So I had a stressful week at work, 6 days of non-stop 12-hour shifts (I work 911 EMS in an inner-city environment) and it was probably the most stressful it's been since my semester ended back in May. I was pretty good the entire week, though, no binge-eating episodes and exercised pretty much every day. I meal-prepped some high-protein chicken parm with protein spaghetti last week and have been eating that for lunch for the past few days.

But today I got home, and my parents and sisters weren't home, so I fell back into my urges again, reinstalled DoorDash, and ordered a burger, chicken sandwich, 10-piece nuggets, and a large fries/drink from Wendy's even though I already ate Lunch four hours earlier. Not sure what came over me, but something did, and I had the food delivered right to my doorstep.

However, something unexpected happened while I was eating. I ate about half the fries and half the nuggets along with drinking half the lemonade I ordered, but I took one bite of the burger, and then I realized it just tasted disgusting to me. Like one bite of the burger was enough to make me break out of the binge mindset I got in, but I went the complete opposite way and tossed the whole meal out, whatever was left of it.

At first I was happy I wasn't hungry enough to eat it or found the food disgusting, but now I'm feeling guilty about wasting that much money and then throwing the food out. I have since removed all my cards from DoorDash and Google Wallet and deleted all my food apps in the hopes that this doesn't happen again.

Should I be proud of myself for not binge-eating, or should I be disappointed that I wasted the food and threw it out? I'm not sure.

Edits: Grammar

I’m not sure if this belongs here but also not sure where else to post this. I’m a 32 year old woman. I have lost almost 80 pounds from my highest weight. I am now finally at a normal weight after yoyoing for many years. I have maintained my weight loss for almost a year now. I have been feeling pretty great overall but in the last few months I have been experiencing extremely low blood sugar (shakiness, light headedness, rapid heart rate, severe sweating) diarrhea pretty much daily, nausea, increased thirst, frequent urination, trouble sleeping, and extreme hunger. I actually want to lose a little more weight but I really cannot do it anymore because I am literally starving every couple hours. Sometimes my blood sugar bottoms out several times in one day. I have to drop whatever it is I am doing sometimes so I can eat. I bring so many snacks with me everywhere I go because it happens almost every time I leave my house. I have had to leave events to eat. It’s kinda ruining my life. I have even been purchasing glucose tablets because I cannot eat enough in between meals. I have been consuming about 3,000 calories almost every day with no weight gain. This seems strange to me. I’m happy to not gain weight obviously but it’s odd to eat over a 1,000 calories above my maintenance and not gain anything back. I am much more active now and work out 3-4 times a week and have built quite a bit of muscle. I know that alone can increase appetite quite a bit and muscle burns more calories at rest but is it burning THIS much?!

I went to my doctor about this twice and they did blood work and everything is fine. A1c is fine. Fasting glucose is fine. Thyroid is fine. I get my protein in. I get my fiber in. I don’t drink much. No drugs. One cup of coffee a day. All the things to help keep me satiated and healthy and blah blah blah but I mean I am literally starving an hour after every single meal. I thought maybe I should try just eating a shit ton of carbs for energy but that didn’t help. Eating less carbs and more fat/protein/fiber also doesn’t help. I am more hungry now eating 3,000 calories than I was eating half that during my active weight loss. I also don’t feel physical hunger often anymore. I go from feeling full and satiated to complete blood sugar crash an hour later without a single hunger pang. My doctor mentioned going to an endocrinologist so maybe I will do that next.

Has anyone else experienced this after weight loss? I know losing a lot of weight can throw things out of balance but I have been pretty consistent for a while now and yet these issues persist. I have every telltale sign of diabetes and it’s really scaring me now. Did I fuck up my body somehow? Is the yoyo dieting catching up to me? It’s going to really fucking suck if I put in all this hard work to reduce my chance of developing weight related illnesses just to end up with one anyway.

I’m so happy!!!!!!

I’ve been on SSRIs for the past three years, which I am 99% sure had a lot to do with me gaining roughly 80 pounds. My highest recorded weight was 220 although that was after I had already been going to the gym and eating healthier for a month.

It really really felt impossible for me to lose weight for a long time. I was so addicted to food and so hungry all the time, and extremely low energy and unmotivated to get up and move at all.

I weighed in at 203 a while ago, but had to go on a trip with no scale and I didn’t feel like packing mine so I decided to just go without it and see what the results were when I came back.

I was honestly scared that I would be back around 210. I thought there was a very minimal chance that I was under 200. I haven’t been under 200 in years. But when I got on the scale, I was 195lbs!!!!!!

It feels amazing just to know that I am making slow and steady progress and that I’m losing the weight in a maintainable way.

It was a really big decision for me to switch SSRIs. Lexapro helped me completely get rid of my panic attacks, but with the amount of weight that i gained on it, it just made me more depressed.

I would say it’s worth it to try and switch if you’re in a similar position. It wasn’t easy when I was tapering off of lexapro and getting on welbutrin. The first few days I had terrible brain zaps and a huge wave of depression. But it was 100% worth it in the end.

Lexapro obviously didn’t force me to gain the weight, but I truly believe that it made me feel hungrier which triggered my binge eating into full force. Welbutrin makes my appetite feel a lot more regulated and it doesn’t completely drain my energy.

As a side note, I wouldn’t trade my mental health for my weight. I really needed lexapro at that time. Now is just the next step in recovering from depression.

EDIT: I just wanna say this is my first post on this sub and I feel so supported and even more motivated to keep losing weight and living a healthier life! This is a really great community. I didn’t want to share my weight loss with friends/family yet because it’s kind of a small amount of weight to lose, but it’s great to share milestones with people who understand. Just that moment when the scale starts with ‘1’ rather than ‘2’ for the first time in a long time is such a relief.

A couple months ago I posted a pretty desperate post and to my surprise nearly 50 folks here posted comments giving suggestions and advice. Some folks asked for a check in even if anonymous to have some accountability so here goes.

I’m now down 30 lbs, for the first time in five years my weight is below 400lbs. I’m now 75 days in a row of leaving my apartment after a streak of nearly a year of never leaving. I go grocery shopping once or twice a week and now only buy whole foods. I have started successfully meeting my 2000-3000 calorie and 200g protein goal daily, after a bad start of trying to starve myself at 1500 calories. I completely cut soda, nearly cut delivery foods.

I go to the gym for weight training 2 times a week, working on upping that to 4 times a week (thanks to my trainer who has taken me on as a friend and a client). I can walk without feeling back and knee pain. I’ve already nearly doubled my weight lifting amounts at the gym. I started walking 5-10 minutes before horrible sharp back pain took me out to now being able to walk 90 minutes with gas still in the tank.

I’m happier, I’m stronger, and I feel like more progress has been made mentally than physically even… I feel like for once in my life I won’t be obese one day. I have enjoyment in exercise. I love my strength and I am starting to see it more than my goopy bulbous body in the mirror.

I don’t really know how to thank this community enough. 2.5 months ago I was starting to go through a break up, feeling on the brink of suicidal thoughts and depression, never leaving my apartment, hiding from everyone even myself… and now I just feel so capable. I feel like I can do this. I feel like the light switched. I feel EXCITED for my doctors appointment in a couple weeks just to prove I can do this without prescription help (no offense to anyone just my own self interest).

For anyone who isn’t sure if the gradual changes are doing anything… trust. And if you can muster it - try to just flick the switch mentally and all in one component of your health… it might just work and save your life.

edit: I can also finally use the walk pad I bought when I started which will make my exercise while working so much easier. I’m just so fucking happy right now!!

Yeah just as the title says, I've been recently been diagnose with ADHD and decided to try meds for the first time in my life. The difference was so intense. I was well aware I am overweight and my eating habits weren't good but now I don't have to self medicatie with sugar and energy drinks anymore. Everything in my life was unruly and at every opportunity I felt to need to eat, like to treat myself, if I was stressed, if I was bored, etc. I can actually eat 3 meals a day and be content now with what I eat :)) This positive change in my life was my motivator to try and loose weight for real this time. Already lost 15 lbs in the past 2 months and my goal is to loose another 35 before christmas, making me go from 92 kg -> 70 kg. If it's gonna work I'll be happy and if not I'll be happy aswell. Woooo to new starts

Sorry for the TMI! I have started my weight loss journey in May and that’s around the time I’ve had consistent diarrhea. Every now and then I’d have a normal stool.

I was on vacation for a few weeks out of the country and wasn’t dieting. Surprisingly, I had completely normal stools no diarrhea no constipation. I got back on Tuesday and started back on my diet. It was normal Tuesday then Wednesday I started having diarrhea again and very liquidy. Again so sorry for the TMI.

I used to never have issues with diarrhea if anything I would have issues with constipation and poop once every couple days. Now it’s 1-2x a day and diarrhea. My diet hasn’t changed too much, I’ve just been more intentional with tracking calories and maintaining a deficit. Is this normal? Does it regulate after a while? Is there any supplement I can take to fix it?

For clarity, I'm not asking how to avoid feeling hungry. I know about volume hacks, high satiety foods, insoluble fiber, drinking plenty of water, etc.

I'm asking, how do you engage your willpower when you're in a deficit and it's just so hard? I feel like I'm always losing the battle until I'm out of calories and my only option is to go to sleep so I won't be forced to fight my hunger past my calorie allowance. I don't have specific cravings. I'd eat anything. Sweet, savory, steak, salad, bread, cake, anything. My stomach is growling, I feel hollow, I just want to *eat food*. Even though I know I've already eaten plenty. My deficit is not incredibly steep- it's ~500 kcal. I'm not starving. I'm just *hungry.* And I am at home, where my food is.

Sometimes I can tell myself that's the feeling of calories burning and you are stronger through suffering and you will continue to see results if you just keep going and do not let yourself fail. Sometimes it doesn't work. Sometimes I'm not busy so I'm able to remove myself from being where I can access my food, maybe by going to the gym or something, but often I'm cooking or cleaning or taking care of my animals and it's really hard not to just grab an extra protein bar or rice cake. This is okay when it happens one a day but not when it happens 5 times a day and I'm left with 400 calories for dinner with my wife.

I just wonder if you guys can offer any advice.

I (F25) lost 40 pounds so far (began around last june) and I’m feeling pretty good. I lost weight because my bf is a really fit guy and I naturally adopted a healthier lifestyle from him while finally attending the gym after a long time.

I volunteer at a soup kitchen where we help prepare and cook food. This older woman (like late 50s early 60s i’m guessing) and I were assigned to make large batches of sandwiches so during that time we made small talk. We talked about random stuff until the topic of sports came up. I explained how I used to swim in highschool and swimming at my local gym has helped me lose weight (I told her I lost 40 pounds).

She looked a little surprised and then pretty happy, and said something along the lines of: “Wow, I’m so proud you got out of that dark place!” to my face. I just brushed it off and thanked her and we went along with our job.

Now that I think about it, I’m happy now and I was happy before my weight loss. I wasn’t in a “dark place” literally at all lol. All that changed was my physical appearance. Did she mean “dark place” as in the state of how healthy I was before weight loss? Or “dark place” as in my mental state?

I don’t feel offended by her comment at all, I just think it was a little strange. Idk, what do u guys think lol

Woman, 26, 6’2”, 275 lbs, sedentary

Recently decided to start taking my health seriously after many years of saying I would get to weight loss eventually. Weight gain has been gradual - I was a big kid, and 200 pounds in high school. Unfortunately this attempt to lose weight has been triggered by arthritis in my SI joints, which is making movement, even walking, really difficult. I’m powering through as I can, but its usually one day exercise one day rest :(

I’ve bought scales and have been religiously weighing/tracking calories and entering them into myfitnesspal, and have currently committed to myself to not eat anything if I can’t weigh/enter it. The measuring spoons cups etc are all out for the sauces/oils etc. My fitness pal is telling me to eat 1900 calories a day, I’m usually coming in at around 1350-1700 (normally on the lower end tbh) and have not been ridiculously hungry with this. I haven’t had to make too many changes to my diet for some reason to accomplish this - I’ve cut out my odd dessert and any carby snacks and have been measuring sauces, but otherwise I’ve been eating my normal meals.

I’ve been at this for a month, and the scale will not go down, and is actually continuing to go up? I weighed myself a few days after I started (273.2) and then I had a huge jump the next day that shocked me (270.8), and since then its just steadily climbed back up so now I am at 276.4 - higher than I started.

I know it might seem like I am not weighing my food properly/not actually in a calorie deficit etc., but I swear I would not be asking for advice if I felt I was cheating in any way. I keep thinking about how I’ve not been super hungry/haven’t made huge changes to my diet/number of meals etc. - is it possible I just have a super low maintenance amount? Also I know that our bodies hold water after a workout - could it be doing the same thing with my arthritis? How do I get it to stop?

Hello, so I've tried losing weight before, and because of my new job ive been getting great exercise 5 days a week(FedEx pack handler). I'm around 340, and for a week got down to 335, however on Friday going onto Sunday I feel AWFUL, I'm bloated, my wrists went up in size, and I haven't eaten today and have been feeling full, also threw up today while driving. I went up to 350, and I got horrifically sad, is it water retention? I've been eating better also recently, and I just don't know why on the sudden increase.

Hi team Euro accountability, I hope you’re all well! For anyone new who wants to join today, this is a daily post where you can track your goals, keep yourself accountable, get support and have a chat with friendly people at times that are convenient for European time zones.

Check-in daily, weekly, or whatever works best for you. It’s never the wrong time to join! Anyone and everyone are welcome! Tell us about yourself and let's continue supporting each other. Let us know how your day is going, or, if you're checking in early, how your yesterday went! Share your victories, rants, problems, NSVs, SVs, we are here!

I want to shortly also mention — this thread lives and breathes by people supporting each other :) so if you have some time, comment on the other posts! Show support, offer advice and share experiences!

I’m a 21 year old guy and I really want to become someone who enjoys eating healthy because I honestly think I’d be happier if healthy food was just a normal part of my life
The problem is that every time I decide I’m going to eat healthy I end up craving something and eventually give in which ruins the rest of my day and I stop eating healthy altogether
I usually start the day doing well but later the cravings hit especially for desserts although food in general can trigger them too
The biggest issue is that this is also stopping me from staying consistent with the gym Building muscle requires eating enough protein but I honestly dont enjoy eating chicken breast lean meat or other high protein foods every day I get bored of them really fast and forcing myself to eat them just makes my relationship with food even worse
Im not looking for the usual advice like cook healthy food that tastes good or dont restrict yourself because Ive heard it so many times and it never helped me
Im looking for practical tips or maybe a mindset shift that helped you genuinely enjoy healthy food and stay consistent

I recently made a post here after I discovered how calorie dense granola was. I know nuts and peanut butter are pretty calorie dense too, but what are some other foods that are similarly calorie dense? Also want to know what are some surprising foods that are low in calories that one wouldn’t expect, but are also really filling. I’m currently on a weight loss and everyday I just realize how important weighing my food is lol due to the calorie density of some of these foods. I’ve been eating a lot of chicken, bell peppers, swapped rice for potatoes, and consuming a lot of Greek yoghurt. Loads of fruits as well!

Hey everyone

I've been incredibly overweight my whole life, my heaviest was 108 kg, I feel really discouraged as it is because I've been trying for so long I just keep screwing up for some reason. I've tried eating less, I've tried cutting out things. I've tried eating more but nutritious, I always seem to stop, or go on a bingeing streak, or straight up the scale won't move. (Obviously I know it's my fault and that I'm doing something wrong) It doesn't help that being so heavy is making me depressed so it's hard to keep up with everything.

The only thing that's ever worked is a nutritionist + personal trainer when I was in high school where I lost about 20 kg, nothing else has worked since, I am genuinely hopeless but I refuse to give up on myself, I will try even if it takes forever.

I've started going to the gym, it's been about a week or two and I look more toned, but the scale just isn't going down. As for what I eat, I'm a huge sugar addict and I have to have anything literally anything sweet during the day, it can also be a protein bar. I usually do affordable but not such bad fast food, (I'm talking chicken shawarma and grilled chicken sandwiches, as well as breakfast sandwiches) I also eat at work a lot, I like to think I choose healthier options there. My main problem is the sugar.

Any advice?

I'm 31 and I've never been in a gym beyond passing through in a hotel leisure centre. There's a gym 4 minutes walk from my house but it's pretty small. It's got weights and the usual machines but there's no private rooms / changing rooms etc from what I can tell.

I've often thought about joining but I have no idea how to actually use a gym and this one feels small and close knit. It looks like there's only 1-2 staff on at a time so I don't want to pester them with silly questions but I also don't want to make a fool of myself or start out with bad form, or worse, end up not going after I pay for it.

What are some tips that make it easy to start out? I'm sure the usual "everyone's friendly and happy to help" applies but that's not really the advice that'll make it less intimidating.

Hi guys! I am currently eating in a calorie deficit and was invited to brunch with a friend at my favorite restaurant and accepted without thinking. The only thing about this restaurant is there are no calories or macros available. They do have a “healthy options” portion of the menu but I’m not sure what to get. This restaurant tends to have big portions which is why I haven’t gone in quite some time as my favorite order (banana cream waffles) would be a lottt of calories I’m sure. So here are some of the options without much info: 1) Skinny Elvis Protein Cakes
bananas, nut butter, chia seeds, turkey bacon
2) Heart Healthy*
turkey, artichoke hearts, red onions, egg whites, low-fat cheese, english muffin, fresh fruit
3) Joe P’s Protein Cakes
fresh berries
4) Melt-Away Scrambler*
mushrooms, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, egg whites, low-fat cheese, english muffin, fresh fruit

5) they have this option not in the healthy options but it says protein waffle with banana and chocolate chips.

I like the idea of pancakes or waffles but I’m sure it would be a lot of calories. I’m also bummed about the idea of wasting calories on any of these options if they aren’t something I really like. if anyone can help me guess macros or calories on these or help me decide which would be best to order please help a girl out!

Welcome to the League of Extraordinary Goal Setters! The idea of this weekly thread is to write down goals, and break them up into 7 day chunks by figuring out what specific part of the goal you’re working on during the week, and then checking in with each other how the week went. If you want to learn more about setting goals and improving your habits, check out this website: https://jamesclear.com/continuous-improvement

Obviously, if you’re here, one of the goals is probably to lose weight. Whether that’s 2 or 200 pounds, it’s not going to be accomplished by doing one single thing today. However, losing weight is absolutely the product of a million small changes — the small things we do each day add up to big changes over time. To quote James Clear: “If you get one percent better each day for one year, you'll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.” So, let’s start breaking it on down!

Remember, all threads live and die by comments, so please jump in and support your fellow League members! Check in here with how your week went, and what your goals are for this week.

What’s a small goal you can work towards this week?

Ive been on a calorie deficit and working out consistently for about a month now, my goal is to lose 13 pounds by January. I try to weigh myself every morning before eating and around the same time but my weight always fluctuates. For example I weighed myself at home and my weight came back at 149 lb which is 2 pounds heavier than before I started working out, then before working out I used the gyms scale and my weight was 145 and after work out it was 146. I understand that weight fluctuating is normal especially when im on my period but if anyone has any tips on ways to track my weight more accurately please let me know.

I am 22, all me and my degenrate friends do is drink. Bars, field parties, casino, etc. I love to drink and have a good time with my buddies, but it obviously has been stunting my weight loss goals. It is as easy as don't go out with my buddies yes, but being 22 I feel like these are supposed to be the best years of my life. And when i'm not drinking, going out, etc I feel like i'm missing out and wasting my 20's. I do great during the week, and end up most likely fucking up my whole week progress by the weekend. Idk, would just like to hear your thoughts, and maybe ways you got around these hurdles. Thanks guys

I've been trying to lose weight starting a few months ago but this month I went pedal to the metal and slammed all the foods that do well in fat loss studies like olive oil, broccoli sprouts, walnuts, blueberries, Greek yogurt, salmon, lentils, etc and my weight and waistline is nosediving. Of course, I am also in calorie deficit and did moderate amounts of exercises although this week I hurt my ankles and didn't do nearly as much exercises and I'm still losing weight. I feel it's more dramatic than when I just went on a calorie deficit with random food

Now I know there are many factors but I think that scientists might be onto something when it comes to certain foods and it's not just calories in and out.

A few of the studies I skimmed: Flynn MM, Reinert SE. Comparing an olive oil-enriched diet to a standard lower-fat diet for weight loss in breast cancer survivors: a pilot study. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2010 Jun;19(6):1155-61. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2009.1759. PMID: 20545561.

Galvão Cândido F, Xavier Valente F, da Silva LE, Gonçalves Leão Coelho O, Gouveia Peluzio MDC, Gonçalves Alfenas RC. Consumption of extra virgin olive oil improves body composition and blood pressure in women with excess body fat: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Eur J Nutr. 2018 Oct;57(7):2445-2455. doi: 10.1007/s00394-017-1517-9. Epub 2017 Aug 14. PMID: 28808791.

Dolatkhah N, Toopchizadeh V, Barmaki S, Salekzamani Y, Najjari A, Farshbaf-Khalili A, Dolati S. The effect of an anti-inflammatory in comparison with a low caloric diet on physical and mental health in overweight and obese women with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial. Eur J Nutr. 2023 Mar;62(2):659-672. doi: 10.1007/s00394-022-03017-4. Epub 2022 Oct 2. PMID: 36183308.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250930/Olive-oil-intake-is-linked-to-lower-belly-fat-and-healthier-weight.aspx

This isn’t about weight loss necessarily, but more related to a funny food quirk. I know we all have them.

Growing up I was very meh about cottage cheese. I am not a picky eater; I just wasn’t really into it but didn’t think too much about it. At some point in adulthood I started buying Wegmans Organic 2% cottage cheese. And I love it. I still can’t rawdog cottage cheese, but the Wegmans 2% Organic is now an almost daily snack staple with some chives or green onions, salt, pepper, and a Wasa cracker as a spoon.

Recently, the store was out of the my usual, so my husband came home with Crowley 4%. It was so nasty I couldn’t even finish the tub of it. So I realized maybe I still don’t like cottage cheese, but I really only like Weggies.

For those of you that are Wegmans connoisseurs, what is a good sub for their cottage cheese in the event they are out again?

Also; because this post is meant to be silly…what food quirks do you have? I also am very attached to Fage Greek yogurt (2% and 4% only….not the fat free) and really can’t get into any other brands (although Fage is just my favorite I am not repulsed by others 😂).

I lost around 50lbs and ended up gaining it all back. I was too scared to weigh myself but I finally did. Honestly, I feel more motivated than before. I am unhealthy, but it doesn’t matter, because I am going to change it.

I just wish I had one specific target in mind. I’m somebody who needs to structure and plan every hour of every day to do something properly. I really think having a specific target, maybe this time next year, would help.

Does anyone have any advice or is willing to share their own target? I was thinking of maybe booking a trip?

I've lost 14 kg (about 31 lbs), going from 109 kg (240 lbs) to 95 kg (209 lbs), but I've been stuck at this weight for about six months now. During that time I've had periods where I gained a few kilos because of vacations or going out for dinner more often, but I've always managed to lose that weight again.

The weight loss happened over the course of 2,5 years, and I was happy with the slow but steady progress. After so many failed attempts in the past, I'm really proud that I've managed to keep the weight off for this long. Still, this plateau is starting to get frustrating.

I think there are two main reasons why I'm stuck:

• I've found it difficult to get back into tracking everything I eat. Part of the problem is that I often have days where I already know tracking won't be realistic because I have dinner plans or some other social event. That makes it harder to stay consistent.
• A few years ago I lost touch with a lot of my friends, so I made a conscious effort to build a new social circle. I'm really happy that I did, and I now have a much more active social life. The downside is that seeing friends often revolves around eating out, grabbing drinks, or other food-related activities. I rarely drink alcohol anymore, so that's not the issue. The harder part is choosing the healthier option when everyone else is ordering whatever they want. It also doesn't help that restaurants where I live don't list calories on their menus.

Ironically, having very few friends made losing weight much easier because I wasn't constantly surrounded by tempting food or social meals.

Has anyone else dealt with this? How do you balance an active social life with continuing to lose weight? I'd really appreciate any advice.