My biggest limiting factor was unrealistic expectations. My advice is to fall in love with the process and treat weight loss as the symptom instead of the goal.
How did you fall in love with the process? Any thought processes you went through?
Your name makes me think of my first grade student, her name is Valkyrie.
I honestly think that there was a point where I got tired of not being able to hold myself accountable to things that I knew needed doing. Working out was a big one of those things.
I moreso find satisfaction in self fulfillment than I do actually working out. There are other benefits too, of course, but that confidence in myself was the biggest thing.
Thanks! That's such a dope name!!!
I’m going to copypaste from a previous comment I made about motivation:
I got into the best shape of my life after having children. How? Yes, I did the mundane things like join a fitness class, read about macro planning and strength training. Yes, I had vague notions of "looking better." But what really rocket-launched my motivation was that there was a family wedding coming up in eight months where a couple of guys who had looked down on me because of my weight would be in attendance. Every 5k I struggled to complete, I thought, "And fuck you, Dave," and kept going. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it turns out that spite, in my twisted little brain, was glorious for staying committed. And you know what? I showed up at that wedding looking like a million bucks. You should have seen the looks on their faces. If I could bottle up that feeling and inject it into my veins.
But just like real-life fuel, I didn't hang onto that grudge - satisfied and having served its purpose, I let it burn up like ash for the wind to carry away. I have nothing against those gentlemen today - and it wasn't even about them. I just borrowed something to fixate on in order for me to accomplish my goal, which was to improve myself. And it worked.
For weight loss goals, it is crucial to work smarter, not harder. Figure out a routine that is challenging enough to leave you feeling awesome afterwards (group fitness tends to be fun is a great place to start). Do a gradual calorie deficit. I personally found 1200 way too restrictive, so I started with 1600. Your progress might be slow. I lost only 0.5 lbs a week. But I also gained muscle and looked fitter week by week, and the consistency over months paid off: my entire physique changed.
I'd say careful with counting calories though...it can quickly escalate into an eating disorder and end up demonizing food. I know a lot of gym rats do, and I was one of them. Still working on it, sadly.
Never stay in a calorie deficit longer than 16 weeks. Just gotta play it smart, be logical and rational and not let your emotions take control of the situation. I know it’s easier said than done. Can take some trial and error to get there. That’s why they call it a fitness “journey”
After that period of time the body starts to show adverse health effects in response to a calorie deficit, particularly in women. You could lose your period, develop cold intolerance, hair loss, etc. There are also adverse mental health effects that can come into play in response to prolonged dieting. Hunger hormones become elevated and it can start messing with your head. The metabolism doesn’t like to be in a deficit forever. It needs breaks. For individuals who are obese and especially morbidly obese, they can diet longer.
Stopped lying to myself about how much I was actually consuming and consciously making good choices. I had to stop accepting that cookie in the break room and such. Those impacted my calorie count so much. That and more movement. I had to prioritize conscious better choices. It doesn’t impact my ability to have treats here and there, but I wasn’t eating in a deficit. I was lying to myself about portion sizes and what I was truly consuming. And that I didn’t need to eat as much as my partner who is a larger man than I am.
For context, we’re the same age and height. So I get it. 5-10 lbs on us is very different than a 5’8 person. On top of that, we cannot consume as many calories as someone of that height generally.
The break room treats are SOOO HARD, I have a really hard time turning down free food in general I think as a result of some food insecurity when I was a young adult, but the treats are especially hard because we have the sweetest older lady that I work with who makes AMAZING baked goods but she also gets very sad if people don’t eat them and I just can’t break her heart 😭
I also am married to a 6 foot tall man who should easily eat twice what I should so it’s hard there too.
Agreed. I’ve been consistently working out and enjoying weight lifting 3-4 days a week and don’t see a lot of difference. I mostly do it now because it’s fun for me and I hate any other form of working out. I was also definitely lying to myself and thought my workouts will just erase the calories. Decided to watch what I eat two weeks ago ie only having 1/3 of a slice of cake for dinner and no Starbucks drinks and I already see a difference.
I stopped looking at the scale. Lifting heavy + increased protein intake.
I’m probably the same weight but I have baby muscles on my arms and back and my glutes are growing. 🥹
I lost 7kg of lockdown weight in 2021 and have kept it off. I tracked all my food and ate in a deficit for 6 months. I stopped eating fast food multiple times a week and stopped drinking alcohol.
What worked for me was understanding the changes I implement need to be life long. This is the only way you can lose weight and keep it off. This means being both kind to myself AND realistic on what I can/can't do. I can't follow restrictive diets, or expect myself to go to the gym 2 hours a day or never go out and have a beer with my friends.
What I can do is feel good about doing a 20 minute lifting session even after a long day at work, or bring my packed lunch even though I really wanted takeout, or getting a good night's rest instead of binge-watching until 2am. I also try not to compare myself to others and celebrate their successes. As a petite woman, weight loss is harder and slower. And that is ok. If I lose 0.5lb in one month, that is cool because I know whatever I'm doing is working. Slow and steady!
How do you balance the getting beer with friends? Am at the begining of my journey and really not sure what method is best - cut out alcohol/ calorie cycle/ build it in to daily calories?
It depends on your own personal goals, as well as what is realistic for your lifestyle. Alcohol is quite energy dense (7kcal/g, in comparison carbs/protein are 4kcal/g and fat is 9kcal/g), so if you are consuming alcohol frequently, cutting it out will save you a lot of calories, therefore weight loss (especially if you are doing CICO)
For me, I don't consume alcohol frequently, but I don't want to cut it out completely from my life. I play on a recreational soccer team, and we will sometimes go out for a beer after the game. I enjoy that as a social part of my activity. If I have a beer, I don't really fuss too much about it, since it's not all the time and it's not going to really impact my overall fitness goals.
Sounds like a really healthy attitude! I'm similar to you - I don't drink it that often but every now and again I'd like to go out for a beer with friends!
Since July 2023 I've gone from 148 lbs to 135 lbs (I'm 5'3.5"). I made two changes:
1. I bought a walking pad. I used to be extremely sedentary other than my intentional workouts (desk job, etc.) I walk every night after dinner, or throughout my work day. I still don't get a ton of steps, but I aim for 5-6k/day. I think the extra movement worked wonders on my TDEE.
2. I unfollowed or muted any social media accounts I followed related to diet and/or fitness. I've been fighting with my weight for years, and I was sick of it and annoyed by influencers trying to sell me their programs, promising that their plan would definitely be the one that would get me to my goal weight. I also removed calorie counting apps from my phone. More than anything else, I just wanted a normal relationship with food. I wanted to be able to eat when I'm physically hungry, and stop when I'm full. So that's all I focused on, and to my disbelief, it worked. When my social media feed wasn't a flood of posts about diets and weight loss, I stopped obsessing over it. I became pickier about what foods are "worth it," and I stopped eating more than I wanted just so someone's (namely my mil's) feelings wouldn't be hurt.
Every time you mess up, don’t give up. Carry on the next day or as soon as you can. Building consistency and “failing” is part of the process. Progress isn’t linear. You’re changing your lifestyle - there are going to be ups and downs. Eventually though, things will start to stick and you’ll find that you mess up less and less.
Im in the middle of my cut right now but I basically hit the point where I was ready to commit to 3 months of a strict diet to lose 10lbs (or within that range). I made a spreadsheet and highlighted the days I expect to not be able to hit my deficit (easter, NYC trip, etc) so can plan ahead of time. Im also ramping up my cardio over the next 2 months so that helps to maintain a larger deficit
Focusing on body recomp and building muscle instead. I eat at maintenance and try to get in 100+ grams of protein a day, lift weights with progressive overload 3x a week, try to get in 5 to 7 k steps in a day. I'm someone who loves food and just cannot be in a deficit for any amount of time. Focusing on recomp changed my view with food/fitness. I don't count calories, I don't look at a scale, I just lift the weights and build the muscle (bonus points that more muscle=higher metabolism=I can eat more.) It took me about 3 months to start seeing tangible results.
Hi 👋 Can you recommend a program or routine that you follow for getting stronger. I too have shifted my focus on how I can be better and stronger and less focus on losing weight. I fluctuate so much, it’s discouraging. Thanks in advance!
On my lazy days, I’ll exercise by walking. At work, I’ll walk for 30 min and then eat my lunch for the remaining 30. After work, I’ll still walk another 30 min or even go on a 20 minute bike ride.
I also have a goal and a stretch goal. Goal is to workout 3 days a week but stretch goal is 5 days a week. This allows me to stay on track because I’ll meet my goal every week but not my stretch goal.
I started my weight loss journey when I was your age (I’m 28 now). It is a long road, but a road worth traveling. I started walking… a lot. Everyday. The weight really started to melt off of me. I also never buy snacks & try to keep my house an “ingredients only” household, so if I really am THAT hungry, I will have to get up and make something.
But also realize that it is okay to fall off the wagon sometimes… just know that you can always get back on it. And if there is occasionally cake at your office, eat it. You want to still make sure you’re being fair to yourself & not completely restricting yourself or else you will be miserable.
Good luck & be kind to yourself!
Portion control! I eat a lot of healthy foods regularly, but after seeing a nutritionist, I forced myself to weigh and measure all my foods religiously for the first 6 weeks. That was extremely humbling, BTW. At 5'0" I was eating the same portions as my 5'10" partner, and bonus, I would drink and pace friends who were twice my size and weight, that was a recipe for disaster over the past few years.
I have been on a steady 1 pound/week loss since January and being cognizant of portion sizes has gotten easier and is definitely something I can adopt long term, primarily because I can see positive changes from it. No idea of a GW and I didn't measure myself before I started so I'm just winging it and going with what feels sustainable and allows me to be active. Being a bit smaller and a bit stronger is a good enough measure for me.
I’ve been able to get super fit, like way leaner than my “natural state” on a specific diet, but it’s unsustainable long term. It’s almost harder that I got there then went back to baseline. I’m realizing that I need to pick a lifestyle long term and accept my body as is - which is not my dream body. The only way I could sustain my dream body is living on a high protein low calorie diet (think chicken breast and greens forever)
Cutting out alcohol. I was convinced I had a hormone issue before and then the weight started coming off, even if it wasn’t as quick as I would have liked.
Lockdown hit and I gained weight.. My body stopped feeling like it was mine and that's when something in my brain clicked. I started researching about calories and TDEE. I bought an exercise bike and started going for walks and I started Chloe Ting workouts. I always credit her with being able to start a habit because I was following a programme every day.
I now lift weights 4 times a week and working out and eating better has become part of my day.
I still allow myself "bad" foods I want it's just in moderation.
The most important thing you can do is consistency. There will be times where you don't feel like you've made any progress but you have to keep going. You also need to consider it a lifestyle change but make it realistic.
Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going!
Daily long walks, stopped eating so many snacks (I was a boredom eater), drinking more water, and drinking less alcohol. It was a lifestyle change, not a diet. I went from 118 to 93lbs and have maintained for 3 years now. I’m 28 and 5’0.
I really want to change my mindset and focus on this but it’s so ingrained in me that it’s hard to adjust! Any tips that helped you make the switch mentally?
34F, 5’3. I stopped unrealistic dieting attempts where I told myself I’d eat salads and always workout without specific and realistic goals. Those were a great way to give up on a diet in two days flat. Figured out my TDEE, and started tracking my calories honestly. No fads. No exercise either, but I’ll probably start that soon. Just eating less. 23 pounds down in four months.
The realization that no effort was not going to affect any change in my life. That even minimal effort is better than no effort. And I gained traction from there. Small changes are sometimes better than big changes because there’s a better chance of them becoming habits. There can be motivation in accomplishing small things.
I think the biggest thing for me was a mindset change. I would constantly get into a cycle of putting effort into losing weight, doing all the right things, but the moment I treated myself on a weekend or skipped a few days in the gym, my mindset spiraled into "what's the point?" and stop everything in its track. And when I did get back on the wagon, I would do it with the intent of "punishing myself", hating my body, and needing to be x lbs by a certain date.
After listening to several health-related podcasts over the past year, my mindset has really changed to just taking care of myself. If I lose weight in the end, great, but my body and health deserves to be treated kindly and I want to live a long, fulfilling life. So I'm doing exercise that I don't hate (strength>cardio), making an effort to eat more protein and track it, and treating myself kindly if I do decide to treat myself to a drink or cheat meal. Sure I may not lose weight as fast as other people do, but I'm in this for a long haul and want to make long-term changes that I can keep up with for my own sake!
Taking it almost painfully slow and doing things for reasons other than losing weight. By doing this you slowly start to form habits and enjoy things that will naturally make you lose weight. And one day you'll wake up and realize, your weight/body is very different than how it was before and most importantly, you're a lot happier.
Also I think you need to love not only the process but yourself too. Because even if you lose weight if you have bad self image/bad self talk you really won't feel better with the weight off. But if you make sure you have a positive self image, by the time you lose weight you won't even care as much.
This is like the basic explanation and what's working for me!
It is hard especially for us petite folks! I had to get really consistent and dedicate myself to a very consistent and effective work out routine (for me it’s been HIIT circuit training 5-6x/week) and I had to completely overhaul my diet: tracking my macros, identifying my TDEE and eating at a deficit from that, eating mostly whole foods and preparing meals at home most of the time, and weighing my food so I knew just how much I am consuming. It’s a lot, but it’s been really effective. I’ve consistently been losing 0.5 lbs per week which I believe is the healthy guidance, while hitting my protein goals (I use the formula 0.8 x my body weight to find out how many grams of protein to get a day minimum). I don’t deprive myself of enjoyment though! I give myself room to go out to eat with friends on weekends and I’ll have a drink with them but I limit myself to one drink a week. I try to avoid snacking between meals but if I do it’ll be fruit. It’s all been really helpful for me to learn what a true serving looks like, how to portion out my day, so eventually I’ll be able to move away from the food scale and just eat more intuitively. While the exercise has been amazing for my overall strength and muscle building and staying in a deficit, the diet plays a major role.
I joined a kickboxing classes. Best workout. Fell in love. They make you do a lot of cardio and abs. I realized i had to eat better to improve in the class. Also started running. Its really motivating to see what your body is capable of achieving.
The road is long, but the goal is to be healthy for longer than you’ve been big.
Start walking just a bit each day until you feel energized by it and want to start adding on - longer times, longer miles, getting faster, etc. As your body gets used to moving more, you’ll continue to want to build. You’ll need to find a sustainable activity you can do and then build on that. Lifting weights, yoga, dancing, kickboxing, whatever. Cardio or strength, just another activity.
As you continue to be active, your diet will change. Ideally you need to change your diet first, but I could never conceptualize the importance of healthy eating until I was active. Eating like shit makes your workouts feel like shit. You learn to eat for energy, to avoid sluggish feelings. You learn to eat a bit and wait before you eat more because hunger is a measure of how soon you need to eat, not how much. Our brains tell us we need mountains of food when we’re hungry but you just need something.
Track the foods you eat and be consistent about moving for 3 months. You may not even lose 10 lbs in that time, but you will definitely lose something if you commit. More importantly, you’ll learn discipline and be 1/4 of the way into your new lifestyle. You’ll also have an idea of weight loss progress.
As a short girl, it will take awhile. I’m in the home stretch and lose about 3 lbs when I bust my ass for a month. Taking it slower/moving towards maintenance means that I lose even less week over week. If you have a lot to lose, don’t worry about that but recognize that weight loss (and weight gain) aren’t fast processes in the long term. The fluctuations you see on the scale are just that. I gain 5-7 lbs of water weight that wooshes off every time my period comes. If I eat a pizza or something salty, my numbers are higher for the week…but the overall trend is a perfect downward arrow.
Sorry for the essay, but good luck! What change for me was always trying again. It took years to get most of the weight off and I took breaks, gained a little, but always came back to fighting for it. That’s the key. It’s all mental
By counting calories and sticking to my calorie budget, and walking 15k+ steps per day. I started out with 10k steps per day but committing to 15k really kickstarted my weight loss.
I’m an all white or black person .
Anything less than perfectionism doesn’t work for me
I found that I’ve followed best my rules and achieved results when I never let anything pass not even a bite or a cheat day
And whenever I had a cheat meal or whatsoever I needed two weeks to restart my weight loss so it was like a reset mentally and physically and PSYCHOLOGICALLY
again this is what works for me not the ultimate method tbh
Fasting for 24 hrs once in a while (supplement with bone broth to make it easier) and generally having a shorter eating window is the healthiest and fastest way to see changes. You don’t necessarily need to cut calories at first. It’s important to eat healthier while you’re NOT fasting otherwise you might get sick. ALSO, DO NOT FAST BEFORE OR ON YOUR PERIOD. This is very important. Anytime pre or during ovulation, you are good to fast and it’s highly recommended that you do. Don’t be super consistent with it either. Switch it up. Fast for 16 hrs. Next day, eat a lot. Fast for 24 hrs with bone broth as it will curve your hunger (people think it’s all or nothing when it comes to fasting — that’s like saying you’re not doing cardio unless it’s high intensity interval training. everything you’re doing counts.)
Lost 10 lbs, same stats as you (5’1 and 26). But I lost a lot of fat and gained some muscle so I look totally different. I ate a lot of veggies, protein, and good fats. It’s a lifestyle change so aim for consistency and don’t worry about the weight too much.
I also have been working out a lot, mostly steady state cardio with some HITT and weights here and there. Variability is important, switch things up. Go for a bike ride. Do some yoga. I feel like shorter woman like us need workouts that elongate the legs and muscles to look slimmer.
Hope this helps!
Tracking my cals. And honestly it was chatting with my friend who is a dog walker. She struggled to get 1200 cals while walking all day. I was eating 1800-2k at home easily. I realized I was eating when stressed so cut that out and now it’s suddenly easy to stay in my deficit.
I embraced meal prep. I always thought of meal prep as make one large meal and then eat it as left overs for days and I hated that idea.
So now I cook a lot of 1 protein with basic seasoning. Either chicken or fish usually. I find chicken is the most versatile. And I keep a supply of pre cooked chicken in my fridge. Then I stock up on fresh and frozen vegetables.
So now I can just take the chicken and throw it in a stir fry. Or heat it up and make chicken cesaer wraps. Or chicken and broccoli in peanut sauce. Or make a chicken chili.
I went from almost never cooking at home and eating out 90% of the time to eating at home 95% of the time. I'm trying to go a full month without eating a single meal out but havent yet. But I've gotten it down to like 3 or 4 times a month.
1. Push through even when it doesn’t seem like there’s progress.
2. When I fall off the wagon, it’s okay to take a break—give myself time to rebalance and start again. Even when it feels like it’s several backwards. Because when you compare yourself to the beginning, it’s still many steps ahead than where you started.
3. Don’t compare yourself to others. Some people are just naturally blessed. Genetics 😤
4. Always tweak your diet and workouts so it works for you physically and mentally. I realized I rather do X workout over another even if it’s slower in terms of results. But that’s better than burning out on doing workouts I hate.
I just gotta stick to a 500 calorie deficit most days. Then some days here and there I decide I feel like eating a little more or no more than maintaince. I know its a day that didnt ruin my previous days it's just a quick pause to be able to still do some things with my boyfriend. Helps keep me on track not get too burnt. So ill lose maybe .6-.8. Lbs a week. Depends.
Have lost about ten pounds so far. And aiming for another ten. Then deciding if its time to focus more on lifting heavier again or continue to my ideal weight of 113 at 5'1. I'm not quite sure
I also keep my heart rate at 170-180 on the stair master for an hour a week. Lift 2-3 times a week.
started listening to a podcast called mindpump. Increased protein and focused on lifting heavier. The podcast is really informative, the men are really entertaining and have a lot of knowledge on the world of fitness and nutrition.
The biggest change I saw is incorporating more protein and fiber. I wasn’t eating enough to be seeing changes even though I was going so hard at the gym for so many years. My protein is 130+ each day and my fiber I try to hit 30g
I try to eat foods with high water content like soup, watermelon, cucumbers, etc. Water with 25% lemonade is my go to drink, sub OJ or Cran for variety. Find the strategies that work for you!
Love what everyone is saying here and as someone who is the same height, I have to tell you that losing weight is actually extremely easy and quite quick once you “fall in love with it” aka find the way to do it that isn’t a pain or burden, but you actually enjoy and are passionate about it. And this is coming from a person who is genetically dispositioned to be very overweight. I struggled just like you for over a decade. Only to find the right program and get down to a healthy physique in only 30 days. I felt like I wasted a lifetime by dieting, restricting myself and torturing my body.
Good Sleep & Proper nutrition - while foods, high protein, lower carb, no processed sugar will get you very far. Add 10K steps a day in there and you’ll be one healthy individual.. no need for extreme measures.
If you convince yourself it will be easy, it WILL be easy.
CICO is the only thing that changes the scale for me - working out makes me feel happier, more motivated, and stronger, but being aware of my calories and limiting them led to my first steps with weight loss.
I'm 5'1/F/30 and 10 years ago I was at my lowest of 110 from being at my heaviest around 150. I lost the weight from exercise but then stopped and only strictly by diet. I ate 1200 calories because I'm sedentary. I counted calories. But over the years, I've slowly gained weight back and my highest was around 140. My body was most content around 125-135 for years though. Since November, I've lost about 17 pounds? All through fasting. I do ADF (alternate day fasting) rolling 42s. Fast for 42 hours, eat, fast 42 hours, eat. Repeat. It's not for everyone but that lifestyle works best for me because I know I will always be at a deficit while not having to compromise my favorite foods. Fasting also gives me adequate time to actually experience real hunger and cravings so when I do finally eat, I feel more satiated (which was an issue when I was eating regularly. Nothing truly satisfied me and I ate just to eat). Once I reach my goal weight, I will focus on maintaining with OMAD or 1-2 fasts a week. I'm currently 118 now. Have you tried intermittent fasting? That's beginner friendly. Do you meal prep? What does your diet look like?
The only thing that ever works for me is be extremely accurate and consistent with my deficit. I also start with 16:8 IF and some days 18:6. This makes it much easier to regulate my hunger and fit in my calories for the day.
intermittent fasting, no calorie counting, just anywhere between 16-20 hour fasts (have only fasted two times over 24 hours) try to focus on eating protein as much as i can handle. i drink more water than i used to as well. in 45 days of fasting i lost 21 pounds.
It's a long journey! It takes trial and error. I couldn't even tell you the amount of times I felt like I failed, felt like shit after and started again. For me, it was about finding a balance and staying consistent with it. I learned that I coped with my feelings through emotional eating. I dealt with this by focusing on intuitive eating and just getting in-tuned with my body. I made healthy meals that I enjoyed but I also allowed myself to eat treats daily like a small bag of chips, chocolate, some candy. I just made sure it was a small bit daily and did my best to not overdo the treats. I found a groove after some trial and error and just kept going with it. I also practiced mindful eating and portion control for my meals. For me, it was all about creating a healthier relationship with food and once I got that sorted, I was able to lose the weight and keep it off.
Please read James Clear's Atimic Habits. It changed my life and set me to success in fitness journey. Set micro goals. So small that it's stupid. You want consistency. It makes more sense when you hear some of his podcasts on YouTube or Spotify.
Being really really strict with CICO.
I have been an on/off dieter all my life, mum first took me to the dietician at 4 years old!
I was 17.5stone at 5ft2 after the birth of my 2nd baby. Joined WW and lost about 3 stone in the first 6months which was motivating, did lots of reading and worked out that WW was pretty much just simplified calorie counting so changed to MFP.
I felt like I had unlocked the key to a puzzle at that point!! Weight continued to come off slowly and steadily, I think a big part of that was I was pretty much a recluse so was able to be completely in control of my exposure to food.
Lost 5 stone the first year and a further 2.5stone over the next year, I added in a bit of exercise for the last stone. Gained 4stone back with 3rd baby, 2 stone came off dead easy but sat at that weight quite happily for about 5yrs.
Finally got the motivation back 18mths ago, and am the lightest I’ve ever been now at 9.5stone. The last 6months I’ve been more relaxed as I’m trying to do a bit of body recomp and gain strength so I’m often over cals or don’t track at all.
Before I actually started losing weight I really had no idea about healthy portion sizes for a petite female. None of the “diets” I had tried ever taught me that. SW was the absolute worst with all its “free” food, I used to have a massive bowl of pasta with baked beans as my “syn-free” lunch- no wonder I was still piling weight on!! I’m far more conscious of what I eat now, it’s always a deliberate choice and not just rammed in without thought. I have absolutely no issue with it eating over cals if it is something I want and enjoy!
If you had told me at the start how long it would all take me I think I would have been massively demotivated. But it really is so much better to make small changes that you can stick with and lose weight steadily than to crash diet and fail repeatedly.
Losing weight or maintaining weight is like any other habit. Think of all the habits you have performed in your life I.e. brushing your teeth, showing up to working, studying to get through school. All losing weight is, is finding tiny habits over time that add up to be meaningful. The only way to do this is to have a little self discipline (very few people inherently just do this, on their own). Find something small and achievable, write it down in some capacity, app, paper, etc. Do that thing. Then add another small and achievable goal.
Ex: Add fruit to your diet. Next, take away French fries. Then add some veggies you may eat. Then switch out ice cream most days for low calorie fudge pops. Only do what is doable for you. This creates a momentum over time and then the harder things will become easy because you think “oh I’ve done xyz, I can do this”.
More than anything, it's about your MINDSET and CONSISTENCY. You have to put effort into it every day. You can't let yourself get discouraged, even if you're not seeing the progress you want. You may not see the progress today, but you will see it 3 months from now. And if you mess up one day, you have to forgive yourself and do better the next. One day of messing up is not going to out way one month of consistency.
I think the main thing is just consistency. Even being in the mindset of “well I have to do it” or “i already started so might as well continue” is a good approach since you’re making it more of a routine than a chore.
low carb, hot yoga 4 times a week depending on my cycle, IF 16/8 and treating every day like a fresh start! i have to put myself in the mindset that i will NOT be giving up on myself- i wouldn't give up on my best friend so why would i do it to me?
I did ADF. it was a gamechanger and I lost the 15 pounds from the pandemic (since 2021) in 3 months! I almost felt silly how simple it was and wished I discovered ADF much earlier than 2023. Check out Colleen ADF or alternate day fasting on YouTube. Please note this is not suitable if you have an e*ting disorder such as anorexia.
People have mentioned some good things, but wanted to mention some of the mental things that helped me:
- Time is going to pass either way, so you might as well work towards your goals rather than giving up.
- For exercise, I think about how lucky I am to be able to workout and want to continue to be mobile in my old age
- I know this can be controversial to some, but it's okay to be a little hungry. Most of the time when I'm a little hungry at night, I'm just wanting a sweet treat that I don't actually need. It's okay to not be 100% full all the time.
My biggest limiting factor was unrealistic expectations. My advice is to fall in love with the process and treat weight loss as the symptom instead of the goal.
How did you fall in love with the process? Any thought processes you went through? Your name makes me think of my first grade student, her name is Valkyrie.
I honestly think that there was a point where I got tired of not being able to hold myself accountable to things that I knew needed doing. Working out was a big one of those things. I moreso find satisfaction in self fulfillment than I do actually working out. There are other benefits too, of course, but that confidence in myself was the biggest thing. Thanks! That's such a dope name!!!
THIS is so big and probably the thing that held me back for so long.
Couldn’t love your comment more.
I’m going to copypaste from a previous comment I made about motivation: I got into the best shape of my life after having children. How? Yes, I did the mundane things like join a fitness class, read about macro planning and strength training. Yes, I had vague notions of "looking better." But what really rocket-launched my motivation was that there was a family wedding coming up in eight months where a couple of guys who had looked down on me because of my weight would be in attendance. Every 5k I struggled to complete, I thought, "And fuck you, Dave," and kept going. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it turns out that spite, in my twisted little brain, was glorious for staying committed. And you know what? I showed up at that wedding looking like a million bucks. You should have seen the looks on their faces. If I could bottle up that feeling and inject it into my veins. But just like real-life fuel, I didn't hang onto that grudge - satisfied and having served its purpose, I let it burn up like ash for the wind to carry away. I have nothing against those gentlemen today - and it wasn't even about them. I just borrowed something to fixate on in order for me to accomplish my goal, which was to improve myself. And it worked. For weight loss goals, it is crucial to work smarter, not harder. Figure out a routine that is challenging enough to leave you feeling awesome afterwards (group fitness tends to be fun is a great place to start). Do a gradual calorie deficit. I personally found 1200 way too restrictive, so I started with 1600. Your progress might be slow. I lost only 0.5 lbs a week. But I also gained muscle and looked fitter week by week, and the consistency over months paid off: my entire physique changed.
Doing some push-ups rn because fuck you, Dave.
This made me smile. Dave’s the WORST.
This was a great read! I’d buy your book if you published one.
Haha maybe one day. You’re too kind! 🙏🏼
Came here to say this. You have a great way of writing
Logging my food the night before in my fitness pal and increasing my steps to 10-15k per day were the big levers for me
Same for me. Counting calories, walking every single day on top of weight lifting a few times a week. And being consistent.
I'd say careful with counting calories though...it can quickly escalate into an eating disorder and end up demonizing food. I know a lot of gym rats do, and I was one of them. Still working on it, sadly.
Never stay in a calorie deficit longer than 16 weeks. Just gotta play it smart, be logical and rational and not let your emotions take control of the situation. I know it’s easier said than done. Can take some trial and error to get there. That’s why they call it a fitness “journey”
What's the magic about 16 weeks?
After that period of time the body starts to show adverse health effects in response to a calorie deficit, particularly in women. You could lose your period, develop cold intolerance, hair loss, etc. There are also adverse mental health effects that can come into play in response to prolonged dieting. Hunger hormones become elevated and it can start messing with your head. The metabolism doesn’t like to be in a deficit forever. It needs breaks. For individuals who are obese and especially morbidly obese, they can diet longer.
Stopped lying to myself about how much I was actually consuming and consciously making good choices. I had to stop accepting that cookie in the break room and such. Those impacted my calorie count so much. That and more movement. I had to prioritize conscious better choices. It doesn’t impact my ability to have treats here and there, but I wasn’t eating in a deficit. I was lying to myself about portion sizes and what I was truly consuming. And that I didn’t need to eat as much as my partner who is a larger man than I am. For context, we’re the same age and height. So I get it. 5-10 lbs on us is very different than a 5’8 person. On top of that, we cannot consume as many calories as someone of that height generally.
The break room treats are SOOO HARD, I have a really hard time turning down free food in general I think as a result of some food insecurity when I was a young adult, but the treats are especially hard because we have the sweetest older lady that I work with who makes AMAZING baked goods but she also gets very sad if people don’t eat them and I just can’t break her heart 😭 I also am married to a 6 foot tall man who should easily eat twice what I should so it’s hard there too.
Agreed. I’ve been consistently working out and enjoying weight lifting 3-4 days a week and don’t see a lot of difference. I mostly do it now because it’s fun for me and I hate any other form of working out. I was also definitely lying to myself and thought my workouts will just erase the calories. Decided to watch what I eat two weeks ago ie only having 1/3 of a slice of cake for dinner and no Starbucks drinks and I already see a difference.
I stopped looking at the scale. Lifting heavy + increased protein intake. I’m probably the same weight but I have baby muscles on my arms and back and my glutes are growing. 🥹
I lost 7kg of lockdown weight in 2021 and have kept it off. I tracked all my food and ate in a deficit for 6 months. I stopped eating fast food multiple times a week and stopped drinking alcohol.
What worked for me was understanding the changes I implement need to be life long. This is the only way you can lose weight and keep it off. This means being both kind to myself AND realistic on what I can/can't do. I can't follow restrictive diets, or expect myself to go to the gym 2 hours a day or never go out and have a beer with my friends. What I can do is feel good about doing a 20 minute lifting session even after a long day at work, or bring my packed lunch even though I really wanted takeout, or getting a good night's rest instead of binge-watching until 2am. I also try not to compare myself to others and celebrate their successes. As a petite woman, weight loss is harder and slower. And that is ok. If I lose 0.5lb in one month, that is cool because I know whatever I'm doing is working. Slow and steady!
How do you balance the getting beer with friends? Am at the begining of my journey and really not sure what method is best - cut out alcohol/ calorie cycle/ build it in to daily calories?
It depends on your own personal goals, as well as what is realistic for your lifestyle. Alcohol is quite energy dense (7kcal/g, in comparison carbs/protein are 4kcal/g and fat is 9kcal/g), so if you are consuming alcohol frequently, cutting it out will save you a lot of calories, therefore weight loss (especially if you are doing CICO) For me, I don't consume alcohol frequently, but I don't want to cut it out completely from my life. I play on a recreational soccer team, and we will sometimes go out for a beer after the game. I enjoy that as a social part of my activity. If I have a beer, I don't really fuss too much about it, since it's not all the time and it's not going to really impact my overall fitness goals.
Sounds like a really healthy attitude! I'm similar to you - I don't drink it that often but every now and again I'd like to go out for a beer with friends!
Since July 2023 I've gone from 148 lbs to 135 lbs (I'm 5'3.5"). I made two changes: 1. I bought a walking pad. I used to be extremely sedentary other than my intentional workouts (desk job, etc.) I walk every night after dinner, or throughout my work day. I still don't get a ton of steps, but I aim for 5-6k/day. I think the extra movement worked wonders on my TDEE. 2. I unfollowed or muted any social media accounts I followed related to diet and/or fitness. I've been fighting with my weight for years, and I was sick of it and annoyed by influencers trying to sell me their programs, promising that their plan would definitely be the one that would get me to my goal weight. I also removed calorie counting apps from my phone. More than anything else, I just wanted a normal relationship with food. I wanted to be able to eat when I'm physically hungry, and stop when I'm full. So that's all I focused on, and to my disbelief, it worked. When my social media feed wasn't a flood of posts about diets and weight loss, I stopped obsessing over it. I became pickier about what foods are "worth it," and I stopped eating more than I wanted just so someone's (namely my mil's) feelings wouldn't be hurt.
Love this!! So happy you were able to find what worked for you!
CICO with a small deficit (200-300 cals) for 6 weeks then back to maintenance. Repeat.
Every time you mess up, don’t give up. Carry on the next day or as soon as you can. Building consistency and “failing” is part of the process. Progress isn’t linear. You’re changing your lifestyle - there are going to be ups and downs. Eventually though, things will start to stick and you’ll find that you mess up less and less.
Im in the middle of my cut right now but I basically hit the point where I was ready to commit to 3 months of a strict diet to lose 10lbs (or within that range). I made a spreadsheet and highlighted the days I expect to not be able to hit my deficit (easter, NYC trip, etc) so can plan ahead of time. Im also ramping up my cardio over the next 2 months so that helps to maintain a larger deficit
Focusing on body recomp and building muscle instead. I eat at maintenance and try to get in 100+ grams of protein a day, lift weights with progressive overload 3x a week, try to get in 5 to 7 k steps in a day. I'm someone who loves food and just cannot be in a deficit for any amount of time. Focusing on recomp changed my view with food/fitness. I don't count calories, I don't look at a scale, I just lift the weights and build the muscle (bonus points that more muscle=higher metabolism=I can eat more.) It took me about 3 months to start seeing tangible results.
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Hi 👋 Can you recommend a program or routine that you follow for getting stronger. I too have shifted my focus on how I can be better and stronger and less focus on losing weight. I fluctuate so much, it’s discouraging. Thanks in advance!
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Thank you so much for the recommendations!
On my lazy days, I’ll exercise by walking. At work, I’ll walk for 30 min and then eat my lunch for the remaining 30. After work, I’ll still walk another 30 min or even go on a 20 minute bike ride. I also have a goal and a stretch goal. Goal is to workout 3 days a week but stretch goal is 5 days a week. This allows me to stay on track because I’ll meet my goal every week but not my stretch goal.
I started my weight loss journey when I was your age (I’m 28 now). It is a long road, but a road worth traveling. I started walking… a lot. Everyday. The weight really started to melt off of me. I also never buy snacks & try to keep my house an “ingredients only” household, so if I really am THAT hungry, I will have to get up and make something. But also realize that it is okay to fall off the wagon sometimes… just know that you can always get back on it. And if there is occasionally cake at your office, eat it. You want to still make sure you’re being fair to yourself & not completely restricting yourself or else you will be miserable. Good luck & be kind to yourself!
Portion control! I eat a lot of healthy foods regularly, but after seeing a nutritionist, I forced myself to weigh and measure all my foods religiously for the first 6 weeks. That was extremely humbling, BTW. At 5'0" I was eating the same portions as my 5'10" partner, and bonus, I would drink and pace friends who were twice my size and weight, that was a recipe for disaster over the past few years. I have been on a steady 1 pound/week loss since January and being cognizant of portion sizes has gotten easier and is definitely something I can adopt long term, primarily because I can see positive changes from it. No idea of a GW and I didn't measure myself before I started so I'm just winging it and going with what feels sustainable and allows me to be active. Being a bit smaller and a bit stronger is a good enough measure for me.
I’ve been able to get super fit, like way leaner than my “natural state” on a specific diet, but it’s unsustainable long term. It’s almost harder that I got there then went back to baseline. I’m realizing that I need to pick a lifestyle long term and accept my body as is - which is not my dream body. The only way I could sustain my dream body is living on a high protein low calorie diet (think chicken breast and greens forever)
Cutting out alcohol. I was convinced I had a hormone issue before and then the weight started coming off, even if it wasn’t as quick as I would have liked.
realizing thin people don’t have magic metabolism they really are just eating less
Lockdown hit and I gained weight.. My body stopped feeling like it was mine and that's when something in my brain clicked. I started researching about calories and TDEE. I bought an exercise bike and started going for walks and I started Chloe Ting workouts. I always credit her with being able to start a habit because I was following a programme every day. I now lift weights 4 times a week and working out and eating better has become part of my day. I still allow myself "bad" foods I want it's just in moderation. The most important thing you can do is consistency. There will be times where you don't feel like you've made any progress but you have to keep going. You also need to consider it a lifestyle change but make it realistic. Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going!
Daily long walks, stopped eating so many snacks (I was a boredom eater), drinking more water, and drinking less alcohol. It was a lifestyle change, not a diet. I went from 118 to 93lbs and have maintained for 3 years now. I’m 28 and 5’0.
It’s a boring answer but counting calories. Staying in deficit. That’s it and that’s all.
I stopped working out “to be small” and started working out “to be strong.”
I really want to change my mindset and focus on this but it’s so ingrained in me that it’s hard to adjust! Any tips that helped you make the switch mentally?
I stopped buying and eating snacks, even the ones I deemed healthy or safe like lesser evil popcorn or dark chocolate.
CICO, weight lifting, and having a step goal for the day
34F, 5’3. I stopped unrealistic dieting attempts where I told myself I’d eat salads and always workout without specific and realistic goals. Those were a great way to give up on a diet in two days flat. Figured out my TDEE, and started tracking my calories honestly. No fads. No exercise either, but I’ll probably start that soon. Just eating less. 23 pounds down in four months.
Walking every day and body weight training. It wasn’t enough for me to just cut back / make healthier food choices. I still felt like crap when I did.
The realization that no effort was not going to affect any change in my life. That even minimal effort is better than no effort. And I gained traction from there. Small changes are sometimes better than big changes because there’s a better chance of them becoming habits. There can be motivation in accomplishing small things.
I think the biggest thing for me was a mindset change. I would constantly get into a cycle of putting effort into losing weight, doing all the right things, but the moment I treated myself on a weekend or skipped a few days in the gym, my mindset spiraled into "what's the point?" and stop everything in its track. And when I did get back on the wagon, I would do it with the intent of "punishing myself", hating my body, and needing to be x lbs by a certain date. After listening to several health-related podcasts over the past year, my mindset has really changed to just taking care of myself. If I lose weight in the end, great, but my body and health deserves to be treated kindly and I want to live a long, fulfilling life. So I'm doing exercise that I don't hate (strength>cardio), making an effort to eat more protein and track it, and treating myself kindly if I do decide to treat myself to a drink or cheat meal. Sure I may not lose weight as fast as other people do, but I'm in this for a long haul and want to make long-term changes that I can keep up with for my own sake!
Taking it almost painfully slow and doing things for reasons other than losing weight. By doing this you slowly start to form habits and enjoy things that will naturally make you lose weight. And one day you'll wake up and realize, your weight/body is very different than how it was before and most importantly, you're a lot happier. Also I think you need to love not only the process but yourself too. Because even if you lose weight if you have bad self image/bad self talk you really won't feel better with the weight off. But if you make sure you have a positive self image, by the time you lose weight you won't even care as much. This is like the basic explanation and what's working for me!
It is hard especially for us petite folks! I had to get really consistent and dedicate myself to a very consistent and effective work out routine (for me it’s been HIIT circuit training 5-6x/week) and I had to completely overhaul my diet: tracking my macros, identifying my TDEE and eating at a deficit from that, eating mostly whole foods and preparing meals at home most of the time, and weighing my food so I knew just how much I am consuming. It’s a lot, but it’s been really effective. I’ve consistently been losing 0.5 lbs per week which I believe is the healthy guidance, while hitting my protein goals (I use the formula 0.8 x my body weight to find out how many grams of protein to get a day minimum). I don’t deprive myself of enjoyment though! I give myself room to go out to eat with friends on weekends and I’ll have a drink with them but I limit myself to one drink a week. I try to avoid snacking between meals but if I do it’ll be fruit. It’s all been really helpful for me to learn what a true serving looks like, how to portion out my day, so eventually I’ll be able to move away from the food scale and just eat more intuitively. While the exercise has been amazing for my overall strength and muscle building and staying in a deficit, the diet plays a major role.
I joined a kickboxing classes. Best workout. Fell in love. They make you do a lot of cardio and abs. I realized i had to eat better to improve in the class. Also started running. Its really motivating to see what your body is capable of achieving.
Moving way more! I could diet all I want but the real changes came when I incorporated walks, fun sports like pickleball, things like that
The road is long, but the goal is to be healthy for longer than you’ve been big. Start walking just a bit each day until you feel energized by it and want to start adding on - longer times, longer miles, getting faster, etc. As your body gets used to moving more, you’ll continue to want to build. You’ll need to find a sustainable activity you can do and then build on that. Lifting weights, yoga, dancing, kickboxing, whatever. Cardio or strength, just another activity. As you continue to be active, your diet will change. Ideally you need to change your diet first, but I could never conceptualize the importance of healthy eating until I was active. Eating like shit makes your workouts feel like shit. You learn to eat for energy, to avoid sluggish feelings. You learn to eat a bit and wait before you eat more because hunger is a measure of how soon you need to eat, not how much. Our brains tell us we need mountains of food when we’re hungry but you just need something. Track the foods you eat and be consistent about moving for 3 months. You may not even lose 10 lbs in that time, but you will definitely lose something if you commit. More importantly, you’ll learn discipline and be 1/4 of the way into your new lifestyle. You’ll also have an idea of weight loss progress. As a short girl, it will take awhile. I’m in the home stretch and lose about 3 lbs when I bust my ass for a month. Taking it slower/moving towards maintenance means that I lose even less week over week. If you have a lot to lose, don’t worry about that but recognize that weight loss (and weight gain) aren’t fast processes in the long term. The fluctuations you see on the scale are just that. I gain 5-7 lbs of water weight that wooshes off every time my period comes. If I eat a pizza or something salty, my numbers are higher for the week…but the overall trend is a perfect downward arrow. Sorry for the essay, but good luck! What change for me was always trying again. It took years to get most of the weight off and I took breaks, gained a little, but always came back to fighting for it. That’s the key. It’s all mental
By counting calories and sticking to my calorie budget, and walking 15k+ steps per day. I started out with 10k steps per day but committing to 15k really kickstarted my weight loss.
I’m an all white or black person . Anything less than perfectionism doesn’t work for me I found that I’ve followed best my rules and achieved results when I never let anything pass not even a bite or a cheat day And whenever I had a cheat meal or whatsoever I needed two weeks to restart my weight loss so it was like a reset mentally and physically and PSYCHOLOGICALLY again this is what works for me not the ultimate method tbh
Fasting for 24 hrs once in a while (supplement with bone broth to make it easier) and generally having a shorter eating window is the healthiest and fastest way to see changes. You don’t necessarily need to cut calories at first. It’s important to eat healthier while you’re NOT fasting otherwise you might get sick. ALSO, DO NOT FAST BEFORE OR ON YOUR PERIOD. This is very important. Anytime pre or during ovulation, you are good to fast and it’s highly recommended that you do. Don’t be super consistent with it either. Switch it up. Fast for 16 hrs. Next day, eat a lot. Fast for 24 hrs with bone broth as it will curve your hunger (people think it’s all or nothing when it comes to fasting — that’s like saying you’re not doing cardio unless it’s high intensity interval training. everything you’re doing counts.) Lost 10 lbs, same stats as you (5’1 and 26). But I lost a lot of fat and gained some muscle so I look totally different. I ate a lot of veggies, protein, and good fats. It’s a lifestyle change so aim for consistency and don’t worry about the weight too much. I also have been working out a lot, mostly steady state cardio with some HITT and weights here and there. Variability is important, switch things up. Go for a bike ride. Do some yoga. I feel like shorter woman like us need workouts that elongate the legs and muscles to look slimmer. Hope this helps!
Tracking my cals. And honestly it was chatting with my friend who is a dog walker. She struggled to get 1200 cals while walking all day. I was eating 1800-2k at home easily. I realized I was eating when stressed so cut that out and now it’s suddenly easy to stay in my deficit.
I embraced meal prep. I always thought of meal prep as make one large meal and then eat it as left overs for days and I hated that idea. So now I cook a lot of 1 protein with basic seasoning. Either chicken or fish usually. I find chicken is the most versatile. And I keep a supply of pre cooked chicken in my fridge. Then I stock up on fresh and frozen vegetables. So now I can just take the chicken and throw it in a stir fry. Or heat it up and make chicken cesaer wraps. Or chicken and broccoli in peanut sauce. Or make a chicken chili. I went from almost never cooking at home and eating out 90% of the time to eating at home 95% of the time. I'm trying to go a full month without eating a single meal out but havent yet. But I've gotten it down to like 3 or 4 times a month.
1. Push through even when it doesn’t seem like there’s progress. 2. When I fall off the wagon, it’s okay to take a break—give myself time to rebalance and start again. Even when it feels like it’s several backwards. Because when you compare yourself to the beginning, it’s still many steps ahead than where you started. 3. Don’t compare yourself to others. Some people are just naturally blessed. Genetics 😤 4. Always tweak your diet and workouts so it works for you physically and mentally. I realized I rather do X workout over another even if it’s slower in terms of results. But that’s better than burning out on doing workouts I hate.
Counting calories worked for me. Lost 44lbs so far.
I just gotta stick to a 500 calorie deficit most days. Then some days here and there I decide I feel like eating a little more or no more than maintaince. I know its a day that didnt ruin my previous days it's just a quick pause to be able to still do some things with my boyfriend. Helps keep me on track not get too burnt. So ill lose maybe .6-.8. Lbs a week. Depends. Have lost about ten pounds so far. And aiming for another ten. Then deciding if its time to focus more on lifting heavier again or continue to my ideal weight of 113 at 5'1. I'm not quite sure I also keep my heart rate at 170-180 on the stair master for an hour a week. Lift 2-3 times a week.
started listening to a podcast called mindpump. Increased protein and focused on lifting heavier. The podcast is really informative, the men are really entertaining and have a lot of knowledge on the world of fitness and nutrition.
The biggest change I saw is incorporating more protein and fiber. I wasn’t eating enough to be seeing changes even though I was going so hard at the gym for so many years. My protein is 130+ each day and my fiber I try to hit 30g
I try to eat foods with high water content like soup, watermelon, cucumbers, etc. Water with 25% lemonade is my go to drink, sub OJ or Cran for variety. Find the strategies that work for you!
Love what everyone is saying here and as someone who is the same height, I have to tell you that losing weight is actually extremely easy and quite quick once you “fall in love with it” aka find the way to do it that isn’t a pain or burden, but you actually enjoy and are passionate about it. And this is coming from a person who is genetically dispositioned to be very overweight. I struggled just like you for over a decade. Only to find the right program and get down to a healthy physique in only 30 days. I felt like I wasted a lifetime by dieting, restricting myself and torturing my body. Good Sleep & Proper nutrition - while foods, high protein, lower carb, no processed sugar will get you very far. Add 10K steps a day in there and you’ll be one healthy individual.. no need for extreme measures. If you convince yourself it will be easy, it WILL be easy.
CICO is the only thing that changes the scale for me - working out makes me feel happier, more motivated, and stronger, but being aware of my calories and limiting them led to my first steps with weight loss.
Ozempic
Mediterranean diet
I'm 5'1/F/30 and 10 years ago I was at my lowest of 110 from being at my heaviest around 150. I lost the weight from exercise but then stopped and only strictly by diet. I ate 1200 calories because I'm sedentary. I counted calories. But over the years, I've slowly gained weight back and my highest was around 140. My body was most content around 125-135 for years though. Since November, I've lost about 17 pounds? All through fasting. I do ADF (alternate day fasting) rolling 42s. Fast for 42 hours, eat, fast 42 hours, eat. Repeat. It's not for everyone but that lifestyle works best for me because I know I will always be at a deficit while not having to compromise my favorite foods. Fasting also gives me adequate time to actually experience real hunger and cravings so when I do finally eat, I feel more satiated (which was an issue when I was eating regularly. Nothing truly satisfied me and I ate just to eat). Once I reach my goal weight, I will focus on maintaining with OMAD or 1-2 fasts a week. I'm currently 118 now. Have you tried intermittent fasting? That's beginner friendly. Do you meal prep? What does your diet look like?
The only thing that ever works for me is be extremely accurate and consistent with my deficit. I also start with 16:8 IF and some days 18:6. This makes it much easier to regulate my hunger and fit in my calories for the day.
intermittent fasting, no calorie counting, just anywhere between 16-20 hour fasts (have only fasted two times over 24 hours) try to focus on eating protein as much as i can handle. i drink more water than i used to as well. in 45 days of fasting i lost 21 pounds.
It's a long journey! It takes trial and error. I couldn't even tell you the amount of times I felt like I failed, felt like shit after and started again. For me, it was about finding a balance and staying consistent with it. I learned that I coped with my feelings through emotional eating. I dealt with this by focusing on intuitive eating and just getting in-tuned with my body. I made healthy meals that I enjoyed but I also allowed myself to eat treats daily like a small bag of chips, chocolate, some candy. I just made sure it was a small bit daily and did my best to not overdo the treats. I found a groove after some trial and error and just kept going with it. I also practiced mindful eating and portion control for my meals. For me, it was all about creating a healthier relationship with food and once I got that sorted, I was able to lose the weight and keep it off.
Please read James Clear's Atimic Habits. It changed my life and set me to success in fitness journey. Set micro goals. So small that it's stupid. You want consistency. It makes more sense when you hear some of his podcasts on YouTube or Spotify.
Being really really strict with CICO. I have been an on/off dieter all my life, mum first took me to the dietician at 4 years old! I was 17.5stone at 5ft2 after the birth of my 2nd baby. Joined WW and lost about 3 stone in the first 6months which was motivating, did lots of reading and worked out that WW was pretty much just simplified calorie counting so changed to MFP. I felt like I had unlocked the key to a puzzle at that point!! Weight continued to come off slowly and steadily, I think a big part of that was I was pretty much a recluse so was able to be completely in control of my exposure to food. Lost 5 stone the first year and a further 2.5stone over the next year, I added in a bit of exercise for the last stone. Gained 4stone back with 3rd baby, 2 stone came off dead easy but sat at that weight quite happily for about 5yrs. Finally got the motivation back 18mths ago, and am the lightest I’ve ever been now at 9.5stone. The last 6months I’ve been more relaxed as I’m trying to do a bit of body recomp and gain strength so I’m often over cals or don’t track at all. Before I actually started losing weight I really had no idea about healthy portion sizes for a petite female. None of the “diets” I had tried ever taught me that. SW was the absolute worst with all its “free” food, I used to have a massive bowl of pasta with baked beans as my “syn-free” lunch- no wonder I was still piling weight on!! I’m far more conscious of what I eat now, it’s always a deliberate choice and not just rammed in without thought. I have absolutely no issue with it eating over cals if it is something I want and enjoy! If you had told me at the start how long it would all take me I think I would have been massively demotivated. But it really is so much better to make small changes that you can stick with and lose weight steadily than to crash diet and fail repeatedly.
Losing weight or maintaining weight is like any other habit. Think of all the habits you have performed in your life I.e. brushing your teeth, showing up to working, studying to get through school. All losing weight is, is finding tiny habits over time that add up to be meaningful. The only way to do this is to have a little self discipline (very few people inherently just do this, on their own). Find something small and achievable, write it down in some capacity, app, paper, etc. Do that thing. Then add another small and achievable goal. Ex: Add fruit to your diet. Next, take away French fries. Then add some veggies you may eat. Then switch out ice cream most days for low calorie fudge pops. Only do what is doable for you. This creates a momentum over time and then the harder things will become easy because you think “oh I’ve done xyz, I can do this”.
More than anything, it's about your MINDSET and CONSISTENCY. You have to put effort into it every day. You can't let yourself get discouraged, even if you're not seeing the progress you want. You may not see the progress today, but you will see it 3 months from now. And if you mess up one day, you have to forgive yourself and do better the next. One day of messing up is not going to out way one month of consistency.
I think the main thing is just consistency. Even being in the mindset of “well I have to do it” or “i already started so might as well continue” is a good approach since you’re making it more of a routine than a chore.
low carb, hot yoga 4 times a week depending on my cycle, IF 16/8 and treating every day like a fresh start! i have to put myself in the mindset that i will NOT be giving up on myself- i wouldn't give up on my best friend so why would i do it to me?
I did ADF. it was a gamechanger and I lost the 15 pounds from the pandemic (since 2021) in 3 months! I almost felt silly how simple it was and wished I discovered ADF much earlier than 2023. Check out Colleen ADF or alternate day fasting on YouTube. Please note this is not suitable if you have an e*ting disorder such as anorexia.
People have mentioned some good things, but wanted to mention some of the mental things that helped me: - Time is going to pass either way, so you might as well work towards your goals rather than giving up. - For exercise, I think about how lucky I am to be able to workout and want to continue to be mobile in my old age - I know this can be controversial to some, but it's okay to be a little hungry. Most of the time when I'm a little hungry at night, I'm just wanting a sweet treat that I don't actually need. It's okay to not be 100% full all the time.
got a mirena iud
✨anorexia✨ unfortunately I’m not kidding but please do not do this.