Weight loss support thread

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The sides of sickness mostly come from overeating from what I've heard from people who use it.

Yeah, I think that's where it was. The first time or two after I got on it I ate normally, and in hindsight, it was some big portions.

Hello kiwis!

What’s your opinion on Wegovy/Ozempic or any other semiglutide for that matter?

I just had my 3rd weekly shot a few days ago.

It doesn't stop boredom eating. But it does make me feel full when I eat, which is a feeling I haven't had in a long, long time, and I'm hoping I can get used to the feeling so I can recognize it without the drug amplifying it. Going 1 more shot at the standard dose and immediately going to jump up to the next dosage tier.

Obviously, I need to make changes and start exercising too. Outside of a bit of boredom eating I have slid my meals down to more like ~600 calories, and entire days that have been ~600-750 calories.

 

[latinlover]

ok this all makes sense. I thought muscles would increase BMR despite the lower body weight, which is a big reason I'm doing strength training.

They do. Comparatively LMM takes more energy (about 1.5-2x as much is the number afaik) for the body to maintain than fat tissue of the same weight. Also strength training burns a deceptively high amount of calories even if comparing it to steady state cardio. "Lifting burns no calories" is a very common myth too, so I don't blame you.

But cutting from 1100 sounds impossible to me, or atleast it would suck very bad.

Yeah it would, my advice would be to change nothing, do not introduce new supplements, keep taking creatine, keep track of your weight and be patient for 2-3 more weeks. If you truly plateaud you can reevaluate, but there's variance in weight loss from week to week, it isn't linear.

I got a fat burner supplement since I got stuck in this plateau. Is this nuts?

Yes, it's nuts, steer clear of fat burner pills. At best they don't do anything or you're buying really-really expensive caffeine pills.

I imagine the cayenne pepper there is for capsaicin which has a similar effect to caffeine, but I imagine it's a lot harder to get to the efficacious dose with it than it is with caffeine.

L-theanine is great and cheap if bought in bulk and not in the form of random vegetable pills, I personally take it before sleep- it relaxes you and helps with insomnia.

Caffeine does marginally increase your BMR (by something like 4% and up at a high enough dosage) and decreases appetite, it's part of the classic ECA (ephedrin-caffeine-aspirin) stack popular in the 2000s for weight loss among bodybuilders but since legitimate ephedrin is a lot harder to come by nowadays it has fallen out of favour. (Disclaimer: do NOT take ephedrin or aspirin in combination with caffeine for the purposes of weight loss. It dramatically increases the cardiovascular risk involved)
Conclusion: Caffeine good, most efficiently taken in the form of caffeine pills at a time it does not disturb your sleep schedule.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8061728/

Oral l-carnitine has its issues and does effectively nothing at the dosage in this supplement due to poor oral bioavailability. L-carnitine is a supplement I'd only ever consider taking in the form of injections, but it is certainly effective that way. It is carciogenic if, and only if taken orally.
I think the current consensus is that TMAO increases the chance of colorectal cancer, and the levels of TMAO are increased by oral consumption of l-carnitine.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7037757/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9273394/

Conclusion: If you aren't afraid of needles, l-carnitine good.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6343764/

 

[Total Annihilation]

Eat Sardines. That's it.

Every time you get hungry eat a tin of sardines straight.

Still hungry? Eat another one. Keep going until you stop feeling hungry.

To necro this, I've lost about 10 pounds since doing this for about 2 months now.
Found this youtube channel that reviews sardines (and other canned fish), and since then I've been binging sardines and such. Currently working on trying to eat the ones with skin and bones, tho overall I've found the Season/King Oscar brands to be the best bang for the buck.

 

[Mr. 0]

I have a holistic alternative to ozempic:

Spoiler

Basically, if you are even a single pound overweight, you are boogie2988

 

[Redoniblueoni]

@latinlover you were right, I'm just going to keep up the good work. My weight started moving again at a solid pace. I think the caffeine/fat burner pills are working, so I'll take the bottle until they're gone but I might just buy a caffeine pill next time if I'm still interested. I was only doing about a scoop of preworkout before so this has more than doubled my caffeine amount (and for 0 cals). I also found I was very hungry yesterday for the first time in awhile, so I'm feeling like my bmr has gone up perhaps. If I continue to be this hungry I will up my calories a little to 1200 perhaps as I don't want to lose too much too fast/lose muscle gains.
Thanks!

 

[anustart76]

I have a holistic alternative to ozempic:

Spoiler

View attachment 6355316

Basically, if you are even a single pound overweight, you are boogie2988

Is this the autist's equivalent to Lizzo?

 

[Derka Derka]

A few notes

1/ Why are people still counting calories.
This is the approach from the 1970s and it should have died it's death with all the other retarded mechanisms around this time (like the food pyramid)
The reality is much of the calorie ratings of natural foods were calculated over half a century ago using a bomb calorimeter (and big food industry does it for their frank-ingredients and other foods it's peddling). They calculate how much energy the dehydrated food releases when it is bruned in a closed chamber (1 dietary calorie is the equivalent amount of energy of heating 1 kg of water by 1 degree)
it's almost completely meaningless, because it doesn't take into account of how much your body metabolises after you shove in your pie hole (you won't burn up all the food you eat ... a lot of it gets shitted out)
Take sweetcorn, which much of it comes out the other end undigested and in a partially chewed state. Whereas if you ingest the equivalent amount of HFCS your body will uptake all of it

Spoiler: presentations

A better approach is to look at volume and satiety.

2/ You are overeating because you have been eating heavy processed foods that are likely full of sugars, which will mess with your satiety hormones.
In human history, overeating only became a widespread problem 50 years ago. Find me photos of fat people congregating from the 1960s and earlier.
They were eating a lot of fatty food, and a lot less processed crap and sugars ... why didn't they get obese?

Spoiler: presentations

Get off processed foods and reduce most carbs/sugars. Eat like your grandparents used to (Bacon and eggs in the morning is going to keep you sustained/satiated much longer than sugar laden cereal)

3/ Stop eating for pleasure. Instead eat to sustain yourself, and learn to listen to your body.
This is a hard one, as you spent your life developing a taste for specific foods, and we have been spoiled for choice and access.
When you eat a cookie, you have maybe 10 to 30 seconds of mouth pleasure (sweet/chewy) ... thats it. After you swallow it, the mouth pleasure is gone.
So you repeat that 10 to second seconds again ... and again ... and again.
You need to look at food from a different lens. Are you getting nutrition from it, or a temporary mouth feel.

4/ Don't drink when you eat (or even close to it). Your stomach is naturally very acidic. Drinking around when you eat just dilutes it/increases the pH.
Also, if you allow the stomach to digest without drinking, it will keep you satiated longer.
Drinking between meals is fine, as long as you keep it away from times you are eating.

 

[DrearyDoomguy]

40 m, 5-7 240lbs. I’m fucking sick of looking at myself in the mirror and hating what I see. I’ve always been fat, but as I’ve gotten older it’s been way easier to pack on the pounds. I’ve actually lost weight since the beginning of the year because I was on ozempic for a bit, from 270 to 240. But the weight is creeping back up. I’m completely lost as far as what to eat. I try to research diets and it makes my head spin. I just want to find a few things that are quick and easy to make, that I also won’t get sick of. Any advice is appreciated.

Avoid simple carbs, eat meat and vegatables. Bread and grains are a cornerstone of the modern diet out of sheer convenience but they get converted into fat too quickly to keep you satiated, which makes it easier to eat more and more. Protein and fat digest at a much more manageable pace and will keep you from getting hungry as often. Vegetables(leafy/green, potatoes do not count) provide fiber and make you feel full without the calories. Retool your diet to make better use of those two food groups and you'll find it much easier to manage your calorie intake.
Once you've lost enough weight start doing cardio to accelerate the process. Don't start cardio immediately for two reasons: (A) if you weight too much you'll put unnecessary strain on your joints and (B) you want to focus on getting one good habit down at a time. If you're not worried about point B start doing compound exercises alongside the dietary changes until point A is addressed.

 

[Day of the Cope]

3/ Stop eating for pleasure. Instead eat to sustain yourself, and learn to listen to your body.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I give people is to avoid eating straight from the box/bag/can and instead pour whatever you plan to eat into a bowl.
Another big thing I find is that a lot of people have anxiety over leaving food uneaten for one reason or another. I think I said this earlier in the thread, but I had to overcome certain hangups that developed from growing up. I had to work myself out of the guilt of 'wasting food' if I didn't "clean my plate" and the anxiety that arose from uncertainty if food will be there if/when I went back. I think having a generation being told to 'clean your plate' because "children in Africa could have eaten that chicken heart" and the idea that you're supposed to eat at a certain time because a certain time is when we eat food have contributed a great deal to the obesity crisis.

Get off processed foods and reduce most carbs/sugars. Eat like your grandparents used to (Bacon and eggs in the morning is going to keep you sustained/satiated much longer than sugar laden cereal)

I can't even begin to explain how much better I feel when I'm on my usual plan of low-carb/no-sugar. Between cutting out seed oils and sugar and massively cutting back carbs, my splitting migraine headaches disappear and I have a lot more energy through the day. Also find it easier to keep mood swings in check to the point that other people noticed.

This is the approach from the 1970s and it should have died it's death with all the other retarded mechanisms around this time (like the food pyramid)
The reality is much of the calorie ratings of natural foods were calculated over half a century ago using a bomb calorimeter (and big food industry does it for their frank-ingredients and other foods it's peddling). They calculate how much energy the dehydrated food releases when it is bruned in a closed chamber (1 dietary calorie is the equivalent amount of energy of heating 1 kg of water by 1 degree)
it's almost completely meaningless, because it doesn't take into account of how much your body metabolises after you shove in your pie hole (you won't burn up all the food you eat ... a lot of it gets shitted out)

Early on, I started doing the whole tracking things and at some point just stopped bothering with the whole calorie things because the most important thing is maintaining a healthy eating habit. That said, I do encourage anyone to track their protein intake to make sure they're able to hit their daily intake.

 

[Sweetpeaa]

I have been steadily gaining weight since 2018. I was overweight at 180 pounds and 5 foot 7 but not extremely so. I thought I would start a weight loss journey in 2021 by cutting out all sugar and reducing portions. I did not lose any weight I was suddenly 204 pounds. Then last year I reached 225. I think I was eating less.

In May I started an intense exercise program and I have to be honest... I have gone into a bit of an eating disorder now. I know this is snark site but I just feel like venting. Some days I do not eat anything. I do not even weight myself anymore. I do not even want to know. I can tell by my body I have lost some weight but not anywhere near as much as I should for eating like a bird. I passed out in July for running in the heat in a manic exercise phase. I got into the habit of running at 5 in the morning. I have since cooled that shit down and just do 30 minutes instead at night.

If I did not have so much trouble with my weight I would not be doing this shit. Never thought I would go into an eating disorder at 34. I think I have simply lost all interest in food at this point.

 

[missnaptime]

Feeling a little disheartened, only dropped 1.7kg this week. Trying to think about the positives and how much better I feel knowing I'm making positive choices for myself, but it's hard and it's sucky. I'm still going to do my best! )

 

[Iron Jaguar]

Well, I'm down to 76kg now. It has been so, so easy.

I had a bit of a breakdown in March and went on an impromptu 7 day fast. Lost ~20 pounds in a week, that was pretty fun. Had ~230 to go, but, yeah. I'm now ~12 pounds heavier than I was before the March fast. Not quite my heaviest, but pretty close.

I'm heavier than Boogie2988, apparently. After his weight loss and maybe after his rebound -- I'd genuinely do a swan dive off the nearest bridge if I was over 500 like he was. Which is a fuck me moment cause I'm pear shaped and don't, er, notice it. Sneaks up on ya, ya know?

In the end, you get the body shape that reflects your lifestyle, eh?

Local quick care is advertising Ozempic / semaglutide injections for a decent price. Little over $125 first week, little over $30 each week afterwards... I presume the actual drug is included in that price and it's not just the office visit. I'm still kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop on that one before trying it, I'm hearing it can fuck up your dopamine receptors permanently, and having brain damage that prevents me from feeling joy ever again isn't on my list of fun things to try this year.

Don't touch that stuff. If you really are so lacking in self discipline and motivation that you need to turn to drugs for weight loss, you'd be better off to use speed. At least we know what the long term effects of that are.

To simplify it: If you want fat loss, cardio. If you want muscles, weight lift. If you want both at the same time do both activities at the same time, though generally progress in both areas will be a bit slower.

Right. But neither has anywhere near the effects of dietary change and timed eating/fasting.

I had a realisation about why a lot of obese people are so reluctant to even try losing weight - it's because they're told they need to exercise, and they hate exercising. You would too if walking across the room made you feel like you were about to drop dead from a heart attack.
If the obese were put on a program that solely used dietary change and BMR for weight loss, with zero physical exercise required, they'd be more likely to try it, and they would succeed. Exercise would come later, after they'd lost significant weight.

 

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Don't touch that stuff. If you really are so lacking in self discipline and motivation that you need to turn to drugs for weight loss, you'd be better off to use speed. At least we know what the long term effects of that are.

You're 4 weeks too late, although I might drop it. And honestly at the lowest of my low points I wasn't looking at speed, I was looking at 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP), which was mentioned earlier in the thread. (I looked into it weeks before it was mentioned.) Decided I wasn't quite low enough to try and find illegal weight loss chemicals off AliExpress yet.

 

[A Crow Looked at Me]

I have been steadily gaining weight since 2018. I was overweight at 180 pounds and 5 foot 7 but not extremely so. I thought I would start a weight loss journey in 2021 by cutting out all sugar and reducing portions. I did not lose any weight I was suddenly 204 pounds. Then last year I reached 225. I think I was eating less.

Have you ever had your thyroid checked? Might be helpful to get your bloodwork done too. Could be anemia.

 

[soft breathing]

After almost a month of stagnation, the scale is finally moving down again, slow but steady.

Never get discouraged, Kiwis.
Consistency is key; don't get obsessed over losing amount x/per week, and then give up when it doesn't work.

 

[Irish Turtle]

gaining muscle and lifting has helped me lose fat better than just doing cardio and dieting

 

[ye's Official KF Burner]

Not necessarily trying to lose weight right now, but I am trying to make better choices for general wellness and a lot of those choices align with weight loss methods so I'll check in here from time to time.

My first order of business was going through my fridge and pantry and replacing high carb/sugar and overprocessed foods with healthier alternatives. I'm counting macros and food logging, but not really paying too close of attention to calorie counting and giving myself a little wiggle room with carbs if the carbs I'm consuming are from healthy sources. As I get more into a routine I'll push myself a little harder to meet my goals but I wanna get used to the changes I've already made to avoid burning out by doing too much at once.

Right now I'm trying to get above 160g of protein a day and at least 30g of fiber. Carbs I'm trying to stay at or under 130g. I'm able to meet those goals usually, I sometimes struggle with getting enough fiber and lowering carbs but as time has gone on I've learned what I'm fucking up on and making sure I do better. I'm not restricting either, if I'm out with friends or family I'll enjoy myself within reason but I'll log it too and see what I can do to compensate.

So far it's been a good process. I'm noticing a day to day difference in my wellbeing and my bloodwork has been reflecting my changes positively and I haven't really been "trying" yet. Just making swaps and logging my foods.

 

[Redoniblueoni]

My first order of business was going through my fridge and pantry and replacing high carb/sugar and overprocessed foods with healthier alternatives. I'm counting macros and food logging,

Well don't keep us hanging, what kind of swaps did you make?
I'll do one. I haven't been snacking alot lately because I've tried to get alot of nutrients via meals but I got this Catalina crunch keto friendly cereal which tastes similar to cinnamon toast crunch but way more filling. I have regular cereal too rn but i find this fills that craving well so I reach for it instead.

 

[ye's Official KF Burner]

Well don't keep us hanging, what kind of swaps did you make?
I'll do one. I haven't been snacking alot lately because I've tried to get alot of nutrients via meals but I got this Catalina crunch keto friendly cereal which tastes similar to cinnamon toast crunch but way more filling. I have regular cereal too rn but i find this fills that craving well so I reach for it instead.View attachment 6374011

I need to try that.

Swapped regular pasta for chickpea pasta....wasn't thrilled by the Barilla stuff but I heard Banza is better.

Rebel Ice Cream triple chocolate goes hard, currently my favorite brand. Better than Halo Top or any of the others. Birthday Cake is good too but triple chocolate is a winner.

I've tried a couple of varieties of the Green Giant veggie tots, the bacon cheddar ones are my favorite. Good if you're craving potatoes or fries but not a great substitute for each day since the sodium runs a bit high.

Got some of those Kodiak breakfast cups, the blueberry one tastes like a muffin and doesn't need anything added to it. The plain ones benefit from a little butter and low sugar syrup.

I solely use lite balsamic vinaigrette on salads now and as a dip for veggies. Vinegar helps balance blood sugar too which is a nice benefit. Sometimes I'll do hummus with paprika and olive oil to make it a little more dippable and not super clumpy. I also start my meals with the vegetables if they're separate, then the highest protein item, then the highest carb item for last.

I hate cottage cheese but I've found ways to eat it that make it worthwhile for me. My go-to breakfast is 1 cup of cottage cheese, zero sugar zero fat pudding mix (about 3 servings to thicken it up), and add equate max protein shake (poorfag choice but it's not too chalky or anything) until it's just right and then I drink the rest. 54g of protein in one shot at minimum, extremely filling, satisfies sweet tooth with little to no repercussions.

 

[Redoniblueoni]

@Sketchy Minecraft Mod Green giant veggie tots sounds awesome, I'll have to look for those next time.

The vinegar is really nice for salads. A low calorie dressing I've always done is vinegar mixed with mustard and spread on top. Adds flavor for basically no calories and is delicious to me. Any vinegar, mustard, mix well.


Cottage cheese is great and personally I like the taste (usually) but it can be weird sometimes. Recently I made a cottage cheese Buffalo sauce dip as a snack which was solid. Also, I've had the budwig mixture for years off/on (cottage cheese, flaxseed oil, flax) but recently decided I want the anti inflammatory benefits and protein so I've added a scoop of chocolate protein powder to it and it made it much better. You could go further and add some cinnamon, berries on top, whatever and it would be a decent breakfast or even dessert. Also I use an immersion blender to make it creamy so my brain doesn't think of it like cottage cheese as much.

Also to add onto the low cal ice cream I tried this sweetkiwi cookies and cream recently that's essentially frozen Greek yogurt so it's not extremely sweet but has protein in it which is cool. Satisfies that craving very well.