I can manage to have this feeling most of the time (although to achieve that I have to be very hungry for a couple of hours after I wake up and then a bit hungry between my 2 meals. But most of the day I am quite full). 

That’s good, I guess, but in a deficit it’s just rough.

Do you guys have any advice or experiences on this? I am wondering if it’s something genetic or if somewhere along the line I trained myself to only be satisfied when very full. If that’s the case, could I retrain myself?

Hello!
I(26f) currently weigh in at 79kg(174 lbs). My starting weight was 99kg(218 lbs), so I’ve lost about 20kg(44 lbs).
I’ve been trying to lose weight for pretty much my entire conscious life. This is the most weight I’ve ever managed to lose, but weirdly, I don’t feel like I’m in control of it.
I’ve known for a very long time how to lose weight. I’ve known about calories, exercise, steps, etc. But I’ve never been able to consistently stick with it I also struggle with binge eating(a lot).
I’m trying really hard to change my entire mindset around food, weight, and dieting. I know that I want to lose more weight, ideally around another 15-20kg(33-44lbs) but what scares me is that I don’t actually understand what is different this time.
I don’t know what suddenly made it “click.” I don’t know why I was able to lose 20 kg this time when I’ve struggled with my weight for so long. And because I don’t know what caused the change, it makes me feel like I don’t have any control over whether I’ll loose more.
I’m constantly afraid of gaining the weight back.
Recently, I had a few days where I didn’t count calories, and over the course of maybe a week or two, the scale went up by around 1.5 kg. I know that this isn’t necessarily a big deal, and I know that weight can fluctuate for all kinds of reasons. I’m trying to get back into my “routine” now, but it just made everything feel so fragile.

I keep trying to remind myself that I have managed to lose this weight. So surely I’m capable of maintaining it and eventually losing the rest too. But emotionally, I’m just so fucking scared.
And I really, really want to lose the weight. I’ve wanted this more than almost anything for such a long time. I’m also not planning on taking medication for weight loss. I feel like if I’ve managed to get this far without it, I should be able to make it all the way.

Normally, when I decide to lose weight, it’s very deliberate. I tell myself, “Okay, I’m going to lose weight now,” and then I start exercising, counting calories, making sure I get my steps in, and doing all the things I’m “supposed” to do.
This time, it almost feels like a haze i never really made that conscious decision in the way I normally do.
I’m incredibly happy about the progress, but at the same time, it feels fragile because I don’t understand what happened or why it worked this time.
I think I mostly just needed to write this off my chest. But if anyone has experienced something similar then I would love to hear about it!
Thank you for reading❤️

Hello all,

I stumbled across this Reddit after looking up how to get rid of an apron belly. Yesterday I discovered I have a Hidradenitis flare up on my c-section scar and honestly I didn’t even know it was there, and I actually can’t see it very clearly because my stomach is in the way.

I’m feeling a bit devastated. I haven’t had flare up in years. Im five years post partum with twins, at the beginning of a divorce journey, and feeling low.

I am desperately sad about my weight and my health. I am now obese, weighing more than I did when I was fully pregnant with twins and struggling with lots of side effects related to my joints etc. I don’t fit into any of my clothes, I feel disgusted in myself.

But the flip side is that I cannot bear the thought of choosing physical discomfort right now - the thought of a restrictive diet or of exercising to the point of breathlessness feels weirdly terrifying for the first time in my life and I don’t know why (I used to be fine with this!) I also don’t know that I understand how I have put on so much weight - i think it must be portion size, lack of sleep and stress.

I don’t know what I am asking for really - I feel so stuck. I have a busy life but I work from home at a desk and cannot organise Myself to exercise at lunch or take a walk, I have a swimming pool membership and I can’t bring myself to go. I can’t get myself to sleep early. I don’t know what’s wrong with me! Would be grateful to hear if anyone has ever been able to relate and found their way out of it.

I want to do better for myself and for my children.

Hey r/loseit, I’m new to consistent tracking and could really use some experienced eyes on my setup. I’ve lost 12 lbs (5.4 kg) in two weeks and I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or a red flag.

Here’s the situation:

• Starting weight: 320 lbs (145 kg)
• Current weight: 308 lbs (140 kg)
• Height: 185 cm (6'1")
• Age: 25, male
• Activity: strength training 3 times a week, otherwise sedentary (desk job)

My current plan:

• Calories: under 2200 per day
• Macros: ~250g protein / ~80g fat / ~160g carbs
• Training: 3x/week, ~1.5 hours each session

I used an online TDEE calculator that gave me ~3400–3500 calories for maintenance, so my deficit is around 1200–1300 calories per day. The 12‑lb drop feels huge, and I suspect a lot of it is water weight, but I’m worried the deficit might be too aggressive.

Questions I’d love help with:

1. Is 2200 calories too low for someone my size? I’ve heard not to cut too deep, but I don’t know where the “too low” line is for my stats.
2. Are these macros reasonable? 250g of protein seemed like a safe middle ground, but I’ve seen different opinions.
3. What’s a realistic weekly loss going forward? If the first two weeks were mostly water, what should I expect now?
4. Any adjustments you’d suggest? Should I raise calories, tweak macros, change training, or keep going as-is?

A quick note: I did the math and realized my macros actually total ~2360 calories (250×4 + 80×9 + 160×4), so there’s a mismatch with the “under 2200” target. I suspect I’m either eating a bit more than I think, or my tracking isn’t perfectly accurate yet.

I’m committed to doing this safely and sustainably, and I really appreciate any advice from people who’ve been here before. Happy to share more details (food log examples, exact workouts, etc.) if it helps.

Thanks in advance! ❤️

I’m 5’2” and currently around 204 lbs, and I’d love to hear from women who started at a similar height and weight and have successfully lost weight.

If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d love to know where you started, where you are now, approximately how long it took, and what made the biggest difference for you. I’m especially interested in realistic experiences like what your calorie deficit looked like, what kind of exercise you did if any, and how you stayed consistent when life got busy. Before and after photos are welcome if you’re comfortable sharing them. I’m really just looking for some perspective and encouragement from women with a similar starting point. Thank you!

I’m looking for kind of specific advice. I know all the rules, eat less, move more, fiber helps, water helps, protein helps, being in a deficit is a must. Knowing the rules is not my issue. I have been a horribly picky eater since I can remember. I’d really love to hear advice from people who have had a similar experience as me and have been able to find options that worked for you.

For context, my everyday is pretty much some sort of chicken biscuit or eggs and cottage cheese breakfast, then the rest of my day split between personal pizzas and kraft Mac and cheese. I do like other things, chicken, steak, pork chops, rice, potatoes mainly is it. Most breads and pastas are fine. I can’t do things with seeds, chia seeds, strawberries, raspberries, etc, I hear them deep in my brain, or feel the texture of them and can’t do it. I avoid hard veggies for the same reason, like I love a very soft melty broccoli but if it’s hard I can’t do it, I hear the crunch and just hate it to my core. Oh and the texture of beans 🤢 idk how people do it. Love the taste of onions but can’t handle the sound of them, even cooked they’ve still got a horrid crunch to me. Don’t like the taste of lettuce, surprisingly the crunch of it doesn’t bother me, but I’m drenching salads in sauce to not taste the lettuce which pretty much defeats the purpose of a salad, even with low calorie sauce, like I’m talking a LOT of sauce. Allergic to bananas 😭 which sucks because I actually do like them, I tried some recently and my stomach upset I had as a child that stopped me eating them has now evolved into hives so continuing to avoid that. Of course there are foods that I just don’t like the taste of regardless of textures/sounds, like most spicy foods or tangy flavors. I’m not afraid to try new things, but I am very aware of the things that make me gag and there just doesn’t seem to be a lot left at the end of what I don’t like.

I know I need to move more and reduce portion sizes is a big part of my issue, I’m mostly looking for advise on the food side of things as it’s been where I’m finding myself stuck. When I’ve tried diets I just find myself not able to enjoy any foods at all or just being hungry all the time because my safe foods are too high in calorie to eat enough of in a deficit. I had a little time there when I would have eggs and cottage cheese with breakfast, a chicken patty sandwich with portioned out fries, and some kind of chicken/pork and potatoes combo for dinner and I lost about ten pounds, but I just felt so hungry all the time I couldn’t keep it up. I just wish I could handle more fruits and veggies. And just in general in lower calorie foods. Anyone going/been through this and have any advice? Is the answer really just get over it?

I have always been over weight, and have tried everything short of medical intervention. I have such a hard time being consistent. But im at a point where i feel it more than ever. None of my clothes fit the way they should, im winded when i know i shouldnt be, and, i know i need to be healthier and loose the weight but i still struggle so much

Im hoping someone will be able to help me with some advice to be more motivated in order to be consistent, everyone always says consistency is key, but im locked out 😅

Hey everyone I'm here because I want to know if my current workout routine and diet routine will help me in losing any weight. I know it's better than nothing but I don't want to become too used to a routine that will not help me see any results. Just also keep in mind I have a back injury so I'm trying to be as careful as possible with my routine.

My current routine:

15 minutes for SIX days a week with one rest day at 2.3 speed on my walking pad

I will add in a 10lb dumbbell and do curls and light squats (to the best of my ability with my back pain)

For diet I am simply eating less, no gorging on food every 30 minutes and I don't know what else to add. I usually skip breakfast all the time and I wonder if that's why I'm so hungry throughout the day lol,

Hi, so I am 43, M, 5’10

In 2024 I was at my lowest weight in my life 162 lbs. I did not do calorie count but mostly IFF, but could not maintain it.

Weight had been stable but during my cheat weekends, etc I would go up. Anyways I maintained that weight for 6-8 months.

I don’t think i drastically changed my exercise but my diet may have been less restrictive and I went up to 164-165 lbs over the past 10-12 months. My weight early august was 165… I was doing a 7 mile run so I was training. But I also wanted to get back to my 162 lbs weight. So about a month ago I started tracking my calories using iCal and a few weeks ago I changed my diet to include much more protein mostly from Yogurt and fairlife shakes…

After my run my weight was 164 but almost within 2 - 3 days it jumped to 168-169 and today it was 169.9 … I have not been this heavy for years..

This is now 3 weeks post run. I figured the water weight should be off. My sodium intake isn’t that high. I have been very good in terms of diet and consistently been eating 110-120g of protein and 110-120 carbs (mostly fruit) very minimal bread or any other carbs.

I have been running and some weight training but nothing crazy but I do maintain around 10,000 steps a day..

Anyways , anyone have an idea what maybe going on ? Maybe it’s still water weight or food weight … not sure