Weight loss support thread

[VJ 120]

Me and my boyfriend are currently on Weight Watchers together. I had massive success in the past (like 40+ pounds lost) and I'm currently having success now, having already lost 20-ish pounds in over a month.

My goal weight is 140. I'm currently 238.

 

[HypeBeast]

I feel like I have to come clean about something, here.

Spoiler

One of my regular customers, who's commented on my weight loss several times before, jokingly asked this morning if I've been starving myself, because I'm like "the Incredible Shrinking Woman", in her words. I told her no, but that's not entirely true.

Most days, I probably scrape by with 800-900 calories. Even that's generous sometimes. I eat very small amounts throughout the day, but I'll go several hours without eating a bite. And since I work 40-50 hours a week at two fairly physical jobs, you can imagine what kind of effect that's having on me.

I don't know how I went from "shit I better eat something cos I've got a headache" to "fuck yeah, calorie deficit" but I think I need to stop paying attention to numbers for a while... I thought if I kept away from weighing myself, that would help, because that's usually what set me on a bad path before, but calorie counting seems to do it, too. Apparently I'm incapable of taking the middle ground. It's either eat all the things, or I stop eating. It's fucking stupid and I'm so mad at myself for letting it get so bad.

I don't want to lose the progress I've made, regardless of how I made it. But I need to start eating normally again, and not just when I'm staying at my mom's house and other people are around, so for right now, restrictions are off. That doesn't mean I'll start eating like shit again, since I've lost my taste for most of the junk I used to eat anyway, but I'm going back to my old routine from when I started my diet. It worked for me and I was actually, y'know. Eating.

This isn't me looking for attention, please feel free to ignore me, I just felt like I had to tell somebody and this seemed like the place.

Don't feel bad, a lot of people don't like the scale for the same reason. Other ways you can track you progress are recording your measurements in a journal or tracking your body fat percentage with a caliper.

You should probably eat at least 1200 calories. Maybe keep something high calorie around for snacking? Granola and nuts are both good for this and don't spoil fast without a refrigerator. Plus they are very easy to prepare yourself to save money.

As long as you keep trying, you're doing a good job.

 

[Internet War Criminal]

This isn't me looking for attention, please feel free to ignore me, I just felt like I had to tell somebody and this seemed like the place.

If you want to maintain, it's easy:

Calculate TDEE, eat at TDEE. That way you won't gain back the weight but you will maintain (just keep recording everything and don't cheat)

 

[fire_fly]

You should probably eat at least 1200 calories. Maybe keep something high calorie around for snacking? Granola and nuts are both good for this and don't spoil fast without a refrigerator. Plus they are very easy to prepare yourself to save money.

I keep a bag of almonds and at least one nutrition bar in my purse at any given time, and I try to have some juice in the fridge at my main job, as well. My problem is I wasn't eating any of it unless I was, like, about to pass out. I'd just drink coffee and water and try to ignore the hunger pangs.

I just need to go back to taking real food to work again. Protein bars and all that are fine for short (3-6 hours) shifts but if I'm there a full day, I have to take more than that.

 

[TheMightyMonarch]

While I'm not really overweight, I feel like I'm getting there. I'm starting to realize that I'm getting older and that my fast metabolism isn't always gonna be there. I'm currently 124 (I'm 5'2") and I'm going to a music festival next month. My goal is to try to lose 10 pounds at the most by then.

I've completely cut soda out of my diet. I've been trying to eat more healthy, snack wise, laying off chips and cookies. As for exercise, I'm too broke to get a gym membership but I do have a courrier job in which I have to walk everywhere. My goal is to walk at least three hours daily everyday for the next month with this job. Hopefully that's enough.

 

[Enjoy your spaghetti]

While I'm not really overweight, I feel like I'm getting there. I'm starting to realize that I'm getting older and that my fast metabolism isn't always gonna be there. I'm currently 124 (I'm 5'2") and I'm going to a music festival next month. My goal is to try to lose 10 pounds at the most by then.

I've completely cut soda out of my diet. I've been trying to eat more healthy, snack wise, laying off chips and cookies. As for exercise, I'm too broke to get a gym membership but I do have a courrier job in which I have to walk everywhere. My goal is to walk at least three hours daily everyday for the next month with this job. Hopefully that's enough.

If you want to go the gym route, Planet Fitness has a basic membership for $10/month and $20/month for access to classes, massage chairs, and tanning too. Your local Y should also have income factored memberships or grants available--joining there will probably also open up cool stuff like classes, pools, and access to other YMCAs.

If not, walking/running is great free exercise, especially since it's part of your job already. Since your body has adapted to those demands, you should find ways to increase its physical challenges (speed, distance, weight, etc). Cross training on days you aren't doing this will help you recover and develop the rest of your body. Check your local Target or Walmart and Craigslist for inexpensive exercise equipment to use at home. I personally use kettlebells, a yoga mat and some poses I learned from YouTube, some Pilates toys (would loveloveLOVE to have a reformer someday), and a weighted hula hoop. You probably know somebody doing P90x or Insanity; maybe they'd let you join in.

On another topic I'm posting to avoid double posts, do any of you do meal prep? If so, do you have pointers? Googling is great, I know. But I'm more interested in your thoughts.

 

[fire_fly]

I've completely cut soda out of my diet. I've been trying to eat more healthy, snack wise, laying off chips and cookies. As for exercise, I'm too broke to get a gym membership but I do have a courrier job in which I have to walk everywhere. My goal is to walk at least three hours daily everyday for the next month with this job. Hopefully that's enough.

You'll definitely lose weight, then. Just cutting back on soda, not even quitting entirely, made me shed a lot of pounds.

I think I have the budget to get a gym membership now, with my second job, so I'll see about it after I've gotten my brakes fixed and my tag renewed next month. My only worry is, will it even be worth the money, since I get maybe one day off a week, if I'm lucky, and I spend so much time in the car?

Ehh, whatever, I'm gonna try. I run around a lot at both my jobs but I need to work on more specific things, too.

 

[Without A Gout]

You'll definitely lose weight, then. Just cutting back on soda, not even quitting entirely, made me shed a lot of pounds.

I think I have the budget to get a gym membership now, with my second job, so I'll see about it after I've gotten my brakes fixed and my tag renewed next month. My only worry is, will it even be worth the money, since I get maybe one day off a week, if I'm lucky, and I spend so much time in the car?

Ehh, whatever, I'm gonna try. I run around a lot at both my jobs but I need to work on more specific things, too.

The key with something like the gym and exercise is not waiting for time, but making time for it (even if it's a half-hour a day). Either before, between, or after jobs, just keep a duffel bag with gym clothes and a lock in it. You'd be surprised how fast you get adjusted to adding a little exercise to your day. Good stress relief.

 

[Internet War Criminal]

The key with something like the gym and exercise is not waiting for time, but making time for it (even if it's a half-hour a day). Either before, between, or after jobs, just keep a duffel bag with gym clothes and a lock in it. You'd be surprised how fast you get adjusted to adding a little exercise to your day. Good stress relief.

Hear hear!

Another way, if you are cut with time, go back a few pages to the post I made about DDP yoga. Routines are between 20-30 minutes on average, you can do them at home so there is no excuse for you not to be able to do a quick routine on days you feel you can't go to the gym.

Working out every day for half an hour 6 days a week should be everyone's goal, really.

 

[fire_fly]

So I went shopping with my mom again today, and I tried on a size 16 dress and it fit, y'all. It was from a line that tends to run a bit small, too. I know that's still kinda big, but I haven't been this thin since my senior year of high school. And I've dropped four dress sizes since November just by changing my diet.

 

[Enjoy your spaghetti]

I've decided to not go all out with the meal prep. It'll work out better for me if I just make some spaghetti squash and brown rice a couple times a week and add stuff per meal. It's also time for me to make my runs more challenging, so I've upped the distance for non-hill runs to be 3.5 miles and will run 4-5 days a week.

 

[fire_fly]

Sorry to necro a thread, but I have an update: I finally signed up for a gym membership!

There's only one gym in my part of town (used to be two but the other is gone now) and it's less than $30 a month for 24/7 access and free classes. So, I can make that work. And it's like 5 minutes away from my house, which is convenient. I plan on trying to go every other day, even if I just get on the stationary bike and don't fuck with weights. I'm excited, I'm making a playlist to listen to in the morning when I go!

I'm still trying to eat right with my batshit-insane schedule, and I'm getting better at it. I need to stop by the store tomorrow and get a protein powder I found that doesn't make me sick. It's expensive but 100% worth it to not feel like I'm gonna barf everywhere. And I want to go back to making healthy sandwiches to take to work, too, I got some fixings today.

I don't know if anyone still checks this thread, I just felt like posting.

 

[Cheeseburger Picnic]

You're right. My issue is really that I have no appetite all day so I'm overeating once it kicks in... And then I guess my body kind of regulates itself at some point? I've never been over 10 pounds overweight. Maybe I just need to suck it up and look at food as fuel instead of something to be enjoyed to get a regular eating schedule in.

Also sucks because I'm a small person and it's really easy for me to consume too many calories :/ obviously the answer is "work out more" so I'll try that.

Well my eating habits are far from perfect but since this post I've dropped 12 pounds and am now at a BMI of 23.4. I know it's not a lot really, but that's a fair amount of weight for my frame.

I'd like to lose 8 more to see how it looks on me but at this point I'm going to try to put more effort into toning over weightloss.

 

[Internet War Criminal]

Summer it's really easy to let it go by the wayside but if you can stay consistent the more results you the less you will be at risk of sliding back into bad habits

Keep it up! And yeah it's not just about eating right it's also about exercising. The better in shape you are the greater you will feel overall and the more energy, too

 

[wifflypuff]

Does anyone have advice on how to handle tracking rage? I'll be doing well for a while weighing and logging, and then it all gets to be too much and I'll end up going "FUCK YOU MFP YOU'RE NOT MY REAL DAD" and binging.

What do?

 

[ActualKiwi]

Does anyone have advice on how to handle tracking rage? I'll be doing well for a while weighing and logging, and then it all gets to be too much and I'll end up going "FUCK YOU MFP YOU'RE NOT MY REAL DAD" and binging.

What do?

I suggest ritalyn.

 

[wifflypuff]

I suggest ritalyn.

Intriguing, but perhaps not the most sustainable tactic.

(No but really, it's a problem.)

 

[Internet War Criminal]

Does anyone have advice on how to handle tracking rage? I'll be doing well for a while weighing and logging, and then it all gets to be too much and I'll end up going "FUCK YOU MFP YOU'RE NOT MY REAL DAD" and binging.

What do?

Automation is the key. Realistically you probably are rotating like 20 or so snacks and meals so just create them all at once and then in the future you don't need to go by ingredients just by meals which is really quicker

Also take pictures of yourself in your underwear and make yourself a timeline seeing changes over time will be a real motivation and once you hit less than 25 bmi cc me on those pictures

One of the reasons why you get angry is because you are losing focus and since you see yourself in the mirror everyday you don't really notice incremental changes. That will keep you focused on why you are doing it, and how far you progressed

That should take care of your problem. Start working out or work out harder it will help making you feel calmer too.

 

[wifflypuff]

Automation is the key. Realistically you probably are rotating like 20 or so snacks and meals so just create them all at once and then in the future you don't need to go by ingredients just by meals which is really quicker

Also take pictures of yourself in your underwear and make yourself a timeline seeing changes over time will be a real motivation and once you hit less than 25 bmi cc me on those pictures

Automation is an interesting point- I'm trying to remove emotion from eating. Otherwise what will happen is that I'll have my day pre-logged with meals prepared and then go "fuck it I don't feel like any of this" and end up going out to eat.

I've also started walking on my lunch break- eat my lunch then go for a half hour walk for the rest of my break just to get the blood flowing. It seems to have helped with that post-lunch slump that usually happens around 2 in the afternoon too.

One of the reasons why you get angry is because you are losing focus and since you see yourself in the mirror everyday you don't really notice incremental changes. That will keep you focused on why you are doing it, and how far you progressed

That should take care of your problem. Start working out or work out harder it will help making you feel calmer too.

So true. I was doing much better with all this when I was lifting on a regular basis.

Thanks for getting my head back on track.

 

[Internet War Criminal]

Automation is an interesting point- I'm trying to remove emotion from eating. Otherwise what will happen is that I'll have my day pre-logged with meals prepared and then go "fuck it I don't feel like any of this" and end up going out to eat.

The thing about automation is that you don't have to stick with a rigid eating plan while easily counting calories. That way you can improvise your meals a bit more without it being a chore and you won't feel like you MUST adhere to the plan and nothing else, you will just focus on the calories and that will aleviate the frustration.

Avoiding frustrations is really important because it's not a diet, it's not something temporary, it's you refocusing your relationship with food and exercise. And the easier it feels the easier it will be to stick to until it becomes a second nature

So keep up and good idea to start lifting again

Moderate exercise (where you break a sweat) 3 times a week 50 minutes will do wonder to your mood