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Daily Threads

• US Accountability Challenge: Stay accountable with friends from North America.
• EU Accountability Challenge: Stay accountable with friends from the EU.
• Daily Q&A Thread: Post your questions, receive answers.
• SV/NSV Feats of the Day: Share your scale victories and non-scale victories.

Weekly Threads

• Day 1 Monday: Introduce yourself and share your goals and strategies.
• Tantrum Tuesday: Share your complaints, vents and gripes.
• Weigh-In Wednesday: Share your weigh-in progress and graphs.
• Track with Me Thursday: Make new friends and find accountability buddies.
• Foodie Friday: Share your favorite recipes and meal pics.
• Century Club: For those who have lost or would like to lose 100lb+.

Last night, my partner and I were hanging out watching TV and I was folding laundry. They decided to have some chips and I instantly had this strong desire to have some chips (or ALL the chips). Great chips are my vice. And I spent 10-15 minutes trying to wrestle with a voice in my head that saying “you have some space in your deficit today, just weigh them. Have a little treat”. And while that is true, the reality is I know when I have a handful of chips the desire to have more would be much worse and harder to resist. I really wanted to finish the laundry, but the temptation was so great that instead I got up, grabbed a glass of cold water and went upstairs to read my book.

Every day when I wake up every morning and when I go to bed, I reflect on three questions:

1. What am I grateful for?
2. What is my intention for today/tomorrow?
3. What is my goal for today/tomorrow?

Last night I decided to add, 4. What am I proud of?

Because it feels like a mountain of growth to not just resist the temptation for a food that is my favourite binge-food, but that I also took steps to shut down the internal conversation I was having with myself. Upstairs I forgot about the chips and the unfinished laundry and eventually fell asleep reading a great book.

Curious to hear other people’s strategies and victories developing more self control!

Got a question? We've got answers!

Do you have question but don't want to make a whole post? That's fine. Ask right here! What is on your mind? Everyone is welcome to ask questions or provide answers. No question is too minor or small.

TIPS:

• Include your stats if appropriate/relevant (or better yet, update your flair!)
• Check the FAQ and other resources in the sidebar!

Due to space limitations, this may be a sticky only occasionally. Please find it daily using the sidebar if needed.

Don't forget to comment and interact with other posters here, let's keep the good vibes going!

Daily Threads

• US Accountability Challenge: Stay accountable with friends from North America.
• EU Accountability Challenge: Stay accountable with friends from the EU.
• Daily Q&A Thread: Post your questions, receive answers.
• SV/NSV Feats of the Day: Share your scale victories and non-scale victories.

Weekly Threads

• Day 1 Monday: Introduce yourself and share your goals and strategies.
• Tantrum Tuesday: Share your complaints, vents and gripes.
• Weigh-In Wednesday: Share your weigh-in progress and graphs.
• Track with Me Thursday: Make new friends and find accountability buddies.
• Foodie Friday: Share your favorite recipes and meal pics.
• Century Club: For those who have lost or would like to lose 100lb+.

I was a chubby kid so always had weight issues then in my teen years that's when my binge eating/yo-yo dieting began. When I was about 13/14, I lost about 10kg (22lbs) in a few weeks then gained it all back and then some a few months later. Due to the rapid weight gain, I developed stretch marks all over my upper arms, my stomach and hips. I already had stretch marks on my shoulders and boobs from puberty but the ones I developed from weight gain were thicker/more prominent.

I always wanted to be skinny and would watch clothes haul yt videos of skinny girls trying on clothes I would love to wear but never did because of my weight/wanting to hide my stretch marks. I always wore clothes that weren't as fashionable to hide my stretch marks and flabbiness. Experiences like clubbing, parties, weddings etc were always tainted because I didn't feel comfortable wearing clothes I actually wanted to. There is no way that I would wear a swimsuit in public. I rarely dated because I felt uncomfortable with the thought of someone seeing me without clothes.

After years of my weight fluctuating, I've managed to lose 30kg (66lbs) and I'm a normal weight for my height now but I'm still so unhappy. My stretch marks and loose skin are a constant reminder of how big I used to be. I'm planning on getting a mommy makeover (despite never having children) but it saddens me that it's going to cost so much when that is money I could've used to move out of my parents house and buy my own place. I turned 30 a couple days ago and I've never had a serious relationship and maybe that wouldn't be the case if I never had an issue with weight/wasn't covered in stretch marks/felt comfortable in my own body.

TLDR: Really sad that my body is covered in stretch marks due to weight gain when I was 14. It impacted my social life because I didn't like events in which it would be difficult not to wear more revealing clothing. I've barely dated due to body image issues and I'm 30, still single, with almost zero dating experience. I've lost weight but hate that the stretch marks/saggy skin is a reminder of my previous weight/food issues. Planning on getting surgery but also sad that it's money I could've used to buy a place and move out of my parent's home instead.

I’m in the habit of weighing myself weekly to track my progress and I’ve noticed that anytime I weigh in at more than I expect, I’ll weigh myself again a day or two after and it’ll be down by 1,5-2kgs.

I always weigh myself in the same conditions and roughly the same time, so it makes no sense to me why it varies so much. Is it a question of leftover food volume from the night before? Like if I eat more I’ll weigh more but then maybe eat less later and weigh less?

Should I weigh myself daily to see the actual average? I already get an average in the app I use (my scale is Bluetooth) and it seems a bit excessive, but I’m having trouble figuring out what my actual weight is because it changes so much.

I'm looking for some ideas for highly satiating meals at around 500 calories each. I deal with a lot of food noise and I'm trying to eliminate snacking and just eat three meals a day. It's been working but I'm relying so much on meat and cheese. Looking for some alternate meal ideas

I have been making egg bites with lean beef, eggs/egg whites, vegetables, salsa, and cheese. I stay full for about 4 hours easy. I was tempted to eat this for all three meals because it's so tasty but I need variety.

I do enjoy protein oatmeal but I find it only keeps me full for 2 hours. It's probably because there's no fat in the meal and it's sweet.

19F, 5’7, 175/180. hi! soo i have i gained 30 pounds total in the past 4 years but have been maintaining my current weight for about 2 years now. i used to be very active but then slowly started becoming less active and then the weight gain happened so fast. i have tried losing weight but i could never take it serious, 2 weeks and then i give up. my biggest problem is i get the random mental highs where i “figure” out my life and set all these plans and ideas and i do it for a week and the boom i crash and i’m in bed for the next week straight and ruin any progress i have made and it’s literally a cycle that i haven’t been able to get out of. i haven’t felt decent about myself since i’ve gained this weight and i want to change that. please help!

My stats/info: SW 198, CW 137, hoping to end up around 125, 5’2 F. ~500 calorie deficit or 1300-1400 intake with about an hour of walking or some combination of running/lifting/other movement. Found it easier to eat two larger meals a day so I could enjoy bigger meals later. Prioritized overall nutrition but wasn’t laser-focused on protein or any specific macros. Did couch to 5k program from April-June, have kept running 30-40 minutes, 2-3 times a week since. Very sedentary job. Weight came off FAST for the first couple of months, has slowed to a trickle as I’ve gotten close to a healthy BMI.

Some reflections: It’s been about ten months of weight loss, and chances are good that I will be at the top of the healthy BMI range tomorrow or Monday.

I started in March. I went through a lot of change last year, and at some point was able to break through a fog of hopelessness that was holding me hostage. I’d clung to this idea that I was genetically fat, had a large set point, blah blah etc. — it was only when I started to make non-weight changes in my life that I was able to gain the confidence that I could make big changes, and that more was in my control than I originally thought.

The amount of weight I had to lose was so daunting to me. 75 pounds. That might sound like nothing to you, or it might be triple what you lost/are losing. For me, it seemed like such a big number. Why bother if I’m going to be obese/overweight for 85% of the journey? I thought I’d be miserable and unhappy with my progress for nearly a year before finally seeing results once I got to a healthy BMI. Nope! 10 pounds down, I was already giddy.

I looked so good (to myself) in pictures after just ten pounds. “Knowing my angles” can only do so much in pictures, and it turns out that my best angles made me look about ten pounds lighter pre-weight loss. Seeing newer pictures was amazing. Even in awkward photos, I was still looking better than my best pictures from before! Later, I was swimming in compliments at work after “only” thirty pounds lost.

Obviously the weight loss was health motivated. Pictures and compliments are not the end all be all, but I was seriously not expecting to love looking at myself in the mirror while still obese, then overweight. It’s just such a good feeling getting smaller when I’ve gone the other way my whole life.

When I started overcoming this biggest hurdle, so many others fell away. I held myself back from certain things because of a fear of not looking good, being photographed, and all sorts of other vain thoughts. I also felt deep down that there was no point in pursing some things, because I would never actually be the person I really wanted to be. Seeing myself starting to succeed at this lifelong weight loss challenge gave me the confidence to start running, complete a 5k, make new friends, and start volunteering weekly. I’m basically a new person on all fronts compared to one year ago. And I love this new person! She runs AND volunteers.

The last thing is random, but donating blood was really motivating over the ten months. Each donation, they’d ask my weight, and I got to tell them the new lower number. My blood pressure got better each time too! It’s a nice little vitals checkup. I also get myself a reward milkshake afterwards, which I used to do way too often. I heard donating burns calories, so who knows, maybe it’s a calorie freebie? I don’t eat at a deficit on donation days, so it’s like a little break/celebration. They also have an easier time finding my veins now, which is great!

Overall, life is way better. I feel amazing, lighter, healthier. My joints don’t ache like they used to. I’m the confident twenty-something my teenaged self dreamed of. And it’s sustainable. I didn’t have to do anything crazy to lose the weight, and I don’t feel deprived. If anything, eating in moderation makes the times I do splurge memorable. I am still building muscle and shedding the last few pounds of extra fat, but I am so excited to experience a healthy BMI for the first time since puberty.

This subreddit has been so helpful to me as a lurker. That being said, if I had a nickel for every time I witnessed someone discover the paper towel effect or the concept of water weight, I’d have a whole lot of nickels (affectionately joking). Thanks everyone!

I've been calorie counting, weighing and portioning my food which has been going ok in terms of weight loss. I'd like to add in some daily exercise that I stick to but I'm finding it really hard with my circumstances and have no idea where to start!

I'm a working solo parent to a 2yo, she wakes at 5.30am and we leave the house at 7.30am for daycare/work. We get home at 6pm and she is in bed by 7.30pm. I live away from family so I'm always with my child when not at work.

I would be very greedy for any advice, ideas or tips.

I just learned about losing weight at “the right speed”. While it’s typically agreed that one to two pounds a week is safe, if you weigh more you can safely lose more and if you weigh less, it’s better to lose less than 2 lbs.

Where did this rule come from? Should I be following it? I haven’t discussed weight loss with my primary care doctor and I will be making an appointment on Monday but until then I’d appreciate any info. I currently weigh 149.2 and I’m a 5’4 F if that matters. I have been calorie counting and intermittent fasting since December. My first week I lost 6+ lbs which I think is normal due to water weight. On 12/15 I weighed 163.6 and on 2/1 (today) I weigh 149.2. That puts my average at just above 2. I realized I was averaging my weight wrong because my chart looks like this:

12/15 163.6- 12/21 162——1.6 down

12/22 160.4- 12/28 160.2——.2 down

12/29 159.4- 1/4 157.8——1.6 down

My chart shows I lost 3.4 lbs but I actually lost 5.8.

Should I continue losing 2 lbs a week or should I slow it down? Should I expect side effects/health complications or is that for more extreme cases? Is there anything I should know? Anything I should read? What should the conversation with my doctor sound like?

i ate very well throughout the day today. breakfast, lunch and dinner were perfect. however, as soon as i got to work, i could not control myself. there was food for a birthday party and i ate three cupcakes, a piece of cake, two pieces of pizza, some frosty drink, and two cups of mountain dew. i think about junk food obsessively

ive already lost 50 pounds and been maintaining for a while. i just don't understand why i seem to binge like this once a week when i usually have such good discipline. i dont want to gain the weight back eating this way

how can i stop this 'binging'. how can i stop feeling feral over food?

hi everyone! i have lost ~50 lbs (SW 235 CW 185) I still have 40 lbs to go but I am so proud of my progress. I went clothes shopping today for the first time since my weight loss and I realized how much of a skewed view i still have of my body. I picked up a jacket that was a 2xl thinking it would fit a little snug…came home and it’s literally drowning me, not even in a cute oversized way either. I looked at the other pieces I picked out and they were too large. I picked up a pair of 33 pants and went “uhhh these look a little small” and well…they fit?

Has anyone else struggled with this? I feel like I don’t know what my body looks like because I still see the 230lb person in the mirror and still reach for xl and 2xl clothes

I fell hard off the wagon and ate a ton today tbh, but I don't feel "out of control" so to speak. I actively chose to eat a lot. I was hungry, and so I ate. I don't feel uncomfortably full. No bloating, not sick. In fact still rn after all that food I'm actually a little hungry somehow but I'm being mindful and stopping myself lol. But I mean yea I ate a whole large pizza by myself and chips and yogurt. It was not a light day of eating lmao. I feel guilt now, but now I'm confused if it was a binge or not or if I just needed the fuel. Besides the fact I ate more than ideal and feel kinda bad about it, what happened doesn't seem to really match any of the other descriptions of binge eating. I'm so confused on knowing what to look out for with eating behaviours and what's healthy or not healthy. Do I just have to consistently not trust my body if it's hungry? 😭 That seems like a dangerous slippery slope. But yea idk usually my body just tells me eventually it's mostly full and so I stop. Today I am just a bottomless pit.

How Much Weight Can I Lose With This Plan?

Hey everyone! I’m 20 years old, 5’6” tall, and my starting weight was 230 lbs. My current weight is 202-204 lbs, and my goal is to reach 190 lbs. My BMI is currently 32. (I started working to loose my weight in 2023 August )

I’ve been following this plan and want to know how much weight I could realistically lose with it: • Eating about ~1300 calories per day • Walking 30 miles per month (about 1 mile a day on average at least) • Fasting between 10 to 19 hours daily

Does anyone else that has similar success been dealing with loose skin I haven’t but just wondering Also does anyone else deal with a bit of pain from weight at 200 pounds? When does that general pain start fading I’m staying consistent but would love to know how much weight loss I can expect with this approach. Any advice, tips, or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

My weight loss journey started about 9 months ago - I've tried to fully commit several times, but haven't made it very far each time. I have an on and off relationship with the gym and my diet is still pretty awful.

What I have been successful in, however, is making small changes. I used to intermittent fast, and although my lifestyle has changed and I can't anymore, I don't eat as much as I used to. Apart from the slight occasion or give in to temptation I drink zero calorie drinks, and have upped my water intake. I still eat a LOT of ice cream (my vice), but in smaller portions. I am inconsistent with the gym, but on average I am more active than I used to be.

Despite these changes, the small wins that come from them and the number on the scale going down, I can't help but feel like I haven't truly earned it because I haven't fully committed to losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle the way I should, and it plays with me mentally. Because I'm not committed to the gym/exercise either, I'm not seeing drastic physical changes (even though it is noticeable to other people and have attracted many comments) and so can't use this as a form of progress.

Has anyone else dealt with these feelings? How do you navigate them?

Hello! Next Thursday is my 21st birthday, and I want to drink/not worry about calories. However, today was my little sister’s birthday and I splurged on cake + dinner. Too much. Wayyy too much. I’ve only been on my deficit for a week and a half. 😭 So I haven’t lost any weight except for maybe a pound lol. That pound and more will likely be gained if I let loose on my birthday. That being the case, I’m thinking why even continue with the calorie deficit next week if I’m going to have to restart after my birthday? Am I being stupid?😣

Hey everyone, I reached my goal weight in June last year and managed to maintain it until Christmas. Around Christmas, naturally I ate more, I was ill so my gym routine got a bit disrupted, the weather was horrible so it’s harder to go for a long walk etc. I then went on holiday in January and I had very much expected to put on a couple lbs.

I didn’t gain it all back, but I’m a tiny bit over my goal weight now. It’s only the sake of a few lbs but I’m feeling very demotivated and struggling to get back on the horse.

I just wanted to post here not only for accountability to get myself back on my deficit but thought I’d see if anyone’s in the same boat and would like to inspire each other ❤️ also, this is a reminder to future me next Christmas to not let the calorie counting go out the window entirely!

My whole life I (Male 32) have been an overweight. I used to look at others and admire how beautifully they dress with fitting clothes. Whereas I always wore loose clothes to hide my body. Even though nobody cares about how you look, I always felt like people looking at me from the corner of my eyes and thinking, how strange he looks. It's not I am too inactive. I can jump ropes at the speed of 160 jumps per minute. I used to jump 3000 in 30 minutes with breaks in between. I can lift weights too (have dumbells at home). The problem is I am not consistent and disciplined. I hate gym because I am not comfortable around people. I consume sugar a lot. I sometimes feel that it's almost impossible for me to get rid of sugar / sugary products. I don't feel like doing anything because I feel that even if I start exercising, I'll ultimately give up in a few days. I understand the benefits losing weight would offer me. Confidence, skin, better sexual health, better sleep but I don't know why I can't.

I don't know how to start and he consistent. Please help.

I'm 27f, 5'6' ,sw - 225 , cw- 215ish, gw- 180, exercise 5-6 times a week.

Help I am so confused!! I've been tracking my calories and in a calorie deficit for 3 weeks now. I've been using MyFitnessPal and entered my information and it said I needed 1660 calories so that's what I've been eating

However, I've been seeing post on here about calculating your TDEE and I used 3 different sites and they all say my maintenance is around 2500 so I should be eating around 2000 for weight loss...

Is it bad to have a lower calorie intake? Will it just make it higher deficit so more weight loss or will it hurt my progress??

Should I just split the difference and aim for 1800 calories? I aim for 130g or more protein. 35% carbs, 30% fat and 35% protein ratio.

I’ve already sorted myself a proper diet plan. As for gym, due to personal reasons, I am not able to join a gym for the next 2 months. So I am looking for an effective home workout plan for the time being. One that is solely focused on losing belly/body fat. And yes I know you can’t ‘spot reduce’ fat but, I know working out aids in losing the fat and stored in your body. So, I’d appreciate if you all could fill the comments section with a body weight home workout plan, one that spans across 5/6 days. I’m gonna do 1/2 rest days a week. Either 1 or 2, you lot let me know how many rest days I do. So, please help! Thanks.

I'm having a major abdominal surgery (unrelated to weight loss) in about 2 weeks. My surgeon has given me guidance on when I can return to walking/low intensity exercise, but I'm wondering if you all have experience on adjusting my caloric intake. I'm planning to eat at maintenance for a few weeks post-op, but how slowly do I need to increase my cals to get to maintenance? How long should I stay at maintenance? I eat about 1550 daily which is around a 500cal deficit. I'm also planning to ask my surgeon and primary care about this!

I'm 5'1 and about 154 pounds ( TDEE - 2195 ) I'm starting uni this September and looking to lose 40-45 pounds before that. For background, I've always been really really insecure about my weight and how I look, which affected my ability to make friends and socialize. I don't want the same thing happening to me in university, I would love to have a more social life and not have to worry about my looks.

Now getting on to the point of this post, I'm fairly new to weight loss and fitness. I've calculated my TDEE and I've started going to the gym 4-5 times a week ( I just walk on an incline of 15 for 30 minutes as of now. ) I'd really appreciate inputs on how to achieve my goal ( exercise/ nutrition/ calorie intake/ daily habits etc etc )

Podcasts about health, fitness, weight loss?

Curious if anyone has any recommendations for podcasts to listen to related to health, fitness or weight loss? I like listening to podcasts while taking my walks and thought it might be nice to listen to some related to health, fitness or weight loss.

I've been enjoying listening to podcasts and audio books while walking and thought it might be nice if I could find some related to weight loss and fitness to continue to stay motivated. In curious about your recommendations!

I've been enjoying Huberman lab but some specific episode recommendations could be helpful either for that podcast or others that might be similar.

I don't really know where to start, I came back from a long holiday which I enjoyed a lot back in 2014/15. I was a teenager 14-15yo. I came back and straight got back into gaming and it was my escape I guess and still is from reality. I went to school, finished my high school, went to college and dropped out the first time, finished it the second time. Around 2016-18 I went up to 102kg, I never left the house, I was chronically online. Fast forward 2019 hit and covid-19 arrived. I live in the UK but this counts for most of the world, isolation started, places closed down, my work/school transitioned to remote and from there on it's now 2025 and during this time I've maybe left the house less than 20 times. It's crazy, I have imprisoned myself for so many years but never cared about it. I have always been an introvert and don't get me wrong I've had a social life and family, and the whole COVID isolation also gave me a reason to make this habit worse. I've dug myself into a fucked up hole and well shit I don't really know how to get out of it. It's so weird I just cannot get myself to join a gym and be consistent I've tried going to the gym signed up but after a day or so I just never went back. I can't get myself to go out for a run, I just feel ashamed. Hell my neighbours haven't seen me in months! I work, I am really into tech and gaming I have a really cool setup and items and that's basically my life. It's fucking sad. I've come to the conclusion that I will do a water fast after doing a lot of research. I want to do a 30 day water fast and hopefully lose 20-30kg and come down to 100-105kg range. And depending on how it goes I do want to continue on instead of breaking it at 30 days and get myself down to my ideal weight range which is 85-95kg. I have about 1-2 years left as a deadline I set myself to get my shit straight due to some family matters. No matter what I do I can't follow a strict diet, I can't stick to a workout routine with my shitty diets. So it's either food or no food. I will have to cut off food, I've taken safety measurements. I know what I'm doing, fortunately I somehow don't have health issues at the weight I am right now. So I don't have to worry about diabetes etc.

I've never written anything like this anywhere on the internet and I guess I just want to put it out there and hold myself accountable and come back everyday and use this post as motivation and keep posting updates.

People who are also trying to lose weight we can motivate each other and hold each other accountable. I am tired and done with living this way, my family is worried and have had enough as well but now it's all on me at the end of the day. Fuck it.

Edit: 140kg actually, just checked properly.

hello everyone! ive been working out 4 or 5 months now and i’m a 19 year old female college student. first i started with very intense cardio sessions and lost most of my weight there (21 or so pounds), but now ive altered my routine to work on arms, legs, core, glutes and then add 2 cardio days to the mix. for arm day ill do 11 exercises 5x20 and leg day 5 exercises 5x20.

it’s weird because my legs have changed dramatically and are more sculpted and thinner now with obvious muscle gain. but my arms? i can see and feel the muscle growth but there is no fat loss? im the most insecure ab my arms and i work hard on my arm day but i still am not seeing fat loss.

i am in a calorie deficit that i used a website for, since I’m in college i do not eat the healthiest things (i do try eating chicken and veggies often) but i only eat twice a day bc of my busy schedule. could this be contributing to the problem?

also, is it normal that i am gaining a bit of weight? i have gained two pounds (since i last checked) since incorporating different training days, is this muscle growth or am i doing something wrong? i just want to look unrecognizable by summer lol so pls give any tips that can help. thanks for the help!

Hi all, I'm (19F, 5'2, around 115-125) a freshman in college. Before I start: I'm not sure if this sub is the right place to post this, I'll move it right away if it's not.

I want to get a bit leaner, mostly for aesthetic purposes (I like the look of visible muscles) and am looking for advice on how to do that. Currently, I run 6-7x per week, usually in the 4-6 mile range with some speed training and club sports (a lot of sprinting) mixed in there. I strength train about 2-3 times per week and walk to all of my classes. I usually hit around 11k steps from walking to class alone.

Foodwise, I'm kind of a picky eater, so I mostly stick to this one restaurant on campus that takes meal swipes in return for freshmade sushi. I usually get either 2 rolls (2 avocado and salmon, or one avocado and salmon and one with just avocado) or a rice bowl (rice with extra salmon, avocado, lettuce, and cucumbers) and sometimes when I'm extra hungry, a rice bowl and a roll. I always get these with ginger and seaweed salad because I'm a seaweed salad FIEND. For snacks, I tend to gravitate towards Kind Bars, rice cakes, roasted chickpeas and fresh fruits-- the kind of thing that will keep me full until my next meal or give me enough energy to hold me through a run. I have protein powder, but I'm not very good about consuming it regularly as it often makes me nauseous if I have it too fast.

I don't have access to a food scale or a reliable kitchen. I have a Keurig that I can get hot water from to make instant soups (I only do that during late-night exam crams) and have space for some non-perishable snacks in my room. Any advice on what I should be focusing on for fat loss specifically? Thanks!

I’ve heard something a lot in this community along the lines of “if you’re really big, you can easily lose 25lbs in one month”.

Part of starting my journey was becoming aware of the fact that I am apparently morbidly obese- starting 7 BMI points past the threshold of 40 (but hey I’m at 44 now!). This honestly surprised me a lot, but I accepted it and being an official “really big person” became part of my self concept.

It’s been two and a half months since I started working on myself. I actually won 3rd in an online weight-loss challenge back in December, and I’ve been taking my cardio and workouts far more seriously and far more consistently since January started. Still, I’ve only lost 23 pounds, and as a “really big person” that just didn’t seem like enough at all.

I was really frustrated with myself, and had to do a lot of pondering, and finally something clicked for me. Morbidly obese != “really big person” by default, at least in terms of physics. “Really big person” means, literally, a very large, very heavy person, as in a person who burns a lot, lot more energy from existing and exercising.

I’m 5’1.5”. Started at 255lbs. I might have had around the same BMI as somebody who is 6’0” and 350lbs, but physics doesn’t care about BMI. That 6’0” person will lose more weight over the same span of time and (relative) effort as me, because their body physically needs more energy to pursue those efforts.

While this information seems unfair upfront, it’s important to remember that this person will have to lose far more weight than I would in order to reach a healthy BMI, so at the end of the day things are perfectly balanced (as all things should be).

So yeah. I just wanted to share for anyone else who might’ve been locked in the same perspective as me. The simplicity of physics can be very comforting, as long as you’re focusing on the correct data.

As I continue to lose more, I think I’ll start adding a weighted vest to my walks or maybe try out some more intense cardio (assuming it doesn’t destroy my ankles) to keep my rate of loss consistent.

Hi there! Tomorrow marks the end of my first week on my journey towards better health. SW: 154.9kg (341 lbs), CW: 152.8kg (337 lbs), GW: 99.99kg (220 lbs). I haven't seen double digits in kg for over 15 years!

I kept myself incredibly busy this week to make things somewhat manageable, but today was particularly tough. I visited my family, and while they were all enjoying delicious junk food, I stuck to my prepared meal (rice with carrots, onions and turkey). But something clicked about 30 minutes after the meal when I was sitting with them. I thought to myself: "You see, they enjoyed their high-calorie meal, but it was only temporary. Half an hour later, it's as if they never ate it." It really boosted my confidence in the healthy choices I made.

This first week, I've started viewing food differently. It's no longer just about pleasure, it's about providing my body with the energy it needs. One significant change that helped was stopping one of my worst habits. Before starting this journey, it was like an addiction: I needed to eat something super fatty and caloric (like junk food) while watching my favorite show every. single. evening. That combination was just like a drug for me, it was all about pleasure and pleasure only: ordering something to eat, putting my fatty bottom on my couch and turning on the TV for hours of eating. I'm proud to announce that it's no longer the case, and oh boy was it hard, but I'm so proud of myself for that.

I know I'm far from my goal, but I'm determined to get there. And if I can do it, so can you! We're all in the same boat, whether we need to lose 200 lbs, 50 lbs, or even 10. It's mentally challenging, but we'll make it! If I can motivate even one of you, or if my words resonate with someone out there, I'll be happy.

I have a message for people who still hesitate to start this journey: Stop waiting! What are you waiting for anyway? There will never be a perfect time to start. There will always be excuses: "I'll start in two days after I finish what's in my fridge," "I'll start Monday," "I'll start when work gets better," etc. These are all just excuses! Start today to see results next week!

Last week, I could barely get out of bed, was constantly tired, and struggled to breathe. One week later, I'm breathing better, feeling lighter, and less tired from not eating those heavy meals! So please, you reading this on your phone, take control of your life. And if you're already on this journey, keep investing in yourself because it will pay off! This comes from a guy who started just a week ago, but you just have to check all the success stories on this sub if you want more motivation. I know you can do it!

So at the start of January I made a post where I would walk 250 steps for every upvote, and after all of the support I somehow ended up convincing myself to walk 5,000,000 steps…

So anyway January was interesting because while I managed to hit the 15,000 steps goal sometimes, I failed more times than I could count.

Its extremely hot in New Zealand and some days I just couldn’t bring myself to go for a long walk sometimes, however I will do better in February and Im gonna beat this challenge!!

One thing I didn’t mention is that Ive also been lifting weights and also consuming lots more protein and also drinking way more water, I always used to neglect myself when it came to water and so drinking the recommended daily water intake was a big goal for me.

Because of the water, and the weight lifting and protein intake Ive actually gain about 1kg this month. But Im not sad like I thought I would be, I’m now lifting heavier weight than last month and I feel healthier than I have for years!

End of January

Weight: 107.8KG

Height: 5’9 (I measured myself today)

Steps: 151,848/5,000,000 (4,848,152 remaining)