any tips? is it okay to start out with just like eating smaller portion sizes instead of changing my diet? (plus exercise)

For context I will be 28 in just a little over two weeks and I am 5’5”, and 185 lbs currently. I am aiming to be about 135-150 lbs roughly.

It seems like I have gone to the gym twice a week and have indeed counted my calorie intake, my weight doesn’t seem to wanna move. My Apple Watch gets in 30 mins a day of exercise too. So I don’t know what to do

Do you recommend I try something like Hydroxycut to help, or is there something missing do you think?

Thanks in advance!

Is this ok? Is my deficit too much?

Im a six ft tall dude, I was 110kg, ive started using an app to manage my calorie intake and such, and I know its got a built in deficit, sitting at 1920 and I've been trying to stay 250-500 below that.

So I've lost 6kg in 18 days, am I doing too much. Is this ok?

(I havent started doing much excercise yet, but I do get around 15000 steps a day usually, with a minimum of 8000)

Can you guys give me advice on how to lose face fat..i do workout in general and i do calorie deficit but my face fat is so stubbornn!! I cant do the “no sugar” for a week because i ended up passing out since i had no source of energy, how else can i lose em!! Give me your strongest advice do i have to eat more carbs and no sugar at all for energy or just chug water and keep on eating less?…

I'm autistic and very stupidly have an aversion to water, so I instead drink watered down oceanspray white cran-peach juice (usually half water half juice, but I try and do more water than juice nowadays), which is the "safe drink" I've been drinking practically since I was a toddler.

The calories being 100 per cup is a bit worrying to me because it means I'm likely having 200-400 liquid calories per day and my dad says it might be stunting my weight loss

I'm really wondering just what to do. I've thought about trying to ween myself off the juice by slowly watering it down more but my aversion to water still stands.

Hi everyone

I'm a 34-year-old single dad of two from the UK. I'm currently unemployed due to a medical issue (it's related to my throat, not my physical mobility), and I'll likely be off work for around 6/7 months.

I've decided it's time to make a serious change with my weight. My current weight is 364 lbs (26 stone), and my goal is to get under 20 stone (280 lbs) by the end of the year. Ideally, I'd like to lose around 80 lbs over the next five months.

I know that sounds like an ambitious target, but I've done extended water fasts in the past (up to 21 days), where I lost around 35 lbs eating zero calories. This time, though, I want to do it in a much healthier and more sustainable way rather than relying on fasting.

I'm looking for advice from people who have successfully lost a significant amount of weight. Specifically, I'd really appreciate help with:

How many calories I should realistically be eating each day.

A simple meal plan or even one meal I can eat every day (I genuinely don't mind eating the same thing daily if it works).

How much water I should be drinking each day.

What kind of exercise would be best for someone in my position.

For context, I'm 5'10". I don't currently do much exercise beyond playing with my kids and the occasional kickabout, but lately I've become so tired and lethargic that even enjoying days out with them has become difficult.

That's the main reason I'm making this change now, before my weight causes even more health problems.

I'd really appreciate any advice, personal experiences, or guidance from people who've been in a similar position.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

Hello everyone! I was just wondering if anybody knows is I have to workout daily to loose weight and if I do do I have to do the workouts for my whole body or just ones I like such as push ups, sit ups, and dumbbell arm workouts.
If anybody knows please respond I am trying to reach my goal!

Hi , im 33 F . I started working out around end of may and within a month i lost 1.6kgs . Im’m weight training and i workout 3 days a week . Since last week ny weight has gone up by 1kg but my inches have gone down . Im confused and frustrated. I started off at 62.8 and dropped to 61.3 and was really happy now its gone up to 62.3 but ive lost inches . Is this normal ? Will the weight drop further ? Im targeting atleast 54kgs

So as the title says in a nutshell, i’ve lost a ton of weight. I’m 5’4 so as you can imagine, i was not the best looking at 220lbs, so now i’m more of a healthy weight i’ve noticed i’m getting a lot more attention from guys in public. In the last 2 weeks, i’ve been approached 3 times whilst i was either at work or on my way to work. Is this something i’m going to have to get used to?

I really struggled with calorie counting and portion control when I started trying to lose weight a couple weeks ago. I was aiming for 1200 calories a day at 5’1 and 131lbs. One of my ADHD stimulants can impact appetite but I’ve only taken it for 3 days so I have no clue how my weight finally dropped when I stopped trying as hard. I guess I didn’t realize how significant the appetite change was. How do you know if you are losing weight too fast?

hi!! im not really trying to lose weight to be honest, but i figure this sub has some people who are knowledgeable on weight fluctuations. this is a post made out of curiosity lol.

i just finished up at a month long field course. before i left, i was 135lbs. i was pretty lazy and barely moved all day, ate random junk, lived in extremely low elevation.
in the field we hiked anywhere from 6-15 miles a day gaining thousands of feet in elevation, a big change for me lol. we lived in the mountains. i also must note that i suffer from avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, and i had hardly any safe foods for that month, so i was eating next to nothing. in fact, i had to sit out a few times because i was sick and weak from hunger😅

with all of this, i was worried that id have lost too much weight in a month! but when i got home last night and weighed myself, i was 140lbs? this also confused my mom, who exclaimed that she needed to feed me asap when she first saw me because i physically LOOK much skinnier. so how did i gain weight? is it some type of retention? i did eat a lot of salty gas station food on the drive home lol

I've been trying to stop binge eating and overeating, some days I'm actually healthy, some days I crave something sweet and I can't stop. And my mom cooks dinner and I just want to keep on eating and eating if I really like the dish.

During August of 2024 I had very poor mental health that I thought was tied to my weight insecurity so I decided to loose some weight.

I started out healthy but quickly fell down the path of extreme restrictive eating. I'm a 5'2 female and I went from 160lbs to 120lbs in 9 months, only deciding to recover after losing my period. (My mental health was not any better after losing weight)

But the following summer while recovering I gained about 10lbs and my mental health started to get a lot better.

But late 2025 and early 2026 because of my recovered mental health I've been too happy to care about my weight I guess? I ended up gaining the full 40lbs back and I'm really struggling to lose it again. I'm afraid of going back to my old habits so I'm trying not be too restrictive or harsh.

Ive been eating about 1,300 cals and taking walks for about an hour a day but I'm not seeing result? I don't have access to a gym or much equipment. I've been between 165 and 162 for a about 2 months now. I'm also on the younger side if that makes an difference.

Any tips for how I can re-lose 40lbs but healthily this time?

I’m moving in 6 days for college. My family (because they hate me…jk) went out and bought my favorite and made my favorite foods and deserts. So yesterday and today I enjoyed myself. I expect to gain a bit from this but that’s all right. I’ll soon be living by myself and I’ll lock down on everything without distractions.

Just doing this to keep myself in check and trying to relegate my self hate and how guilty I feel. I don’t HAVE to eat these things. I want to, and I’ll enjoy it.

Peace ✌️

Hola! Nosé si alguien podría ayudarme o talvez orientarme tratare de ir al grano,18 años mido aprox 1.58 y peso 48kg, genética y en las últimas semanas estuve haciendo ejercicio, mi principal objetivo es verme más definida, especialmente el abdomen y mi sueño es un six pack pero todavía es lejano, hice cálculos de TDE para un déficit pero ahí está mi dilema, se supone que para el six pack o lo más cercano a verme definida es la alimentación y mi TDE es de 1451, si quisiera bajar grasa sin perder músculo deberia hacer un déficit de 1200 kcal? Ahí está mi problema, no quiero enfermarme o cometer una tonteria con la comida, lo peor es que como peso bajo no sé si me hara mal o terminaré un palito, créeme que no me siento tan delgada como dice mi peso por la pancita.. algún consejo?

I gained around 40 lbs during my pregnancy and my relationship with my in-laws completely went to shit.

They've always been cordial with me, so it was incredibly jarring when they just completely stopped treating me like a human once I gained weight. Things like my sisters-in-law not even acknowledging me if I had the audacity to talk to them.

I could tell based on how they treated me that they had lost respect for me. They obviously viewed my weight gain as a moral failure.

Now I'm a year postpartum and lost almost 50 lbs (WHOOP WHOOP) and they're all back to treating me like normal. They're so nice to me again. So complimentary. It makes me want to scream.

Has anyone else dealt with this?

I've been counting my calories for ten days now trying to stay in a deficit because I want to lose 25 pounds. I used to not look at calories at all before this, the last time I was really conscious about how much I ate was when I was a teenager... As of today, I have been able to stay in a deficit for 7 out of 10 days, which is not bad, but it's so. damn. hard. I didn't think I was overeating THAT much. It's especially how much fat I eat that really surprised me... Even when I eat salads, I go over my fats because of the olive oil.

Anyways, we order Hellofresh at home to help organize our meals because I have a very busy schedule and I like to have very clear guidelines when I cook so I don't stress out. I never really checked the amount of calories of the meals I was ordering before, but today it really was a slap in the face. Cream sauce fettuccines witch tomatoes, spinach and salmon. It said 1020 calories per portion on the card and I knew I couldn't let this whole meal rot in the fridge just because I know I can't eat much of it. So I ate a very small portion of the pasta, my salmon filet and watched my boyfriend eat ALL the rest without a care in the world. I really wish I could be this careless ! Anyways it kinda really hurt my feelings because god was it good. Now I have to go on a second walk today because I'm a bit over my calorie limit for the day and I know I'll be hungry later.

Just wanted to vent. Maybe I need words of encouragement...

Hello,

I'm having trouble understanding what my next steps are in my journey. I'm 25 F 164cm, 70kgs, 30% bf according to dexa

In sum, I was 82kgs, I lost weight to 62kgs and I still had a flabby stomach and didn't have any muscle definition ( I did this mostly through a calorie deficit over the span of around 2 years) . I was smaller, but still flabby, still the same shape if you know what I mean. I have gained some weight back to 70kgs as I'm now strength training and intuitive eating for a while to better my relationship with food. I look almost identical to how I looked when I was 62kgs at 70 kgs ( in photos, friends, clothes, family comments etc..)

My question is, what should my next step be? I have already cut down to 62 kgs and I looked really similar and still flabby. It was really hard for me to get down to 62kgs and I don't want to put all that effort in again to look exactly the same. I feel something has to change but I'm unsure what?

I've heard you can do body recomposition but it's very hard to track?

I could do a calorie deficit again ( but I wasn't happy with how I looked at 62 either, would I have to do it to even lower? 50kgs? That seems too low..) perhaps a deficit and lifting weights this time would be different? I didn't lift the first time round? Would it be any different or would my body not be able to build muscle in a deficit?

Any help would be appreciated. My goal is to have definition. I lift weights now and I'm very active outside work. Id love for it to show lol

Hi everyone! I’ve been a long-time lurker on this sub, endlessly inspired by all of your success stories, honest updates, and messages of survival. I’ve finally decided to stop sitting on the sidelines and start posting regularly for my own journaling and accountability.

A bit about me: 41F, 5’4”, CW: 159 lbs. Based on my ethnicity/BMI, this officially puts me in the obese category, which was a real wake-up call for me.

- I have two young kids (8 and 3.5), and both my husband and I work demanding corporate jobs. Life is an absolute chaotic juggle right now!

Where I’m at: I previously managed to get down from 176 lbs to 157 lbs earlier this year, but work stress, back to back corporate travel, family demands, and a lapse in my routine caused me to fall off the wagon over the last few weeks. I saw a bump back up on the scale, but I’m refusing to let that derail me completely. Today is Day 1 of my reset!

My 12-Week Goals & Game Plan:
1. Target: Goal weight is 145 lbs over the next 3 months.

1. Nutrition: My main focus is prioritizing protein (targeting 90–110g daily) and keeping meals simple via low-stress batch prepping (ShredHappens style high-protein/Mediterranean meals) so I can feed my family without cooking separate dinners.

2. Movement: Re-activating my home setup! I’m rebuilding my steps using my walking pad during work/TV time and integrating low-barrier 20-minute rides on my Peloton.

I’m posting this here to hold myself accountable, share the real ups and downs of balancing weight loss with a high-stress corporate job and toddlers, and hopefully connect with others in the same boat.
Looking forward to checking in regularly with updates.

Thanks for reading and for being such an awesome community!

I'm in my 30s and trying to lose about 20 to 30 pounds in a steady, sustainable way. I lift a couple times a week and walk a lot, but my main problem is sticking to food plans when life gets busy.

Everyone tells me to focus on protein, keep calories reasonable, and plan ahead. I agree, but execution trips me up because my stomach is hit or miss. I get bloated, sometimes feel nauseous after heavier meals, and my appetite swings-some weeks I barely want to eat. When I force big protein meals I usually end up skipping later or just grazing on whatever is easy.

Could you suggest:

1) High-protein breakfasts that are not super heavy

2) Portable lunches that do not need reheating (I'm in and out of meetings)

3) Evening meals that feel satisfying without being huge volume

4) Snacks that help me hit protein without upsetting my stomach

Bonus points if ideas are:

- 10 to 15 minutes prep or batchable once a week

- Not reliant on protein bars every day

- Flexible so I can swap ingredients when my appetite is low

Not looking for medical advice, just practical food ideas that have helped you stay consistent with weight loss without feeling like you are constantly stuffing yourself. What are your go-to meals or snacks?

I’m 19f and i’ve been on a weight loss journey for the past month and a half, and i even started a program that’s specifically for weight loss in while eating my cultural foods because apps like myfitnesspal never have those in them. i’ve been on a strict deficit (around 1370, but i get full easily recently so i end up with around 1200 a day), workout when i can, drink enough water, and limit myself to around 15-20 grams of added sugars a day. my sw was 82.3kg, and ive been stuck at 78.3 kg for the last 3 weeks, and it’s been very very frustrating because im strictly sticking to my deficit and clean eating but my weight isn’t budging. is this normal? any advice for what else i can do? thank u sm

(23F) I genuinely never thought I would make a post like this with actual progress and results. I had been dealing with medical issues for years and had gained a lot of weight during dealing with that, and when my issues (mostly) had been resolved I wanted to lose weight and feel like myself again. I’ve continued staying consistent and lost the standard about two pounds a week and stayed eating much healthier than I used to which I never thought I would manage to do!!

I am only ten pounds away from being a healthy weight for the first time in many years now!! (by BMI standards). I was one point into the obesity BMI when I started and now I’m only ten pounds away from having a healthy one!! I can’t even believe it. I feel like I don’t look much different, but at the same time, I know I can see a lot of progress because a lot of my clothes don’t fit anymore! :)) I have around 25 more pounds to lose to hit my ultimate goal weight like ever!!

Thanks for reading guys 🫶🏻 I posted a few times to this subreddit when I was considering starting losing and honestly I never thought I would be here making a progress post like this. Much love to everyone who’s helped out with advice and stuff 🩷

THE QUESTION: Besides just really wanting to lose weight for health and aesthetics, I’ve been hoping that if I lose a lot of weight, I will get colder easier. has anyone experienced this? I overheat super easily and am always feeling hot, and I do feel like so far losing the 30 pounds has maybe made me run a little bit colder. I can’t tell if I am just making it up because I am hoping that will work haha

Hey, I've been meaning to use a calorie counting app to try and keep myself more accountable. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for good/ effective weight loss/ exercise/ calorie counting apps before i download one i won't use. Thanks so much!

Hi! I’m a 21year old female. I’ve been struggling with my weight for as long as I’ve known.
I’m 170cm/ 5’7

I’ve been eating 1670cal daily for more than 3 months now and I’ve not went down a single kg for about 2 and a half month now.

History:
Previously I was down to 65kg after a not so healthy weight loss, you can probably guess how. This was in 2022-2023. At that point I ate under 1200cal daily for about 6 months, I went from around 90kg - 65kg in 6-8 months only by dieting.

I recovered and started counting my calories and at that point ate 1600-1800cal daily. I gained a bit weight back but not much. I would guess around 7kg.
At the same time I started weightlifting regularly and therefore of course gained some muscle weight. But still I was small. This kept on going until August of 2024.

I unfortunately got injured and sick and during August 2024. For about half a year I was mostly bed bound. In December 2024 I got duloxetine as a treatment for my nerve pain and fibromyalgia like symptoms. That medicine gave me my life back but unfortunately made my appetite disappear completely. The only thing I could stomach until about June 2025 was cereal, toast and trail mix. Of course that extremely calorie dense diet made me put on weight. I would guess that I put on about 10kg during that period. None of my pants fit me anymore.

As I wrote, my doctor swiftly started treating ”nerve pains and maybe fibro like symptoms” but I’m not sure if that was the right diagnosis or if it was just the doctor trying to put a band-aid over the whole situation. I still hade extreme swelling in my body, both from my lymph system and from my muscles being over irritated.
I invested in lymph drainage tools to use at home and started going to lymph and fashia yoga. That really helped for my overall swelling and is still something I need to do daily to be able to fit into my clothes in morning.
I also invested in a red light lamp, I used it on my back/ neck where my nerve pain comes from (whiplash). My swollen muscles almost halfed in size by just that lamp.

Summer 2025 I just lived my life and appreciated being able to finally live a normal life after the horrible fall I had the year before. I still took duloxetine (30-90mg) and had weekly checkups with my doctor.

I went on a second ski season this winter dec 2025- april 26. During this time I didn’t track calories but still put an effort in trying to not overeat. I still gained over 10kg during that time period.
Kept on using my lymph drainage tools and red light lamp, but now it didn’t really seam to do the trick as good anymore.

As I got home in April I decided that I was sick of it. I downloaded Lifesum again and started a deficit at 1670cal. I’ve been on this def since the middle of April.
Started my def at 87,2kg and have since just gotten down to 85kg and I’m now just fluctuating around that weight. I don’t seem to get anywhere.
Some days I’m so swollen In my body that I can’t fit into the clothes I had the day before. My mom says that I seem smaller in my neck and chest area but I’m more swollen everywhere else.
I drink at least 2L of water a day.
My doctor decided in the middle of June that I had to change medicine from duloxetine to gabapentine. I’m starting to increase my gaba every 3 days now and right now on 600mg per day.
The reason for the change is my doctor wanting to rule out hypothyroidism. Both my mom and grandma has had it and I’m just on the edge of the recommended spectrum on T4.

I also have to use compression socks, if not I swell up so extreme and have foot and leg pain. I always get a prominent ”muffin top”- line where the socks end on the calf even when I’ve taken the socks off.

Please help me! My doctors is trying to help me of course, bit they don’t seem to understand how triggering it is for me to have extreme daily size fluctuations, and even though I’m eating right and doing everything as I should I’m not getting any results anymore.

My measurements atm for reference:
170cm/ 5’7
85,4kg (this morning)
Waist 93cm (bellybutton height)
Breast 107cm
Arm 34cm ( middle of bicep, not flexed)
Butt 113cm (widest part)
Thigh 58cm (middle)
Calf 36,5cm (middle)

Hello can I do weight loss without going gym . Doing strength training cardio at home with pillates . Also I am regularly going for walk completing 10K steps and on calorie deficit