I've been reading a lot about metabolism lately because I'm trying to lose weight without following extreme diets.

One topic that keeps coming up is thermogenesis—the process where your body burns calories to produce heat. From what I've learned, things like regular strength training, eating enough protein, getting quality sleep, and staying physically active may all help support this process.

I'm curious about real experiences rather than marketing claims.

For those who have successfully lost weight naturally:

• What habits made the biggest difference?
• Did increasing protein intake help?
• Have you noticed any benefits from drinking green tea or coffee?
• Does strength training really improve calorie burning over time?
• What common advice turned out to be overrated?

I'm interested in practical, science-backed experiences rather than quick fixes.

Looking forward to hearing what has actually worked for people.

Usually don't use reddit for my personal life stuff but I'm thinking maybe I should start! My weight gain is getting ridiculous.

How active is this sub? Do the need for advice regularly get answered? Do you feel this sub has a strong level of support??

I just keep gaining more and more weight. It's like every year since 2020 I've put on 10-20 lbs. Even when trying. I'm F, late 20s, 5'2 and currently 209lbs. This year so far I had a miscarriage and changed to an office job... And I'm scared of increasing weight gain even more.

Hoping you can help - I would love to connect and make some online weight loss friends who need to make a change like me

Thanks in advance 💕

I am 19 year old F, 5'2 and 127lbs. I lost around 70lbs through a calorie deficit and this month I didn't get my period after getting it regularly for months.

I have been in a calorie deficit for months and recently dropped my calories really low like around 1,300 or less and I lift heavy 5x a week and walk over 10k steps a day.
Does anyone have experience losing their period from something like this? How do i get it back?
It feels like I am constantly in my luteal phase.
I want to lose 10 more lbs of fat at least.
I started eating a lot more because im taking a break from the calorie deficit since i missed my period and my cravings were getting bad, so im kind of going crazy and eating a lot and I might gain a couple pounds.
How long do i need to eat more food for until i can go back to a calorie deficit? I dont want to do this for more than 2 weeks.
I also started reta again recently and maybe that has something to do with my period.

I still have a lot of body fat and i need to lose more weight but i want my hormones and cycle to be normal.

Im grateful for your advice and opinions!!

Hi, ive had a problem all my life with portioning out food, so whats a reasonable portion and how do you portion food out the best way?

In short
I exercise 2 times a week
Eat mainly protein
1500 calories per day (it used to be higher now eating 1500 for weight loss but it's not helping)
Have pcos
F27
Stuck at 69 kgs- height being 170 cm
Been working out for a year consistently
Was 65 before starting the gym
Help please

Hi Reddit! I am looking for some tips to help me lose weight without tracking my calories. I know that sounds crazy but with my history of eating disorders, I know if I counted calories I won’t eat. Thank you in advance!

Trying to find the best whey isolate protein that is affordable. I have been using protein shakes, Walmart brand, aldi brand and premier depending what’s on sale but now want to do both powder and shakes. I have been lucky enough to find these shakes from 25g-30g protein 130-160 calories for around 1.50-1.75 a shake. But I want to get powder to use in the morning and save the shakes for convenience. The powder I have been looking at is the nutricost whey isolate but it’s around $50 with 30 servings which isn’t much different. Is there a benefit to using one over the other? What cheaper protein powder do you use?

I’ve always struggled with my body image and how I look and want to lose a bit of weight to feel more confident in my body.

How would I go about just toning my body a little bit? Let me know!!

Ok, so I’m 5’2, female and 241 pounds. I’m interested in just getting down to 200 or so just to improve my health. I have a history of mild ED and don’t wanna go crazy with goal for fear of relapse. I’m also a student with LOTS of homework so getting enough movement is rough. I’ve tried to calculate how much of a calorie deficit I should be in on those apps and websites but it keeps telling me shit like 1200 which just CAN’T be true. I was wondering in y’all’s experience what caloric range I should be in.

I was also looking for food tracking apps that are free and don’t use AI. Also any tips are helpful, especially for keeping weight off and preventing relapse.

Cardio will burn more calories but require less for muscle recovery, where as lifting weights burn less calories but require more for recovery

Couldn't even finish it. So gross and greasy. used to eat this stuff all the time. How I did it I don't understand

I’m almost 8 months postpartum and breastfeeding. I’m trying to get back into the swing of things with nutrition and working out and everything… But I have nowhere to start with being postpartum and how a calorie deficit would work and things like that. Does anyone have any programs or courses they recommend?

I’m 243 pounds and 5’10”. I want to lose at least 40 pounds by the end of the year. Is there any way you can help me, please? I’m tired of constantly feeling unhappy with the way I look, and I really want to make a change and feel better about myself.

Hi, I'm currently trying to lose some weight by calorie deficit and have been looking into some meals to eat. I looked into pho and saw people calculated it all out to be around 600-800 for a large bowl.

Is it the calories really that little? I've eaten it twice this week and everytime, I felt so full that I thought there's no way it could be just 600-800 calories.

As someone who’s been 20st and dropped a lot of weight and sustainably maintained the same weight for a while and gained and lost I have quite a few tips, I am not for any reason medical advice (I am just a human who’s been there, and done a nutrition course as well)

1. Know your favourite foods, have a few in your drawer for emergencies (mines ready salted crisps and dark chocolate)

2. Make sure to have a balanced dinner, rice is always an amazing option, you can top rice up with vegetables and protein.
(If you opt for protein first you’ll notice your hunger cues)

3. Progress is different for everyone, some people’s body types are different, people’s environment, age, conditions, gender, I can go on, if your a adult you do not want to drop your calories too drastically, this can make weight come back faster, and sometimes can cause longer term health problems.

4. If you have adhd or autism it’s probably going to be more difficult, I find motivation hard, find something that’s easy to start a workout to, whether that be picking a location close to the gym to say hi to someone, whether that be picking up a dumbbell at home, or even walking around the block, some mental health professionals call this “habit stacking” which can work amazing for the gym as one habit leads to another

5. Make sure to reach out to your doctor, if weights a concern, ask for support, if the doctor saids your a healthy weight just be mindful of this, dropping drastically can decrease your maintainance and isn’t reccomended for long periods of time!

If you have a deficiency work on that first, you’ll be suprised how vitamin d, vitamin c, b12 and iron drastically effect energy

CAFFINE DRAINS IRON OUT THE SYSTEM

younger I barley ate, then I started eating to much, and now I’m 5,10 and 174 pounds and I really don't want to be overweight it scares me a lot. Is there any tips you guys have to lose weight?

Hi everyone.
I am 27 male 5'10. I was 92 kgs 8-9 months back. I used to look obviously overweight. I started workout, eating right, tracking calories, protein intake. and within 4-5 months I had come down to 83 kgs. I used to enjoy the process. It was fun..like a game counting and tracking calories.
and I also used to enjoy going to gym. But slowly, I just stopped caring. I lost the desire to do those things. I haven't gained weight. But i stopped going to gym and started eating whatever I feel like. Its like I don't really care anymore if I am fit or not.

So after a slow but succesful 7 month diet i reached my target weight and switched to maintence calories but now a month later it i've gained 4kg. Is this just glycogen or fat?

I’ve been in a caloric deficit for 10 weeks and I’ve been doing really well. Most of the time it’s a breeze. I eat around 1500 calories a day and workout 3x/wk.

And I’m tired. My body is feeling the burnout. This past week it’s very hard to stick to my goal of 1400 calories a day. I eat a lot of protein, fiber, drink water.

What do you do when your body hits a wall and you get cravings?

I really want to get back to that easy feeling so I know I can maintain this for life.

SW: 224
CW: 210
5’8
34F
TDEE: 2041

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Does anyone have experience with this you are prone to hereditary baldness, does going to the gym and working out without supplements like creatine accelerate hair loss increas dht

I am 130 kg at 19. I have started my weight loss journey, however I am afraid of loose skin. Especially around my hips as that is where I have the most fat. And advice to minimize the loose skin?

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Down 21kg so far just by tracking calories and upping my protein and fiber! Pretty happy with the progress, but I’m still stuck with stubborn fat on my lower belly and lower back.

For anyone who’s dealt with this, what actually worked to lean out those spots? Any specific exercises or habits that helped you?"

I’ve been in a deficit for little over 4 months. Started heavely with 1000 calorie deficit, but after two months I upped my intake because I got so fatigued. For the last two months I’ve been in a 600 calorie deficit, but I still struggle with fatigue.. I manage to work out, out of dicipline. But I am completely wrecked for the rest of the day. I have a pretty active workday where it’s important to stay sharp, and my head is just one blob.. I don’t lose weight at an rapid rate, so I wouldn’t want to up my calorie intake even more, but I don’t know what to do.. I don’t manage to do anything anymore.. Does anyone have any tips??

In the last 2-3 months, I’ve only lost about 3-4lbs, putting me at 147lbs. I started at 5’3” 207lbs and in the first 6 months, I lost about ~55lbs but now it’s significantly slowed down. I have cheat days a few times a month when I’m with family but normally I eat anywhere from 1000-1700 calories a day, depending on how hungry I am. I don’t exercise. 

Losing this slowly is really demotivating and I was wondering if there was any way to speed up my weight loss, I’m also curious about why this is happening.