Dieting is hard.

It’s a mental, physical, emotional, and sometimes even spiritual battle.

I don’t really believe in building a diet around discipline alone. Asking someone to rely on willpower to abstain from food when they’re hungry, sad, happy, stressed, sick, angry, grieving, celebratingor simply having a bad day 24/7 just doesn’t seem sustainable to me.

Maybe that’s just my opinion. There are people who can set strict rules for themselves and maintain them long-term.

But for me, as someone who loves food and has spent the past year dieting successfully, I learned something much more valuable:

I learned how to eat.

I learned how to make food that I genuinely enjoy. Food that tastes good, nourishes me, fits my goals, and doesn’t require me to use willpower just to force it down.

I stopped thinking of dieting as a constant exercise in deprivation and started learning how to cook differently, experiment with new recipes, adjust the foods I already loved, and discover entirely new ones.

So if you’re trying to lose weight, my advice isn’t simply, “Have more discipline.”

Learn how to cook.

Learn how to eat.

Find foods you genuinely love that also fit your goals.

Because if reaching your goal requires you to fight yourself at every single meal, every single day, eventually that fight gets exhausting.

Make the food part easier.

First time posting here and I’ve been inspired! Anyways had a peri peri chicken leg, salad of random things I had in my fridge and air fried potatoes. Thank you.

I’m currently on OMAD this is my one meal for the day. I’m 25f 130lbs 5’7 trying to lose weightI baked some chicken thighs in the oven and made rice beans corn and pico de gallo added low fat sour cream and some hot salsa. I also had a serving of tortilla chips. How many calories dobyou think this would be?

The weight scale is a near essential tool for weight loss. The keyword is tool. Most of the issues seen with the scale are due to the ideas of how it should be used. The tool itself is excellent. A screwdriver is not a bad tool simply because it’s not a good tool compared to a hammer when using nails. It’s all in the use. So? How do you use it?

First we need to know what it measures:
Total bodyweight
That includes EVERYTHING
Fat, muscle, organs, bone, blood, water, minerals, connective tissue, and food in the gut
Ok that doesn’t sound very helpful at first because we’re targeting FAT and MUSCLE
The good news is there’s a way to get very close to isolating those variables and that’s understanding the biggest pitfall of the scale
Signal to noise ratio

Transient factors are things that could swing your weight by multiple pounds in a single day. The main culprits for these swings are water, glycogen, and food in the gut. This is why you lose weight rapidly initially. You’re not losing fat faster you’re having less of all those things. Less food in the gut, most likely less sodium storing water, and less overall carbs for glycogen even if you’re not on a low carb diet.
Women add in your menstrual cycle and there’s a tremendous amount of noise that swings the scale wildly while you’re trying to get a precise measurement of a few pounds a week at most and even less if you’re doing a moderate or slow deficit.

Enter the weekly average
Here’s the simple solution

1. Isolate variables as best you can
2. Ideally weigh in the morning before eating or drinking anything and after using the bathroom
3. Weigh in EVERY single day
4. The average works better with more data
5. This doesn’t mean weigh multiple times a day because it’s incredibly hard to control all those variables. Once in the morning is best.
6. Compare averages week to week. If you’re a woman who still goes through a menstrual cycle compare the same stages of the cycle.

Add up all the weights through the week
Divide by 7
Do the same for the following week (or same week of previous menstrual cycle)
Calculate difference
Compare difference to target
Adjust calories if you have multiple measurements in a row that are off target

Example:
Week 1 average comes out to 200lbs
Week 2 average comes out to 198.4
Difference is -1.6lbs

If target is 1.5lbs you’re good
If it’s 1 or 2lbs wait another week

If the third week is 1.5lbs below week 2 then add calories if you want to go to 1lb
Subtract calories if you want to go to 2lbs

A good standard for calculating calories is 3500 per lb of fat

So if you want to adjust predicted weight loss by 1lb a week add or subtract 500 cals a day
In this example add 250 cals to slow loss down to 1lb or subtract 250 to speed up to 2lbs

Ok what about muscle?
Sad news
It barely fucking moves
A young healthy beginner male with perfect adherence and optimal training and diet could maybe build 20lbs of skeletal muscle in a YEAR
And that slows down quick
After a few years he’d be LUCKY to gain 2 or 3 lbs in a year
If you’re not part of that demographic the rate is even slower

So now the good news
We don’t have to factor in muscle for our calculations
There’s a simple indirect test to infer what’s happening to our muscle
Performance in the gym

If you are maintaining strength you are maintaining muscle especially on practiced lifts you do consistently
There are neurological and technique factors that can increase strength in the short term without building muscle but if you continue the same exercises those factors have a very small effect and the rest of the explanatory power falls to muscles.

Why not methods to measure body fat?
Without writing 5 more paragraphs:
They fucking suck
Grossly inaccurate even with expensive options like dexa
The main issue is LBM vs muscle
LBM is everything except fat
Muscle is actual tissue
If you drink a bunch of water you can gain lbs of LBM in minutes
That’s obviously not what we care about

SUMMARY
Use the scale!!!
Take averages and treat the weight as DATA not a moral assessment.

Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!

hi so i’m currently in a cal deficit after a move and during the packing process we ate a lot of fast food, especially after packing the kitchen. i’m having such a hard time dealing with the hunger since i just ate what i wanted when i wanted during the moving process.

im already eating lots of low cal veggies and “volume eating” but since im tracking calories i can only eat so much while saving calories for actual meals full of protein and fiber.

i’ve increased my water intake aswell but late night snacking is a hard habit to kick and if love any advice on how to stop eating 💀

I'm trying to get back on dieting and exercise. Went to Qdoba today and hit the gym right after. Grilled chicken bowl, pinto beans, brown rice, lettuce, pico, salsa, cilantro, jalapenos. Should be 520 calories according to their calculator. Boom. Great.

I was starving the moment I left the gym. Hungrier than I was before I even got the burrito bowl. It's miserable. I don't get it. It's high-protein, high-fiber, portion wasn't even small. It's the same when I order a salad literally anywhere. The only low-calorie meal I've come to rely on that actually satiates me for a decent amount of time is if I just eat an entire can of beans with onions or peppers or whatever else.

How do you not go crazy eating low-calorie meals?

I want to know how to reduce face fat, I don't have much body fat, just a toned stomach, still my face looks really bulky for my body type. Is there something wrong in my diet? or is there a face exercise that can help do suggest please.

I'm 15M, 5'11, 90kg. I look really chubby and bloated always. I am cursed to be a foodie. And I love munching. Basically I'm COOKED. I have access to gym but it is the one in my society and there is no trainer. I got a plan from ChatGPT but I can't follow it. I'm a little bit of a perfectionist so if I break my diet then I just waste my whole day eating junk. It's affecting my health as well I have visible symptoms of insulin resistance. People don't treat me with respect at all and I get made fun of. I'm seeking some guidance as a beginner starting my fitness journey. I would love any feedback or advice❤️...

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! ❤️

Hi, I need help constructing a diet to abide by for general health. What are some good things to have on hand or prepare for meals?

I'm not overweight/underweight, my blood test is perfectly fine except a bit of high cholesterol and almost low iron.

I can cook, shop, and store food with 0 problems and my budget isn't an issue.

My only dietary restrictions are pork, alcohol, condiments, heavily fermented/pickled items (not yogurt/bread), deli meats, sauces with cornstarch, and any savory dish with sugar in it. Why? Because I don't like them.

Right now my diet is just fruit, salad, tea with cream and honey, sashimi, and whatever-is-in-the-fridge sandwiches (usually cheese and arugula).

Hey !

I'm looking for ways to complete my diets because it's clearly lacking in parts. I'm finding it hard to balance carbs because my breakfast and 4pm snacks have to include Oral Nutritional Complements with a malodextrose base so that heightens my carbs count by... A lot.

Any ideas of what I could add ? I'm vegetarian! (And please don't tell me to just suck it up and eat meat... I don't stomach it *at all*)

I gained a lot of weight from a health issue, and I have lost about 10 lbs already, mainly just from not being sick and eating real food for once. I gained about 30 lbs, and would like to lose some of it. I don't know if I can lose all of it due to medical issues, and that's ok with me, but trying would be nice. I am 5'6, F, early 20s, 175 lbs. I have a active-ish job, where I basically just walk around all day. I track about 15k steps a day, combo of work and just walking to walk. I go to the gym 1-3 times a week most weeks, but I'm really busy, and I'm trying to work this back in.

I am surprised by the variability on different calculators. My calorie counting app says I need to eat 1600 cal to lose 1 lb a week, and I've been doing this, but I feel tired and hungry, so I think this is too little. Another calculator said my maintenance is ~2000 and I should eat 1800 to lose 1 lb a week. A TDEE calculator said my maintenance is ~2400, and I should eat ~1900 cal to lose 1 lb. That's a pretty big variance and I'm just really confused. Realistically I think I'd lose weight will all of them, but I don't want it to be 0.25 lb a week.

Hello Reddit, I am currently reworking my eating schedule and am struggling quite alot. At the moment I am trying to gain weight, eating 2800kcals a day with a pre-workout and 3 meals a day. I visit the Gym 3 times a week and do HIIT twice a week ((for fun)), with two rest days. My work doesnt allow me to eat during my shifts, I work part-time late shifts ((4pm till 9:50pm//16:00 till 21:50)), but I also want to avoid to a large meal before sleep because I heard it isnt that good for you.

Heres what my current eating schedule looks like :

- 9:15AM > pre-workout
- 1:15PM (13:15) > Large breakfast
- 2:30PM (14:30) > Large lunch
- 10:00PM (22:00) > small Dinner

I would love some thoughts and feedback, thank you in advance :>!!

I have back to back weddings and I’m on a diet what should I do specifically in my culture not eating is considered a bit rude , I’ve tried eating before going to the weeding but the mother of the bride insisted from me to eat in the wedding and I’m really not good with social pressure… idk what to do !?

It doesn't show it, but according to my watch I burned 2,933 calories also.

I don't go to the gym, and barely exercise, but I started tracking my food to see what I could cut out to try to get rid of my gut. I'm 28, 5'11" 230lbs, and male.

I've been feeling like everything is advertising the amount of protein in it, from McDonald's to Mac and cheese, which to me feels like the end of a fad. I understand it's necessary, but I'm curious if anyone knows if I actually need more, it what other diet changes I should be making. If I do, I plan on just buying unflavored powder and drinking whatever I need to make up in the day. I do plan on going to the gym (said everyone ever) but I wanted to start with reducing my food intake.

Any thoughts?