Lose weight starting TODAY!!

[Metalcat]

Congrats to everyone doing so well, it's great to hear updates

[DeniseNJ]

How do you know how much you should weigh?  I mean, I get if you're strong and healthy, are active and eat a balanced diet then you weigh whatever you weigh.   But my weight have fluctuated by 50 lbs throughout my life.  And people look great at all sizes.  Some women look perfect a little thicker and not as good if they were thinner and some look great give or take 10 or 15 pounds. (I don't look great thin or fat as I have unfortunate rolls and lumps that I can't even blame on my two kids. In Spanish we call them chichos. I think that means love handles in English.) Some people look as good soft as they would muscle-ly.

I'm at 141.  When I had gotten down to 130 years ago, I thought that my body looked better at 130 but my face looked better at 135.  So this time I'm going for 135.  But I don't look different when I'm thinner, just smaller.  I'm still soft and still have a soft flabby stomach that having a 9 lb 4 oz baby 20 yrs ago didn't help--haven't been the same since. So how do you know if you should go for 140 or 135 or 130?  I'm 5'4" with a small/medium frame, rather chesty, and soft all over. And I'm 51 yrs old, female, not menopausal yet, I don't think.

[Metalcat]

How do you know how much you should weigh?  I mean, I get if you're strong and healthy, are active and eat a balanced diet then you weigh whatever you weigh.   But my weight have fluctuated by 50 lbs throughout my life.  And people look great at all sizes.  Some women look perfect a little thicker and not as good if they were thinner and some look great give or take 10 or 15 pounds. (I don't look great thin or fat as I have unfortunate rolls and lumps that I can't even blame on my two kids. In Spanish we call them chichos. I think that means love handles in English.) Some people look as good soft as they would muscle-ly.

I'm at 141.  When I had gotten down to 130 years ago, I thought that my body looked better at 130 but my face looked better at 135.  So this time I'm going for 135.  But I don't look different when I'm thinner, just smaller.  I'm still soft and still have a soft flabby stomach that having a 9 lb 4 oz baby 20 yrs ago didn't help--haven't been the same since. So how do you know if you should go for 140 or 135 or 130?  I'm 5'4" with a small/medium frame, rather chesty, and soft all over. And I'm 51 yrs old, female, not menopausal yet, I don't think.

I do not go by how I look. I've had many, many men comment that I look "best" a little overweight.

I don't aim for a specific weight, I aim for an optimal lifestyle and I know what weight that optimal lifestyle produces. I listen very, very closely to my body and do what works best for it.

That always, consistently, produces a BMI around 21. This is regardless of my starting point.

If I went by my ideal looks, I could eat quite a bit of crap, drink moderate alcohol, and be pretty slack on my exercise. My ideal lifestyle consists of plant-based whole foods, minimal sugar, no alcohol, diligent exercise, and never ever feeling like I'm depriving myself. It now involves intermittent fasting because I feel sooooo much better doing that, and yet again, it produced a BMI of 21 and is comfortably staying there.

If my idea lifestyle produced a larger size, I would be perfectly happy with that. When I was obese, I never in a million years thought that just focusing on how my body felt would get me back down to my weight from when I was a teenager. I fully expected to end up substantially bigger than I had been before the gain. I thought losing all of the weight was unrealistic.

Fun fact: focusing on how food and exercise will make you feel afterwards is one of the most predictive strategies for improving lifestyle.

[DeniseNJ]

Thanks.  I have a scale that rather ruthlessly also informs you of your percent of body fat.  I had never used this feature until now. Yikes. I need some exercise.

[Metalcat]

Thanks.  I have a scale that rather ruthlessly also informs you of your percent of body fat.  I had never used this feature until now. Yikes. I need some exercise.

That number is essentially meaningless, just ignore it.

[ToughMother]

It's been a long while since I checked in but in my quest to get from pandemic-130 back to pre-pandemic-115, I'm at 123.6. Not quite halfway and it is taking forever but at least heading in the right direction.

Thanks for this thread!

[Tempname23]

At the start of the thread there was a lot about carbs and keto, seemed mostly negative. I did 3 months on keto, lost 24 lbs and dropped my LDL from 106 to 54, triglycerides from 397 to 82, Total cholesterol from 195 to 109 and raised my HDL from 36 to 39. I found it difficult to keep up because, I'm a numbers guy and weighed and logged every thing I ate. I stayed under 20 grams of carbs. As soon as I got the good blood test numbers I quit.
 Now, I'm on a Carnivore diet, it is easy, eat all you want as long as it's meat, eggs, butter or bacon, throw in some chicken, lamb, pork, shrimp, and fish and your good, many have milk products also. Make sure you get 60% to 70% of your calories from fat! (the horror)
 I've lost about 30lbs and my BMI is 22.6, probably good enough, so, I may have to consciously eat more, so easy to be satiated when you get enough fat. Often only eat one meal a day, without hunger.  I'll be getting a blood test in about 30 days to track cholesterol progress.

[Metalcat]

At the start of the thread there was a lot about carbs and keto, seemed mostly negative. I did 3 months on keto, lost 24 lbs and dropped my LDL from 106 to 54, triglycerides from 397 to 82, Total cholesterol from 195 to 109 and raised my HDL from 36 to 39. I found it difficult to keep up because, I'm a numbers guy and weighed and logged every thing I ate. I stayed under 20 grams of carbs. As soon as I got the good blood test numbers I quit.
 Now, I'm on a Carnivore diet, it is easy, eat all you want as long as it's meat, eggs, butter or bacon, throw in some chicken, lamb, pork, shrimp, and fish and your good, many have milk products also. Make sure you get 60% to 70% of your calories from fat! (the horror)
 I've lost about 30lbs and my BMI is 22.6, probably good enough, so, I may have to consciously eat more, so easy to be satiated when you get enough fat. Often only eat one meal a day, without hunger.  I'll be getting a blood test in about 30 days to track cholesterol progress.

There's nothing wrong with keto if it works for you, it's just not necessary for losing weight the way the keto culture often tries to imply.

A lot of people don't find keto sustainable and end up regaining when they stop. That's the main issue I have with it. Incidentally, this is the same issue I have with intermittent fasting, even though I love it. For me it's sustainable, so it's great, but I'm well aware it isn't for everyone.

The best diet is the one you enjoy and can stick to indefinitely. If that's carnivore for you, that's great. I would be constantly ill, but that's just me.

[Dave1442397]

I just noticed this thread, and decided to chime in.

My weight crept up over the past few years, and I decided it was time to make a sustainable change. Right now I'm fasting from 1pm Sunday until 7am Tuesday, and again from 1pm Thursday until 7am Saturday. The other days, I eat between 7am and 1pm, so basically on the 18:6 plan.

Doing this, I'm losing 2 - 2.5lbs per week. Once I get to my goal weight, I plan on dropping the fast days (unless I still need one every couple of weeks to maintain) but I'm going to stick to the 18:6 eating habit. I find it very easy to finish eating by 1pm and be done for the day, and that really helps me cut out the unneeded snacks.

I watched some of Dr. Jason Fung's YouTube videos to get me back in the groove.

[StarBright]

Is this the 2022 weight loss thread?

I usually gain 7-10 in the winter and then lose it in the summer. This summer I did not lose it! So I'm on guard as we head into fall. I'm always 10 pounds heavier than I want to be, but have never found it worth the effort to get to an "ideal" weight. I'm 5'6", busty, and slow metabolism and had two giant babies. I ain't gonna be what I was in my 20s, you know?

Crazy schedules, crazy stress, and depleted decision making and will power means I just ordered nutrisystem for the month.

I'm a great cook, I know exactly how to portion and how to cook for my best me, but I just don't have the mental energy for it right now. Give me color coded, pre-portioned foods to get me through another crazy couple of months and hopefully I'll have the time for me in January.

[Metalcat]

Is this the 2022 weight loss thread?

I usually gain 7-10 in the winter and then lose it in the summer. This summer I did not lose it! So I'm on guard as we head into fall. I'm always 10 pounds heavier than I want to be, but have never found it worth the effort to get to an "ideal" weight. I'm 5'6", busty, and slow metabolism and had two giant babies. I ain't gonna be what I was in my 20s, you know?

Crazy schedules, crazy stress, and depleted decision making and will power means I just ordered nutrisystem for the month.

I'm a great cook, I know exactly how to portion and how to cook for my best me, but I just don't have the mental energy for it right now. Give me color coded, pre-portioned foods to get me through another crazy couple of months and hopefully I'll have the time for me in January.

I think the first thing I would ask is *why* you gain weight over the winter? As you age, especially as a woman, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, pun not intended, but accepted.

In terms of losing it, good luck with Nutrisystem, often what's best is just what's doable.

[Askel]

Oof, despite my initial success this past spring, fell into the trap of "I'M RIDING MY BIKE A LOT I CAN EAT WHATEVER" this summer. 

Am resuming writing things down so I can see the numbers on a daily basis. 

[ixtap]

After months of struggling, I seem to be in a happy place. It was easy to avoid the worst foods just before we set sail, as greasy foods can lead to seasickness. I have been able to build on that momentum now that we are back at dock. Also, we are in a new location with no car for the time being, so we are exploring and running errands by foot and by bike.

I need to remember to check in when I am struggling, not just when things are going well. I am working on creating more balance in my life, which should help.

[StarBright]

I think the first thing I would ask is *why* you gain weight over the winter? As you age, especially as a woman, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, pun not intended, but accepted.

In terms of losing it, good luck with Nutrisystem, often what's best is just what's doable.

I'm one of those people that usually doesn't get hungry when they are warm. I just don't eat as much in the summer and I have had about two decades of really nice balance that way.

This summer was just different. I had a crap ton of work deadlines and things going horribly wrong in my personal life, so being inside too much and general stress overrode my natural patterns. It sucks!

I've always avoided preplanned meals because I know how to do it right, you know? But it was actually reading about "spoons" for my neurodivergent child that convinced me to give myself a break. If I don't have the brain capacity to make the right choices, then I just don't have the capacity and need to find another way until I can focus again.

Right now I'm using those lovely color coded, sub 200 calorie nutrisystem things to get me from 5am to 5pm, and then we are eating regular dinner as a family. I'm a little hungry sometimes, but it isn't the end of the world. If my color coded packages and my supplemental fruit and veggies are gone before 5 - then I just have to wait until dinner. No thinking necessary.

[Metalcat]

I think the first thing I would ask is *why* you gain weight over the winter? As you age, especially as a woman, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, pun not intended, but accepted.

In terms of losing it, good luck with Nutrisystem, often what's best is just what's doable.

I'm one of those people that usually doesn't get hungry when they are warm. I just don't eat as much in the summer and I have had about two decades of really nice balance that way.

This summer was just different. I had a crap ton of work deadlines and things going horribly wrong in my personal life, so being inside too much and general stress overrode my natural patterns. It sucks!

I've always avoided preplanned meals because I know how to do it right, you know? But it was actually reading about "spoons" for my neurodivergent child that convinced me to give myself a break. If I don't have the brain capacity to make the right choices, then I just don't have the capacity and need to find another way until I can focus again.

Right now I'm using those lovely color coded, sub 200 calorie nutrisystem things to get me from 5am to 5pm, and then we are eating regular dinner as a family. I'm a little hungry sometimes, but it isn't the end of the world. If my color coded packages and my supplemental fruit and veggies are gone before 5 - then I just have to wait until dinner. No thinking necessary.

Yes! I'm all about the spoons.

If I had to figure out how to feed myself every evening I would live on garbage food. My condition means I run out of steam early, if I don't bulk cook during a good afternoon, I am basically unable to feed myself reasonably.

Hence how I ended up obese during my doctorate.

[achvfi]

At the start of the thread there was a lot about carbs and keto, seemed mostly negative. I did 3 months on keto, lost 24 lbs and dropped my LDL from 106 to 54, triglycerides from 397 to 82, Total cholesterol from 195 to 109 and raised my HDL from 36 to 39. I found it difficult to keep up because, I'm a numbers guy and weighed and logged every thing I ate. I stayed under 20 grams of carbs. As soon as I got the good blood test numbers I quit.
 Now, I'm on a Carnivore diet, it is easy, eat all you want as long as it's meat, eggs, butter or bacon, throw in some chicken, lamb, pork, shrimp, and fish and your good, many have milk products also. Make sure you get 60% to 70% of your calories from fat! (the horror)

@Tempname23 Congrats on your success. I wish more people find a way for a complete reset like this.

Though I would urge strong caution for staying on carnivore for long term. There are too many examples where after year or so you may start experiencing issues with it.  My suggestion is hedge your bets and include some carbs in your diet, staying in Keto or low carb side while remaining mostly animal based still. Another note on adding low amount of carbs back is that your weight will start going by 5-10 lbs. but that is alright. Its just your muscles are maintaining necessary glycogen and hydration throughout your body. Many experts contend that carbs are not essential, but I believe they are essential for good metabolism.

All the best.

[EchoStache]

I might post here to help keep myself accountable.  I've gained 20 lbs of unhealthy weight, lost a lot of strength, lost a lot of cardiovascular fitness, and have had much more trouble with my asthma of late.  It's very important to me to remain in exceptionally good health, so here we go.  My approach seems like it might be quite a bit different from some others, so maybe my methods will be helpful or interesting.  Here we go.

51 year old male, 5'8" tall, 197 lbs.  For perspective, 175ish would make me VERY lean.

Todays work:
Barbell Back Squat 235 lbs for 3 sets of 5 reps (3x5)
Barbell Overhead Press 120 lbs 5x5
Barbell Deadlift 285 3x5

I'd like to strength train 3x/week, HIIT 2x/week on non training days, and reduce/eliminate unhealthy snacking at night, which often consists of probably 1,000 calories of cookies and milk.  Not sure if I will track or not but if I do, I'll be shooting for around 200 grams of protein per day and boatloads of healthy carbs on training days.

[DeniseNJ]

I look more at calories than macro nutrients, simply bc when you have so much to lose, a decrease in calories will do it.  It's not until you start to get close to your goal that the details start to matter.  I see this buff guy on utube going on about all these details of food, and when and how much, and fasting and keto, and micronutrients.  Sure it matters to him with that body to make the most of each vitamin.  But if you are a regular person, with 30 or more pounds to lose, just reducing your calorie count will do it. No, not for every single person on the planet, but just like cutting costs and saving money strategies, let's not assume we are the exception, and even though it works for everybody else, it won't work for me.

That said, boy, I could only count calories for 6 months before it got so boring I couldn't stand it.  All the details are a great distraction to keep you interested.  Then I started the fasting.  That was interesting for a few months. But I been stuck trying to lose the same 7 pounds for months and they don't budge.  And by "trying" I mean hoping and wishing more than actually doing anything. And my body still looks exactly the same (flabby) even though I'm over 30 pounds lighter.  I look the same just smaller.  But even my dog hates exercise.  No motivation to get off my butt at all.

[DeniseNJ]

It'll be a year at the end of Nov that I started trying to lose weight and started this thread.  In the first 6 months, I wrote down everything I ate, and kept calories to 1200 per day. I lost about 5 pounds a month, 172 to 142 on a smallish frame, female, 5'4".  Mid May I lost my mojo and stopped counting calories or writing down my food and basically haven't lost any weight since and hovered around 142 for months.  I was trying to get to 135.

In the last two weeks I haven't been able to go grocery shopping and I don't eat fast food, so just been eating sandwiches, an apple, etc. and lost a few more pounds.  Had a physical this morning and was 138.  Just 3 more pounds.  It took a year, 30 in 6 months and the last 7lbs taking another 6 months, just eating less, no exercise.

The result is I fit in old clothes.  However, I look exactly the same, just smaller, and don't actually feel different at all.  I think I would look and feel a lot better with some exercise, but I just hate it so much.  Anyway, that's just my progress so far, no real advice.  Looks like the answer to almost all our first world woes is diet, exercise, and sleep.

[EchoStache]

It'll be a year at the end of Nov that I started trying to lose weight and started this thread.  In the first 6 months, I wrote down everything I ate, and kept calories to 1200 per day. I lost about 5 pounds a month, 172 to 142 on a smallish frame, female, 5'4".  Mid May I lost my mojo and stopped counting calories or writing down my food and basically haven't lost any weight since and hovered around 142 for months.  I was trying to get to 135.

In the last two weeks I haven't been able to go grocery shopping and I don't eat fast food, so just been eating sandwiches, an apple, etc. and lost a few more pounds.  Had a physical this morning and was 138.  Just 3 more pounds.  It took a year, 30 in 6 months and the last 7lbs taking another 6 months, just eating less, no exercise.

The result is I fit in old clothes.  However, I look exactly the same, just smaller, and don't actually feel different at all.  I think I would look and feel a lot better with some exercise, but I just hate it so much.  Anyway, that's just my progress so far, no real advice.  Looks like the answer to almost all our first world woes is diet, exercise, and sleep.

Well despite that fact that you are less than thrilled with your results, congrats on your weight loss.  It's a tough battle especially when exercising doesn't appeal to you.  I'm of the opinion that the best diet is the one you'll adhere to, and the best exercise is that which you enjoy and will do consistently.

Is there anything you enjoy doing that involves being active, rather than figuring out what kind of "exercise" to do?  Such as walking, hiking, bicycling, racquetball, tennis, jogging, skipping rope, rowing, stationary bike while watching TV or podcast, resistance training, etc etc?  Maybe figure a way to incorporate being active into a social activity?

If there is absolutely nothing that involves being physically active appeals to you, perhaps forcing compliance with a brief, 15 minute activity 2-3x/week would help.  Such as HIIT which can be done in as little as 15 minutes.  This type of modality can significantly increase metabolism and improve body composition which can also be motivating.

I have a Schwinne Airdyne that I picked up on FB marketplace for $150 and will last forever.  Couple minutes warmup, 20 second sprint, 1:40 rest, repeat 4-7x for a 15 minute workout.  So sprint every 2:00 for 20 seconds, then just rest i.e. absolutely do nothing but catch your breath. 

[EchoStache]

1 week check-in:

I completed a full week of training without missing a workout.  Weight loss hasn't progressed much but my appetite is increasing, so just need to stick to healthy choices i.e. no excessive snacking.
Last workout of the week:
Squat 255 3x5
Press 120 5x5 (repeated)
Deadlift 295 3x5
Total Volume 11,250 lbs

Hard to stay motivated but hopefully if I can push the weight higher in a reasonable timeframe, I won't feel like I'm wasting my time.

BW has bounced back up to 196.

[DeniseNJ]

What do you all know about body fat percentages?  Malcat said don't worry about it, but mine is about 37% according to both my fancy scale and measurements put into charts online. And interwebs says over 25% for my sex, height, and age is obese.  They also clock me at 135 being my maximum normal weight, but my face does not look good with less than 135lbs to fill in the wrinkles.

But having 37% of my entire body be fat sounds awful and crazy gross.  Like if you put me in a frying pan, I'd sizzle down to nothing!  I feel like bacon.  Even ground beef is leaner than me!  Ewww.

I guess I need another spreadsheet to track not only weight but measurements and percent body fat. Also looks like exercise is the only way out.  Ughh. 

[Askel]

I think those resistance scales are prone to significant measurement errors. I had a similar situation when I used to have one.  The one thing I did note those was that while it was not very accurate, it was pretty reliable and could be used to determine whether my body fat content was going up or down reliably. 

I think the only way to get a good measurement of body fat is by caliper measurements.   

[DeniseNJ]

I think those resistance scales are prone to significant measurement errors. I had a similar situation when I used to have one.  The one thing I did note those was that while it was not very accurate, it was pretty reliable and could be used to determine whether my body fat content was going up or down reliably. 

I think the only way to get a good measurement of body fat is by caliper measurements.

I don't know because I also input measurements into a couple of websites, like neck, waist and hips and wrist measurements and they all came back about the same, which is far above the 25% max for normal.

So new plan. The way I track weight loss every week, I'm going to track body fat and measurements every week and (ugh) exercise daily.

Yoga and walking.  That is the best I can do. I don't like to sweat, or get out of breath, or bounce around.  Maybe as I feel better I might be motivated to do other things but right now I think that's what I can handle.

[Metalcat]

What do you all know about body fat percentages?  Malcat said don't worry about it, but mine is about 37% according to both my fancy scale and measurements put into charts online. And interwebs says over 25% for my sex, height, and age is obese.  They also clock me at 135 being my maximum normal weight, but my face does not look good with less than 135lbs to fill in the wrinkles.

But having 37% of my entire body be fat sounds awful and crazy gross.  Like if you put me in a frying pan, I'd sizzle down to nothing!  I feel like bacon.  Even ground beef is leaner than me!  Ewww.

I guess I need another spreadsheet to track not only weight but measurements and percent body fat. Also looks like exercise is the only way out.  Ughh.

DO NOT take a resistance scale seriously and DO NOT base your progress on it. Period.

You will end up frustrated and discouraged. The resistance scales, if they work at all, measure up to just above your ankles, so mostly your feet and ankles, which are not a spot that is likely to change in composition all that much. So totally useless as a measure.

I had one of those scales when I was losing substantial weight and the body fat measurement literally never changed.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't be concerned about your body fat, obviously, but a reasonable assessment of your health doesn't depend on specific body fat percentages, and especially not on totally inaccurate and meaningless body fat measures on a bullshit scale.

I also urge you to not really focus on appearance as a motivator, I know that's hard, but it's seriously a terrible long term motivator.

If you focus on how your body *feels* and do what it needs to *feel* better, you will end up looking better. There's really no avoiding it. And if you find that you do end up getting too thin for your esthetic preferences, that's easy, just add a a few calories to your day.

I have a thin face and lose fat in it easily, if I lose more weight it will be very aging and my BMI is 21, so there's no benefit for me healthwise to lose any more. So I added a nice thick piece of toast with a ton of butter to my days and I stopped losing. Easy.

But don't worry about that until you get to a point where you are very comfortable with a diet and exercise lifestyle that is naturally keeping you lean.

In the meantime, what *is* an optimal lifestyle that would naturally keep you lean and fit that is something that could be done for the rest of your life?

I personally hate "exercise" although I now know that's largely due to my hip dysplasia, which makes my system fatigue really easily doing any kind of cardio. I used to just think I was "weak" and tried to force myself. That was dumb.

Don't do exercise you don't like. It's not necessary.

My exercise mainly consists of doing house chores, just anything to keep me from sitting for hours on end and not moving. I put on an audiobook and just start moving around. I'll dust, clean the bathroom, reorganize my pantry. You name it.

I do a TON of physio exercises, which are so small and gentle, they would never contribute to weight loss, I could offset those calories with a splash of milk in my coffee.

However, they are AMAZING for my posture, which means that literally every time I'm standing or moving, I'm working more critical muscles than someone with terrible posture. Also, wicked posture feels good and looks great.

My PT exercises don't feel like exercise, they feel like gentle, relaxing self care. I don't need to find motivation to do them because they always feel so nice and relaxing. I have different, chill audiobooks I put on for PT. Half of the exercises just involve me lying down for 2-10 minutes at a time on various blocks and balls.
Super chill.

Before I lost my ability to go for walks, walking was my FAVOURITE exercise. I would listen to audiobooks (shocking, right?), and schedule phone calls with friends and just go wander for hours by the river.  And seriously, my ass has never looked better than when I was walking ;)

Don't forget that conventional "workouts" are a modern invention designed to be unpleasant enough that you will give up. You realize that, right?

What most North Americans think constitutes "exercise" is specifically designed so that you WON'T DO IT for more than 6 weeks. Just enough time to start seeing "results" and long enough that you realize you can't sustain it in your demanding lifestyle.

Then they count on the neo-liberal shame to kick in and for you to feel like a failure because you stopped doing a routine that was designed for you to stop doing it, and you wouldn't ever think to blame the folks who, y'know, designed that to happen. Lol.

Kill whatever programmed concept you have of what exercise is and just focus on what feels good and enjoyable and find ways to prioritize doing things that *feel* good on a daily basis.

There's absolutely no reason for exercise to feel anything but awesome. And if you find the awesome thing you like to do throughout most days, you will be way better off than engaging in fits and spurts of more intense exercise that's always the first thing to fall off your routine when life's normal stresses demand your attention.

My go-to now is home projects. They don't involve a lot of walking and I can stick with them for a few hours at a time. I did so much scrubbing, painting, and caulking this summer at our second home that my upper arm muscles are now too bulky for my suit jackets and some of my non-stretch shirts.

Find some sort of activity that you *want* to do when you are stressed out, something that makes you feel *better* when your body is tired and achy.

Even without working legs, I still crave getting out and going for short walks on my crutches every time I'm really stressed, or have been sedentary for too long. If you only do what feels good, your body will LOUDLY crave the routine of getting up and moving.

[DeniseNJ]

Thanks, Malcat!

Update, down to 138, 35 pounds lost in almost a year, 3 pounds to go to goal.

[Dave1442397]

I'm down 21lbs since August 1st, from 186.5 to 165.5 this morning. That includes two weeks in August where I fell off the wagon and gained 3lbs before knuckling down and getting on with it.

My routine now is that I don't eat on Mondays and Fridays, and eat between 7am and 1pm the other five days of the week.

Exercise has been 100-150 miles per week cycling, some outdoors and a lot on Zwift.

I am starting with the X3 system on Monday, which will help with strength-building. I've never really liked lifting weights, but I need to do something to prevent muscle loss. This is a link to the website in case anyone wants to take a look: https://www.jaquishbiomedical.com/x3-bar/

The X3 peeps are really into their carnivore diets and OMAD (one meal a day). While I could handle one meal a day, I could never do the carnivore diet...just not my thing, and I like my pizza and pasta. I think the raw meat thing is dangerous. I just read a Consumer Reports article where they reported on bacteria, salmonella etc. in store-bought meat, and it wasn't good. I like my burgers cremated and my chicken well done.

[Morning Glory]

@Malcat thar makes sense about the resistance scales.  A couple years ago I got a dexa scan (free because they were studying something at work) and was really surprised by how high my body fat was as I'd been lifting weights a lot at that time, and my weight was within normal range. I have really skinny feet so those scales had probably been underestimating me for years.

[Metalcat]

@Malcat thar makes sense about the resistance scales.  A couple years ago I got a dexa scan (free because they were studying something at work) and was really surprised by how high my body fat was as I'd been lifting weights a lot at that time, and my weight was within normal range. I have really skinny feet so those scales had probably been underestimating me for years.

Lol, yeah, as  woman, I personally don't worry about body fat % at all because I'm hourglass, and my fat might actually be cardio protective.

I focus on central fat, nutrition, and general fitness. I know when my midsection is lean, I know when I'm eating nutritious food, and I know when I feel strong and fit.

I don't need any cockamamie metrics to tell me.

[DeniseNJ]

Two pounds to the goal of 135lbs. I've lost 35 lbs since last November, most in the fives 6 months. No exercise so I still feel like a slug but my clothes fit just in time to make an appearance at the office.  I thought I'd have to buy new clothes if we ever went back to the workplace.  My clothes fit now, but I'm mostly working from home so not sure what to even do with most of my work clothes and 30 pairs of shoes.  Even after a 35 lbs loss at age 51, my skin is still relatively firmly attached to my face. Since I started trying to lose weight I've amped u the skin care a lot to help it bounce back. So far so good.

I have started trying to do push ups every day. Can't do one yet but trying a few times a day for the past couple of days.  Having a contest with coworkers for most improved number of push ups in Nov.

[BikeFanatic]

Congratulations to Denise and everyone else.
I am down to 117 to 119 which  is  great, haven’t been there in many years, I did have to buy some new and new to me clothes. Now back to the gym to build some muscle. Lost with fasting, ketoish, lower carbs. Eating lower carbs curbs my cravings and allows me to fast all day without hunger.
It is amazing not to sit and snack all night like I used to. I have since added back carbs am still maintaining my weight.

[Dave1442397]

Congrats to all on your progress!

I've been sticking to my plan 100% - didn't even touch the Halloween candy :)

Down 26 lbs now. The excel spreadsheet shows the last month's progress. On 10/18 I watched a video on the recent studies on restricted time eating, and started eating two meals a day, one at 7am and one at 11:30am. The days in blue are the days I don't eat at all - yesterday was 20 fast days to date.

My original goal was 150lbs (I'm 5'7"), and I'm getting close. I may revise it to 140lbs, which is middle of the BMI range for me.

[EchoStache]

My last check in was 196 on 10/13.  I fell off the rails and went up to 200.5.  I've given up on training for now as my heart is just not in it.  So I've decided to focus on diet/nutrition.  I've not been able to muster the discipline to cut out snacking in the evening.  11/14, I began fasting every morning until lunch time.  This restriction of calories has allowed me to snack sensibly in the evenings and still make progress:
11/14 200.5. Began fasting
11/25 196.3 (-4.2)

Goal is 180.

[violets]

I'll join in. I started trying to lose weight with my sister on Nov 1. Down to 170 now, would like to be 140 but I'd settle for 150.

Currently eating a cup noodles, a salad, and a couple chicken thighs a day for around 1200 calories. It might get monotonous eventually but for now it's simple and good.

[ixtap]

Feels good to get right back to things after the feasting day!

[Ysera]

I'll join! I need to lose ten pounds. After successfully conquering my sedentary pandemic gain of 25 lbs, I have slowly snacked and stress-eaten away a good portion of my progress. In all fairness, this was a very stressful year, but my bad habits need to die again.

My weight loss technique of choice is intuitive eating, which generally works well for me. I've never been able to out-exercise bad eating habits, and honestly listening to my body's cues generally tells me that my body wants real, quality food. Portion size has been creeping up on me, and mindless snacking has become very natural. It will take a while to get the weight off again, but I am hopeful. My uniforms have become uncomfortably snug. I want to feel confident and comfortable in my own skin again.

Plus, as mentioned, this is a very Mustachian venture! Fewer dollars will be spent on empty snacks, and smaller portion sizes will make my groceries go further if I am smart about good storage methods and not overbuying perishable things.

[ixtap]

I had a whoosh, as in, I was up every two hours peeing all night long. End result, according to the scale at the gym, I weigh less than 200lb, but more than 150+50, which is about 1.5 down from Wednesday. Never sure if that kind of thing is due to flushing out the gunk and inflammation or the extra calories burned running to the bathroom a million times. The stiffness in my hips suggests I am not done addressing inflammation just yet. I hope consistency does the trick because otherwise I will likely resort to an elimination diet in January. Cliche, I know, but I don't want to be in the reintroduction phase while visiting family, so will focus on a healthy generalized diet for now.

[EchoStache]

Monday weigh in:
11/14 200.5. Began fasting until lunch every day
11/25 196.3 (-4.2)
11/28 193.6 (-6.9)

[Dave1442397]

148.5 this morning. Down 34lbs since August.

My goal is 138lbs, but I don't mind if the weight loss slows down a bit over the holidays.

Judging by the current state of the chocolate stash, I'll need some self control :)

[ixtap]

Still peeing like an elephant, and still very stiff joints. I don't remember my joints ever getting more stiff as the weight comes off before :( Anyway, jumped on the scale out of curiosity and I am solidly below 150+50 this time... 3 lbs in two days is a whole lot of water weight.

Blood sugar is in track to be in the "pre diabetic" range by the end of the week. Once I achieve that, it takes longer to drop that little bit extra into the normal range. I am confident I can be maintaining normal before we travel for the holidays. Then just two weeks of ignoring the excess around me to aim for a good A1C... I can usually do really well the first week, and this time we will be transitioning to the other family at that point, so I might be able to frame that as a reset.

[Josiecat22222]

148.5 this morning. Down 34lbs since August.

My goal is 138lbs, but I don't mind if the weight loss slows down a bit over the holidays.

Judging by the current state of the chocolate stash, I'll need some self control :)

I can TOTALLY help you out with some of that stash.  You know, to help you with your weight loss goals.....

[Dave1442397]

148.5 this morning. Down 34lbs since August.

My goal is 138lbs, but I don't mind if the weight loss slows down a bit over the holidays.

Judging by the current state of the chocolate stash, I'll need some self control :)

I can TOTALLY help you out with some of that stash.  You know, to help you with your weight loss goals.....

Lol, thanks for the offer, but I can't let it go...it's too good!

[ixtap]

Blood sugar is down to 120 this morning, so on track with my predictions. I somehow failed to notice when I used my last strip, so I didn't have a chance to measure yesterday. But I am happy with the results.

Weight was up 1 lb yesterday, but whatever, hormones...

Now, to get up and move on this rainy morning. Going to try to get in 20 minutes of cardio plus some variation of my stretching routine without leaving the boat.

[Josiecat22222]

@ixtap, how do you do cardio on a sailboat?  I can manage yoga, but cardio remains a challenge!

[Nederstash]

Room for one more, guys? I'm currently 96 kg / 211 lbs and I want to get below 90 kg / 198 lbs ASAP. I'm just so done with the weight and I want to drop it. I haven't been below 90 kg in years and it just marks a really shitty few years in my life. My father has just died last week after a year of illness and I want DESPERATELY to have 2023 be a GOOD year. There's 4 weeks left in the year. I don't know if I'm setting myself up for disappointment but I feel like I should at least try to get below 90 kg before 2023.

Any and all encouragement is very welcome.

[ixtap]

@ixtap, how do you do cardio on a sailboat?  I can manage yoga, but cardio remains a challenge!

I can jog in place, side step, squat, swing my arms carefully. I also used cans of beans (aka 1 lb weights) to help get the blood moving. I was definitely warm and removing layers.

[Dave1442397]

Room for one more, guys? I'm currently 96 kg / 211 lbs and I want to get below 90 kg / 198 lbs ASAP. I'm just so done with the weight and I want to drop it. I haven't been below 90 kg in years and it just marks a really shitty few years in my life. My father has just died last week after a year of illness and I want DESPERATELY to have 2023 be a GOOD year. There's 4 weeks left in the year. I don't know if I'm setting myself up for disappointment but I feel like I should at least try to get below 90 kg before 2023.

Any and all encouragement is very welcome.

First, my condolences on the loss of your father.

As for losing weight, I can tell you that I tried various things over the years, but what has really worked for me is a combination of intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating. I've gone from 181 lbs on August 27th to 145.5 lbs yesterday.

This is something you can ease into - you don't have to jump in 100% all at once.

I don't eat at all on Mondays and Fridays, and the other five days of the week I only eat between 7am and 12pm, a five-hour eating window. I eat my usual breakfast and lunch, so I'm not eating three meals worth of calories in five hours, and I'm skipping the evening meal calories.

For me, this just works. On the days I eat, my noon cutoff stops me snacking in the evenings. I don't eat anything between breakfast and lunch.

There are fasting days where I start to feel cold and tired in the afternoons (it was definitely easier in warmer weather), but the results keep me going.

I have not only lost weight, but generally feel a lot better.

Do some research and see what you think. You can find any number of articles and YouTube videos on both IF and Time-Restricted Eating.
https://honehealth.com/edge/nutrition/186-intermittent-fasting/#:~:text=Some%20studies%20suggest%20that%20your,6%20hours%20of%20the%20day.

One thing I really like about TRE is that once I got used to not eating after 12pm, I stopped feeling hungry in the evenings, even though I exercise for at least an hour in the afternoon. It didn't take long to get to the point that it feels like it's easy - much easier than when I used to just try eating less calories spread out over a whole day (and I found that didn't really work for me). I may quit the fasting soon and just eat every day between 7am and 12pm. Now that I fit in all my clothes again, I don't mind if it takes a little longer to lose that last 10lbs or so.

Good luck!

[ixtap]

Room for one more, guys? I'm currently 96 kg / 211 lbs and I want to get below 90 kg / 198 lbs ASAP. I'm just so done with the weight and I want to drop it. I haven't been below 90 kg in years and it just marks a really shitty few years in my life. My father has just died last week after a year of illness and I want DESPERATELY to have 2023 be a GOOD year. There's 4 weeks left in the year. I don't know if I'm setting myself up for disappointment but I feel like I should at least try to get below 90 kg before 2023.

Any and all encouragement is very welcome.

Condolences for your loss.

May I suggest you make your goals around building habits, rather than just the weight loss. What do you want your lifestyle to look like? What will lossing weight change for you?

10kgs in 4 weeks is unrealistic for most people our size and trying to achieve that could lead to entering 2023 wiped out/ burned out. If on the other hand you spend the next four weeks doing things like eating more veggies and moving more, maybe even adding in meditation, you are more likely to enter the new year energized.

[ixtap]

It has been quiet here lately.

My blood sugars were 88 this morning, so I guess I achieved my goal of normal by today. Woohoo! Now to carry on the streak.

Weight has plateaued since the last whoosh. Obviously, I am eating right and moving plenty, or I wouldn't have gotten my blood sugar under control so quickly. My body just likes to lurch around, especially when it comes to weight.

[Omy]

I'm down 3 more pounds since my last update at the end of July. The last 3 lbs came off MUCH slower than the first 21 lbs.

I feel and look pretty good, and I'm rarely hungry. I will probably continue losing a few more lbs (at the current slow rate)...but may need to add a few calories when I start feeling too skinny.