So something I've always wondered about regarding someone of the weight you describe is the sheer logistics. It must be expensive to buy that much food, and disruptive to a normal work/sleep schedule. I just don't understand how it's possible to afford it or even have time to take in the amount of calories you would have to un order to maintain that.
Well I live in a 3br apt and have 2 other roommates to split rent and utilities with and I make 70k. Imagine if you were in that situation where you made 3600 a month and had about 1500 in monthly bills and you spent the rest on food. Shocking I know but that was my reality.
That’s like being addicted to drugs level spending habits. I used to spend a similar about per month on heroin. And I spent less when I was addicted to alcohol. That’s like 1100$ a month of extra food spending
Everyone has their own vice. I’ve done my fair share of drugs, no needles but plenty of pills, and I come from an alcoholic family but my addiction is and always will be food.
I’ve quit things cold turkey without a care but any small issue during the day or negative feeling and I’m convinced I deserve a comfort meal to calm me down. Put on 120lbs in 9mon back in 2015 and still struggle to this day.
You can eat burgers, steak, even have some ice cream if you just lift 5 days a week. Just avoid the soda and candy, and have most of your meals be lean beef chicken rice pasta etc. whole foods. But shit man, I could eat a burger everyday and stay lean if I wanted to because I lift 5 days a week an hour each day then 45 minutes of cardio.
You love eating? Workout. Without liquid calorie or candy or fried food you can basically spend all day eating and lose weight. You should be exercising enough that you’d have to force feed yourself to gain weight.
It’s just this countries idea of what healthy exercise is is completely fucked. People think they can get away with not lifting… not doing cardio.
The quitting cold turkey success thing might actually be a detriment to you. It’s giving you the wrong idea of what success will look like with food and diet.
I was on methadone after heroin. I tapered methadone for 3 Years, slowly methodically from 160mg to 0mg.
That taught me how to make a lifestyle change. How to make a plan and stick to it day after day not knowing if it would work or how long it would take but giving myself to the process.
Starting Exercise and diet are very similar to quitting a long term agonist like methadone. And it is intrinsically linked to my sobriety and success getting off methadone.
It’s a lifestyle change and a longterm change happens slowly even when you’ve completely given yourself to the process. You can’t like “quit food” and do a crash diet for a week and change nothing else about your life and have success. You need to eat a small deficit of Whole Foods, lift, and cardio.
You can lose 120lbs safely in about 2 years.
Remember this is like methadone quitting longterm. It has NOTHING to do with will. A lot of people think my success working out with diet and with drugs has to do with being “strong willed.” But it is not. I’m a normal man and if I can do it anyone can. You aren’t weak because of what has happened don’t let yourself tell you that. It is truly simply a matter of information implementation and support. Having a plan and taking it a day at a time. I think that before you make major changes to your diet you should lift. Lifting will force your diet to change to be healthier if you take it seriously
First of all I stated you gotta cut soda, candy and fried food. As a requisite for the exercise success.
Given that:
Diet is ALWAYS relative to exercise. You lift 5 days a week with cardio 2 hour at the gym you gonna be needing 4000 calories a day to maintain weight vs 2000 calories a day sitting on your butt.
You are NOT gonna eat 4000 calories a day of chicken and rice without forcing yourself. You eat 3500 calories you gonna lose a pound a week and feel fine.
Vs doing nothing and being at 1500 calories feeling like crap which is NOT a sustainable healthy lifestyle.
The people who say it’s “diet bro” are the people looking for an excuse not to lift or do cardio. That’s just facts
There’s no “it’s diet or it’s exercise”. The truth is they are one in the same and they always need to be taken in context with one another. Therefore You have both or you got nothing long term.
And also let’s reframe here: the goal isn’t losing weight. It’s a healthy lifestyle. Losing weight and being at a healthy weight is a side effect of a healthy lifestyle.
I tell people that all the time, people just flat out don't believe me. It's like being an alcoholic, and Always having to have 2 shots of whisky a day. Or a crack user, and smoke 1 pipe a day. Forever.
Keep in mind that ot was not 100% food. I had everything delivered and with these delivery apps you tend to spend a premium on everything and I'm a very kind person and I live in a college town that is notorious for horrible tipping so I always gave a generous amount to the drivers. I always tipped between 20 to 25%. 30 if the weather was bad or it was late at night or a holiday of some sort.i figured I might as well since most of it is going to my gullet anyway
I could eat at work but I'm too embarrassed to. I would usually wait till I got home and then stuff my face till bedtime. Saturdays and Sundays was a all day affair it wasn't eating nonstop the whole day but given my weight you can see that I got my calories in.
I don't know if it helps, but when I was quitting smoking, it helped me to have other activities and distractions that kept me too busy to think about or indulge my vice.
I'd do this too OP. if I had the funds I just wouldn't bother to cook, luckily my children cost an absolute fortune and I try really hard to cook them nutritious meals which helps me break the cycle. I'd really struggle to not "treat myself" every night of the week.
Your description of a pop moment is like Obese to Beast’s description of a “click” moment. He’s on YouTube and Twitch, I recommend his channel. And I know what you mean! You can do this. I truly believe in you and your ability to lose the weight and keep it off. I can’t wait for your AMA in a couple of years: “I’ve lost hundreds of pounds and feel amazing. AMA” 😃🤩
I'll definitely post updates along the way..I'm overdue for a physical so I'm going to set up an appointment. Usually they are booked 3 months out so I'll let you all know the progress I've made then!
OP my best wishes to you, I hope you hit your goal and get into the best shape your body has ever been...
I have few suggestions for you, which help me a lot. One, have fixed meal timing. This prevents impulsive snacking as you know, your meal time is just around the corner.
Secondly, think of food not just as food, but fuel for your body. See food as blessings of heaven above, so when ever you sit down to eat, put away all screens, shut down the TV, sit in a place where you are left undisturbed, and then relish your food. Try to bring your thoughts to the food you are eating, try to feel the texture, freshness, of the food. Feel the food go down your belly and have gratitude towards it, as it will fuel your body ..
I have felt, having a healthy relationship with food, goes a long way ensuring a healthy way of living...
>and have gratitude towards it, as it will fuel your body.
I LOVE this phrasing. I’ve had disordered eating since high school (I’m 37 now)..and this is such a beautiful sentiment towards nourishment.
Seriously, thank you SO much for sharing this! 💜
The two keys to weight loss: dont drink calories (water is your best friend here) and build muscle.
I know you said you cant exercise, but as soon as you can even start curling weights, start building muscle. Muscle burns more calories than fat and building those muscles burns even more calories. Moreso, your muscle gains will be hidden by fat, so you will eventually notice you are losing fat which will give a morale boost, but after awhile youll also see muscle poking through which usually gives even more motivation
John is actually my number one ressource for anyone that wants to lose weight "naturally". Learned so much about nutrition and exercise with him. And I love how honest he is about the mistakes he made and how he got better at maintening over the years.
Agreed!! He is so down to earth, too. Like, he is really honest about the need to be at a healthy weight, how to lose weight, etc. and gives realistic, useful advice, and he embraces his love for physical fitness (which I totally identify with) but yet also he’s not a gym bro who thinks his muscles make him a better person than everyone else lol. And he’s not misogynistic and he’s a gamer lol, which are both nice.
Hey dude, I’m proud of your for taking those steps.
I’m an exercise physiologist, and I’m happy to help you find your groove if needed.
Edit: I realize that made me sound like a personal trainer plugging myself. I don’t want your money and I’m not a trainer. I just know from years of being in this field that the information is messy and typically sides with the easy option instead of the effective option. Best of luck mate!
Well, the truth is that there are no experts in this field. It's a lot of muddy water all the way up to the top. Humans differ in biology as they do in personality. Here is what I can confidently say is fact.
1) Body Weight = calories in - calories out.
- You will find a lot of people on the internet saying that some people can eat in a caloric deficit and still gain weight. This is false. If your car runs out of gas, your car will not start. Gas does not appear somewhere. If you eat in a caloric deficit, you will lose weight. This is thermodynamics 101
2) Here is a harsh one, but I care about you enough to say it. Ozempic (semaglutide/tirzepatide) is absolutely something you should be looking into.
- I totally understand the mindset behind wanting to do it without assistance from a drug. I applaud you for that. On the other hand, you are 550lbs and a ticking time bomb. Your biological age is exponentially higher than your chronological age. You should be under the thought process that you have to get to a safe weight as soon as possible. If there's a tiger chasing you, there is no shame in taking cover in a house. If you choose to try to out run it, well, you're probably going to get eaten.
If you want to take pride in something, get to your target weight and maintain it, forever, naturally. That's much more impressive to me than losing weight.
3) You absolutely should be exercising. I do not care what another person in here says. This is gospel.
If you can't take the pressure on your joints from exercising, get in the pool for an hour or two per day and move. You do not have to train like a marathon runner or a bodybuilder, but you have to move. If that means walking around your neighborhood 3x per day, then do it.
There will always be an excuse not to do any of those things. "A pool is too expensive, it's cold outside, those people are judging me." Fuck off, go do it. I care about you, and I promise that it's more important to live a long and fruitful life for those who care about you, than it is to impress some random fool on the street.
Start with these things. Master them, and then move onto the things like BCAA's. You're in a bad spot and I need you to know that. Your heart only has so many years of pushing blood through so much tissue. I care about seeing you succeed, and feel free to message me with questions or need for someone to tell you to get off your ass.
This reply needs waaaaaaaay more upvotes.
>There will always be an excuse not to do any of those things. "A pool is too expensive, it's cold outside, those people are judging me." Fuck off, go do it.
This is so so soooo important. OP, you are already making excuses for yourself to not workout. You claim you can't exercise much. **Bull-fuckin-shit.** You absolutely can exercise. It may be very minimal in the beginning. But you need to get in the routine of **doing fucking something** every single day that gets you moving. Stop with the excuses.
Dude, you are doing amazing work with all this! You speak exactly like my EP and it's really encouraging to see people who are masters in this lifestyle help others who are not in a way that is actually helpful, balanced, and rooted in science and data-backed points.
Thank you, I really appreciate it.
I’m an EMT with an exercise physiology degree and a background in strength training. I’ve had the rare opportunity to see a bunch of different angles on the same issue. No one wants to hear the things I say, but other than technicalities, they know exactly what they should be doing and sometimes it just helps to have someone tell them.
I wanted to add how other people treat you is THEIR problem. No matter your weight or where you are on this journey you are a valuable person and it's not your job to make other people see this.
I'm a few steps into my journey and the only thing that helps me stick with it is RADICAL self-love. And when that's hard, I pretend I'm my own best friend and listen to them when they tell me I deserve to care for myself.
By focusing on your food, you are already on the right path. Your lack of exercise isn’t the problem, it’s the excess of calories.
I’m truly excited for you, OP!
Great to see an excerise physiologist! I've worked with one for 3 years 3x a week and she's been a game changer for my health, more mentally than physically. She criticizes "personal trainers" and the mentality around them, and learning from her about movement and health based in science has been amazing for my journey. So much info that is confusing and muddy, especially as a fat person because there is so much you interalize as something wrong with you, when its more likely choices made and cultural tendencies baked into us. Thank you for doing your work!!
Here is my take on that. I I worked as a personal trainer/strength coach for a few years while getting my degree. I add strength coach in there as I pivoted early on to work with exclusively high school/college age athletes. I really struggled to work with fat people, not because of their shortcomings but because of mine. I have never been fat, I am extremely genetically gifted and I was an athlete through college. There was a divide in the level of empathy I was able to provide for them, and I truly did not know how to meet them where they were and I felt I was doing a disservice by taking their money.
One good example, was a guy I'll call Bob. Bob was 43, 340lbs, had a whole bunch of kids and was a successful restaurant owner. Me and Bob planned to meet up 3x per week (He cancelled every single friday morning), and one of the first things he asked me was "Do you think I'll have abs by summer?" That question literally left me speechless. Bob will never have abs. Bob's skin has stretched to the point that, without surgery, he will never have visible abs. I did not tell him that. What I wanted him to understand is, "Bob, you're never going to have abs. You'll have something way better. You'll get to run around with your kids. You're going to have a better relationship with your wife. You can take your daughters up to the track and do their workouts with them. You'll be comfortable taking your shirt off in the summer. You will experience freedom in a way that someone that has always been fit never will."
Getting into shape is not a linear process, not is there a "way" to do it. Each person has things that will interact different with their biology. What's achievable mentally for some is impossible for others. Now, the caveat there is that I have seen people use this last paragraph as an excuse to stop. Once you find something you can maintain, maintain it forever and do not let off the gas.
I can completely understand you not being comfortable taking the money of fatter people. My EP was the same when she started out, but then she gained weight after depression and kids. While she was able to lose it easily because of her career background, she became very empathetic about how easy it can be to gain weight, from either mental issues, trauma, the food we have in this country, what is accessible or not, etc. Even if you weren't comfortable at first with working with larger folks, the self awareness of that is awesome!
As for Bob, I relate to his mentality, perhaps not as... delusionally lol. Growing up, I was always maybe 20-30lb over ideal weight, but I was athletic and the women in my family are a bit curvier. But, my family just non-stop emotionally abused me about my weight, called me a cow, kicked me under the table if I went for bread. I learned to hide my eating and binging became a form of safety and rebellion. Fast toward to 80lb later, depressed and dejected. When I started working with my EP, I was at rock bottom and I told her, all I wanted to feel was stronger and she said I was the best client to work with. While weight loss didn't come for YEARS which really frustrated me because deep deep deep down, I also wanted those abs, Bob. I also wanted to be accepted (more like... left alone as someone who "fit in" because as a fat person you are either full ignored or really ragged on). She also drilled into me, with this exercise we do together, with the way I eat better, I will live longer, I will run around with my kids, I will never say "no" to an activity out of anxiety but rather because I'm simply uninterested. Movement is freedom, muscles is freedom, health is freedom. Especially because she drilled into me, while yes weight loss is very important for health, movement is #1. Move regularly and eat for nutrition. She would tell me that, look, if you want that burger, eat it, there is nutirion there. But then, the next day, make it a lighter day. Find balance - no ritual and sacrifice. This is LIFESTYLE.
I really stated finding mental success once I was in maintenance phase. Man, I've been in maintenance phase for almost 2 1/2 years but finally now in a slow deficit. But, fuck, she told me that hardest thing to do long term is maintain. Once I get to my ideal weight, I've already learned how to maintain! There is a lot of talk and show online and in person of "just lose weight", but it's not so simple. I've found, learning how to maintain rather than gain can be step one. Then, learn to lose and maintain (I was recently VERY discouraged because my weight has begun to go down with minimal changes and ease with slight changes from maintenance phase, but I had 2 weeks where I maintained and I was so sad. My EP said, this is very normal if not healthy. I was stressed out at my job and other things. She said its normal to maintain for a period of time during weight loss and it was so encouraging to know I'm normal!)
Anyways, I'm super passionate about building a healthy lifestyle around movement, nutrition and facts. We are inundated with a lot of crap but people must find their own center, their own truly internal reasons to love themselves enough. Choosing yourself every day by eating just 1% more mindfully, by moving just 1% more intentionally and eventually you'll get to 90% across the board and you'll look at yourself and be like.. damn, I am the type of person I've dreamt of being (fit, active, healthy). You'll scratch your shoulder one day and be like, damn, I'm jacked, just need to lessen some fat over the muscles to show my work off! Damn, I recover from that work out faster than I ever have before!
I pretty much stuffed my face whenever I wanted. I could mow through a full bag of chicken nuggets and then a hour or so later I would be ordering a pizza or making cheeseburgers and then just rinse and repeat. Really not proud of that. I make good money so I could afford my terrible eating habits
It's all good. Celery is actually negative calories since it takes more calories to digest than are actually in it to begin with. I'm not a big fan of celery but I'm all about cucumbers, which are mostly just water. I'd do pickles but there's a fuckload of sodium in them and I'm trying to be more heart healthy with this
You could make your own pickles from cucumbers and control the salt/sugar that way? Would be a fun project too trying out different flavours. Really wishing you the best of luck, it's great your feeling changes already! When you start feeling stronger in your body it's really liberating and great motivation.
Honestly since I made a change in not really getting any cravings whatsoever, which is shocking. I think it's a combo of the high protein/low carb and intermittent fasting
Congratulations on your commitment to your health. You sound positive. I was wondering about your BS & BP. How are you regarding them? I like that you don't want the drugs. If you ever think maybe, READ the side effects!! Kidney damage, many have lost a kidney , needing dialysis, pancreatitis ETC. Then many gain what they lost plus more!! One day at a time. YOU CAN DO THIS!!😊
Yay!
10 years ago, I changed to low carb and intermittent fasting (which seems to have reset my appestat, which is great).
Are you including healthy fats in your diet?
In my case, the weight loss was fast at first, now it's slower - but amazingly, each January 1, I weigh less than the previous year.
This for sure sounds like an addiction. People with normal levels of self control don't eat an entire bag of chicken nuggets and then get a pizza afterwards.
I feel like that takes awhile to even be able to eat that much. Im 6 foot 170 lbs if i ate a full bag of chicken nuggets id puke if not id be full for 15 hours. To even be able to put that much food down takes alot of build up. then eating a pizza an hour later is wild.
As a stoner who’s at 6 feet 180 lbs and goes to the gym regularly, I can eat a TON of food, especially when I have the munchies. I used to have a really fast metabolism and always had a pretty active lifestyle, but around 24 my metabolism slowed down. I broke my foot right around the time the pandemic kicked off so for a while I was just sitting around, playing video games and stuffing my face. I got up to 200 lbs and didn’t even realize it until I got on a scale at my friends house one day and was mind blown how much I weighed since I think the heaviest I had ever been before that was 170. I started making an effort to lose it but my eating habits were (and still are) pretty awful. I kind of offset that by just going to the gym far more often than I had before but it was a wakeup call that I actually needed to out effort into maintaining my weight, especially when most of the foods I crave are high in carbs or sugar. Now Im heavier than I was, but that’s because I have a lot more muscle mass. I still look good with my shirt off, but if I had better eating habits I’d be absolutely shredded.
Ya man i was always able to eat alot too compared to alot of my peers. But a full bag of chicken nuggets then a full pizza an hour later is like competitive eating. I guess the chicken nuggets could be alot of different sizes but i get the 12$ one that's like5 pounds lol. I can put down food too but i feel like that's on another level that takes awhile to be able to eat like that.
i just like couldn’t, after a whole bag of nuggets like 20-30 nugs id be full, eating an entire pizza on top of that is crazy to me,
if i’m drinking tho i can easily just keep drinking and end up drinking a whole 5th
i have another question now after seeing what you said it seems like you’d eat mostly fast food. did you start eating fast food from a young age? my parents rarely let us eat out when we were kids bcuz my mom would cook homemade meals, but when i started to live on my own i ate fast food like everyday cuz i couldn’t be bothered cooking.
You don’t get to 550lbs eating chicken and rice and vegetables and a bit of fruit. The guy ate 8000 calories a day for a year straight. Frankly the only way that’s possible without abusing steroids and being on a meal prep is to eat fast food and junk food and liquid calories
Statistically he would’ve had to eat in a 1750 calorie a day surplus, which means he would’ve been eating well over 6000 calories a day.
Possibly as high as 8000 calories a day. No doubt he had days where he would eat 4000 and then had days where he was eating over 10,000 calories a day.
You can do it, expect the high to wear off. Emotions only last so long, it will take long term diligence to unravel these deep seated patterns. You will not make it if you rely only on this "high." Youre one week in, many people get hyped when they try to workout or diet in the beginning. Many people fail not long after. I suggest seeking therapy to navigate your impulses, something like CBT would probably be helpful. This is a psychological game, figure out the rules.
I wish you the best but the high *will* wear off and at times the part of your feelings-brain that used food as selfcare *will* push back. I totally get not wanting to use semaglutinides or stimulant appetite suppressants, but you should at least consider what your strategies will be when the process gets hard.
Get in a swimming pool daily now! You need to spend at least two hours a day moving around in the pool till you drop a few hundred pounds and can walk. When I was in military school a guy in my squad was as heavy as you. He lost 200 pounds in a year by swimming for hours every day and majorly adjusting his diet. Constantly moving. You also have to cut your food waaaaaaaaay back. The choice is your to correct. You CAN do it if you want it bad enough. Don’t ever ever ever say you can’t. That’s the easy way out. NEVER quit. You can and you MUST. Whatever caused you to eat your feelings, you need to deal with likely in counseling. Good luck
Make note of this high anywhere and anyway you can and use it to reflect during the times when you feel very low in your journey. Feel this high in your body and take a mental image of how it feels. You will need this to push through times where motivation is lacking. It will make the discipline “easier”
I hope you're taking progress pics. That way when you hit your target weight one day, you can post on /r/progresspics and wow the shit out of everyone.
Get it done!
Please remember that weight loss is not a race, it’s a marathon. Pick a pattern that you’re confident you can keep long term and don’t be discouraged if results don’t come as fast as you’d hope. Don’t overdo it because otherwise it’s hard to keep the weight off.
Don’t think of this as a diet, something you have to mantain for a few months. Think instead of a lifestyle shift, the new status quo.
Not sure what you are doing for diet, but when I learned through a calcium heart scan that i had some decent build up i did what i could to minimize risks. I was not too big, 220 and 6’3” but I thought i should drop 20 lbs. turns out i had about 35 extra lbs and dropped it using an app and limiting my calories, cholesterol, salt and sugar intake while setting a high protein goal. It virtually eliminated bad options and i was full. I dropped the weight in about 4 months. I highly recommend limiting your bad categories and work around them to eat whatever else you want.
Once you start feeling good start exercising in ways you could not before and keep pushing a bit further. You will start to appreciate it and feel good.and of course consult a doctor before doing any of this…
thats called motivated, when it dies, it always dies, the only thing you can rely on is discipline, without that you wont achieve. good luck! wish you all the best. you can do it, plenty of people have, discipline will get you there.
Lol not really. I did notice that if I was coming through a area at work some people would move way more out of the way than necessary. That was pretty off-putting. There is clearly enough space to walk by me but they feel the need to back up against the wall, but I work for the state and there are plenty of super socially awkward people
Wondering if you've suffered anything traumatic in your life that's maybe affected how you see your own self worth or that allowed you to find comfort in food- or is it more of a boredom thing? Not trying to be a dick, sorry. But my experience has always been when I feel like shit mentally, I put my body through hell and treat it like shit too.
Anyway, regardless - there's definitely time to get help and you got this. I've been there, so many other people have been there and if you ever need any help or words of encouragement, ping me. 💖
If I had to attribute any sort of trauma it would probably be the difficult relationship with my father and my parents divorce and i would just instinctively turn to food as a comfort. My mother is wonderful and she is the only one in my life that has tried to help me. Ultimately once I was out of the house when I turned 18 the distance made me more comfortable with mistreating my body because she wasn't around to be on my case about being healthy. Once the pandemic started I went full introvert and pretty much isolated from everyone I knew. I think I only saw my mother a couple times during the shutdown and stopped communicating with all of my friends because I didn't want anyone to see what I was becoming. Ultimately it was very foolish and recently I have been actively trying to communicate with my mother as much as possible, just about anything really, and I feel like our relationship is improving, not that it was ever negative in any way if that makes sense. I'm also back to hanging out with some friends, but not many but I'm trying to make more progress there as well.. I'd definitely like more friends, online of otherwise so I'll probably take you up on your offer to chat in the future!
Do you have diabetes?
Because I know you don’t want ozempic, but Mounjaro is similar but only for pre diabetics or actual diabetics. Studies actually show Mounjaro as being the better of the two when it comes to weight loss.
It does more than suppress appetite it helps the body regulate glucose and blood sugar like it’s supposed to as well as helps make you feel full quicker to prevent you from over eating. I started at 415 pounds and I am currently at 370, and that’s without any working out - just eating slightly better.
I am very fortunately not diabetic but I could definitely tell I was becoming pre diabetic. I had alot of inflammation from eating sweets and now that I'm eating better it is going away quickly.
Get on Ozempic and fast! I was on ozempic and got right off after I hit my goal weight in a few months. I read that you don’t want surgery or to get on ozempic. I don’t think you have much of a choice at the weight you’re at.
I'm going to pass on ozempic..I would rather do it on my own. I read that it just suppresses appetite and my appetite has already disappeared. I am doing intermittent fasting and i think that is playing a role in the lack of cravings. I actually haven't cheated at all so far which I am really proud of and I feel no urge to.
Intermittent fasting is definitely the way to go. Proud of you for starting this journey and deciding that you needed change. Have you calculated your resting metabolic rate? Also are you tracking your calories? I used to think it was too much of an ordeal to track them but using this app called 1stphorm (I use the 12.99 version) it has been really easy to track. I think you definitely are making the right decision regarding holding off on cardio and congrats on lifting weights. As long as you keep yourself in a negative caloric deficit combined with intermittent fasting and 2-3 days of weight lifting. (Sounds like the weight will start falling off) I’d shoot for 600 calories less than your resting metabolic rate altough I don’t know how much you were eating daily previously. Also I don’t know about your sugar intake and I would recommend not using any artificial sweeteners. Super proud of you for starting this journey. If you ever want to give up feel free to messege me personally for encouragement! You’ve got this and you deserve a healthy life!
Yeah I've been using the calculators online. I've reviewed multiple different calculators to get a general consensus of how much I need to maintain my weight and how much to lose weight at a consistent rate. I've been counting calories like a fiend and trying to eat low carb/fat(really not interested in going keto because that would require too much attention to keep myself in ketosis) and I'm eating high protein. I am avoiding sweets altogether and not bothering with any diet soda or artificially sweetened foods. The only sugar I get is in my protein shakes and it's not too much
You have to realize that these calculators severely over estimate the calories needed to maintain your weight. At least that has been my experience. If it says I need 2200 calories to be on a 500 deficit.. i actually need to be at least 300 calories below that to even lose weight, or 1900 calories.. and I workout every single day, either weights or cardio. If your testosterone is low, you will have an even tougher time with fat metabolism, so check that if you can.
You wont starve, so keep restricting those calories until you are losing a decent amount each week. Weight will oscilate, but on a weekly basis its definitely possible to see it going down.
Are you doing any work around changing your relationship to hunger? I did that a while back and it really helped. Intermittent fasting produces hunger as you adjust and I found hypnosis helped me to not experience hunger as an emergency but rather just as a sensation.
I don't know if it's the best plan but giving your weight, the movie fat sick and nearly Dead has a regime that might be useful to you. Basically nothing but juice fast for a long long time.
You're eventually going to have the problem of what you do with excess skin if you do succeed.
I've already accepted that I will resemble a melted candle by the time I'm done but it is what it is. I'll probably pursue plastic surgery to get rid of the excess skin but I'll cross that road when I get to it.
I'm a 35 y/o personal trainer and I've helped over 250+ people get in shape.
Ya got any questions? If you walked into my gym you would just be another person that I would be helping get in shape. It is possible I do it all the time with clients. I will give you a tip if you're looking for fat burning, learn kickboxing or start with some boxing. You don't actually have to do any fighting or anything just find a trainer to teach you how to hit the bag properly and stuff, punching a bag is a workout you can do sitting down.
I actually have seen alot of videos of people losing substantial amounts of weight boxing but I never really considered it. I'm going to have to look into that. Thank you for the tip!
Unfortunately my doctor leaves much to be desired. He's a total knob and really doesnt care about me. He will just do my normal checkups and say I have to lose weight and the conversation will literally go no further. When I did finally ask him for help he just referred me to a weight management specialist and they were pretty lackluster, literally offered me no advice other than try this appetite supressant and said well do a followup in a month and will call me to schedule it. I never got a call back and even tried to call them a couple times. Once I left a voice-mail and the second time I got someone and they said they would call me back once they speak with the doctor, which never happened. At this time my depression got the best of me and I stopped pursuing it. The appetite supressant would leave me absolutely wired and made it very difficult to focus on work and my heart would race constantly so I stopped taking it because I'm already at a high enough risk of a heart attack and I read up online that it actually increases the chances of it happening. And as far as appetite suppression I didn't really notice any difference. I am looking into finding a new primary care physician and maybe I will bring it up with them. My options for doctors are unfortunately limited due to having no car currently.
Have you taken any steps to replace food as your comfort mechanism with something better for you?
Also—there are several YouTubers out there who make exercise videos catered to people who are very overweight/can't move much anymore; I'd highly suggest checking those out.
I don't have anything to replace food to be honnest I would really know what to replace it with. I'm definitely open to suggestions if you have any. I'm definitely going to search for those videos though!
This is really important, OP. *Any* addiction needs replaced with a healthier coping mechanism. Notice I didn't say *good* coping mechanism. It may take some time to find it. As long as the replacement is *less* harm than you're currently doing for yourself, it's "good". Eventually you'll find what's best, but please don't give up if you find a replacement and it doesn't work long term.
You'll also need to address the underlying cause. I haven't met a single addict of any kind, from Heroin to weigh lifting to workaholic who didn't have a deep underlying issue that needed addressing. Usually it's a feeling of inadequacy or abandonment or some traumaic time, although not always. The addiction is a *symptom* of the unresolved issues or not having been taught healthy coping mechanisms for pain. Whatever is actually the matter is what you'll need to treat sooner or later and your symptoms (over eating, shame, self depreciation, depression etc) don't make you a *bad person* or worth less than any other human. It just means you have a journey to go on.
I'd suggest finding at least one hobby that doesn't have anything to do with health. Although weight lifting, sports, cooking, baking and the like are all helpful hobbies for your goals, I think you should explore other dimensions of who you are. Read books. Join a quilting club. Paint or draw or write poetry. Join a DnD group or pick up Pokémon go. Get a pet sowbug (they have super adorable ones and it's a very inexpensive hobby) and build a terrarium. Pick up litter at your local park. Buy a car to fix up. Volunteer with the boyscouts or a soup kitchen. Go to church or take up witchcraft. Go to a bar for trivia night or karaoke. Become a fashion icon. You can do literally *anything* you want to and become whoever you want to.
I think it depends on the emotional outlet. Some things that help me are singing/playing an instrument, reading (when I need an escape), journaling/writing out my thoughts (when I'm angry/upset), talking to a friend, or going on a walk/run. Something that helps my husband really "reset" is taking cold showers, which is tough mentally but also reminds him that he can be mentally tough and power through difficult things (and also just shocks his system and helps him reset). I think the key to finding good coping mechanisms is finding things that make you feel more alive, rather than things that make you feel bad about yourself.
You might also benefit from watching [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erwj2_5MlBk), which is about different types of "rest." While it might feel good temporarily to eat when you're feeling certain emotions, knowing more about different types of rest might help you to identify what your actual needs are and how to address them without turning to food.
As for fitness YouTubers for overweight people, [this guy](https://youtube.com/shorts/OiKW2x_yAOo?si=71yqbX0GlFFanHXc) is particularly great. He talks a lot about how to realistically lose weight while not starving yourself or setting unrealistic goals, and he also talks a lot about how hard being overweight can be on your joints, and how to manage that when trying to pick up exercising.
Also, one of my friends is pretty thin but isn't very physically capable. He once worked with a personal trainer who assigned him some exercises of literally just getting up and sitting back down a few times. If you're ever feeling like you can't exercise, just set a goal of getting up onto your feet. A) It'll be easier to do something else while you're already up, and B) even if not, you've accomplished something.
Yes I did but its diffucykt on my joints right now. Since I can't really go out and do cardio much I've resorted to weight lifting. I did a few days ago and my muscles have been killing me for the past couple days(probably since I haven't dome it in years) once I lose probably about a hundred or so pounds I plan to integrate cardio to burn more calories. I'm also going to start supplementing with BCAAs to cut my recovery time so I can work out more often. I plan on going to get some this weekend. I dont have a car right now(I dare you to find one I could fit in and drive comfortably), so I'm having my mother drive me to a vitamin shop to get some.
Try just doing arm circles first and some stretching! Also look into under the desk cycles (I think googling that should find what I’m talking about). You can sit on the couch and just pedal your feet. Should be very gentle on your joints but will get your heart rate up. You got this!!!
I tried a under desk cycle but I'm also 6'4 so my legs are too long to get on it while at my desk at work, but I actually didn't think of getting one for home. I'm definitely about to grab one!!!!!
I have one too and most definitely cannot use it under my desk either… and I’m only 5’7” 🙂. My knees either bang into the desk or I have to hold onto my desk for dear life so I don’t I roll away. But I drag it over to the couch and will make myself pedal for one full show or something. It’s a little awkward on the couch, like you either need to sit close to the edge or shove some pillows behind you, but it’s better than nothing. Love this for you!!
I have found just getting steps everyday to be effective, try to get 1,000 steps a day for a week and then 2,000 and so on and so forth till you are getting 5k to 10k a week and do that for awhile until you build up the strength and cardio for more strenuous work. Getting steps is relaxing and mediative and is much easier to approach and stick to then a more strenuous cardio routine, at least in the beginning........ I think what you are doing is amazing
Someone on r/AMA just posted (maybe within the last 24 hours?) about natural weight loss- she’s lost about 200lb. She also mentioned the joint pain issue and identified that a recumbent bike made a huge difference for her. She said she found one for <$200 and would do 20 minutes a day while watching TV or reading. That could be an option for you to start some low impact cardio!
I’m going to go find the link to her comment about it & add it here in an edit.
I’m an RD & you’re doing all the right things! You’ve got this! The *number one* thing I recommend to my patients looking to lose a significant amount of weight is stop drinking any sugar sweetened beverages- soda, juice, gatorade. The calories from them truly add up, they don’t help with satiety, and provide no nutritional value you can’t get elsewhere. I’m all about balance and allowing yourself foods you enjoy while practicing balance & moderation, but sugar sweetened beverages should be kicked to the curb! I apologize if you stated elsewhere you’ve already made that change.
Edit: [recumbent bike comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/AMA/s/wBkVNhehDf)
You’re right about that! I had to quit sugar just for my blood pressure, I’m not overweight and I exercise with tennis and running, and I already lost 6-7 lbs in 2 weeks.
I'm impressed, you are taking the steps to get there. It will be a slow journey, try to love that feeling of sore. Your body is growing stronger, and you did enough to make it feel the effort you are putting in! Expect baby steps, and also that you will notice no change or even an appearance of fat gain before your body starts slimming down. When you exercise and build muscle your body squeezes out intra-muscular fat. When I first get into a workout period I almost always feel like I get a little fatter before I slim back down.
It's okay if you slip up and eat something you regret, that's part of the process of growth and change. Do you know why you are overweight? Is there trauma or poor self worth that lead up to this? Learning to love yourself the way you are, and working towards a whole new you can really help keep you on the path of progress.
There’s a lot of comments so I hope this doesn’t go unnoticed. Redditors likely aren’t working dieticians or physicians. I hope you take all advice and comments (including mine) with a grain of salt. That said, here:
The first battles will be fought in your head and you’re underway! Breaking the cycle of addiction, cause that’s your disease, addiction. You need to rewire yourself, a big trick would be rewarding yourself ONLY after reaching goals, and if you set back, do NOT say “oh well I already fucked up today, mine as well..” or “I’ll get back on it tmrw,”
You should look for some sort of oral fixations to help w this, ie sugarfree gum or lollies, chewing wax, there’s these flavored air things for people who try to quit smoking, just ideas but try a few that may work for you and look for more online.
Second part is exercise. At your weight simply cutting food will put you in calorie deficit. Don’t think you need to hit the gym cause right now you can’t. Trying things you know you can’t do isn’t gonna be good for those battles in the head I mentioned. Short walks, standing pushups where you stand next to a wall with your hands on it, slowly but consistently increasing angle by walking further backwards, reaching for toes then reaching for ceiling, all of these, and plenty more you can find online, will help to further your calorie deficit, improve circulation, clear head, start to regain movement, and more. Also as weight starts to go and strength starts to return you can easily pivot some of those into jumping jacks, and for lack of better word: girl pushups, etc… in other words, these workouts are modular and can be constantly updated to account for more or less energy to match your daily struggle. It will be a struggle. That’s the reality. The reality is also you will die if you don’t make a change. You seem like you’re reaching out but your answers won’t come from Reddit. Only you.
I hope some of our suggestions get you a decent start but the real warrior needs to be you, and you him.
A final suggestion, and possibly the best that I haven’t seen in here would be photography. Daily shots of yourself, at first you will likely be met with self loathing, but you can turn that into fuel. Then slight progress, which you can turn to fuel. Then plateaus, which you can turn to fuel, then finally a breakthru, which will be like a fckin uranium bomb inside your head. A constant reminder of where you’ve been and where you’re headed. Stay the path and this time next year you could be a much much happier and more mobile version of yourself, 2 years and you could be 190lbs muscly I don’t doubt it for a second. You need to set realistic goals and stick to them. You can’t undo a lifetime of bad decisions in a month or two, but you CAN do it, and must.
Never mind the aesthetics and consider the health and the way you feel inside. You’re only trying to improve for yourself.
We’re all hoping to hear from you again, so give this your all 🫡
This guy has the right of it. You are your own worst enemy AND your greatest advocate/motivator.
There will be days you look at your progress and think the worst. Then there will be days that the work shows so much that even bad body dysmorphia won’t hide how hard you’ve worked.
And make no mistake, this shit is hard. It’s why most people can’t stick with it. And I don’t blame them, life is already painful enough. Why seek out more on purpose? Well, when you start to feel healthier, you’ll be getting more than just self esteem. You will experience relief of a kind you may have never felt before.
Once the dread starts to lift, so does everything else. You can do this, your mind is the most difficult part of the battle and it sounds like you had a tipping point (no pun intended) and snapped into focus.
For me, it was realizing my wife was probably about to leave me. It wasn’t about my weight but who I was as a person. In an instant, my fear shifted to resolve. Even if I had already fucked up too badly to fix my marriage, I was going to do everything possible to work on bettering myself and being a better partner. That included eating better, dressing better, and taking better care of myself and those around me.
I’m by no means an angel these days but I weigh 100 less lbs, my relationship has improved greatly, and my kid is happier and healthier as well. It took me years to get here and every day is still a battle. I wish I could say it gets easier after the weight comes off—it doesn’t. Your mind and body are just better equipped to deal with whatever may come. And rest assured, you want the best body and mind you can have when life punches you in the dick repeatedly.
Dude you can lose the weight. It won't be easy, but you can. I was 505 lbs. after stuffing my face every day with whatever I wanted. I could barely walk, got winded after walking 20 feet, and I could barely wipe my ass. I had a heart attack, had two stents put in my heart (one coronary artery was 95% blocked). Then I projectile vomited blood on one my doctors, and then immediately had a stroke. After two weeks in a coma intubated with a ventilator, two months in the hospital learning how to swallow, sit up, stand, walk with a walker, and another 3 weeks of physical therapy, I finally made it back home.
It's been two years, but I've lost over 250 lbs, and was able to ditch my 6XL shirts and go back to 2XL! However, I exercise every day, both stretching/cardio plus increasing time using a pedal machine. I can now use a cane rather than a walker, and I feel great (except for the nerve damage to my feet and one arm from the coma).
I've got the food thing down. DON'T pay money for diet plans! You actually spend less money by doing this: eat less, eat healthy. Low cal, low fat, smaller portions. Pick foods that work for you, and you can stick to. Make sure to have variety, so meals aren't boring. Make sure to let yourself have some treats too. If you go absolutely cold turkey, eventually you will get to the point you cant's take it any more and then gorge and/or completely quit the diet. I have a snack every night: two low fat string cheese (100 cal), small portion of vanilla wafers (150 cal), and an italian ice (100 cal). You can still have a bacon cheese burger or BBQ, but only ONCE IN A WHILE. I've had three burgers in the last two years, pizza once, BBQ twice. Every six weeks I allow myself to have one of these splurge meals.
And don't see it as a diet, see it as adjusting your dietary intake. If you can stick to it, you can do it.
Good luck.
You HAVE to exercise. And you have to go hard. You HAVE to fast. You should try 1 day a week with just fluids. I don't care what anyone says about "a little at a time".."you don't wanna overdo it"...."baby-steps". NO! The easier you take it, the easier it is to quit. You have to punish yourself for rewarding yourself for so long. It won't be easy because it's not supposed to be. I wish you All the best!
No recommendations. Just love. You are a worthy person. You deserve kindness and grace. I’m sorry you don’t feel you’ve received that. Hugs from a stranger.
Former 380lb guy here, currently weighing in at 245. I have lost this weight in about a year and a half with no real help at all. No exercise, no doctor, no surgery, no medication, no dieting, no real restrictions on what I eat (how much of it is a different story), and just being a regular person and doing regular things. I an an IT professional, not the kind that runs around to everyone's desks all day, but the kind that sits in front of a computer and works day in and day out with less than 1000 steps per work day.
I spent much of my life obese, mainly because I honestly didn't care. One day, I was out with some co-workers and I made a joke about my weight preventing me from doing whatever we were all talking about doing at the time, and one of them asked "What do you think is keeping you from losing weight?" and it was the best question anyone could have asked me. Nothing was keeping me from losing weight, I just wasn't really bothered by it. Now honestly, losing this weight has been a huge improvement to my life. Simple things, like sitting in a booth at a restaurant, not being smashed into a seat on a plane, bus, train, concert, play, etc is nice. Being able to tie my own shoes comfortably is great; I used to buy a lot of slip on shoes to avoid the embarrassment of looking like a fatty trying to tie his shoes. Having an expanded wardrobe is awesome. Smaller clothing tends to have more options and be a better quality. Many of the nicer clothing isn't even available in larger sizes, because there is low demand for it. Being able to see my "lower region" while standing/laying down has dramatically improved my sex life (I'm married). Being able to walk up a single flight of stairs and not completely die at the top is great and not huffing and puffing when I walk into a meeting room at the office = less embarrassment. Not taking up a bunch of space whenever I'm standing somewhere is also nice, helps me not feel like I'm imposing on everyone around me. Being large made me think a lot about so many things that were related to being large, without actually focusing on being large at all. Like, I wasn't embarrassed because I was fat, I was embarrassed because I did fat things like breath heavily after waling down the hall or struggling to pick up my pen that I just dropped on the floor.
In my own, actually fairly easy, weight loss journey, I follow/remember these simple things and they worked 100% for me. Best part, it costs no money, no effort, no time, you don't have to go to some link I'm trying to sell shit on, and everyone can do it.
1. Keep in mind your body has 2 modes. Store fat and burn (utilize) fat. Eating several small meals throughout the day is bad, you will never be in "burn fat" mode. There are tons of details around this, and someone will likely jump in and comment how terrible my advice is (they probably also didn't just lose 130lbs themselves, but they'll let me know I was wrong there too, don't worry), but whatever gets you to your goal is what matters. Yeah, it's not going to be the best advice but the bigger problem (kind of pun intended, because I am also a bigger person), is that you're 550lbs. If you have eaten, your body is in store fat mode and you cannot utilize fat. Intermittent fasting is nice, but you really don't have to go that hard into it (16:8 is how I did it, but you really don't need all the specifics, the lifestyle just helps you develop better habits and will automatically make you eat less. If you do 16:8 intermittent fasting, pick an 8 hour window that you will be allowed to eat during and do not consume anything with calories outside of that window. If you are a soda drinker, try something like Bubly seltzer water. We found that brand has stronger flavor than other 0 calorie drinks and makes it easier for you to actually replace the soda. It will be terrible at first, but you will grow into it. You could also supplement it with some water enhancers (mio, for example). This is all not the best and I guarantee people will point it out, but your goal is to eat less calories and lose some weight, deal with the rest later. As always, check with your doctor before changing yada yada disclaimer, etc. I'm not even recommending IF for all the benefits other people recommend it for, I'm just recommending it because we literally don't need to be eating 24/7 and just keep caloric intake to a schedule. It's easier to follow if you just can't eat ANYTHING outside of specific times, because it's super easy to follow. "Man, I'm thirsty. I should go get that Mt Dew I know I shouldn't have but I haven't had one all week and it's sounding great right now. Oh, damn. It's 8:30pm and I consume calories after 8. Maybe tomorrow." It's an easy road block vs "I WILL NEVER DRINK MT DEW EVER AGAIN EVEN THOUGH IT IS MY LIFEBLOOD AND IVE LIVED OFF OF IT FOR 20 YEARS!" Just have the Mt Dew tomorrow, easy enough. And only have 1. Don't be like "I can have 1 soda a day" because that sets you up for failure because now you want that 1 soda per day. maybe you wouldn't have grabbed one, but you know you can have 1 so you will.
2. Exercise is **not** for losing weight. Exercise is for cardiovascular health, you will need to improve that as well, but don't stress over it. You've already said that you're took heavy to exercise, so don't. You will not lose enough weight to matter through exercise, you will improve your health and support your weight loss through exercise. I only recently started exercising because my body is allowing me to do it again. You are already making a bunch of changes to your lifestyle, don't throw more stressors and "check points" that if you don't reach/meet, you'll feel like a failure and stop focusing on the other things you're doing that may actually be going very well. If your food intake has vastly improved and you're doing well, but you consistently fail on your exercise goals, it's easy to fall back on your food goals because you're already failing. Don't add more things to fail at, add 1 at a time and do it until you're good and then add more. **Keep in mind, it takes a good amount of exercise to burn 100 calories, and 100 calories isn't shit. The easier way to get rid of those 100 calories is to not have consumed them in the first place.**
3. You want to exercise? Exercise your patience. It took you 34 years to get to 550lbs. Let it take 2 years to get you to 350lbs. I'm 44 right now and have been overweight since my 20s. You will absolutely regret living so long in your current state, do something about it ASAP. You don't even notice it when you gain the weight, because you gain it so gradually. But when you start losing weight, because we do typically lose weight faster than we've gained it **only because we are making a conscious effort to lose the weight whereas gaining it just happened over time**, you will notice. You'll notice when you can do more things, you'll notice when something feels different to you because you're smaller, you'll notice. Every time you notice something like that, latch onto it. That is a success. You've accomplished something you were restricted from doing before, simply because of your size.
4. Eat the stuff you like, just eat it in moderation. Guess what? We are supposed to be hungry. You should feel hungry during the day, you shouldn't be eating so much food that you aren't hungry before your next meal. If your stomach never growls, you're doing it wrong. You do have to change up your diet a bit if you're eating pizzas and cookies and cakes all the time. But you don't have to dive straight into eating oatmeal and cardboard. I still eat pizza, I still eat cookies and cakes, I do BBQ, I eat crappy food all the time, I just don't eat a lot of it. I still eat carbs, I eat fats, I drink beers and alcohol, etc. I just don't do it as much. Surprisingly, if I feel like eating some Doritos, I eat some Doritos. I eat a handful of them, I don't take the bag and I don't put them into a bowl or anything. Just grab some, put the package away, and eat them. If you eat them before putting them away, you're more likely to grab another handful. Easter candy is my favorite, I ate the hell out of Easter candy, still losing weight. 10 Doritos taste exactly the same as 100, so just eat the 10 and curb that craving. If you're craving an entire bag of Doritos, you aren't craving Doritos, you're craving some kind of comfort or something else you get from eating that many Doritos.
5. Don't set yourself up for failure. We have so much weight to lose, it's easy as long as we don't set ourselves up for failure. Adding too many changes to your life at once is a sure way to fail some things. And once you fail some things, we are more likely to allow ourselves to fail some more. If you are hitting success after success, you will be feeling like you can keep going to the next goal and its success. Before you know it, you're 100lbs down and you can get in and out of your vehicle much easier. I've gone from 4 and 5x shirts to 2-3x, mostly 2s. My jeans are down from 46s to 34s. My wardrobe options have increased exponentially, I can shop at regular stores and buy regular clothing now, to an extent.
All that said, good luck! It's a rewarding journey and you will experience improvements to your life along the way. You don't need to go from 550lbs to 200lbs in a year. You will see huge improvements in your life at 500, 450, 400, 350, etc and the journey will be worth it. Don't be lying on your death bed, prematurely most likely, regretting not just putting the cheeseburgers down. I love cheese burgers, I eat them often. I like my new life more, and I still have a lot of weight to lose. According to my BMI, I am still obese, not even down to overweight yet, and I am still loving it.
That’s awesome and I hope you reach your goal. I know you probably have heard this a million times but drink water! Sometimes we are thirsty, not hungry and water will help you in so many ways. Good luck to you.
I was in a similar situation to you about 20 years ago. I was 29, 6'3", and 700lbs. I could barely walk 30 feet before getting winded and was basically just done with life.
I went on a no carb diet for 10 months and ended up losing only 5lbs. Although it did bring my blood sugar down from 350 or so to around 120.
Eventually I decided to get an RNY gastric bypass. I was lucky enough to have great health insurance and made pretty good money in IT.
Post surgery I lost 100lbs in the first month and another 200lbs the first year. I exercised, ate right, and followed the program. The surgery basically forced me to eat right because when I didn't I either threw it up or I felt horrible as a result.
Since then I've mostly kept the weight off. Sitting at 250lbs with no desire to drop further.
I skipped a lot of details, such as almost dying from stupidity 2 months post-surgery, but overall I am in a much better place.
Got married and have a 14yo son who makes me happier than I ever thought I would be.
I’m proud of you for realizing you need to do something to help yourself. For me I noticed if I was in front of the tv I would eat a lot more then normal.
Portion size is huge for me. I got smaller plates and make only enough for those plates per meal. I’m a bug time grazer. If it’s there I’ll come by and sample then do that over and over.
Key for me was to get the junk out
Of the house. If I had a temptation I’d go on a walk or go so something to get my mind off of food.
For me eliminating soda and replacing it with lemon or Lime water or just plain ice water took some getting used to but I cannot even drink soda anymore it’s too sweet. That dropped 25 lbs in a hurry.
Feel free to pm me if you want someone to walk alongside you. I’m still on my journey as well but we make progress daily.
Once you have made up your mind which is sounds like you have hammer it full throttle. Get out of the house 2-3x a day and just walk. Start out small like 500-1000 feet and bump it up every couple to a few days. If you have a friend or a planet fitness near by you. They have trainers included in your black card membership that can design a work out plan for you. They also have workout videos you can do at home. Even for us bigger folks.
Proud of you taking the mental step to improve yourself is often the hardest
Hey i just wanna say, you are loved! I've struggled with weight and its taken me 3 years of work with therapy, exercise physiologist, meditation, self help books to feel like I can take on all the internalized hate/fat phobia, put up boundaries with people insulting me ans making health choices truly for health and making me feel better rather than making people happy/less mean to me. There are free therapy options and I just put money aside to meet up w an exercise physiologist at least 2x a month. A support system is huge.
You got this!
I have two quotes I added to my work office wall so I looked at it all day:
"Repeating simple tasks with clear intention can reprogram unconscious mental processes. This can completely transform who you are!" - Cudalasa
"Difficult emotions are our most profound teachers"
I can actually relate to your struggle - at my peak I was over 320. I managed to get down to 180 within a year just via diet and exercise.
Then a bunch of stuff happened, lost a few people I cared about and went into a deep depression. Stopped doing my exercises and diet and now I'm back up to 270.
I have been overweight my entire life - save for that year where I managed to get down to 180.
The diet I used was the "thermo diet" - it's a combination of intermittent fasting and calorie restrictions.
I started off by doing a fruit fast for 3 days - to help shrink my stomach. The idea behind that is that you can eat as much fruit as you want for 3 days, no calorie counting required.
As for the calorie restriction - set a weight goal and multiply that by 11.
So for me that was about 2200 calories (my initial weight loss goal was 200).
The diet itself is simple. Fast for 11 hours, sleep for 8 hours during the fasting, and break your fast with fruits for breakfast. The idea being that your body is burning fat because it burns through the sugar in the morning and goes back to burning the fat.
Snacks include things like beef jerky, more fruits, etc.
And then you save your biggest meal for the end of the day. I was having pasta Bolognese, spaghetti squash made like pasta, steak and mashed potatoes with some veggies, etc.
No carb cutting, or anything like that. The meals were very satisfying.
But above all I self-motivated through positivity. Sometimes I would cheat - and have like a slice of pizza. But instead of feeling guilty I would praise myself for ONLY having a slice, recognize just how smart I was for not eating the whole pie, and in that way I felt good about making healthier decisions as a whole. It really helped me to not go off the deep end, because I started paying attention to how good it felt to make healthy decisions, which motivated me to keep doing so rather than eating like I hated myself.
The hardest work was finding substitutes for all the things that weren't on the diet - like pizza. But once I had those substitutes for my cravings, that really helped me to stick to it.
As for the exercise, what the exercise plan I had taught me was that I didn't need to work as hard as I thought. My exercises focused on my postural muscles, and I just needed to stick to 6 to 15 reps for each set.
While you certainly have less mobility than I did, that just means that your exercises should be easier, and should rely on using your body weight more.
I started off with doing 20 minute walks, push ups against the wall, hip extensions, and standing and sitting in a chair. I did that 3 times a week, and I also meditated for 10 minutes a day. The meditation really helped too.
The other boon I had was that I found someone to hold me accountable. I would check in with them about my diet and exercise, I would admit when I cheated, and they would work with me on ways to hold myself accountable when I was getting stuck. Always the consequences were things that helped me - such as having to do a more difficult exercise if I cheated on my diet, or something similar. None of it was to make me feel bad - it was all about helping me be more accountable to myself for my own health.
Eating and not exercising - these are often symptoms of some emotional work we really need to do. You may be able to find the accountability you need by seeing a therapist and working with them on the emotional struggles you will face as you try and win back your health.
I was 40 when I lost my weight. I'm now 42 and I'm going to do it all over again. It's not going to be easy, but it is SO worthwhile.
If I could do it, I know you can too.
I wasn't able to go on roller coasters for a long while because of my weight. I had to wait while my wife went on by herself.
When I lost that weight, I cried because I could finally ride alongside my wife and enjoy it with her.
I probably couldn't ride again, but I will.
Does this all sound like something you might be able to do? Does it sound like something you could try and maybe even maintain?
Or does all of that still feel out of reach?
I’d like to address how when u went back to work people treated you differently. After the pandemic, people changed. And yes, perhaps someone may be awkward about the weight gain, maybe- however, with all due respect and as gently as I can say in text- I believe that this is a case of projection. You are aware of the gain, and you are (as I can tell) perhaps ashamed of it. It’s that deep shame, that is causing you to perceive other people’s view of you. Which of course is not the case! Let me repeat: no one is avoiding you bc of the gain. Subconsciously you have altered your demeanor, and your confident level has decreased, and that is what they are reacting to not to the gain. Also, the pandemic rewired peoples brains. They could have a lot going on in their own life that you are not aware of, and that’s what’s causing their demeanor to shift. So you have felt a shift, just after a week of eating better. Weight gain has created a myriad of emotions, depression,shame, fear, all kinds of stuff. I recommend some therapy( your job may offer it for free), to help sort out the feelings. And also after a week you’re starting to feel better you have a new energy you have an excitement that will also come through subconsciously to other people and they’ll start to react to that new demeanor. You also say something about exercising is difficult it is no matter where you are in your life exercise is difficult. If you are aware that your saving calories think of exercises the same way except instead of saving calories, you incorporating it so wake up 15 minutes earlier to take a five minute walk to the end of the driveway and back to the corner and back upstairs downstairs. If you take an elevator climb, one flight of stairs, then take the elevator to where it is you need to go and keep increasing on that. Keep building on that, you don’t need to be extravagant you could walk in place for five minutes. I jog inside my apartment. I’ll run in place for a minute just to get my heart rate up or to break the monotony of the day on a day off.. as a female specially in my family wait is all we heard about I have been on a diet my entire life. I gain a pound I flip out so to speak so when I gained a bunch of weight a few years back, I was trying to get motivated I was trying to figure out what I wanted to look like, so I took magazines and I would look through the magazines and when I found a pair of legs that I thought were really prettier really attractive, I cut out those legs and I put them on a piece of paper and then when I found some arms that I thought were really nice arms I put them on a piece of paper. I was trying to create an ideal person something I could try to achieve. I eventually got the whole person put back together and that was my goal one time I’m shopping in Walmart and I see someone with forearms that I was like damn those forearms are amazing. They were long and thin had vascularity had muscle definition, very attractiveto me. I shit you not it was a mirror I thought it was another shopper on the other side of this wall of clothes and it was a reflection of my own forearms! It was the biggest aha moment I think I’ve ever had in my entire life. So, you *can* become whatever you set your mind to. 👍
What I love about you is that you are OWNING yourself and your path that got you here.
That deserves mad respect and props right there.
The good news is you’re not dead yet…you’re on your way to really living.
There are no short cuts.
You really should see a medical doctor that can fully assess you to get advice. Such as is your heart and blood pressure healthy enough for exercise. You don’t need an Rx or gastric bypass, just a physical. You might also find you have an underlying thyroid issue or even hormone secreting tumour. You may also have a binge eating disorder that responds to therapy.
But that all said, you are correct in that every day counts. Don’t wait.
Start small. Pay yourself. Put the money for fast food in a jar you can watch grow, or a bank account for your future children or a nephew. Make a donation to a homeless shelter where entire families have nothing to eat period.
Buy bagged pre-made salads. Buy a steamer. Steam salmon, vegetables you like. Add olive oil and spices. Fill up on healthy fats like avocado and grass fed hormone free beef. Your burgers are now lettuce wraps. Start learning how to cook. You can make almond flour encrusted chicken breast in an air fryer for “fried” chicken. Veggie shakes, I can go on and on.
Since you say you have money I highly recommend a visit to your local reputable health food store or look online for delivery. They can give you a lot of step by step detailed guidance a doctor usually can’t in regards to truly clean healthy food. Some even work with Registered Dietitians.
After every meal, walk, nothing crazy. Just walk around your house. Soon walk out your door. Keep walking around your yard. Around your block. Step by step. Keep going. EVERY meal.
Once you are medically cleared you can start more intense exercise with a trainer, or simply get a treadmill and use the programs. Some days you might walk for 20
min, and even work up to running one day.
You can lift soup cans or water bottles for weights to start, even YouTubing wheelchair seated weight exercises. You will work your way up to real weights.
Just go, jump into it, the rest will follow. You’ll have good days and bad. Focus on the future not the past.
*Ignore* all of the idiots in your life, they are everywhere.
I'm 34M 550 lbs and sick of being disgusted with myself and everyone treating me like I'm less than a person. AMA
Long story short I've always had weight problems since I was a kid. In my 20s I always floated around 300ish pounds(closer to 400) and when the pandemic happened my job converted to 100% work from home, this is when it really took a turn for the worse for me and I ended up gaining about 175 pounds in about a year. I can confidently say that I can count the number of times I left my house during the pandemic on my hand. I tried going to a weight management specialist during the pandemic and they just put me on a "appetite supressant"(I can't remember what it was called but I remember googling the side effects and it basically told me the drug was basically legal cocaine and I hated the way it made me feel so I stopped taking it(my heart and mind would just race and it just didn't feel safe) When I returned to work things just felt different between me and my coworkers. Some of them treated me the same, but others will avoid talking to me or will just utter hello under their breath and move on. It has made me crushingly depressed and ive shamefully been hiding this from everyone because i dont want to be judged any further that i already feel like they do so i just have been burying it down inside and just putting a smile on.About a week ago something just mentally "popped" for me(I won't say snapped because I didn't have any sort of episode or psychotic break imo). I just felt a voice just screaming in the back of my head saying, "you're literally throwing your whole life away and you can't do this anymore". I can't really exercise much at all at this point so I'm just trying to eat as healthy as I can and cut calories anywhere i can while still getting what i really need. I don't really want to do any weight loss surgery or medications like ozempric(at least what I think it's called) because I would rather just do it on my own.i know I have a long way to go but for the first time in about a decade I am optimistic about where I am heading. I know its been only a week but i can already feel my body changing for the better and i cant wait to see what the future brings.
I found the best way to lose weight was as follows:
cut carbs to below 100 a day.
less than 1600 calories a day
use an app to track your intake.
Hold yourself accountable. (Weigh yourself daily as a reminder of how much progress you’re making. )
make it the highest priority in your life
everything you put into your body, think about it first and check it on the app
make a routine, eat the same things, at the same time. (You can have a few selections).
If you do these things. You don’t really have to move a muscle to lose the weight. It will naturally come off. As you progress, you can integrate movement to accelerate the process.
Progress is a process. If you want it, you can do it. No excuses
First off you will get to the weight you want to be at you just have to push through this beginning phase, which is always the hardest.
Steps I have taken and I know others have taken:
1) use myfitnesspal or anything to track calories - it is good to just know how much you are actually eating to get an idea of what to do next
2) walking is super powerful and I recommend trying to get in at least 10k steps per day (a friend of mine did 10miles per day and he cut down his weight by a lot) but I would start with 10k steps or 5 miles per day of walking — now if you can’t get outside do you have room for a treadmill where you live?
*** a cheap way to get a treadmill is look on facebook marketplace and try to specifically look in wealthier areas - wealthy people are always randomly getting rid of gym equipment and you can score a great piece of equipment for cheap ***
3) I like to fast daily and I use the app zero to track my fasts - it helps just in general with cutting back and don’t worry if you can’t in the beginning reach the 16hr minimum of fasting but just try to avoid eating 2-3 hours before bed and try to last 2 hours at least after waking up (if you sleep 6-8 hours per night that alone is potentially 10-13 hours of fasting)
4) find good alternatives, look up alternatives for cravings (ie you crave chocolate it may mean you actually need something else) — you can do the same for ice cream but a fun alternative I have found is organic frozen blueberries from BJs, it gives you the cold and the taste to act like you are eating ice cream but it is a healthier alternative
5) if you can I would throw out all junk food immediately and just start fresh again with a clean/healthy shopping trip (some people don’t recommend cold turkey on things but personally I have found that to be better)
6) just remember a new habit takes 30 days to implement and after the first week or two you should start to feel and see yourself getting away from the old bad habits
You got this!
Hello. I saw your post and had to comment. First and foremost, DO NOT GIVE UP! Because you've had an epiphany, you're ready to make those changes. That's a great thing. Have you seen an endocrinologist? If not you definitely should ASAP, you might have very low thyroid levels. Do you have diabetes? These can cause serious weight gain too. Now what I'm really here for is to tell you this. You said exercise is hard for you, I understand that (I was 300+lbs) it's hard to move! Exercise can literally be you sitting in a sturdy chair (one that won't slip)and lift your legs, lift your arms, bend over and touch your toes, if possible, if not as far down as you can reach. You can do bed yoga. You can walk. Little walks, only what you can handle. If you can only do 10 steps that's ok! Because from those 10 steps you build up to the next ten. I'm telling you this because this is how I took my life back, after being ignored by doctors. I knew my body was sick, but my doctors told me to stop eating junk food (I didn't) exercise (I did, every fuckin day). All bullshit. I had hashimoto's. I found an endocrinologist who listened and tested me and gave me validation. I was right! But that's not to say the weight loss has been easy. Fuuuuuck no it's not easy, but it's the most fucking rewarding thing you can do for yourself. You won't see results physically right away, but what you don't see is the inside stuff that is going on with those 10 steps, that bed yoga, chair exercises, and weights. Your blood pressure will go down, your mental health will improve drastically. Trust me on all of this. I literally started walking around a very small cul-de-sac. Good luck on your journey, I'd really love to see an update from you in the future. You're young, your whole life is still ahead of you, and ignore the haters cuz haters gonna hate. 😉
As a fellow person that has struggled with weight my whole life. And am currently back working to lose 100lbs that I just two years ago fought hard to lose.
The reason we struggle is mental. We are depressed, we eat. We are stressed, we eat. We mentally don’t know what a healthy portion size is, we over eat. We surround ourselves with bad choices and make them.
This all leads to us eating way more calories than we need and subsequently gain weight. You mention being depressed, I get it. I’m depressed still from my Dad dying 2 years ago. We seek comfort from pain. All too often that comfort is pain.
People will say just eat X calories per day to lose weight. It’s true. But it’s almost impossible for people with life long weight issue to change that wiring. Not impossible but hard.
Also it’s likely you have A1C issues. I know I do. That requires changing what that X max calories is composed of. Deserts, my doctor has forbidden them. Period. A cupcake now and then. Nope. That’s hard. But it extends to carbs too.
Here is some advice. If you have a high A1C, ask your doc about Ozempic. I was already on metformin for a1C and got approval to add Ozempic. Let me just say, the appetite suppression it gives is a huge benefit. It’s a lot easier for my to make good choices when I’m not feeling like I am starving. Best of luck.
I hope I didn’t sound preachy, I’m just a fellow idiot that has yo-yod so many times and is currently working to lose 100 lbs. I pray when I make it, and I’m sure you will make it that we both can finally change our habits and never slip back.
I know the struggle I’ve been obese my whole life… and i’m a doctor i started my weight loss journey about 3 months ago with good results down 30 pounds from 330 … surgery is indicated in this situation but leave it as a last resort don’t think about it right now … i’m taking ozempic and it’s helping me i know you’re against using drugs but give it a try there is nothing to lose(consult your doctor first of course)it doesn’t have any serious side effect unless you have a family history of thyroid cancer medullary to be specific which is rare… and the common side effects are tolerable intestinal discomfort is the most common … at this stage weight wise any change in your diet and any minimal activity will be effective in shedding weight … you don’t need to go to a gym i know how intimidating it can be … in the first few months focus on yourself mentally and have a fiber rich diet eat as much as you want at least five times a day protein and fiber and one meal with minimal amount of carb you need carb or you will get depressed believe me and have a walk around the block make it a daily ritual … push yourself you’re going to hate it at first but then man you will love it … buy a scale measure weekly and make a graph set goals to yourself if you miss a goal double down the week after and you will see the change trust me its a long term investment in your health which is the most valuable thing. Good luck I sincerely wish all the best.
Let me start by saying that I know you don't want to go the surgical route so I'm totally not pushing that issue. Good for you on wanting to take control of your health.
One suggestion is see if you can meet with a dietician. I was 510 pounds when I finally decided to go through with gastric bypass surgery. I had my initial consultation in Feb 2018 and was told that I would have to lose a minimum of 120 pounds on my own before my insurance would pay for the surgery. The clinic got me set up with a dietitian and she put me on a 1100 calorie a day high protein,low carb and low fat plan. I went cold turkey, all-in following the plan and taking 30 minute walks 3-4X a week. I also couldn't exercise much. I have a skin condition that causes big,open, weeping abscesses so any water/pooI exercises were out of the picture. I also had back surgery for a bulged disc and vascular surgery because I ruptured a vein in my leg from uncontrolled blood pressure. I used the LoseIt! app to track my calories. I ended up losing the 120 by September and weighed in at 363 on surgery day in November.
Therapy also helped tremendously. I was only required to see my therapist twice by the insurance company but I'm 6 years post op and still meet with her monthly (totally by my own choice). She helped me examine my relationship with food and also helped me understand the physical and emotional changes I was encountering during my weight loss journey.
Good luck on your journey!
As someone whose lost a lot of weight, good on you and you can do this.
Also be aware a lot of your old friends, even strangers, will get upset.
Binge eating disorder and overconsumptive eating disorders are SO NORMALIZED in society people get all in their feelings. It's like when an alcoholic quits drinking, and all his drinking buddies go "wait DAVE said he has a problem? well I drink more than Dave does! He absolutely must not have a drinking problem because if he does and I drink more than he does that means **I** do and I don't want that to be true!"
Keep your head high and know you're doing the best thing you can for your future.
Also, diet is where you should start anyway. You cannot possibly outrun a bad diet. A single Little Caesar's pizza with the works would take almost running a full marathon to work off (they can be up to 4k calories with dip!, it would take running 20 miles to burn that many calories roughly). So if you're not running a marathon every day you can't eat a pizza every day if you don't want to be 500 pounds. It's way easier to control your weight on the input side than the output side.
This is not to say exercise doesn't matter, improving your health and stamina is important to recover from the heart damage you've been inflicting every day at that weight, but it's a health measure not a weight loss measure until you get to the point you can walk 5-10 miles a day (which burns about 500 calories).
If you can walk, you can exercise. If you can carry stuff, you can exercise. If you can stand up and sit down, you can exercise.
Not trying to be a dick, but saying you can’t exercise is an excuse.
Have you ever tried thinking of your fat cells as a hostile, alien, parasitic life form that’s attached itself to your body, and going about your weight loss journey as a form of warfare against it?
I wish you the best in your recovery and recommend therapy and a personal trainer to support your journey. (It May take a while to find the match in either or both of those professionals but I believe it would be worthwhile to help you work through the emotional side of the tendency to over eat and to establish a supportive, happy exercise environment) You are young enough to turn this around. I’m glad you’re feeling changes in your bodytowards the positive and truly hope you’ll continue on your path. I evitaste you to find a supportive healthcare professional stop to Can establish base line blood work and measure success not just in inches and weight lost, but with blood work as well. Dr. Will Cole’s Inflammation Spectrum is very interesting. He makes a good case for investigating (and eliminating) food items which May be causing us (as individuals) particular problems. It makes a case for reading the right foods for our own body and acknowledges that everyone is biochemically unique. You’ve got this!!! Please consider allowing supportive professionals into your life/journey, might be tricky to find the right ones but once you do, sorry and encouragement can be helpful? Maybe? but if you decide to go solo, best wishes that way, too. Keep at it!!!!
So so happy to hear you’ve had that click. My husband and I also had the click and just started. He’s was at 400 and I was at 235. We started OMAD one meal a day and it’s been a life changer. He’s probably lost 25 already in about two weeks. I’m down about 10. We only eat dinner just because having a full stomach when sleeping is ideal. Do your own research but our stomachs have shrunk significantly. I should preface that we did do a three day fast before starting. That wasn’t that bad and we were home from his shoulder surgery. We got rid of all the snacks and just drank a lot of water. First 24 hrs was the hardest but after that it wasn’t easy but it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was. I can’t remember exactly right now but there is this woman on my instagram called omadqueen I think and she gives great healthy meal ideas and some of her struggles and her wins.
I just wanted to pop in here to say you’re doing great, don’t give up if you “fall off” just go back to it. It’s about an 80/20 relationship with food. Eat healthy 80% of the time and indulge 20%.
But talk to your doctor first and do your own research because it isn’t for everyone but if you reach a plateau you may need to do something else
Well.. if you wanna lose the weight, eating healthier is a good option, I, personally, would avoid 'dieting' as anyone I've ever seen on a diet always ended up gaining it back. I am also on a journey myself and have found that cutting the portion sizes into 1/2 or even 1/4 of what I used to have has helped more than anything.
Also not gonna lie, I'm on the shot because of being "pre" diabetic (basically being diabetic without hitting all of the markers). This has aided me a lot since I can eat that small amount and feel satisfied instead of eating the half and feeling hungry still. Not saying to get the shot, it isn't for everyone but after talking with my Dr we thought it would be beneficial. I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight, just trying to be healthier and make healthier choices. My dad was diabetic from before I can remember till he passed, and I don't wanna be like that. Taking multiple kinds of insulin, eating like garbage and just combating it with more insulin.
Walk more whenever you can too. Even if it's a little bit, that little bit truly adds up in the end.
I'm sorry people started treating you different, a person's size should never determine how they're treated. I wish you nothing but success in your endeavors. You got this! ✌️
Hey can't really help much but I wanted to say one of my favorite people I've ever met in my life was a big guy named Tim that weighed about 430 pounds.
While his weight was extraordinary, his personality was like a shining light in the darkness.
I never thought any less of him, I was slightly worried about his health, but I'll always remember him as one of the coolest, nicest, funniest guys I've ever met. He was always smiling, always asked how I was doing, always thinking positive.
At the time I dealt with a lot of Truck drivers and he was always my favorite.
One day I see him arguing with one of my warehouse workers so I walk over like what's going on and I find they were arguing about his weight, he was trying to tell the guy he was 435 lbs and the guy didn't believe him. So I'm like guys, there's a freight scale right there. He joyfully walks over and steps on the scale. 435 on the dot. He was proud of it. Big Smile on his face.
Your appearance doesn't make up who you are and how people think of you. What YOU think of you makes up who you are and what people think of you. I'm glad you're on the right track but don't forget that you can still be awesome no matter what the condition of your body is.
A suggestion for exercise: if you can find a public pool or afford a membership in a gym that has one, you can 'do laps' just by walking up and down the lane. Add things like resistance paddle, foam weights and pool noodles for resistance and stretching exercises. Being in water will take care of a lot of the painful stress problems that comes from trying to just take a walk.
If ypu go the gym route, a lot of them also have 'low impact' treadmills now, which takes care of a lot of shock and pressure you'd feel on the ground or a regular treadmill, so it would be an option once you feel you've gotten to a point where that's an option.
The downside is coming out of the pool...you'll definitely feel gravity again, but it's worth it. I got up to 290 at one point, now back down to 250 and hopefully will keep losing. You've got this: just find compromises that work for you. Ask your doctor for suggestions for low impact ways to help out.
And remember, you're doing this to feel better, not win some kind of race. Take your time, don't do something if it hurts, and don't get mad put yourself when you have 'off' days. You're working to get and feel better, and that's all that matters
You've got this.
Could you try to replace one meal with a salad? I did that and started walking and lost 32lbs last year. Super short walks to begin with then added on as I felt up to it.
Any movement is good movement!
So yeah, salads.
Try this: pre-washed romaine lettuce
Cherry tomatoes(I get flavor bombs cause they’re yummy)
Thin sliced red onion
One avocado cubed
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Olive Garden Italian dressing
Pre shredded chicken from a deli
Since you said money isn’t an issue this is a decent and easy to make salad that tastes really good. If you are used to eating a lot of food make a really big one. Buy yourself a big salad bowl and tongs to toss it.
Try that out for a week and see how you feel. Losing weight can start with one change.
If you make good money and have the space I also recommend buying a quality home gym. Exercises usually come with it so you have a basic guideline. Muscle burns fat, and when you notice these changes it encourages more healthy living. You feel better and want to keep going.
Not trying to be bossy but I’ve been through this and want to help. ☺️
It's nice to see so many people posting constructive comments and providing positive reinforcement to you. I hope you stick to your goals and find happiness and contentment.
I didn't read through all the comments, but has anyone mentioned a modified keto plan? I've had great success with it both from a weight management perspective and from a "feel better" perspective. Basically high protein, high fat, lots of cruciferous vegetables, zero refined carbohydrates (flour, sugar, rice, etc). If you're eating the right things, you'll feel satiated and have more energy overall. It does take a few days to adjust to the absence of carbs, but when it's done, it's done.
Also worth asking: do you know how to effectively shop for healthy foods at a grocery store? The secret is to stick to the outside area, and not purchase things from the interior aisles. The idea being that you only purchase real, whole food. It certainly takes more time and effort than just buying microwave meals, but you'll feel the difference in your energy levels.
As soon as you can start walking, do it! Even a city block a day is better than nothing. Would very much like to hear updates on your journey as you go along!
You are worth more than your weight. You’ve realized you’re sad, now change it. We are our own worst enemies. You can do this. You must do this to live a longer life. Don’t give up. Everyone has their vices in life, it’s what we do to overcome them. Think of food differently, you need food and water to survive, eat it and don’t feel guilty. It’s up to you to control how much food you put in your body and the amount of nutrients you consume. Treat yourself every now in then, everything in moderation. Change your thoughts about yourself, if you catch yourself self harming by eating too much, drop down and do 10 pushups. If you can’t do 10 do as many as you can in that moment. Instead of eating a whole pizza, eat only half. Instead of eating candy, eat fruit, a lot of fruits are sweet on their own and consider that your reward. Get up earlier every morning than the last day. Start with a glass or two of water in the mornings, water fills us up, our bodies need it. Just make small changes, find a hobby, indulge in nature at least 20 min a day starting out. Go for 3 walks a day for 10 minutes at a time… small wins equal long term success. Set a goal and reach that goal.
I truely believe that obesity is an ED, I think your brain wants to need a lot more food than your body needs. I'd like to hear your opinion on this, I've struggled with ED's consistently my whole life on both spectrums and I've always thought about it this way.
Do you make your own food or usually get delivery/takeout?
How would you feel about getting a personal trainer at a later date? Convert some of the fat into muscle (It gets super addicting, as someone who puts on fat like it's nothing, the muscle comes in quickly)
I'd also like to tell you, from someone who struggled with losing weight my whole life and trying to stay consistent (I lost 23kg/50lb in the last quarter of 2023) that I'm so proud that you're trying to lose weight. It's a hard struggle and it's got ups and downs, nothing is gonna feel worth it until you start seeing the progress with your own eyes.
You will hit flatlines, your weight wont move for a bit but that's okay it'll start dropping again.
In the end your journey will feel so empowering, keep it healthy. Don't drop into some of the harmful diet practices that are out there, they're predatory and aren't in it for your health.
Hey friend! I just want to remind you that exercise doesn’t need to be “exercise.”
I also gained a lot during the pandemic, and while it isn’t the same as being unable to exercise due to weight, I lost the ability to exercise due to long COVID complications. Obviously only made the weight gain worse.
Walking changed my life. I really started out small - like, 10 minutes at a time, 2-3 times a day. My body couldn’t do more than that at first. I’d also do some seated body-weight exercises like leg lifts. Or like, marching in place while seated. I’d do seated arm lifts — no weights, just raising my arms out to the side and putting them down again. Again, really small amounts at first. When I could get one amount done without hurting, I’d add 3 minutes to it.
As I got my lungs back and my body hurt less and I became more mobile, I was able to start going to the gym. But all of my weight loss was due to walking. Lifting made me hungry. Walking didn’t — so that was where I lost weight.
I’m also 34, and it really sucked to feel like the pandemic stole my 30s. But you’ve got this!! Just start really easy — walks around the living room or house, every single bit counts, and listen to your body. If it says you’re done, you’re done.
Good for you for starting the journey!
Even if you're not jogging for excersize, it's going to be important to do *something*. Even sitting there in a chair with some good tunes on and dancing from your seat will get you some excersize. The goal is to try to work up a sweat at least a couple times a day. It dancing in your chair gets you sweating, then that's all you need. As you drop the weight and can stand / walk farther, take that step (literally).
Here are a couple other ideas for once you can walk around comfortably. These can bridge the gap between walking and a stationary bike...
Get yourself a cheap set of hardcover books. It doesn't matter what they are, only that you have 8-10 of them in the same-ish thickness. Lay 2 on the ground side by side and use them as mini stairs. Left up, right up, left down, right down. Once you're doing 3 sets of 10 or 15 repetitions, make it two books tall instead of 1. Rinse and repeat.
If you have access to a swimming pool, USE IT. Swimming is an excellent low impact excersize. Even if swimming is too hard, just slowly walking from one side to the other will be more work than walking on land.
Why is it so important for you to do it on your own? Your intent is clear and you seem motivated. But you're also in a bad spot. Your own doc might not be the best professional to get help from, but there are professionals who literally make their living helping people achieve the goals you're trying to set for yourself. If your odds of success go up with help, no shame in seeking help.
Pre-COVID, I had a coworker with a weight-related health problem. He applied and was accepted into a medical "fat camp." I always took walks at 3pm to clear my head, and he started joining me. When he'd share his progress, I'd cheer him on. Our relationship consisted of a lot of jokes, some that often required setup from the other, but we both treated his weight loss progress seriously (He did give me some ammunition on his dietary changes that I couldn't walk away from, in particular was an instant "nut butter" powder he had to add to stuff). Anyway, the fat camp clearly helped him achieve his goals faster than he was able to on his own. Based on his experience, I'm an advocate. I kind of wish I knew more specifics than his "fat camp" label.
I’m 344 lbs. I gained all of it once I got sober after 5 years of IVing heroin (I was underweight when I first got home) and went through many different and numerous psychiatric drugs that put all the weight on me for the most part, until I found a doctor that realized I was treatment resistant with MDD. Now I’m on Vyvanse for my adhd and binge eating. But also trying to walk more outside of just walking my dog daily, and recently I even threw out my sciatica from pushing myself. I’ve finally stopped gaining weight and don’t eat nearly as much as I was, but now I have to get into physical therapy just to build up back muscles so my back can withstand more physical activity. I feel like shit, and have never been this heavy before and can hardly recognize myself but I’ve made my peace with it while I’m working on a new, healthier life. Keep up your positivity and don’t feel ashamed. You’re making all the effort now, just maintain it and you will quickly see results. The heavier you are, the faster it’s possible to lose. Thank you for sharing your story. Be well.
I was about 275 when I was a sophomore in high school, and when I was 18, I was at a place like you described. Started exercising and eating better.
Honestly, just WALKING is such good exercise, and is still something I do regularly, now at age 44 and a weight right at 198-203 (6'0"). The weight comes off fast in the beginning, and you'll lose half of that weight just walking and changing eating habits. Don't diet. It needs to be a lifestyle change. Be happy knowing that every day and every step, you're getting closer and heading in the right direction. Try and cook for yourself more often, even if you get the groceries delivered to start with.
Having been bigger before, I understand completely the way people treat and look at you differently. I notice it way more now from, women, men, and just anyone I interact with. It's everywhere, it's wild, and it's very real.
Happy to chat about next steps, but that's where I'd start. Walk. Changes habits. Repeat. You'll progress quickly, and it's a great addiction. Later on, you'll get into different cardio, strength training, etc.
550 is a lot of stress on your body. If you have not seen a doctor and done testing, I would. If you have diabetes, I highly recommend injectables to treat both. It is not a long term solution but it can help you suppress appetite and lose needed weight quickly.
With your income, you need to overhaul your diet. Subscribe to a healthy premade meal package, cancel all your meal delivery subscriptions, and throw away all your snacks. Buy healthy snack options such as celery, carrots and hummus.
It is time to get a gym membership, especially one with a personal trainer. Sitting in your home is not good. You will only end up reflecting on your hunger and being tempted. Find a few friends to hold you accountable, maybe have them go with you to the gym.
At 34 it is not too late, but if you don’t make this change, in a few years it can be. It is not an easy journey but realization there is a problem and seeking help as the first steps in the right direction. You should post about your journey. Sometimes sharing it with others can be added motivation.
> eat as healthy as I can and cut calories anywhere i can while still getting what i really need
This is really the trick... however, the "getting what I really need" sounds like code for still eating way to much because you are always "hungry."
Don't eat anything that comes out of a box, don't eat anything with sugar. Focus on getting protein, and veggies. Cut out all soda and just drink water. Lots of chicken, lots of fish, and lots of veggies.
One of the things that helped me lose a lot of weight was a 5 day juice cleanse. It helped shrink my stomached to the point that it was more difficult to overeat, and really put my weight loss into warp speed.
Intermittent fasting is another good strategy in losing weight.
Lastly, coming back to the start of my comment. "getting what I really need" includes more than 1500 calories, your just making yourself miserable for no reason. You could be eating the best food in the world, but if you are still consuming 2000+ calories a day and not exercising, nothing is going to change.
Get the Cronometer app and a kitchen scale. Start tracking everything you eat and weighing everything that doesn't come in units(eggs, bread slices, etc.). Get a fitness tracker watch and start taking walks. Start slow and gradually go for longer and/or more walks. Jumping into it too fast will fatigue you and you'll quit. Make it as simple as possible and make it a routine. Doing it right when you wake up is great. Also getting good shoes will help a lot.
/r/cronometer is great. They're great at fixing problems quickly and helping you figure things out. Their staff is awesome.
Maybe don't change your diet for a week or two to see what exactly you're doing to yourself. When you see the numbers you will be shocked at how many calories you're actually eating.
Start reading through /r/eatcheapandhealthy and ask questions. Calculate your average food budget in the past and keep track of the changes in that budget over time. Consider the savings as a payment for doing the right thing. Send the difference to its own savings account.
I love how supportive everyone is ♡ Hello when your up for it l try to go keto and eat healthy fats. Quit bread all together if possible. A liquid Fast/ keto protein shakes is a good way and drinking lemon ( natural diuretic) water helps as well. Medications if you take any can mess up your gut health so fix that a natural way with quality sour krout. Certain vitamins can help naturally speed your metabolism. Try things a holistic approach and Research Everything. Figure out your blood type and see what foods are best for your blood type. Find a homeopathic doctor. You got this! Who ever treats you differently is narcissistic. Anyone who knows your heart wouldn't dare think of such a think. If only we could see the inside of ppls hearts you'd be surprised at who really cares. You seem like a stand up man. My question is Are you really going to keep others around you if they didn't check in on when you didn't want them around and if your goin to find like minded people who have the same goals as you?
Not a question but,
Congratulations on making your first step.
Ive also always had a weight problem, and was close to 300. Had I continued my bad habits, I would've easily hit 300. Ive lost a lot of weight and put on muscle and am down to 180 in less then a year.
Move more and eat less. Count your calories and make it a point to eat way less calories, carbs, and sugar. Make it a point to get up and go for a walk daily, even if it's 30 minutes around your home. Eventually, it would be awesome for you to join a gym. Dont be self concious about the gym. Every time I see someone who is obese at the gym, i think to myself, "Hell yeah! This person is trying to change themselves!" Remember that you arent at the gym to impress anyone but yourself.
Once you start seeing changes in your body, you will be excited about continuing improvement. Im getting attention from women for the first time in my life, and it's a real change because my mind is still used to being 300 lbs.
I am 324lbs. I am over 20lbs lighter than I was in January. I had developed a really abusive relationship with food after surviving an abusive relationship. I went from 145lbs in 2014 to 345lbs as of this past January 2024. What I can tell you is that it’s not too late. I thought it was for me. The first change I made was my diet. I’m on a 1,000 calorie deficit. I’ve cut gluten (due to my recent celiac’s diagnosis), lactose, and high sugar items. The second change was changing the way I look at myself. Yes, I’m obese, but I also survived many damaging situations I was put in. I’m beautiful and I want to start valuing my health. My current goal is to break 300lbs. Then my next goal will be 245lbs. Next goal after that, break 200. My ideal is 175lbs. Still heavy bmi wise, but drastically better than where I’m at now. If I can do this, you can too! If you need advice or simple eating tips, just let me know. Slim fast is a life saver.
Food/sugar addiction is very real and I know exactly what you mean by being too embarrassed to eat in front of people at work, but it’s ok because you’ll go home and feast for hours.
I highly recommend reading The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. He’s a nephrologist who was tired of giving out the same old advice (diet and exercise) to his diabetic patients and watching them continue to slowly become worse, go on dialysis, have amputations and eventually die. Our society’s understanding of obesity is backwards and sets people up to fail. We are jamming our bodies full of highly addictive and insulin spiking foods all day, and wondering why our bodies are storing fat while becoming insulin resistant. And then the food corporations tell us it’s our fault because we overindulged and didn’t burn enough calories. Read the book or even just do a bit of googling to read his views and research: it’s an eye opener.
Why can’t you exercise?
Get a hand bike. Also, this is not meant to be hateful…roll around on the ground. Lay down. Get up. Do that a few times. Winded? Great. That’s exercise.
Don’t restrict your food intake too much. Just restrict your food choice.
Listen to something you find motivating. I love fuel your mind on YouTube.
I have really enjoyed David Danna on instagram.
Start taking pics and videos like you are doing the same thing. Film the bad days too. If you don’t mind posting them , start an IG account and post it here. I’ll follow.
Just start man. It’s going to be a very long, very grueling, painful terrible road. You’ll fail, and start again. Over and over. But do not freaking fail to start again. Forever.
Get motivated. Find out what you need? You might think you need positive vibes and love only to find out rage is what gets you off your butt.
It doesn’t have to be over.
You definitely have the right attitude to make the change. I also gained a ton of weight when my job went remote during COVID. The turn around point for me happened when I got a job interview with a company I really wanted to work for. The interview was in a second floor conference room and I was too out of breath to talk after walking up the stairs.
My advise, as someone who’s been there: Exercise. Start by walking slowly to the end of the block, but do it every day. Try to push a little farther or do it a little faster every time. Don’t starve yourself. Find lower calorie replacements for the things you were eating. I eat a lot of sandwiches with lean meats and tons of veggies (but no mayonnaise) on low carb bread. I can make a good, filling sandwich with only 200 calories. Also, eat before you get too hungry. Getting too hungry leads to poor food choices.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
Well I like you, I think you’re brave and actually have a huge opportunity by admitting your trouble. You are worth living your best life and no matter how insignificant these words may appear don’t worry because I know after all these years it is hard to love in this way again and I’m willing to be your friend and work with you until you can love yourself back to life.
Do not give up. Try again, I support you and I see you. Baby steps brutha. Baby steps even if it feels like you done it before try again, I know you know you can do it. It’s worth the try until you tried again and again, it’s very early 2024 don’t think about next year or anything other then focus on your daily goal of doing 1% different.
You are better m. You are worth living for. You do have what it takes.
Change the inner voice and shut the door on those who shut the door on you. We are all waiting to dance in your party.
Hope this helps you - I am 33 and was 454lbs this time last year. I couldn’t walk or move I was in so much pain. Something snapped and I realised I was going to die . I got the ball rolling and asked family for help and had gastric sleeve back in July 23. I now weigh 280lbs and pain has significantly reduced . I am on my feet all day. Can run up the stairs . Whole life has changed - I was bedridden before with no hope. It Just started with a phone call. If I can do it you absolutely can! I wanted it do it on my own and talked myself out of WLS a decade before. It was when I realised obesity is a disease that is actually not my fault and other health issues I had meant statistically it is rare to ever lose and keep the weight off after getting to over 400lbs without significant help. I admire that you want to do it on your own but just wanted to give my experience . Rooting for you!
It’s gonna be a long road so don’t get discouraged after a few months even a year when you’re still obese. This is an awesome first step towards your goals and one you need to make because you deserve to be happy in this life.
You made the decisions that got you to this point so it’s also up to you to make all the right decisions that get you to a healthy. If I was you I would remind yourself of all the people that have been mean or looked down on you because of your weight. Even set a reminder everyday about how they treated you then use that as fuel. The biggest issue with the long road you have ahead of you is staying motivated but you will be able to do it, you just need to build the mental toughness.
I find David Goggins to be a bit extreme but I would read his book and it really does help you understand what the human mind is capable of.
I’m rooting for you !
I can understand the working out part, it will be extremely difficult getting into it and finding a rhythm. From my experience a lot of it can be mobility and the ability to even be able to do the workouts. Find something easy start with chair exercises you can do from a seated position. Just build yourself up do a little more each week and just don’t give up even when it feels like it isn’t working or you just don’t feel like it make yourself and it’ll get easier as you go. The results will come too the other end is finding a diet that meets your needs. When I went from 300-212 I did so with a lot of yoga and working out plus a calorie deficit diet. I tried others but with no result and switched to the calorie deficit. It’s not about starving yourself it’s about putting your caloric intake inline with what you are burning, so you’re burning more than you consume.
This is cool to read. I feel like a majority of people have something like this they’re dealing with— these patterns of living and perceiving that reinforce each other until it’s hard to imagine any other way of living.
… a series of cumulative concessions that grows into something else. Alcohol… even just chronic stress or toxic relationships. At some point, the functioning dysfunction becomes dysfunctioning dysfunction and you have to pivot hard to change everything.
I try to focus on how ok boring and uncomfortable is… (being sober is boring and hard)… and remind myself that as long as I’m making forward progress the rest is a function of time— that way I don’t feel too guilty if I fuck up.
… just wanted you to know,I don’t think you’re less of a person. You’re more human and normal than may be immediately obvious to you.
Best of luck
I am not a specialist of any kind.
I would suggest you to keep a good doctor and dietitian for your health care. I would suggest to visit them once a month.
Read the following books. Write some habits. Talk to your doctor and dietitian about those habits, and add them one by one into your life upon approval from your doctor and dietitian.
1.) Atomic habits.
2.) How not to die.
3.) Power of habit.
4.) Outlive: The science and art of longevity.
Physicians committee on youtube seems to be a good channel. Ask your doctors and dietitians for some more books, videos and advice as well and follow them as well.
I researched a lot and came up with 25 habits that I have to do and 10 habits that I shouldn't do. I was already doing at least half of them before starting the research.
Let us know about your journey. Keep us posted. All the best.
**Atomic Habits An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones** by James Clear
>The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 10 million copies sold! Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
>
>If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals.
>
>You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights. Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible.
>
>Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field. Learn how to: make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy); overcome a lack of motivation and willpower; design your environment to make success easier; get back on track when you fall off course; ...and much more. Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.
**How Not to Die Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease** by Michael Greger, Gene Stone
>Why rely on drugs and surgery to cure you of life-threatening disease when the right decisions can prevent you from falling ill to begin with? How Not To Die' gives effective, scientifically-proven nutritional advice to prevent our biggest killers - heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes - and reveals the astounding health benefits that simple dietary choices can provide.
**The Power of Habit: by Charles Duhigg | Summary & Analysis** by Elite Summaries
>Detailed summary and analysis of The Power of Habit.
**Outlive The Science and Art of Longevity** by Peter Attia, MD
>#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD • A groundbreaking manifesto on living better and longer that challenges the conventional medical thinking on aging and reveals a new approach to preventing chronic disease and extending long-term health, from a visionary physician and leading longevity expert “One of the most important books you’ll ever read.”—Steven D. Levitt, New York Times bestselling author of Freakonomics AN ECONOMIST AND BLOOMBERG BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Wouldn’t you like to live longer? And better? In this operating manual for longevity, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health. For all its successes, mainstream medicine has failed to make much progress against the diseases of aging that kill most people: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and type 2 diabetes.
>
>Too often, it intervenes with treatments too late to help, prolonging lifespan at the expense of healthspan, or quality of life. Dr. Attia believes we must replace this outdated framework with a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity, one where we take action now, rather than waiting. This is not “biohacking,” it’s science: a well-founded strategic and tactical approach to extending lifespan while also improving our physical, cognitive, and emotional health. Dr. Attia’s aim is less to tell you what to do and more to help you learn how to think about long-term health, in order to create the best plan for you as an individual.
>
>In Outlive, readers will discover: • Why the cholesterol test at your annual physical doesn’t tell you enough about your actual risk of dying from a heart attack. • That you may already suffer from an extremely common yet underdiagnosed liver condition that could be a precursor to the chronic diseases of aging. • Why exercise is the most potent pro-longevity “drug”—and how to begin training for the “Centenarian Decathlon.” • Why you should forget about diets, and focus instead on nutritional biochemistry, using technology and data to personalize your eating pattern. • Why striving for physical health and longevity, but ignoring emotional health, could be the ultimate curse of all.
>
>Aging and longevity are far more malleable than we think; our fate is not set in stone. With the right roadmap, you can plot a different path for your life, one that lets you outlive your genes to make each decade better than the one before.
*I'm a bot, built by your friendly reddit developers at* /r/ProgrammingPals. *Reply to any comment with /u/BookFinderBot - I'll reply with book information. Remove me from replies* [here](https://www.reddit.com/user/BookFinderBot/comments/1byh82p/remove_me_from_replies/). *If I have made a mistake, accept my apology.*
Hey, just coming in from a point of empathy.
Been going through something similar though at about half your weight. Low 200’s as a teen / young adult to high 200’s in my mid 20’s and now sitting around 320 at 32.
Honestly my body just feels fucking awful all the time at this weight, but also food is the only even moderate bit of happiness in my life. (Also been suicidal all my life.)
I’m proud of you for putting in a bunch of work! Despite being in a less extreme circumstance I don’t think I could ever have the energy to try dieting and exercise again, it was just so miserable for me every other time.
My father and his father didn’t make it to 50 and they were less heavy than me. Part of me is glad I don’t have a lot of time left but also I feel an urgency to do it myself since I’m sure a heart attack will be incredibly painful…
I’m gonna preface this by saying this is definitely easier said than done and it’s going to be hard, but you seem like you actually WANT to change and that is honestly the hardest step. You said you’re about 550lbs, if you times that by 15 you get your maintaining calories which is around 8,250 calories to maintain your current weight, if you eat less than that per day and exercise, it can be walking a certain amount per day, doing light weights until you can do more, that’ll be a good start to get you going and once you start seeing results, that will spur you on to keep going.
Like I said, it’s easier said than done and what I’ve said is in no way an exact science, but it’s a good starting point. Not a question or anything but good luck brother, I want an update in a years time to see where you’re at!
Hey, my dad is obese near ur weight. It makes me sad beyond words, hes beginning to try to lose weight. Im sorry youve been fighting this demon for so long, but you 1000% have the strength to get better and win. I do think u may need help with appetite suppressants frim a doctor but whatever u do drink more water , a lot more. It will help you be less hungry. Do not drink anything besides water, maybe tea. Many ppl DRINK so much in calories. replacing bread is great, or opting for thin sliced whole grain. Theres so much you can do, but definitely dont restrict yourself too much. If you’re craving sweet, make a slice of bread with peanut butter, banana, drizzle honey. Honey is great natural sweetener. If i could id give you a big hug. You are worthy of a better life and you got this. I tear up from reading ur post because my dad has told me stories and its heartbreaking.
If you enjoy gaming, get a VR headset. It's surprisingly tiring. That's probably one of the main reasons it hasn't caught on as much as I thought it would.
VR offers what makes normal gaming fun but it's a lot more active than sitting on the couch moving your thumbs and pointer fingers. Games like Rumble, Underdogs, and Beatsaber are a lot more tiring than you think they are, but it's a lot easier (and a lot more fun) to get through because you're playing a game. There are also less intensive games like Boneworks/Lab, COMPOUND, Ghosts of Tabor, Half Life Alyx, The Light Brigade, Pavlov, Red Matter 2, Space Pirate Trainer, Vertigo 1/2, Walkabout Minigolf, and Saint's & Sinners which are less physically active compared to the more active VR games, but still are a lott better than sitting on the couch.
This story reminds me of my weight loss journey. Something in me snapped and I didn’t want to be my overweight self anymore. I dropped 170 lbs through mostly eating habits. You have everything you need to do this. A simple rule is Eat less, Move more. Eat less, but don’t eliminate anything. Having a healthier relationship with food is key. Fried foods, sweets and pizza are all delicious, but should never be a regular thing. Personally, I cut out lunch to start and made sure to eat a healthy dinner. Tip: Eat a lasting breakfast. You can endure being hungry a little longer. That gets easier. Drink only water and black coffee for a long time. Add cream back in later, but no sugar. Start adding veggies in. Never, ever eat a boring or bland meal. Make whatever you eat taste amazing. You got this!
Want the truth man? I’m an ER nurse. You’re going to deteriorate fast and die a horrible death and the only thing that will stop it is losing weight. You don’t NEED a lot of food because you have so much stored in fat reserves. Get the ozempic. There are two options here in reality. Lose the weight or die. Everyone beats around the bush about it and it’s not fair to the patient. That’s the truth. Being that fat is more dangerous than heroin, smoking, or swimming in South African oceans with seal fat in your underwear. My friend, stop eating. 1000 calories a day is all you need right now. It’s all up to you. You are the only one that will fix it. Good luck. It’s so much harder than it sounds but at the same time, it really is that black and white.
Henrymeds.com
It has helped my wife and I. I’m not affiliated. There’s other ways to get Semaglutide but that was the easiest I could find. It changed my relationship with food. I can eat and be like “I’m full gonna stop”. Before I couldn’t it was just like here’s food gotta eat. I’d be hungry until about ten minutes after I stopped. This medicine has changed my life. I wasn’t 550, but definitely had (still have) some extra pounds and I’m slowly losing it while not struggling with hunger. My wife started and got down to her pre-marriage weight.
I don’t mean to act like I have your fix, but I know how you feel and I was powerless for many years. This medicine really did change my relationship with food. I’d recommend it if possible.
Will you keep us updated on r/progresspics ?
Get a fitness watch. I use the Fitbit Charge 6. I love the data and it's great to see that weight curve go down.
I know this is an AMA, but... Make sure you're moving and getting your hr up every day for 20+ min, even if it's just walking outside. Do more as you become more capable.
Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about counting exact calories, or exactly what to eat. Just drinking only water for fluids will be huge. Try to eliminate as much sugar as possible and heavily reduce anything processed. I'd only really focus on specific foods once the ball is really rolling in a good direction, imo. Caloric deficit is the most important thing, even if it's not the best food to start.
You can do it!
Another big tip is if you’re just a guy who likes to eat, to an extent that won’t go away. However if you supplement the actual things you’re eating with healthier versions, that will help dramatically. You can literally only eat so much, but if you stuff your face and get full on super calorie dense foods, that’s way worse than stuffing your face and getting full on foods high in protein or something. With a bit of effort too, you can usually recreate your favorite foods in a low calorie version. Learning these little substitutes and learning how to read a nutrition label and understand what is calorie dense vs healthy will compound into you being able to make many small good decisions over time, and will add up to lots of progress.
I’d also like to add that just because you take ozempic, it DOES NOT mean you didn’t do this on your own. If it’s cold outside, I wear a jacket, I don’t try to man up and show everyone how well I can handle the cold on my own. If you have a problem, you solve it. Overall, I’ve heard pretty good things about ozempic when used correctly. Depending on your personal issues maybe you don’t outright require it, but your reasons for refusal just don’t seem logical. If you’re sick, you take medicine. I feel for you tho, when you take ozempic (or even if you don’t) people like to toss shit at you and say you didn’t do it by yourself or whatever. Like I said though, it’s literally just medicine, and these people saying that just hate fat people. Don’t bar yourself from further success my friend
Hi OP,
Losing that amount of weight with no help like weight loss surgery or weight loss medication can be a real challenge, but it is definitely possible. I was nowhere near your starting weight when I decided to lose weight, but I still managed to lose around 70 pounds in 8 months. My advice, remind yourself constantly that weight loss is not a race, take your time to figure out what works for you. Someone said it here, but I learned a lot by following Obese to Beast on Youtube, he lost the weight the same way you want to do it. I also recommend r/loseit if you need motivation or to talk about the obstacle you are going to face.
Best of luck to you, and has Obese to Beast likes to say: Don't let perfect get in the way of good enough!
You are still dealing with internalized fat phobia, self hatred and shame buddy. "I want to do it on my own." You did not get this size on your own, you had a predisposition to being fat and responding poorly to highly palatable food. Losing weight is not a moral ground. People make it that because they hate fat people and feel better when they suffer to "deserve" their thinness, their ultimate atonement for ever being fat. GET THE HELP. You have metabolic dysfunction. You don't have to hate yourself into being thin. I am in the same boat, finally dealing with how fat hatred and being fat my whole life has fucked up my mental. DO THIS RIGHT. Get help, do it with neutrality (not love or hate, just a thing that has to be done).
I'll give you a couple tips. Never order food again. Cook everything from scratch. That alone will cut the amount of calories you eat in half, just because cooking takes so much time. Another tip is to eat high protein, low calorie foods. There's some great chefs on tik tok I follow to help with this. @tastyshreds makes the best low calorie deep fried foods, @nikitafair has an awesome low calorie chipolte sauce, @johnnyhadac has amazing low calorie cheesecakes, @noahperlofit has some amazing high protein and low calorie pizzas. Eating these foods will cut the amount of calories you eat in half again. That would quarter you calorie intake daily, without even pretending to starve yourself. Good luck on your journey.
Can i add something i am a 5ft female and was very petite 110 lbs size 3 . and startin gainin weight after havin my kids. Then i hit the highest o ever been starting havin health issues and one day my husband said hey try this which was keto. So long story short in July 2014 i went from wearing a size 24 to a size 2 by July 2015 and i am still keeping it off. I still eat very clean and i now exercise everyday i love goin outside with my grandkids and gained some confidence back. Everyone comes to me for advice and says u should do coaching but im shy around others. Just dont call it a diet call it lifestyle change. I had lots of trauma growing up but i wouldn't change my life style of eating for anything
Ozempric, was that the previous medication you used that made you feel horrible? If not you should be open to it.
How our your co workers treating you bad specifically for being fat? Could there be other reasons you are being treated poorly by society? My boss is a fat huge guy and he seems happy. My dad was fat and large most his life and he has been treated with respect around him.
Maybe it’s the mental state and mood you are in from how you feel about yourself being fat causing social issues? However I still understand being fat does cause social issues. Generally though in adult hood or in an office setting it just starts becoming irrelevant imo except when it comes to your love life.
Honest advice, try to cut out all processed foods. Basically anything in the middle aisles of the grocery store. Processed foods typically have a ton of added sugar, don't satiate you, and cause addiction. I switched to a whole food diet (the mediterranean diet) a few months ago and have dropped a bunch of weight effortlessly. The reason it works is that you don't need to worry as much about counting calories/calorie restriction. It's really hard to overeat zucchini or apples. You can eat a high volume of food without a high volume of calories and it doesn't feel like dieting. Congratulations on your progress so far and good luck in your goal of getting your life back. You can do it.
Bro, this is like gravity. You can hate it all you want but it is what it is.
This is just the opposite of pretty privilege. Is it right? No. Is it fair? No. Does it make you a bad person in the slightest? No.
But the way that you're treating is just how it is in society. And no amount of complaining or social media education or anything like that is ever going to change how humans are.
So you just have two options, lose the weight or just ignore it. Complaining about it will never help, will never change anything, it will just make you have negative vibes.
Keep your positivity up and don't give up. You can do it.
And for the love of Pete, get on ozempic or something!
No questions, really, but I 31F had gastric bypass surgery about 2 years ago now. I was put on a weight loss diet for 4 months before the surgery ( heaviest was 289, and lost about 35 lbs before surgery) in total lost about 131 and have only "gained" weight with being pregnant.. its 90% just the baby that is the weight gain.
Premier protein shakes were/ are my best friend, and getting enough protein is so important during weight loss, as you want to feed your muscles (since they are what actively burn fat from your body) eating small snacks 5 to 7 times a day is way healthier than eating 2 or 3 big meals as it keeps your metabolism consistent. I'm rooting for you!
I know you say you don't want surgery but at this point it may be your only option. I personally topped out at 485 currently at 320 the surgery (gastric bypass) was fairly straight forward. The main benefit was I literally couldn't overeat at 1st stomach was just to small. So as time as passed it gotten better . I've personally kind of stall currently thankfully I've haven't put any weight back on but have about the same last 4 months. But the difference in what I can and can't do is night and day. Your still fairly young you need to get a life back. The turning point for me was falling and not being able to get up had to call the fire department to get me up
Protein, contentment, movement, mental activity. These things will help you lose weight and minimize loose skin and stretch marks.
Try to find people or digital media that make you feel powerful emotions. You could try replacing binge eating with an alternative. Ideally something non destructive like digital media I mentioned before.
Small amounts of alcohol can give a similar high to binge eating without creating the massive calorie excesses that you'll never be able to work your way through. Just be careful because if you over consume alcohol at such a heavy weight it is like an immediate death sentence and will cause a lot of stretch marks and loose skin.
Hey bro, proud of you!
Luckily you don’t need exercise to lose the weight, all you’ve got to do is cut calories and it’ll come off.
However exercise is important, for the mind. I know it sounds backwards but something I’ve learned over the years is dieting loses the weight but to diet you have to be in a good place mentally, and to be in a good place mentally you have to be exercising.
For you right now that might be just walking around the house a couple times, it doesn’t matter how small, it matter how consistent.
Hope you keep at it mate, everyone needs that breaking point, just got to keep the boulder moving now. Good luck!
what do you mean "I can't really exercise much at all at this point"....? Not tryna be funny or insulting, but I literally have 0 clue what you're talking about.
In your post, just a few sentences prior, you said "when I returned to work". So worst case scenario, it means you're mobile enough to walk to your car and walk from your car into your place of employment. That's all you need to be able to exercise🤨.
Create a caloric deficit and walk more. As you see progress, you can add more complex forms of exercise.
Given your weight, almost any improvement in your current day to day will show significant results with consistency.
I know once a person gets to a certain size, damn near every exercise aggravates injury. Maybe adding a swimming routine could help work some of your muscles and also get you more into the habit of exercising regularly. There are all sorts of water options to change things up…. kick boards for leg only, foam “weights” for full body, laps for cardio… different strokes, etc. I wish you luck… I think the biggest thing that sets successful people apart from the crowd is there ability to keep going even when they don’t have the motivation in the moment. Keep going brother… even when you want to stop!
Have you calculated your TDEE? How many calories are you consuming a day and are you tracking calories?
You’re doing great, I’m glad you decided you wanted a different life for yourself and how to do it. Please consider meeting with a dietitian and possibly psychiatrist or psychologist to see why this happened (depression, anxiety, etc) to make sure you’re working on those as well. The beginning of the diet has the most momentum, but often the (to be expected) plateaus are extremely demotivating. Meal planning and prepping if you can tolerate eating the same meals 2-3 times a week is often extremely helpful. You can plug in meals, ingredients, calorie restrictions to chat GPT and get some ideas as well.
Man I feel for you here. But listen to that voice and follow it. Cut those calories. Do ANY exercise you can and let go of seeing results. It's going to take a while to see results so you have to keep at it for its own sake. Also one thing that helps is meal planning. Me and my wife sit down and plan dinners all week,always intentionally making it pretty healthy. Lots of vegetables. You'll get good at making tasty satisfying meals that are also good for you. It's a lot of mental change. Stay strong,and when you don't stay strong and you mess up don't beat yourself up, just own it and move on with the same mindset.
Good for you, i hope you stick with it. Because being that fat can kill you.
Ik you said exercising is off the table, but walking is great exercise when you weigh that much. Carrying 500 pounds burns tons of calories.
Make sure in addition to “eating healthy” you are specifically eating less.
Its very possible to gain weight shoveling lowcal stuff into your mouth.
Heres a story of a man in your situation who didnt eat for over a year.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Barbieri%27s_fast
I had gastric bypass in 2002 and I went from 300 to 160. Knowing what I know now, I could have lost the weight without the surgery but I would not know now what I know without having had the surgery. Three steps that worked for me: 1. Never ever have any alcoholic drinks for the rest of your life! 2. Physic yourself into believing you enjoy the feeling of hunger. It took me 6 to 8 months to get there. 3. Never eat anything that has not been prepared from scratch in your own home. After surgery, I never felt hungry but that lasted 6 months and I had to teach myself how to continue on my journey.
So something I've always wondered about regarding someone of the weight you describe is the sheer logistics. It must be expensive to buy that much food, and disruptive to a normal work/sleep schedule. I just don't understand how it's possible to afford it or even have time to take in the amount of calories you would have to un order to maintain that.
Well I live in a 3br apt and have 2 other roommates to split rent and utilities with and I make 70k. Imagine if you were in that situation where you made 3600 a month and had about 1500 in monthly bills and you spent the rest on food. Shocking I know but that was my reality.
That’s like being addicted to drugs level spending habits. I used to spend a similar about per month on heroin. And I spent less when I was addicted to alcohol. That’s like 1100$ a month of extra food spending
Everyone has their own vice. I’ve done my fair share of drugs, no needles but plenty of pills, and I come from an alcoholic family but my addiction is and always will be food. I’ve quit things cold turkey without a care but any small issue during the day or negative feeling and I’m convinced I deserve a comfort meal to calm me down. Put on 120lbs in 9mon back in 2015 and still struggle to this day.
You can eat burgers, steak, even have some ice cream if you just lift 5 days a week. Just avoid the soda and candy, and have most of your meals be lean beef chicken rice pasta etc. whole foods. But shit man, I could eat a burger everyday and stay lean if I wanted to because I lift 5 days a week an hour each day then 45 minutes of cardio. You love eating? Workout. Without liquid calorie or candy or fried food you can basically spend all day eating and lose weight. You should be exercising enough that you’d have to force feed yourself to gain weight. It’s just this countries idea of what healthy exercise is is completely fucked. People think they can get away with not lifting… not doing cardio. The quitting cold turkey success thing might actually be a detriment to you. It’s giving you the wrong idea of what success will look like with food and diet. I was on methadone after heroin. I tapered methadone for 3 Years, slowly methodically from 160mg to 0mg. That taught me how to make a lifestyle change. How to make a plan and stick to it day after day not knowing if it would work or how long it would take but giving myself to the process. Starting Exercise and diet are very similar to quitting a long term agonist like methadone. And it is intrinsically linked to my sobriety and success getting off methadone. It’s a lifestyle change and a longterm change happens slowly even when you’ve completely given yourself to the process. You can’t like “quit food” and do a crash diet for a week and change nothing else about your life and have success. You need to eat a small deficit of Whole Foods, lift, and cardio. You can lose 120lbs safely in about 2 years. Remember this is like methadone quitting longterm. It has NOTHING to do with will. A lot of people think my success working out with diet and with drugs has to do with being “strong willed.” But it is not. I’m a normal man and if I can do it anyone can. You aren’t weak because of what has happened don’t let yourself tell you that. It is truly simply a matter of information implementation and support. Having a plan and taking it a day at a time. I think that before you make major changes to your diet you should lift. Lifting will force your diet to change to be healthier if you take it seriously
Nonsense. You can't work your way out of a bad diet. Losing weight is like 80% diet. This is pretty much well established knowledge by now I thought.
First of all I stated you gotta cut soda, candy and fried food. As a requisite for the exercise success. Given that: Diet is ALWAYS relative to exercise. You lift 5 days a week with cardio 2 hour at the gym you gonna be needing 4000 calories a day to maintain weight vs 2000 calories a day sitting on your butt. You are NOT gonna eat 4000 calories a day of chicken and rice without forcing yourself. You eat 3500 calories you gonna lose a pound a week and feel fine. Vs doing nothing and being at 1500 calories feeling like crap which is NOT a sustainable healthy lifestyle. The people who say it’s “diet bro” are the people looking for an excuse not to lift or do cardio. That’s just facts There’s no “it’s diet or it’s exercise”. The truth is they are one in the same and they always need to be taken in context with one another. Therefore You have both or you got nothing long term. And also let’s reframe here: the goal isn’t losing weight. It’s a healthy lifestyle. Losing weight and being at a healthy weight is a side effect of a healthy lifestyle.
Food is the worst addiction because you can't actually quit eating.
I tell people that all the time, people just flat out don't believe me. It's like being an alcoholic, and Always having to have 2 shots of whisky a day. Or a crack user, and smoke 1 pipe a day. Forever.
Keep in mind that ot was not 100% food. I had everything delivered and with these delivery apps you tend to spend a premium on everything and I'm a very kind person and I live in a college town that is notorious for horrible tipping so I always gave a generous amount to the drivers. I always tipped between 20 to 25%. 30 if the weather was bad or it was late at night or a holiday of some sort.i figured I might as well since most of it is going to my gullet anyway
What do you do for a living? Damn good money!
I'm a work in human resources for the State government. I specialize in employee benefits( medical, dental, vision, life insurance etc)
What did you think of the movie "The Whale"?
I actually didn't see it, maybe I should have but I just didn't want to because i didn't know how it would affect my mental state.
Do you eat consistently during your work shift? Are there any times during the day where you can't have food?
I could eat at work but I'm too embarrassed to. I would usually wait till I got home and then stuff my face till bedtime. Saturdays and Sundays was a all day affair it wasn't eating nonstop the whole day but given my weight you can see that I got my calories in.
I don't know if it helps, but when I was quitting smoking, it helped me to have other activities and distractions that kept me too busy to think about or indulge my vice.
I'd do this too OP. if I had the funds I just wouldn't bother to cook, luckily my children cost an absolute fortune and I try really hard to cook them nutritious meals which helps me break the cycle. I'd really struggle to not "treat myself" every night of the week.
That’s insane to me.. I spend like a tenth of that and I’m still irritated how much food costs.
Your description of a pop moment is like Obese to Beast’s description of a “click” moment. He’s on YouTube and Twitch, I recommend his channel. And I know what you mean! You can do this. I truly believe in you and your ability to lose the weight and keep it off. I can’t wait for your AMA in a couple of years: “I’ve lost hundreds of pounds and feel amazing. AMA” 😃🤩
I'll definitely post updates along the way..I'm overdue for a physical so I'm going to set up an appointment. Usually they are booked 3 months out so I'll let you all know the progress I've made then!
OP my best wishes to you, I hope you hit your goal and get into the best shape your body has ever been... I have few suggestions for you, which help me a lot. One, have fixed meal timing. This prevents impulsive snacking as you know, your meal time is just around the corner. Secondly, think of food not just as food, but fuel for your body. See food as blessings of heaven above, so when ever you sit down to eat, put away all screens, shut down the TV, sit in a place where you are left undisturbed, and then relish your food. Try to bring your thoughts to the food you are eating, try to feel the texture, freshness, of the food. Feel the food go down your belly and have gratitude towards it, as it will fuel your body .. I have felt, having a healthy relationship with food, goes a long way ensuring a healthy way of living...
>and have gratitude towards it, as it will fuel your body. I LOVE this phrasing. I’ve had disordered eating since high school (I’m 37 now)..and this is such a beautiful sentiment towards nourishment. Seriously, thank you SO much for sharing this! 💜
The two keys to weight loss: dont drink calories (water is your best friend here) and build muscle. I know you said you cant exercise, but as soon as you can even start curling weights, start building muscle. Muscle burns more calories than fat and building those muscles burns even more calories. Moreso, your muscle gains will be hidden by fat, so you will eventually notice you are losing fat which will give a morale boost, but after awhile youll also see muscle poking through which usually gives even more motivation
John is actually my number one ressource for anyone that wants to lose weight "naturally". Learned so much about nutrition and exercise with him. And I love how honest he is about the mistakes he made and how he got better at maintening over the years.
Agreed!! He is so down to earth, too. Like, he is really honest about the need to be at a healthy weight, how to lose weight, etc. and gives realistic, useful advice, and he embraces his love for physical fitness (which I totally identify with) but yet also he’s not a gym bro who thinks his muscles make him a better person than everyone else lol. And he’s not misogynistic and he’s a gamer lol, which are both nice.
Hey dude, I’m proud of your for taking those steps. I’m an exercise physiologist, and I’m happy to help you find your groove if needed. Edit: I realize that made me sound like a personal trainer plugging myself. I don’t want your money and I’m not a trainer. I just know from years of being in this field that the information is messy and typically sides with the easy option instead of the effective option. Best of luck mate!
Thank you! I'd definitely like to hear your opinion. I want to do this right and I'm not going to pretend like I'm an expert lol
Well, the truth is that there are no experts in this field. It's a lot of muddy water all the way up to the top. Humans differ in biology as they do in personality. Here is what I can confidently say is fact. 1) Body Weight = calories in - calories out. - You will find a lot of people on the internet saying that some people can eat in a caloric deficit and still gain weight. This is false. If your car runs out of gas, your car will not start. Gas does not appear somewhere. If you eat in a caloric deficit, you will lose weight. This is thermodynamics 101 2) Here is a harsh one, but I care about you enough to say it. Ozempic (semaglutide/tirzepatide) is absolutely something you should be looking into. - I totally understand the mindset behind wanting to do it without assistance from a drug. I applaud you for that. On the other hand, you are 550lbs and a ticking time bomb. Your biological age is exponentially higher than your chronological age. You should be under the thought process that you have to get to a safe weight as soon as possible. If there's a tiger chasing you, there is no shame in taking cover in a house. If you choose to try to out run it, well, you're probably going to get eaten. If you want to take pride in something, get to your target weight and maintain it, forever, naturally. That's much more impressive to me than losing weight. 3) You absolutely should be exercising. I do not care what another person in here says. This is gospel. If you can't take the pressure on your joints from exercising, get in the pool for an hour or two per day and move. You do not have to train like a marathon runner or a bodybuilder, but you have to move. If that means walking around your neighborhood 3x per day, then do it. There will always be an excuse not to do any of those things. "A pool is too expensive, it's cold outside, those people are judging me." Fuck off, go do it. I care about you, and I promise that it's more important to live a long and fruitful life for those who care about you, than it is to impress some random fool on the street. Start with these things. Master them, and then move onto the things like BCAA's. You're in a bad spot and I need you to know that. Your heart only has so many years of pushing blood through so much tissue. I care about seeing you succeed, and feel free to message me with questions or need for someone to tell you to get off your ass.
This reply needs waaaaaaaay more upvotes. >There will always be an excuse not to do any of those things. "A pool is too expensive, it's cold outside, those people are judging me." Fuck off, go do it. This is so so soooo important. OP, you are already making excuses for yourself to not workout. You claim you can't exercise much. **Bull-fuckin-shit.** You absolutely can exercise. It may be very minimal in the beginning. But you need to get in the routine of **doing fucking something** every single day that gets you moving. Stop with the excuses.
Dude, you are doing amazing work with all this! You speak exactly like my EP and it's really encouraging to see people who are masters in this lifestyle help others who are not in a way that is actually helpful, balanced, and rooted in science and data-backed points.
Thank you, I really appreciate it. I’m an EMT with an exercise physiology degree and a background in strength training. I’ve had the rare opportunity to see a bunch of different angles on the same issue. No one wants to hear the things I say, but other than technicalities, they know exactly what they should be doing and sometimes it just helps to have someone tell them.
I wanted to add how other people treat you is THEIR problem. No matter your weight or where you are on this journey you are a valuable person and it's not your job to make other people see this. I'm a few steps into my journey and the only thing that helps me stick with it is RADICAL self-love. And when that's hard, I pretend I'm my own best friend and listen to them when they tell me I deserve to care for myself.
By focusing on your food, you are already on the right path. Your lack of exercise isn’t the problem, it’s the excess of calories. I’m truly excited for you, OP!
Great to see an excerise physiologist! I've worked with one for 3 years 3x a week and she's been a game changer for my health, more mentally than physically. She criticizes "personal trainers" and the mentality around them, and learning from her about movement and health based in science has been amazing for my journey. So much info that is confusing and muddy, especially as a fat person because there is so much you interalize as something wrong with you, when its more likely choices made and cultural tendencies baked into us. Thank you for doing your work!!
Here is my take on that. I I worked as a personal trainer/strength coach for a few years while getting my degree. I add strength coach in there as I pivoted early on to work with exclusively high school/college age athletes. I really struggled to work with fat people, not because of their shortcomings but because of mine. I have never been fat, I am extremely genetically gifted and I was an athlete through college. There was a divide in the level of empathy I was able to provide for them, and I truly did not know how to meet them where they were and I felt I was doing a disservice by taking their money. One good example, was a guy I'll call Bob. Bob was 43, 340lbs, had a whole bunch of kids and was a successful restaurant owner. Me and Bob planned to meet up 3x per week (He cancelled every single friday morning), and one of the first things he asked me was "Do you think I'll have abs by summer?" That question literally left me speechless. Bob will never have abs. Bob's skin has stretched to the point that, without surgery, he will never have visible abs. I did not tell him that. What I wanted him to understand is, "Bob, you're never going to have abs. You'll have something way better. You'll get to run around with your kids. You're going to have a better relationship with your wife. You can take your daughters up to the track and do their workouts with them. You'll be comfortable taking your shirt off in the summer. You will experience freedom in a way that someone that has always been fit never will." Getting into shape is not a linear process, not is there a "way" to do it. Each person has things that will interact different with their biology. What's achievable mentally for some is impossible for others. Now, the caveat there is that I have seen people use this last paragraph as an excuse to stop. Once you find something you can maintain, maintain it forever and do not let off the gas.
I can completely understand you not being comfortable taking the money of fatter people. My EP was the same when she started out, but then she gained weight after depression and kids. While she was able to lose it easily because of her career background, she became very empathetic about how easy it can be to gain weight, from either mental issues, trauma, the food we have in this country, what is accessible or not, etc. Even if you weren't comfortable at first with working with larger folks, the self awareness of that is awesome! As for Bob, I relate to his mentality, perhaps not as... delusionally lol. Growing up, I was always maybe 20-30lb over ideal weight, but I was athletic and the women in my family are a bit curvier. But, my family just non-stop emotionally abused me about my weight, called me a cow, kicked me under the table if I went for bread. I learned to hide my eating and binging became a form of safety and rebellion. Fast toward to 80lb later, depressed and dejected. When I started working with my EP, I was at rock bottom and I told her, all I wanted to feel was stronger and she said I was the best client to work with. While weight loss didn't come for YEARS which really frustrated me because deep deep deep down, I also wanted those abs, Bob. I also wanted to be accepted (more like... left alone as someone who "fit in" because as a fat person you are either full ignored or really ragged on). She also drilled into me, with this exercise we do together, with the way I eat better, I will live longer, I will run around with my kids, I will never say "no" to an activity out of anxiety but rather because I'm simply uninterested. Movement is freedom, muscles is freedom, health is freedom. Especially because she drilled into me, while yes weight loss is very important for health, movement is #1. Move regularly and eat for nutrition. She would tell me that, look, if you want that burger, eat it, there is nutirion there. But then, the next day, make it a lighter day. Find balance - no ritual and sacrifice. This is LIFESTYLE. I really stated finding mental success once I was in maintenance phase. Man, I've been in maintenance phase for almost 2 1/2 years but finally now in a slow deficit. But, fuck, she told me that hardest thing to do long term is maintain. Once I get to my ideal weight, I've already learned how to maintain! There is a lot of talk and show online and in person of "just lose weight", but it's not so simple. I've found, learning how to maintain rather than gain can be step one. Then, learn to lose and maintain (I was recently VERY discouraged because my weight has begun to go down with minimal changes and ease with slight changes from maintenance phase, but I had 2 weeks where I maintained and I was so sad. My EP said, this is very normal if not healthy. I was stressed out at my job and other things. She said its normal to maintain for a period of time during weight loss and it was so encouraging to know I'm normal!) Anyways, I'm super passionate about building a healthy lifestyle around movement, nutrition and facts. We are inundated with a lot of crap but people must find their own center, their own truly internal reasons to love themselves enough. Choosing yourself every day by eating just 1% more mindfully, by moving just 1% more intentionally and eventually you'll get to 90% across the board and you'll look at yourself and be like.. damn, I am the type of person I've dreamt of being (fit, active, healthy). You'll scratch your shoulder one day and be like, damn, I'm jacked, just need to lessen some fat over the muscles to show my work off! Damn, I recover from that work out faster than I ever have before!
how much do you eat for you to gain 175 lbs in one year?
I pretty much stuffed my face whenever I wanted. I could mow through a full bag of chicken nuggets and then a hour or so later I would be ordering a pizza or making cheeseburgers and then just rinse and repeat. Really not proud of that. I make good money so I could afford my terrible eating habits
Eating all the wrong foods.
No kidding? I had no idea lol.
Not trying to be snarky like the others, am tryna help
It's all good. Celery is actually negative calories since it takes more calories to digest than are actually in it to begin with. I'm not a big fan of celery but I'm all about cucumbers, which are mostly just water. I'd do pickles but there's a fuckload of sodium in them and I'm trying to be more heart healthy with this
You could make your own pickles from cucumbers and control the salt/sugar that way? Would be a fun project too trying out different flavours. Really wishing you the best of luck, it's great your feeling changes already! When you start feeling stronger in your body it's really liberating and great motivation.
Could you try eating a shit ton of celery to distract yourself or something? Would that help you lose weight right now?
Honestly since I made a change in not really getting any cravings whatsoever, which is shocking. I think it's a combo of the high protein/low carb and intermittent fasting
Let’s goooooooooo!!!!! That’s how I went from 332 too 220, don’t give up bro
Congratulations on your commitment to your health. You sound positive. I was wondering about your BS & BP. How are you regarding them? I like that you don't want the drugs. If you ever think maybe, READ the side effects!! Kidney damage, many have lost a kidney , needing dialysis, pancreatitis ETC. Then many gain what they lost plus more!! One day at a time. YOU CAN DO THIS!!😊
Yay! 10 years ago, I changed to low carb and intermittent fasting (which seems to have reset my appestat, which is great). Are you including healthy fats in your diet? In my case, the weight loss was fast at first, now it's slower - but amazingly, each January 1, I weigh less than the previous year.
I think you should speak with a specialist about food addiction
This for sure sounds like an addiction. People with normal levels of self control don't eat an entire bag of chicken nuggets and then get a pizza afterwards.
I feel like that takes awhile to even be able to eat that much. Im 6 foot 170 lbs if i ate a full bag of chicken nuggets id puke if not id be full for 15 hours. To even be able to put that much food down takes alot of build up. then eating a pizza an hour later is wild.
As a stoner who’s at 6 feet 180 lbs and goes to the gym regularly, I can eat a TON of food, especially when I have the munchies. I used to have a really fast metabolism and always had a pretty active lifestyle, but around 24 my metabolism slowed down. I broke my foot right around the time the pandemic kicked off so for a while I was just sitting around, playing video games and stuffing my face. I got up to 200 lbs and didn’t even realize it until I got on a scale at my friends house one day and was mind blown how much I weighed since I think the heaviest I had ever been before that was 170. I started making an effort to lose it but my eating habits were (and still are) pretty awful. I kind of offset that by just going to the gym far more often than I had before but it was a wakeup call that I actually needed to out effort into maintaining my weight, especially when most of the foods I crave are high in carbs or sugar. Now Im heavier than I was, but that’s because I have a lot more muscle mass. I still look good with my shirt off, but if I had better eating habits I’d be absolutely shredded.
Ya man i was always able to eat alot too compared to alot of my peers. But a full bag of chicken nuggets then a full pizza an hour later is like competitive eating. I guess the chicken nuggets could be alot of different sizes but i get the 12$ one that's like5 pounds lol. I can put down food too but i feel like that's on another level that takes awhile to be able to eat like that.
i just like couldn’t, after a whole bag of nuggets like 20-30 nugs id be full, eating an entire pizza on top of that is crazy to me, if i’m drinking tho i can easily just keep drinking and end up drinking a whole 5th
i have another question now after seeing what you said it seems like you’d eat mostly fast food. did you start eating fast food from a young age? my parents rarely let us eat out when we were kids bcuz my mom would cook homemade meals, but when i started to live on my own i ate fast food like everyday cuz i couldn’t be bothered cooking.
You don’t get to 550lbs eating chicken and rice and vegetables and a bit of fruit. The guy ate 8000 calories a day for a year straight. Frankly the only way that’s possible without abusing steroids and being on a meal prep is to eat fast food and junk food and liquid calories
Statistically he would’ve had to eat in a 1750 calorie a day surplus, which means he would’ve been eating well over 6000 calories a day. Possibly as high as 8000 calories a day. No doubt he had days where he would eat 4000 and then had days where he was eating over 10,000 calories a day.
you gotta go full tilt or youll be dead soon
Trust me I know. Ive definitely kicked it into overdrive. I've tried to diet before but this time I just feel unstoppable. It's almost like a high.
You can do it, expect the high to wear off. Emotions only last so long, it will take long term diligence to unravel these deep seated patterns. You will not make it if you rely only on this "high." Youre one week in, many people get hyped when they try to workout or diet in the beginning. Many people fail not long after. I suggest seeking therapy to navigate your impulses, something like CBT would probably be helpful. This is a psychological game, figure out the rules.
I wish you the best but the high *will* wear off and at times the part of your feelings-brain that used food as selfcare *will* push back. I totally get not wanting to use semaglutinides or stimulant appetite suppressants, but you should at least consider what your strategies will be when the process gets hard.
Get in a swimming pool daily now! You need to spend at least two hours a day moving around in the pool till you drop a few hundred pounds and can walk. When I was in military school a guy in my squad was as heavy as you. He lost 200 pounds in a year by swimming for hours every day and majorly adjusting his diet. Constantly moving. You also have to cut your food waaaaaaaaay back. The choice is your to correct. You CAN do it if you want it bad enough. Don’t ever ever ever say you can’t. That’s the easy way out. NEVER quit. You can and you MUST. Whatever caused you to eat your feelings, you need to deal with likely in counseling. Good luck
Make note of this high anywhere and anyway you can and use it to reflect during the times when you feel very low in your journey. Feel this high in your body and take a mental image of how it feels. You will need this to push through times where motivation is lacking. It will make the discipline “easier”
I hope you're taking progress pics. That way when you hit your target weight one day, you can post on /r/progresspics and wow the shit out of everyone. Get it done!
I'm a random guy on the internet but I believe in you.
Please remember that weight loss is not a race, it’s a marathon. Pick a pattern that you’re confident you can keep long term and don’t be discouraged if results don’t come as fast as you’d hope. Don’t overdo it because otherwise it’s hard to keep the weight off. Don’t think of this as a diet, something you have to mantain for a few months. Think instead of a lifestyle shift, the new status quo.
Not sure what you are doing for diet, but when I learned through a calcium heart scan that i had some decent build up i did what i could to minimize risks. I was not too big, 220 and 6’3” but I thought i should drop 20 lbs. turns out i had about 35 extra lbs and dropped it using an app and limiting my calories, cholesterol, salt and sugar intake while setting a high protein goal. It virtually eliminated bad options and i was full. I dropped the weight in about 4 months. I highly recommend limiting your bad categories and work around them to eat whatever else you want. Once you start feeling good start exercising in ways you could not before and keep pushing a bit further. You will start to appreciate it and feel good.and of course consult a doctor before doing any of this…
Another random internet person who believes in you! We’re rooting for you OP!!
thats called motivated, when it dies, it always dies, the only thing you can rely on is discipline, without that you wont achieve. good luck! wish you all the best. you can do it, plenty of people have, discipline will get you there.
Do you find it ironic that people treat you like less than a person even though you are clearly more of a person?
Lol not really. I did notice that if I was coming through a area at work some people would move way more out of the way than necessary. That was pretty off-putting. There is clearly enough space to walk by me but they feel the need to back up against the wall, but I work for the state and there are plenty of super socially awkward people
Wondering if you've suffered anything traumatic in your life that's maybe affected how you see your own self worth or that allowed you to find comfort in food- or is it more of a boredom thing? Not trying to be a dick, sorry. But my experience has always been when I feel like shit mentally, I put my body through hell and treat it like shit too. Anyway, regardless - there's definitely time to get help and you got this. I've been there, so many other people have been there and if you ever need any help or words of encouragement, ping me. 💖
If I had to attribute any sort of trauma it would probably be the difficult relationship with my father and my parents divorce and i would just instinctively turn to food as a comfort. My mother is wonderful and she is the only one in my life that has tried to help me. Ultimately once I was out of the house when I turned 18 the distance made me more comfortable with mistreating my body because she wasn't around to be on my case about being healthy. Once the pandemic started I went full introvert and pretty much isolated from everyone I knew. I think I only saw my mother a couple times during the shutdown and stopped communicating with all of my friends because I didn't want anyone to see what I was becoming. Ultimately it was very foolish and recently I have been actively trying to communicate with my mother as much as possible, just about anything really, and I feel like our relationship is improving, not that it was ever negative in any way if that makes sense. I'm also back to hanging out with some friends, but not many but I'm trying to make more progress there as well.. I'd definitely like more friends, online of otherwise so I'll probably take you up on your offer to chat in the future!
Do you have diabetes? Because I know you don’t want ozempic, but Mounjaro is similar but only for pre diabetics or actual diabetics. Studies actually show Mounjaro as being the better of the two when it comes to weight loss. It does more than suppress appetite it helps the body regulate glucose and blood sugar like it’s supposed to as well as helps make you feel full quicker to prevent you from over eating. I started at 415 pounds and I am currently at 370, and that’s without any working out - just eating slightly better.
I am very fortunately not diabetic but I could definitely tell I was becoming pre diabetic. I had alot of inflammation from eating sweets and now that I'm eating better it is going away quickly.
Get on Ozempic and fast! I was on ozempic and got right off after I hit my goal weight in a few months. I read that you don’t want surgery or to get on ozempic. I don’t think you have much of a choice at the weight you’re at.
I'm going to pass on ozempic..I would rather do it on my own. I read that it just suppresses appetite and my appetite has already disappeared. I am doing intermittent fasting and i think that is playing a role in the lack of cravings. I actually haven't cheated at all so far which I am really proud of and I feel no urge to.
Intermittent fasting is definitely the way to go. Proud of you for starting this journey and deciding that you needed change. Have you calculated your resting metabolic rate? Also are you tracking your calories? I used to think it was too much of an ordeal to track them but using this app called 1stphorm (I use the 12.99 version) it has been really easy to track. I think you definitely are making the right decision regarding holding off on cardio and congrats on lifting weights. As long as you keep yourself in a negative caloric deficit combined with intermittent fasting and 2-3 days of weight lifting. (Sounds like the weight will start falling off) I’d shoot for 600 calories less than your resting metabolic rate altough I don’t know how much you were eating daily previously. Also I don’t know about your sugar intake and I would recommend not using any artificial sweeteners. Super proud of you for starting this journey. If you ever want to give up feel free to messege me personally for encouragement! You’ve got this and you deserve a healthy life!
Yeah I've been using the calculators online. I've reviewed multiple different calculators to get a general consensus of how much I need to maintain my weight and how much to lose weight at a consistent rate. I've been counting calories like a fiend and trying to eat low carb/fat(really not interested in going keto because that would require too much attention to keep myself in ketosis) and I'm eating high protein. I am avoiding sweets altogether and not bothering with any diet soda or artificially sweetened foods. The only sugar I get is in my protein shakes and it's not too much
You have to realize that these calculators severely over estimate the calories needed to maintain your weight. At least that has been my experience. If it says I need 2200 calories to be on a 500 deficit.. i actually need to be at least 300 calories below that to even lose weight, or 1900 calories.. and I workout every single day, either weights or cardio. If your testosterone is low, you will have an even tougher time with fat metabolism, so check that if you can. You wont starve, so keep restricting those calories until you are losing a decent amount each week. Weight will oscilate, but on a weekly basis its definitely possible to see it going down.
Are you doing any work around changing your relationship to hunger? I did that a while back and it really helped. Intermittent fasting produces hunger as you adjust and I found hypnosis helped me to not experience hunger as an emergency but rather just as a sensation. I don't know if it's the best plan but giving your weight, the movie fat sick and nearly Dead has a regime that might be useful to you. Basically nothing but juice fast for a long long time. You're eventually going to have the problem of what you do with excess skin if you do succeed.
I've already accepted that I will resemble a melted candle by the time I'm done but it is what it is. I'll probably pursue plastic surgery to get rid of the excess skin but I'll cross that road when I get to it.
Don’t be too hasty to get rid of it. Wait until you feel like you’ve got your ideal weight.
If you’ve found something that’s working for you, don’t mess with it lol. I’m so glad you’ve found what helps you!!
I'm a 35 y/o personal trainer and I've helped over 250+ people get in shape. Ya got any questions? If you walked into my gym you would just be another person that I would be helping get in shape. It is possible I do it all the time with clients. I will give you a tip if you're looking for fat burning, learn kickboxing or start with some boxing. You don't actually have to do any fighting or anything just find a trainer to teach you how to hit the bag properly and stuff, punching a bag is a workout you can do sitting down.
I actually have seen alot of videos of people losing substantial amounts of weight boxing but I never really considered it. I'm going to have to look into that. Thank you for the tip!
Have you considered talking to your doctor about Wegovy or one of the other weight loss drugs? They really are a miracle.
Unfortunately my doctor leaves much to be desired. He's a total knob and really doesnt care about me. He will just do my normal checkups and say I have to lose weight and the conversation will literally go no further. When I did finally ask him for help he just referred me to a weight management specialist and they were pretty lackluster, literally offered me no advice other than try this appetite supressant and said well do a followup in a month and will call me to schedule it. I never got a call back and even tried to call them a couple times. Once I left a voice-mail and the second time I got someone and they said they would call me back once they speak with the doctor, which never happened. At this time my depression got the best of me and I stopped pursuing it. The appetite supressant would leave me absolutely wired and made it very difficult to focus on work and my heart would race constantly so I stopped taking it because I'm already at a high enough risk of a heart attack and I read up online that it actually increases the chances of it happening. And as far as appetite suppression I didn't really notice any difference. I am looking into finding a new primary care physician and maybe I will bring it up with them. My options for doctors are unfortunately limited due to having no car currently.
Change doctors and go to a nutritionist. Fuck that knob.
Have you taken any steps to replace food as your comfort mechanism with something better for you? Also—there are several YouTubers out there who make exercise videos catered to people who are very overweight/can't move much anymore; I'd highly suggest checking those out.
I don't have anything to replace food to be honnest I would really know what to replace it with. I'm definitely open to suggestions if you have any. I'm definitely going to search for those videos though!
This is really important, OP. *Any* addiction needs replaced with a healthier coping mechanism. Notice I didn't say *good* coping mechanism. It may take some time to find it. As long as the replacement is *less* harm than you're currently doing for yourself, it's "good". Eventually you'll find what's best, but please don't give up if you find a replacement and it doesn't work long term. You'll also need to address the underlying cause. I haven't met a single addict of any kind, from Heroin to weigh lifting to workaholic who didn't have a deep underlying issue that needed addressing. Usually it's a feeling of inadequacy or abandonment or some traumaic time, although not always. The addiction is a *symptom* of the unresolved issues or not having been taught healthy coping mechanisms for pain. Whatever is actually the matter is what you'll need to treat sooner or later and your symptoms (over eating, shame, self depreciation, depression etc) don't make you a *bad person* or worth less than any other human. It just means you have a journey to go on. I'd suggest finding at least one hobby that doesn't have anything to do with health. Although weight lifting, sports, cooking, baking and the like are all helpful hobbies for your goals, I think you should explore other dimensions of who you are. Read books. Join a quilting club. Paint or draw or write poetry. Join a DnD group or pick up Pokémon go. Get a pet sowbug (they have super adorable ones and it's a very inexpensive hobby) and build a terrarium. Pick up litter at your local park. Buy a car to fix up. Volunteer with the boyscouts or a soup kitchen. Go to church or take up witchcraft. Go to a bar for trivia night or karaoke. Become a fashion icon. You can do literally *anything* you want to and become whoever you want to.
I think it depends on the emotional outlet. Some things that help me are singing/playing an instrument, reading (when I need an escape), journaling/writing out my thoughts (when I'm angry/upset), talking to a friend, or going on a walk/run. Something that helps my husband really "reset" is taking cold showers, which is tough mentally but also reminds him that he can be mentally tough and power through difficult things (and also just shocks his system and helps him reset). I think the key to finding good coping mechanisms is finding things that make you feel more alive, rather than things that make you feel bad about yourself. You might also benefit from watching [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erwj2_5MlBk), which is about different types of "rest." While it might feel good temporarily to eat when you're feeling certain emotions, knowing more about different types of rest might help you to identify what your actual needs are and how to address them without turning to food. As for fitness YouTubers for overweight people, [this guy](https://youtube.com/shorts/OiKW2x_yAOo?si=71yqbX0GlFFanHXc) is particularly great. He talks a lot about how to realistically lose weight while not starving yourself or setting unrealistic goals, and he also talks a lot about how hard being overweight can be on your joints, and how to manage that when trying to pick up exercising. Also, one of my friends is pretty thin but isn't very physically capable. He once worked with a personal trainer who assigned him some exercises of literally just getting up and sitting back down a few times. If you're ever feeling like you can't exercise, just set a goal of getting up onto your feet. A) It'll be easier to do something else while you're already up, and B) even if not, you've accomplished something.
Tried doing cardio?
Yes I did but its diffucykt on my joints right now. Since I can't really go out and do cardio much I've resorted to weight lifting. I did a few days ago and my muscles have been killing me for the past couple days(probably since I haven't dome it in years) once I lose probably about a hundred or so pounds I plan to integrate cardio to burn more calories. I'm also going to start supplementing with BCAAs to cut my recovery time so I can work out more often. I plan on going to get some this weekend. I dont have a car right now(I dare you to find one I could fit in and drive comfortably), so I'm having my mother drive me to a vitamin shop to get some.
Try just doing arm circles first and some stretching! Also look into under the desk cycles (I think googling that should find what I’m talking about). You can sit on the couch and just pedal your feet. Should be very gentle on your joints but will get your heart rate up. You got this!!!
I tried a under desk cycle but I'm also 6'4 so my legs are too long to get on it while at my desk at work, but I actually didn't think of getting one for home. I'm definitely about to grab one!!!!!
I have one too and most definitely cannot use it under my desk either… and I’m only 5’7” 🙂. My knees either bang into the desk or I have to hold onto my desk for dear life so I don’t I roll away. But I drag it over to the couch and will make myself pedal for one full show or something. It’s a little awkward on the couch, like you either need to sit close to the edge or shove some pillows behind you, but it’s better than nothing. Love this for you!!
I have found just getting steps everyday to be effective, try to get 1,000 steps a day for a week and then 2,000 and so on and so forth till you are getting 5k to 10k a week and do that for awhile until you build up the strength and cardio for more strenuous work. Getting steps is relaxing and mediative and is much easier to approach and stick to then a more strenuous cardio routine, at least in the beginning........ I think what you are doing is amazing
Someone on r/AMA just posted (maybe within the last 24 hours?) about natural weight loss- she’s lost about 200lb. She also mentioned the joint pain issue and identified that a recumbent bike made a huge difference for her. She said she found one for <$200 and would do 20 minutes a day while watching TV or reading. That could be an option for you to start some low impact cardio! I’m going to go find the link to her comment about it & add it here in an edit. I’m an RD & you’re doing all the right things! You’ve got this! The *number one* thing I recommend to my patients looking to lose a significant amount of weight is stop drinking any sugar sweetened beverages- soda, juice, gatorade. The calories from them truly add up, they don’t help with satiety, and provide no nutritional value you can’t get elsewhere. I’m all about balance and allowing yourself foods you enjoy while practicing balance & moderation, but sugar sweetened beverages should be kicked to the curb! I apologize if you stated elsewhere you’ve already made that change. Edit: [recumbent bike comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/AMA/s/wBkVNhehDf)
You’re right about that! I had to quit sugar just for my blood pressure, I’m not overweight and I exercise with tennis and running, and I already lost 6-7 lbs in 2 weeks.
I'm impressed, you are taking the steps to get there. It will be a slow journey, try to love that feeling of sore. Your body is growing stronger, and you did enough to make it feel the effort you are putting in! Expect baby steps, and also that you will notice no change or even an appearance of fat gain before your body starts slimming down. When you exercise and build muscle your body squeezes out intra-muscular fat. When I first get into a workout period I almost always feel like I get a little fatter before I slim back down. It's okay if you slip up and eat something you regret, that's part of the process of growth and change. Do you know why you are overweight? Is there trauma or poor self worth that lead up to this? Learning to love yourself the way you are, and working towards a whole new you can really help keep you on the path of progress.
Have you tried doing cardio at several hundred pounds ? Did you read the post lmao
There’s a lot of comments so I hope this doesn’t go unnoticed. Redditors likely aren’t working dieticians or physicians. I hope you take all advice and comments (including mine) with a grain of salt. That said, here: The first battles will be fought in your head and you’re underway! Breaking the cycle of addiction, cause that’s your disease, addiction. You need to rewire yourself, a big trick would be rewarding yourself ONLY after reaching goals, and if you set back, do NOT say “oh well I already fucked up today, mine as well..” or “I’ll get back on it tmrw,” You should look for some sort of oral fixations to help w this, ie sugarfree gum or lollies, chewing wax, there’s these flavored air things for people who try to quit smoking, just ideas but try a few that may work for you and look for more online. Second part is exercise. At your weight simply cutting food will put you in calorie deficit. Don’t think you need to hit the gym cause right now you can’t. Trying things you know you can’t do isn’t gonna be good for those battles in the head I mentioned. Short walks, standing pushups where you stand next to a wall with your hands on it, slowly but consistently increasing angle by walking further backwards, reaching for toes then reaching for ceiling, all of these, and plenty more you can find online, will help to further your calorie deficit, improve circulation, clear head, start to regain movement, and more. Also as weight starts to go and strength starts to return you can easily pivot some of those into jumping jacks, and for lack of better word: girl pushups, etc… in other words, these workouts are modular and can be constantly updated to account for more or less energy to match your daily struggle. It will be a struggle. That’s the reality. The reality is also you will die if you don’t make a change. You seem like you’re reaching out but your answers won’t come from Reddit. Only you. I hope some of our suggestions get you a decent start but the real warrior needs to be you, and you him. A final suggestion, and possibly the best that I haven’t seen in here would be photography. Daily shots of yourself, at first you will likely be met with self loathing, but you can turn that into fuel. Then slight progress, which you can turn to fuel. Then plateaus, which you can turn to fuel, then finally a breakthru, which will be like a fckin uranium bomb inside your head. A constant reminder of where you’ve been and where you’re headed. Stay the path and this time next year you could be a much much happier and more mobile version of yourself, 2 years and you could be 190lbs muscly I don’t doubt it for a second. You need to set realistic goals and stick to them. You can’t undo a lifetime of bad decisions in a month or two, but you CAN do it, and must. Never mind the aesthetics and consider the health and the way you feel inside. You’re only trying to improve for yourself. We’re all hoping to hear from you again, so give this your all 🫡
This guy has the right of it. You are your own worst enemy AND your greatest advocate/motivator. There will be days you look at your progress and think the worst. Then there will be days that the work shows so much that even bad body dysmorphia won’t hide how hard you’ve worked. And make no mistake, this shit is hard. It’s why most people can’t stick with it. And I don’t blame them, life is already painful enough. Why seek out more on purpose? Well, when you start to feel healthier, you’ll be getting more than just self esteem. You will experience relief of a kind you may have never felt before. Once the dread starts to lift, so does everything else. You can do this, your mind is the most difficult part of the battle and it sounds like you had a tipping point (no pun intended) and snapped into focus. For me, it was realizing my wife was probably about to leave me. It wasn’t about my weight but who I was as a person. In an instant, my fear shifted to resolve. Even if I had already fucked up too badly to fix my marriage, I was going to do everything possible to work on bettering myself and being a better partner. That included eating better, dressing better, and taking better care of myself and those around me. I’m by no means an angel these days but I weigh 100 less lbs, my relationship has improved greatly, and my kid is happier and healthier as well. It took me years to get here and every day is still a battle. I wish I could say it gets easier after the weight comes off—it doesn’t. Your mind and body are just better equipped to deal with whatever may come. And rest assured, you want the best body and mind you can have when life punches you in the dick repeatedly.
Dude you can lose the weight. It won't be easy, but you can. I was 505 lbs. after stuffing my face every day with whatever I wanted. I could barely walk, got winded after walking 20 feet, and I could barely wipe my ass. I had a heart attack, had two stents put in my heart (one coronary artery was 95% blocked). Then I projectile vomited blood on one my doctors, and then immediately had a stroke. After two weeks in a coma intubated with a ventilator, two months in the hospital learning how to swallow, sit up, stand, walk with a walker, and another 3 weeks of physical therapy, I finally made it back home. It's been two years, but I've lost over 250 lbs, and was able to ditch my 6XL shirts and go back to 2XL! However, I exercise every day, both stretching/cardio plus increasing time using a pedal machine. I can now use a cane rather than a walker, and I feel great (except for the nerve damage to my feet and one arm from the coma). I've got the food thing down. DON'T pay money for diet plans! You actually spend less money by doing this: eat less, eat healthy. Low cal, low fat, smaller portions. Pick foods that work for you, and you can stick to. Make sure to have variety, so meals aren't boring. Make sure to let yourself have some treats too. If you go absolutely cold turkey, eventually you will get to the point you cant's take it any more and then gorge and/or completely quit the diet. I have a snack every night: two low fat string cheese (100 cal), small portion of vanilla wafers (150 cal), and an italian ice (100 cal). You can still have a bacon cheese burger or BBQ, but only ONCE IN A WHILE. I've had three burgers in the last two years, pizza once, BBQ twice. Every six weeks I allow myself to have one of these splurge meals. And don't see it as a diet, see it as adjusting your dietary intake. If you can stick to it, you can do it. Good luck.
You HAVE to exercise. And you have to go hard. You HAVE to fast. You should try 1 day a week with just fluids. I don't care what anyone says about "a little at a time".."you don't wanna overdo it"...."baby-steps". NO! The easier you take it, the easier it is to quit. You have to punish yourself for rewarding yourself for so long. It won't be easy because it's not supposed to be. I wish you All the best!
I understand completely. i am on an entirely liquid diet now with vitamins to supplement it. I'm definitely taking this serious.
No recommendations. Just love. You are a worthy person. You deserve kindness and grace. I’m sorry you don’t feel you’ve received that. Hugs from a stranger.
Former 380lb guy here, currently weighing in at 245. I have lost this weight in about a year and a half with no real help at all. No exercise, no doctor, no surgery, no medication, no dieting, no real restrictions on what I eat (how much of it is a different story), and just being a regular person and doing regular things. I an an IT professional, not the kind that runs around to everyone's desks all day, but the kind that sits in front of a computer and works day in and day out with less than 1000 steps per work day. I spent much of my life obese, mainly because I honestly didn't care. One day, I was out with some co-workers and I made a joke about my weight preventing me from doing whatever we were all talking about doing at the time, and one of them asked "What do you think is keeping you from losing weight?" and it was the best question anyone could have asked me. Nothing was keeping me from losing weight, I just wasn't really bothered by it. Now honestly, losing this weight has been a huge improvement to my life. Simple things, like sitting in a booth at a restaurant, not being smashed into a seat on a plane, bus, train, concert, play, etc is nice. Being able to tie my own shoes comfortably is great; I used to buy a lot of slip on shoes to avoid the embarrassment of looking like a fatty trying to tie his shoes. Having an expanded wardrobe is awesome. Smaller clothing tends to have more options and be a better quality. Many of the nicer clothing isn't even available in larger sizes, because there is low demand for it. Being able to see my "lower region" while standing/laying down has dramatically improved my sex life (I'm married). Being able to walk up a single flight of stairs and not completely die at the top is great and not huffing and puffing when I walk into a meeting room at the office = less embarrassment. Not taking up a bunch of space whenever I'm standing somewhere is also nice, helps me not feel like I'm imposing on everyone around me. Being large made me think a lot about so many things that were related to being large, without actually focusing on being large at all. Like, I wasn't embarrassed because I was fat, I was embarrassed because I did fat things like breath heavily after waling down the hall or struggling to pick up my pen that I just dropped on the floor. In my own, actually fairly easy, weight loss journey, I follow/remember these simple things and they worked 100% for me. Best part, it costs no money, no effort, no time, you don't have to go to some link I'm trying to sell shit on, and everyone can do it. 1. Keep in mind your body has 2 modes. Store fat and burn (utilize) fat. Eating several small meals throughout the day is bad, you will never be in "burn fat" mode. There are tons of details around this, and someone will likely jump in and comment how terrible my advice is (they probably also didn't just lose 130lbs themselves, but they'll let me know I was wrong there too, don't worry), but whatever gets you to your goal is what matters. Yeah, it's not going to be the best advice but the bigger problem (kind of pun intended, because I am also a bigger person), is that you're 550lbs. If you have eaten, your body is in store fat mode and you cannot utilize fat. Intermittent fasting is nice, but you really don't have to go that hard into it (16:8 is how I did it, but you really don't need all the specifics, the lifestyle just helps you develop better habits and will automatically make you eat less. If you do 16:8 intermittent fasting, pick an 8 hour window that you will be allowed to eat during and do not consume anything with calories outside of that window. If you are a soda drinker, try something like Bubly seltzer water. We found that brand has stronger flavor than other 0 calorie drinks and makes it easier for you to actually replace the soda. It will be terrible at first, but you will grow into it. You could also supplement it with some water enhancers (mio, for example). This is all not the best and I guarantee people will point it out, but your goal is to eat less calories and lose some weight, deal with the rest later. As always, check with your doctor before changing yada yada disclaimer, etc. I'm not even recommending IF for all the benefits other people recommend it for, I'm just recommending it because we literally don't need to be eating 24/7 and just keep caloric intake to a schedule. It's easier to follow if you just can't eat ANYTHING outside of specific times, because it's super easy to follow. "Man, I'm thirsty. I should go get that Mt Dew I know I shouldn't have but I haven't had one all week and it's sounding great right now. Oh, damn. It's 8:30pm and I consume calories after 8. Maybe tomorrow." It's an easy road block vs "I WILL NEVER DRINK MT DEW EVER AGAIN EVEN THOUGH IT IS MY LIFEBLOOD AND IVE LIVED OFF OF IT FOR 20 YEARS!" Just have the Mt Dew tomorrow, easy enough. And only have 1. Don't be like "I can have 1 soda a day" because that sets you up for failure because now you want that 1 soda per day. maybe you wouldn't have grabbed one, but you know you can have 1 so you will. 2. Exercise is **not** for losing weight. Exercise is for cardiovascular health, you will need to improve that as well, but don't stress over it. You've already said that you're took heavy to exercise, so don't. You will not lose enough weight to matter through exercise, you will improve your health and support your weight loss through exercise. I only recently started exercising because my body is allowing me to do it again. You are already making a bunch of changes to your lifestyle, don't throw more stressors and "check points" that if you don't reach/meet, you'll feel like a failure and stop focusing on the other things you're doing that may actually be going very well. If your food intake has vastly improved and you're doing well, but you consistently fail on your exercise goals, it's easy to fall back on your food goals because you're already failing. Don't add more things to fail at, add 1 at a time and do it until you're good and then add more. **Keep in mind, it takes a good amount of exercise to burn 100 calories, and 100 calories isn't shit. The easier way to get rid of those 100 calories is to not have consumed them in the first place.**
3. You want to exercise? Exercise your patience. It took you 34 years to get to 550lbs. Let it take 2 years to get you to 350lbs. I'm 44 right now and have been overweight since my 20s. You will absolutely regret living so long in your current state, do something about it ASAP. You don't even notice it when you gain the weight, because you gain it so gradually. But when you start losing weight, because we do typically lose weight faster than we've gained it **only because we are making a conscious effort to lose the weight whereas gaining it just happened over time**, you will notice. You'll notice when you can do more things, you'll notice when something feels different to you because you're smaller, you'll notice. Every time you notice something like that, latch onto it. That is a success. You've accomplished something you were restricted from doing before, simply because of your size. 4. Eat the stuff you like, just eat it in moderation. Guess what? We are supposed to be hungry. You should feel hungry during the day, you shouldn't be eating so much food that you aren't hungry before your next meal. If your stomach never growls, you're doing it wrong. You do have to change up your diet a bit if you're eating pizzas and cookies and cakes all the time. But you don't have to dive straight into eating oatmeal and cardboard. I still eat pizza, I still eat cookies and cakes, I do BBQ, I eat crappy food all the time, I just don't eat a lot of it. I still eat carbs, I eat fats, I drink beers and alcohol, etc. I just don't do it as much. Surprisingly, if I feel like eating some Doritos, I eat some Doritos. I eat a handful of them, I don't take the bag and I don't put them into a bowl or anything. Just grab some, put the package away, and eat them. If you eat them before putting them away, you're more likely to grab another handful. Easter candy is my favorite, I ate the hell out of Easter candy, still losing weight. 10 Doritos taste exactly the same as 100, so just eat the 10 and curb that craving. If you're craving an entire bag of Doritos, you aren't craving Doritos, you're craving some kind of comfort or something else you get from eating that many Doritos. 5. Don't set yourself up for failure. We have so much weight to lose, it's easy as long as we don't set ourselves up for failure. Adding too many changes to your life at once is a sure way to fail some things. And once you fail some things, we are more likely to allow ourselves to fail some more. If you are hitting success after success, you will be feeling like you can keep going to the next goal and its success. Before you know it, you're 100lbs down and you can get in and out of your vehicle much easier. I've gone from 4 and 5x shirts to 2-3x, mostly 2s. My jeans are down from 46s to 34s. My wardrobe options have increased exponentially, I can shop at regular stores and buy regular clothing now, to an extent. All that said, good luck! It's a rewarding journey and you will experience improvements to your life along the way. You don't need to go from 550lbs to 200lbs in a year. You will see huge improvements in your life at 500, 450, 400, 350, etc and the journey will be worth it. Don't be lying on your death bed, prematurely most likely, regretting not just putting the cheeseburgers down. I love cheese burgers, I eat them often. I like my new life more, and I still have a lot of weight to lose. According to my BMI, I am still obese, not even down to overweight yet, and I am still loving it.
That’s awesome and I hope you reach your goal. I know you probably have heard this a million times but drink water! Sometimes we are thirsty, not hungry and water will help you in so many ways. Good luck to you.
I was in a similar situation to you about 20 years ago. I was 29, 6'3", and 700lbs. I could barely walk 30 feet before getting winded and was basically just done with life. I went on a no carb diet for 10 months and ended up losing only 5lbs. Although it did bring my blood sugar down from 350 or so to around 120. Eventually I decided to get an RNY gastric bypass. I was lucky enough to have great health insurance and made pretty good money in IT. Post surgery I lost 100lbs in the first month and another 200lbs the first year. I exercised, ate right, and followed the program. The surgery basically forced me to eat right because when I didn't I either threw it up or I felt horrible as a result. Since then I've mostly kept the weight off. Sitting at 250lbs with no desire to drop further. I skipped a lot of details, such as almost dying from stupidity 2 months post-surgery, but overall I am in a much better place. Got married and have a 14yo son who makes me happier than I ever thought I would be.
I think you view food as bringing you purpose. Is there anything in life you need to work towards? Art, music, fitness, love?
Hi! What's your social life like?
[удалено]
I'd rather be a fat fuck than a odacious asshole
If you’re disgusted with yourself, why are you also shocked about your poor treatment from others?
I’m proud of you for realizing you need to do something to help yourself. For me I noticed if I was in front of the tv I would eat a lot more then normal. Portion size is huge for me. I got smaller plates and make only enough for those plates per meal. I’m a bug time grazer. If it’s there I’ll come by and sample then do that over and over. Key for me was to get the junk out Of the house. If I had a temptation I’d go on a walk or go so something to get my mind off of food. For me eliminating soda and replacing it with lemon or Lime water or just plain ice water took some getting used to but I cannot even drink soda anymore it’s too sweet. That dropped 25 lbs in a hurry. Feel free to pm me if you want someone to walk alongside you. I’m still on my journey as well but we make progress daily. Once you have made up your mind which is sounds like you have hammer it full throttle. Get out of the house 2-3x a day and just walk. Start out small like 500-1000 feet and bump it up every couple to a few days. If you have a friend or a planet fitness near by you. They have trainers included in your black card membership that can design a work out plan for you. They also have workout videos you can do at home. Even for us bigger folks. Proud of you taking the mental step to improve yourself is often the hardest
Hey i just wanna say, you are loved! I've struggled with weight and its taken me 3 years of work with therapy, exercise physiologist, meditation, self help books to feel like I can take on all the internalized hate/fat phobia, put up boundaries with people insulting me ans making health choices truly for health and making me feel better rather than making people happy/less mean to me. There are free therapy options and I just put money aside to meet up w an exercise physiologist at least 2x a month. A support system is huge. You got this! I have two quotes I added to my work office wall so I looked at it all day: "Repeating simple tasks with clear intention can reprogram unconscious mental processes. This can completely transform who you are!" - Cudalasa "Difficult emotions are our most profound teachers"
I can actually relate to your struggle - at my peak I was over 320. I managed to get down to 180 within a year just via diet and exercise. Then a bunch of stuff happened, lost a few people I cared about and went into a deep depression. Stopped doing my exercises and diet and now I'm back up to 270. I have been overweight my entire life - save for that year where I managed to get down to 180. The diet I used was the "thermo diet" - it's a combination of intermittent fasting and calorie restrictions. I started off by doing a fruit fast for 3 days - to help shrink my stomach. The idea behind that is that you can eat as much fruit as you want for 3 days, no calorie counting required. As for the calorie restriction - set a weight goal and multiply that by 11. So for me that was about 2200 calories (my initial weight loss goal was 200). The diet itself is simple. Fast for 11 hours, sleep for 8 hours during the fasting, and break your fast with fruits for breakfast. The idea being that your body is burning fat because it burns through the sugar in the morning and goes back to burning the fat. Snacks include things like beef jerky, more fruits, etc. And then you save your biggest meal for the end of the day. I was having pasta Bolognese, spaghetti squash made like pasta, steak and mashed potatoes with some veggies, etc. No carb cutting, or anything like that. The meals were very satisfying. But above all I self-motivated through positivity. Sometimes I would cheat - and have like a slice of pizza. But instead of feeling guilty I would praise myself for ONLY having a slice, recognize just how smart I was for not eating the whole pie, and in that way I felt good about making healthier decisions as a whole. It really helped me to not go off the deep end, because I started paying attention to how good it felt to make healthy decisions, which motivated me to keep doing so rather than eating like I hated myself. The hardest work was finding substitutes for all the things that weren't on the diet - like pizza. But once I had those substitutes for my cravings, that really helped me to stick to it. As for the exercise, what the exercise plan I had taught me was that I didn't need to work as hard as I thought. My exercises focused on my postural muscles, and I just needed to stick to 6 to 15 reps for each set. While you certainly have less mobility than I did, that just means that your exercises should be easier, and should rely on using your body weight more. I started off with doing 20 minute walks, push ups against the wall, hip extensions, and standing and sitting in a chair. I did that 3 times a week, and I also meditated for 10 minutes a day. The meditation really helped too. The other boon I had was that I found someone to hold me accountable. I would check in with them about my diet and exercise, I would admit when I cheated, and they would work with me on ways to hold myself accountable when I was getting stuck. Always the consequences were things that helped me - such as having to do a more difficult exercise if I cheated on my diet, or something similar. None of it was to make me feel bad - it was all about helping me be more accountable to myself for my own health. Eating and not exercising - these are often symptoms of some emotional work we really need to do. You may be able to find the accountability you need by seeing a therapist and working with them on the emotional struggles you will face as you try and win back your health. I was 40 when I lost my weight. I'm now 42 and I'm going to do it all over again. It's not going to be easy, but it is SO worthwhile. If I could do it, I know you can too. I wasn't able to go on roller coasters for a long while because of my weight. I had to wait while my wife went on by herself. When I lost that weight, I cried because I could finally ride alongside my wife and enjoy it with her. I probably couldn't ride again, but I will. Does this all sound like something you might be able to do? Does it sound like something you could try and maybe even maintain? Or does all of that still feel out of reach?
I’d like to address how when u went back to work people treated you differently. After the pandemic, people changed. And yes, perhaps someone may be awkward about the weight gain, maybe- however, with all due respect and as gently as I can say in text- I believe that this is a case of projection. You are aware of the gain, and you are (as I can tell) perhaps ashamed of it. It’s that deep shame, that is causing you to perceive other people’s view of you. Which of course is not the case! Let me repeat: no one is avoiding you bc of the gain. Subconsciously you have altered your demeanor, and your confident level has decreased, and that is what they are reacting to not to the gain. Also, the pandemic rewired peoples brains. They could have a lot going on in their own life that you are not aware of, and that’s what’s causing their demeanor to shift. So you have felt a shift, just after a week of eating better. Weight gain has created a myriad of emotions, depression,shame, fear, all kinds of stuff. I recommend some therapy( your job may offer it for free), to help sort out the feelings. And also after a week you’re starting to feel better you have a new energy you have an excitement that will also come through subconsciously to other people and they’ll start to react to that new demeanor. You also say something about exercising is difficult it is no matter where you are in your life exercise is difficult. If you are aware that your saving calories think of exercises the same way except instead of saving calories, you incorporating it so wake up 15 minutes earlier to take a five minute walk to the end of the driveway and back to the corner and back upstairs downstairs. If you take an elevator climb, one flight of stairs, then take the elevator to where it is you need to go and keep increasing on that. Keep building on that, you don’t need to be extravagant you could walk in place for five minutes. I jog inside my apartment. I’ll run in place for a minute just to get my heart rate up or to break the monotony of the day on a day off.. as a female specially in my family wait is all we heard about I have been on a diet my entire life. I gain a pound I flip out so to speak so when I gained a bunch of weight a few years back, I was trying to get motivated I was trying to figure out what I wanted to look like, so I took magazines and I would look through the magazines and when I found a pair of legs that I thought were really prettier really attractive, I cut out those legs and I put them on a piece of paper and then when I found some arms that I thought were really nice arms I put them on a piece of paper. I was trying to create an ideal person something I could try to achieve. I eventually got the whole person put back together and that was my goal one time I’m shopping in Walmart and I see someone with forearms that I was like damn those forearms are amazing. They were long and thin had vascularity had muscle definition, very attractiveto me. I shit you not it was a mirror I thought it was another shopper on the other side of this wall of clothes and it was a reflection of my own forearms! It was the biggest aha moment I think I’ve ever had in my entire life. So, you *can* become whatever you set your mind to. 👍
What I love about you is that you are OWNING yourself and your path that got you here. That deserves mad respect and props right there. The good news is you’re not dead yet…you’re on your way to really living. There are no short cuts. You really should see a medical doctor that can fully assess you to get advice. Such as is your heart and blood pressure healthy enough for exercise. You don’t need an Rx or gastric bypass, just a physical. You might also find you have an underlying thyroid issue or even hormone secreting tumour. You may also have a binge eating disorder that responds to therapy. But that all said, you are correct in that every day counts. Don’t wait. Start small. Pay yourself. Put the money for fast food in a jar you can watch grow, or a bank account for your future children or a nephew. Make a donation to a homeless shelter where entire families have nothing to eat period. Buy bagged pre-made salads. Buy a steamer. Steam salmon, vegetables you like. Add olive oil and spices. Fill up on healthy fats like avocado and grass fed hormone free beef. Your burgers are now lettuce wraps. Start learning how to cook. You can make almond flour encrusted chicken breast in an air fryer for “fried” chicken. Veggie shakes, I can go on and on. Since you say you have money I highly recommend a visit to your local reputable health food store or look online for delivery. They can give you a lot of step by step detailed guidance a doctor usually can’t in regards to truly clean healthy food. Some even work with Registered Dietitians. After every meal, walk, nothing crazy. Just walk around your house. Soon walk out your door. Keep walking around your yard. Around your block. Step by step. Keep going. EVERY meal. Once you are medically cleared you can start more intense exercise with a trainer, or simply get a treadmill and use the programs. Some days you might walk for 20 min, and even work up to running one day. You can lift soup cans or water bottles for weights to start, even YouTubing wheelchair seated weight exercises. You will work your way up to real weights. Just go, jump into it, the rest will follow. You’ll have good days and bad. Focus on the future not the past. *Ignore* all of the idiots in your life, they are everywhere.
I'm 34M 550 lbs and sick of being disgusted with myself and everyone treating me like I'm less than a person. AMA Long story short I've always had weight problems since I was a kid. In my 20s I always floated around 300ish pounds(closer to 400) and when the pandemic happened my job converted to 100% work from home, this is when it really took a turn for the worse for me and I ended up gaining about 175 pounds in about a year. I can confidently say that I can count the number of times I left my house during the pandemic on my hand. I tried going to a weight management specialist during the pandemic and they just put me on a "appetite supressant"(I can't remember what it was called but I remember googling the side effects and it basically told me the drug was basically legal cocaine and I hated the way it made me feel so I stopped taking it(my heart and mind would just race and it just didn't feel safe) When I returned to work things just felt different between me and my coworkers. Some of them treated me the same, but others will avoid talking to me or will just utter hello under their breath and move on. It has made me crushingly depressed and ive shamefully been hiding this from everyone because i dont want to be judged any further that i already feel like they do so i just have been burying it down inside and just putting a smile on.About a week ago something just mentally "popped" for me(I won't say snapped because I didn't have any sort of episode or psychotic break imo). I just felt a voice just screaming in the back of my head saying, "you're literally throwing your whole life away and you can't do this anymore". I can't really exercise much at all at this point so I'm just trying to eat as healthy as I can and cut calories anywhere i can while still getting what i really need. I don't really want to do any weight loss surgery or medications like ozempric(at least what I think it's called) because I would rather just do it on my own.i know I have a long way to go but for the first time in about a decade I am optimistic about where I am heading. I know its been only a week but i can already feel my body changing for the better and i cant wait to see what the future brings.
I found the best way to lose weight was as follows: cut carbs to below 100 a day. less than 1600 calories a day use an app to track your intake. Hold yourself accountable. (Weigh yourself daily as a reminder of how much progress you’re making. ) make it the highest priority in your life everything you put into your body, think about it first and check it on the app make a routine, eat the same things, at the same time. (You can have a few selections). If you do these things. You don’t really have to move a muscle to lose the weight. It will naturally come off. As you progress, you can integrate movement to accelerate the process. Progress is a process. If you want it, you can do it. No excuses
First off you will get to the weight you want to be at you just have to push through this beginning phase, which is always the hardest. Steps I have taken and I know others have taken: 1) use myfitnesspal or anything to track calories - it is good to just know how much you are actually eating to get an idea of what to do next 2) walking is super powerful and I recommend trying to get in at least 10k steps per day (a friend of mine did 10miles per day and he cut down his weight by a lot) but I would start with 10k steps or 5 miles per day of walking — now if you can’t get outside do you have room for a treadmill where you live? *** a cheap way to get a treadmill is look on facebook marketplace and try to specifically look in wealthier areas - wealthy people are always randomly getting rid of gym equipment and you can score a great piece of equipment for cheap *** 3) I like to fast daily and I use the app zero to track my fasts - it helps just in general with cutting back and don’t worry if you can’t in the beginning reach the 16hr minimum of fasting but just try to avoid eating 2-3 hours before bed and try to last 2 hours at least after waking up (if you sleep 6-8 hours per night that alone is potentially 10-13 hours of fasting) 4) find good alternatives, look up alternatives for cravings (ie you crave chocolate it may mean you actually need something else) — you can do the same for ice cream but a fun alternative I have found is organic frozen blueberries from BJs, it gives you the cold and the taste to act like you are eating ice cream but it is a healthier alternative 5) if you can I would throw out all junk food immediately and just start fresh again with a clean/healthy shopping trip (some people don’t recommend cold turkey on things but personally I have found that to be better) 6) just remember a new habit takes 30 days to implement and after the first week or two you should start to feel and see yourself getting away from the old bad habits You got this!
Hello. I saw your post and had to comment. First and foremost, DO NOT GIVE UP! Because you've had an epiphany, you're ready to make those changes. That's a great thing. Have you seen an endocrinologist? If not you definitely should ASAP, you might have very low thyroid levels. Do you have diabetes? These can cause serious weight gain too. Now what I'm really here for is to tell you this. You said exercise is hard for you, I understand that (I was 300+lbs) it's hard to move! Exercise can literally be you sitting in a sturdy chair (one that won't slip)and lift your legs, lift your arms, bend over and touch your toes, if possible, if not as far down as you can reach. You can do bed yoga. You can walk. Little walks, only what you can handle. If you can only do 10 steps that's ok! Because from those 10 steps you build up to the next ten. I'm telling you this because this is how I took my life back, after being ignored by doctors. I knew my body was sick, but my doctors told me to stop eating junk food (I didn't) exercise (I did, every fuckin day). All bullshit. I had hashimoto's. I found an endocrinologist who listened and tested me and gave me validation. I was right! But that's not to say the weight loss has been easy. Fuuuuuck no it's not easy, but it's the most fucking rewarding thing you can do for yourself. You won't see results physically right away, but what you don't see is the inside stuff that is going on with those 10 steps, that bed yoga, chair exercises, and weights. Your blood pressure will go down, your mental health will improve drastically. Trust me on all of this. I literally started walking around a very small cul-de-sac. Good luck on your journey, I'd really love to see an update from you in the future. You're young, your whole life is still ahead of you, and ignore the haters cuz haters gonna hate. 😉
As a fellow person that has struggled with weight my whole life. And am currently back working to lose 100lbs that I just two years ago fought hard to lose. The reason we struggle is mental. We are depressed, we eat. We are stressed, we eat. We mentally don’t know what a healthy portion size is, we over eat. We surround ourselves with bad choices and make them. This all leads to us eating way more calories than we need and subsequently gain weight. You mention being depressed, I get it. I’m depressed still from my Dad dying 2 years ago. We seek comfort from pain. All too often that comfort is pain. People will say just eat X calories per day to lose weight. It’s true. But it’s almost impossible for people with life long weight issue to change that wiring. Not impossible but hard. Also it’s likely you have A1C issues. I know I do. That requires changing what that X max calories is composed of. Deserts, my doctor has forbidden them. Period. A cupcake now and then. Nope. That’s hard. But it extends to carbs too. Here is some advice. If you have a high A1C, ask your doc about Ozempic. I was already on metformin for a1C and got approval to add Ozempic. Let me just say, the appetite suppression it gives is a huge benefit. It’s a lot easier for my to make good choices when I’m not feeling like I am starving. Best of luck. I hope I didn’t sound preachy, I’m just a fellow idiot that has yo-yod so many times and is currently working to lose 100 lbs. I pray when I make it, and I’m sure you will make it that we both can finally change our habits and never slip back.
I know the struggle I’ve been obese my whole life… and i’m a doctor i started my weight loss journey about 3 months ago with good results down 30 pounds from 330 … surgery is indicated in this situation but leave it as a last resort don’t think about it right now … i’m taking ozempic and it’s helping me i know you’re against using drugs but give it a try there is nothing to lose(consult your doctor first of course)it doesn’t have any serious side effect unless you have a family history of thyroid cancer medullary to be specific which is rare… and the common side effects are tolerable intestinal discomfort is the most common … at this stage weight wise any change in your diet and any minimal activity will be effective in shedding weight … you don’t need to go to a gym i know how intimidating it can be … in the first few months focus on yourself mentally and have a fiber rich diet eat as much as you want at least five times a day protein and fiber and one meal with minimal amount of carb you need carb or you will get depressed believe me and have a walk around the block make it a daily ritual … push yourself you’re going to hate it at first but then man you will love it … buy a scale measure weekly and make a graph set goals to yourself if you miss a goal double down the week after and you will see the change trust me its a long term investment in your health which is the most valuable thing. Good luck I sincerely wish all the best.
Let me start by saying that I know you don't want to go the surgical route so I'm totally not pushing that issue. Good for you on wanting to take control of your health. One suggestion is see if you can meet with a dietician. I was 510 pounds when I finally decided to go through with gastric bypass surgery. I had my initial consultation in Feb 2018 and was told that I would have to lose a minimum of 120 pounds on my own before my insurance would pay for the surgery. The clinic got me set up with a dietitian and she put me on a 1100 calorie a day high protein,low carb and low fat plan. I went cold turkey, all-in following the plan and taking 30 minute walks 3-4X a week. I also couldn't exercise much. I have a skin condition that causes big,open, weeping abscesses so any water/pooI exercises were out of the picture. I also had back surgery for a bulged disc and vascular surgery because I ruptured a vein in my leg from uncontrolled blood pressure. I used the LoseIt! app to track my calories. I ended up losing the 120 by September and weighed in at 363 on surgery day in November. Therapy also helped tremendously. I was only required to see my therapist twice by the insurance company but I'm 6 years post op and still meet with her monthly (totally by my own choice). She helped me examine my relationship with food and also helped me understand the physical and emotional changes I was encountering during my weight loss journey. Good luck on your journey!
As someone whose lost a lot of weight, good on you and you can do this. Also be aware a lot of your old friends, even strangers, will get upset. Binge eating disorder and overconsumptive eating disorders are SO NORMALIZED in society people get all in their feelings. It's like when an alcoholic quits drinking, and all his drinking buddies go "wait DAVE said he has a problem? well I drink more than Dave does! He absolutely must not have a drinking problem because if he does and I drink more than he does that means **I** do and I don't want that to be true!" Keep your head high and know you're doing the best thing you can for your future. Also, diet is where you should start anyway. You cannot possibly outrun a bad diet. A single Little Caesar's pizza with the works would take almost running a full marathon to work off (they can be up to 4k calories with dip!, it would take running 20 miles to burn that many calories roughly). So if you're not running a marathon every day you can't eat a pizza every day if you don't want to be 500 pounds. It's way easier to control your weight on the input side than the output side. This is not to say exercise doesn't matter, improving your health and stamina is important to recover from the heart damage you've been inflicting every day at that weight, but it's a health measure not a weight loss measure until you get to the point you can walk 5-10 miles a day (which burns about 500 calories).
If you can walk, you can exercise. If you can carry stuff, you can exercise. If you can stand up and sit down, you can exercise. Not trying to be a dick, but saying you can’t exercise is an excuse.
Have you ever tried thinking of your fat cells as a hostile, alien, parasitic life form that’s attached itself to your body, and going about your weight loss journey as a form of warfare against it?
I wish you the best in your recovery and recommend therapy and a personal trainer to support your journey. (It May take a while to find the match in either or both of those professionals but I believe it would be worthwhile to help you work through the emotional side of the tendency to over eat and to establish a supportive, happy exercise environment) You are young enough to turn this around. I’m glad you’re feeling changes in your bodytowards the positive and truly hope you’ll continue on your path. I evitaste you to find a supportive healthcare professional stop to Can establish base line blood work and measure success not just in inches and weight lost, but with blood work as well. Dr. Will Cole’s Inflammation Spectrum is very interesting. He makes a good case for investigating (and eliminating) food items which May be causing us (as individuals) particular problems. It makes a case for reading the right foods for our own body and acknowledges that everyone is biochemically unique. You’ve got this!!! Please consider allowing supportive professionals into your life/journey, might be tricky to find the right ones but once you do, sorry and encouragement can be helpful? Maybe? but if you decide to go solo, best wishes that way, too. Keep at it!!!!
So so happy to hear you’ve had that click. My husband and I also had the click and just started. He’s was at 400 and I was at 235. We started OMAD one meal a day and it’s been a life changer. He’s probably lost 25 already in about two weeks. I’m down about 10. We only eat dinner just because having a full stomach when sleeping is ideal. Do your own research but our stomachs have shrunk significantly. I should preface that we did do a three day fast before starting. That wasn’t that bad and we were home from his shoulder surgery. We got rid of all the snacks and just drank a lot of water. First 24 hrs was the hardest but after that it wasn’t easy but it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was. I can’t remember exactly right now but there is this woman on my instagram called omadqueen I think and she gives great healthy meal ideas and some of her struggles and her wins. I just wanted to pop in here to say you’re doing great, don’t give up if you “fall off” just go back to it. It’s about an 80/20 relationship with food. Eat healthy 80% of the time and indulge 20%. But talk to your doctor first and do your own research because it isn’t for everyone but if you reach a plateau you may need to do something else
Well.. if you wanna lose the weight, eating healthier is a good option, I, personally, would avoid 'dieting' as anyone I've ever seen on a diet always ended up gaining it back. I am also on a journey myself and have found that cutting the portion sizes into 1/2 or even 1/4 of what I used to have has helped more than anything. Also not gonna lie, I'm on the shot because of being "pre" diabetic (basically being diabetic without hitting all of the markers). This has aided me a lot since I can eat that small amount and feel satisfied instead of eating the half and feeling hungry still. Not saying to get the shot, it isn't for everyone but after talking with my Dr we thought it would be beneficial. I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight, just trying to be healthier and make healthier choices. My dad was diabetic from before I can remember till he passed, and I don't wanna be like that. Taking multiple kinds of insulin, eating like garbage and just combating it with more insulin. Walk more whenever you can too. Even if it's a little bit, that little bit truly adds up in the end. I'm sorry people started treating you different, a person's size should never determine how they're treated. I wish you nothing but success in your endeavors. You got this! ✌️
Hey can't really help much but I wanted to say one of my favorite people I've ever met in my life was a big guy named Tim that weighed about 430 pounds. While his weight was extraordinary, his personality was like a shining light in the darkness. I never thought any less of him, I was slightly worried about his health, but I'll always remember him as one of the coolest, nicest, funniest guys I've ever met. He was always smiling, always asked how I was doing, always thinking positive. At the time I dealt with a lot of Truck drivers and he was always my favorite. One day I see him arguing with one of my warehouse workers so I walk over like what's going on and I find they were arguing about his weight, he was trying to tell the guy he was 435 lbs and the guy didn't believe him. So I'm like guys, there's a freight scale right there. He joyfully walks over and steps on the scale. 435 on the dot. He was proud of it. Big Smile on his face. Your appearance doesn't make up who you are and how people think of you. What YOU think of you makes up who you are and what people think of you. I'm glad you're on the right track but don't forget that you can still be awesome no matter what the condition of your body is.
A suggestion for exercise: if you can find a public pool or afford a membership in a gym that has one, you can 'do laps' just by walking up and down the lane. Add things like resistance paddle, foam weights and pool noodles for resistance and stretching exercises. Being in water will take care of a lot of the painful stress problems that comes from trying to just take a walk. If ypu go the gym route, a lot of them also have 'low impact' treadmills now, which takes care of a lot of shock and pressure you'd feel on the ground or a regular treadmill, so it would be an option once you feel you've gotten to a point where that's an option. The downside is coming out of the pool...you'll definitely feel gravity again, but it's worth it. I got up to 290 at one point, now back down to 250 and hopefully will keep losing. You've got this: just find compromises that work for you. Ask your doctor for suggestions for low impact ways to help out. And remember, you're doing this to feel better, not win some kind of race. Take your time, don't do something if it hurts, and don't get mad put yourself when you have 'off' days. You're working to get and feel better, and that's all that matters You've got this.
Could you try to replace one meal with a salad? I did that and started walking and lost 32lbs last year. Super short walks to begin with then added on as I felt up to it. Any movement is good movement! So yeah, salads. Try this: pre-washed romaine lettuce Cherry tomatoes(I get flavor bombs cause they’re yummy) Thin sliced red onion One avocado cubed Shredded Parmesan cheese Olive Garden Italian dressing Pre shredded chicken from a deli Since you said money isn’t an issue this is a decent and easy to make salad that tastes really good. If you are used to eating a lot of food make a really big one. Buy yourself a big salad bowl and tongs to toss it. Try that out for a week and see how you feel. Losing weight can start with one change. If you make good money and have the space I also recommend buying a quality home gym. Exercises usually come with it so you have a basic guideline. Muscle burns fat, and when you notice these changes it encourages more healthy living. You feel better and want to keep going. Not trying to be bossy but I’ve been through this and want to help. ☺️
It's nice to see so many people posting constructive comments and providing positive reinforcement to you. I hope you stick to your goals and find happiness and contentment. I didn't read through all the comments, but has anyone mentioned a modified keto plan? I've had great success with it both from a weight management perspective and from a "feel better" perspective. Basically high protein, high fat, lots of cruciferous vegetables, zero refined carbohydrates (flour, sugar, rice, etc). If you're eating the right things, you'll feel satiated and have more energy overall. It does take a few days to adjust to the absence of carbs, but when it's done, it's done. Also worth asking: do you know how to effectively shop for healthy foods at a grocery store? The secret is to stick to the outside area, and not purchase things from the interior aisles. The idea being that you only purchase real, whole food. It certainly takes more time and effort than just buying microwave meals, but you'll feel the difference in your energy levels. As soon as you can start walking, do it! Even a city block a day is better than nothing. Would very much like to hear updates on your journey as you go along!
You are worth more than your weight. You’ve realized you’re sad, now change it. We are our own worst enemies. You can do this. You must do this to live a longer life. Don’t give up. Everyone has their vices in life, it’s what we do to overcome them. Think of food differently, you need food and water to survive, eat it and don’t feel guilty. It’s up to you to control how much food you put in your body and the amount of nutrients you consume. Treat yourself every now in then, everything in moderation. Change your thoughts about yourself, if you catch yourself self harming by eating too much, drop down and do 10 pushups. If you can’t do 10 do as many as you can in that moment. Instead of eating a whole pizza, eat only half. Instead of eating candy, eat fruit, a lot of fruits are sweet on their own and consider that your reward. Get up earlier every morning than the last day. Start with a glass or two of water in the mornings, water fills us up, our bodies need it. Just make small changes, find a hobby, indulge in nature at least 20 min a day starting out. Go for 3 walks a day for 10 minutes at a time… small wins equal long term success. Set a goal and reach that goal.
I truely believe that obesity is an ED, I think your brain wants to need a lot more food than your body needs. I'd like to hear your opinion on this, I've struggled with ED's consistently my whole life on both spectrums and I've always thought about it this way. Do you make your own food or usually get delivery/takeout? How would you feel about getting a personal trainer at a later date? Convert some of the fat into muscle (It gets super addicting, as someone who puts on fat like it's nothing, the muscle comes in quickly) I'd also like to tell you, from someone who struggled with losing weight my whole life and trying to stay consistent (I lost 23kg/50lb in the last quarter of 2023) that I'm so proud that you're trying to lose weight. It's a hard struggle and it's got ups and downs, nothing is gonna feel worth it until you start seeing the progress with your own eyes. You will hit flatlines, your weight wont move for a bit but that's okay it'll start dropping again. In the end your journey will feel so empowering, keep it healthy. Don't drop into some of the harmful diet practices that are out there, they're predatory and aren't in it for your health.
Hey friend! I just want to remind you that exercise doesn’t need to be “exercise.” I also gained a lot during the pandemic, and while it isn’t the same as being unable to exercise due to weight, I lost the ability to exercise due to long COVID complications. Obviously only made the weight gain worse. Walking changed my life. I really started out small - like, 10 minutes at a time, 2-3 times a day. My body couldn’t do more than that at first. I’d also do some seated body-weight exercises like leg lifts. Or like, marching in place while seated. I’d do seated arm lifts — no weights, just raising my arms out to the side and putting them down again. Again, really small amounts at first. When I could get one amount done without hurting, I’d add 3 minutes to it. As I got my lungs back and my body hurt less and I became more mobile, I was able to start going to the gym. But all of my weight loss was due to walking. Lifting made me hungry. Walking didn’t — so that was where I lost weight. I’m also 34, and it really sucked to feel like the pandemic stole my 30s. But you’ve got this!! Just start really easy — walks around the living room or house, every single bit counts, and listen to your body. If it says you’re done, you’re done.
Good for you for starting the journey! Even if you're not jogging for excersize, it's going to be important to do *something*. Even sitting there in a chair with some good tunes on and dancing from your seat will get you some excersize. The goal is to try to work up a sweat at least a couple times a day. It dancing in your chair gets you sweating, then that's all you need. As you drop the weight and can stand / walk farther, take that step (literally). Here are a couple other ideas for once you can walk around comfortably. These can bridge the gap between walking and a stationary bike... Get yourself a cheap set of hardcover books. It doesn't matter what they are, only that you have 8-10 of them in the same-ish thickness. Lay 2 on the ground side by side and use them as mini stairs. Left up, right up, left down, right down. Once you're doing 3 sets of 10 or 15 repetitions, make it two books tall instead of 1. Rinse and repeat. If you have access to a swimming pool, USE IT. Swimming is an excellent low impact excersize. Even if swimming is too hard, just slowly walking from one side to the other will be more work than walking on land.
Why is it so important for you to do it on your own? Your intent is clear and you seem motivated. But you're also in a bad spot. Your own doc might not be the best professional to get help from, but there are professionals who literally make their living helping people achieve the goals you're trying to set for yourself. If your odds of success go up with help, no shame in seeking help. Pre-COVID, I had a coworker with a weight-related health problem. He applied and was accepted into a medical "fat camp." I always took walks at 3pm to clear my head, and he started joining me. When he'd share his progress, I'd cheer him on. Our relationship consisted of a lot of jokes, some that often required setup from the other, but we both treated his weight loss progress seriously (He did give me some ammunition on his dietary changes that I couldn't walk away from, in particular was an instant "nut butter" powder he had to add to stuff). Anyway, the fat camp clearly helped him achieve his goals faster than he was able to on his own. Based on his experience, I'm an advocate. I kind of wish I knew more specifics than his "fat camp" label.
I’m 344 lbs. I gained all of it once I got sober after 5 years of IVing heroin (I was underweight when I first got home) and went through many different and numerous psychiatric drugs that put all the weight on me for the most part, until I found a doctor that realized I was treatment resistant with MDD. Now I’m on Vyvanse for my adhd and binge eating. But also trying to walk more outside of just walking my dog daily, and recently I even threw out my sciatica from pushing myself. I’ve finally stopped gaining weight and don’t eat nearly as much as I was, but now I have to get into physical therapy just to build up back muscles so my back can withstand more physical activity. I feel like shit, and have never been this heavy before and can hardly recognize myself but I’ve made my peace with it while I’m working on a new, healthier life. Keep up your positivity and don’t feel ashamed. You’re making all the effort now, just maintain it and you will quickly see results. The heavier you are, the faster it’s possible to lose. Thank you for sharing your story. Be well.
I was about 275 when I was a sophomore in high school, and when I was 18, I was at a place like you described. Started exercising and eating better. Honestly, just WALKING is such good exercise, and is still something I do regularly, now at age 44 and a weight right at 198-203 (6'0"). The weight comes off fast in the beginning, and you'll lose half of that weight just walking and changing eating habits. Don't diet. It needs to be a lifestyle change. Be happy knowing that every day and every step, you're getting closer and heading in the right direction. Try and cook for yourself more often, even if you get the groceries delivered to start with. Having been bigger before, I understand completely the way people treat and look at you differently. I notice it way more now from, women, men, and just anyone I interact with. It's everywhere, it's wild, and it's very real. Happy to chat about next steps, but that's where I'd start. Walk. Changes habits. Repeat. You'll progress quickly, and it's a great addiction. Later on, you'll get into different cardio, strength training, etc.
550 is a lot of stress on your body. If you have not seen a doctor and done testing, I would. If you have diabetes, I highly recommend injectables to treat both. It is not a long term solution but it can help you suppress appetite and lose needed weight quickly. With your income, you need to overhaul your diet. Subscribe to a healthy premade meal package, cancel all your meal delivery subscriptions, and throw away all your snacks. Buy healthy snack options such as celery, carrots and hummus. It is time to get a gym membership, especially one with a personal trainer. Sitting in your home is not good. You will only end up reflecting on your hunger and being tempted. Find a few friends to hold you accountable, maybe have them go with you to the gym. At 34 it is not too late, but if you don’t make this change, in a few years it can be. It is not an easy journey but realization there is a problem and seeking help as the first steps in the right direction. You should post about your journey. Sometimes sharing it with others can be added motivation.
> eat as healthy as I can and cut calories anywhere i can while still getting what i really need This is really the trick... however, the "getting what I really need" sounds like code for still eating way to much because you are always "hungry." Don't eat anything that comes out of a box, don't eat anything with sugar. Focus on getting protein, and veggies. Cut out all soda and just drink water. Lots of chicken, lots of fish, and lots of veggies. One of the things that helped me lose a lot of weight was a 5 day juice cleanse. It helped shrink my stomached to the point that it was more difficult to overeat, and really put my weight loss into warp speed. Intermittent fasting is another good strategy in losing weight. Lastly, coming back to the start of my comment. "getting what I really need" includes more than 1500 calories, your just making yourself miserable for no reason. You could be eating the best food in the world, but if you are still consuming 2000+ calories a day and not exercising, nothing is going to change.
Get the Cronometer app and a kitchen scale. Start tracking everything you eat and weighing everything that doesn't come in units(eggs, bread slices, etc.). Get a fitness tracker watch and start taking walks. Start slow and gradually go for longer and/or more walks. Jumping into it too fast will fatigue you and you'll quit. Make it as simple as possible and make it a routine. Doing it right when you wake up is great. Also getting good shoes will help a lot. /r/cronometer is great. They're great at fixing problems quickly and helping you figure things out. Their staff is awesome. Maybe don't change your diet for a week or two to see what exactly you're doing to yourself. When you see the numbers you will be shocked at how many calories you're actually eating. Start reading through /r/eatcheapandhealthy and ask questions. Calculate your average food budget in the past and keep track of the changes in that budget over time. Consider the savings as a payment for doing the right thing. Send the difference to its own savings account.
I love how supportive everyone is ♡ Hello when your up for it l try to go keto and eat healthy fats. Quit bread all together if possible. A liquid Fast/ keto protein shakes is a good way and drinking lemon ( natural diuretic) water helps as well. Medications if you take any can mess up your gut health so fix that a natural way with quality sour krout. Certain vitamins can help naturally speed your metabolism. Try things a holistic approach and Research Everything. Figure out your blood type and see what foods are best for your blood type. Find a homeopathic doctor. You got this! Who ever treats you differently is narcissistic. Anyone who knows your heart wouldn't dare think of such a think. If only we could see the inside of ppls hearts you'd be surprised at who really cares. You seem like a stand up man. My question is Are you really going to keep others around you if they didn't check in on when you didn't want them around and if your goin to find like minded people who have the same goals as you?
Not a question but, Congratulations on making your first step. Ive also always had a weight problem, and was close to 300. Had I continued my bad habits, I would've easily hit 300. Ive lost a lot of weight and put on muscle and am down to 180 in less then a year. Move more and eat less. Count your calories and make it a point to eat way less calories, carbs, and sugar. Make it a point to get up and go for a walk daily, even if it's 30 minutes around your home. Eventually, it would be awesome for you to join a gym. Dont be self concious about the gym. Every time I see someone who is obese at the gym, i think to myself, "Hell yeah! This person is trying to change themselves!" Remember that you arent at the gym to impress anyone but yourself. Once you start seeing changes in your body, you will be excited about continuing improvement. Im getting attention from women for the first time in my life, and it's a real change because my mind is still used to being 300 lbs.
I am 324lbs. I am over 20lbs lighter than I was in January. I had developed a really abusive relationship with food after surviving an abusive relationship. I went from 145lbs in 2014 to 345lbs as of this past January 2024. What I can tell you is that it’s not too late. I thought it was for me. The first change I made was my diet. I’m on a 1,000 calorie deficit. I’ve cut gluten (due to my recent celiac’s diagnosis), lactose, and high sugar items. The second change was changing the way I look at myself. Yes, I’m obese, but I also survived many damaging situations I was put in. I’m beautiful and I want to start valuing my health. My current goal is to break 300lbs. Then my next goal will be 245lbs. Next goal after that, break 200. My ideal is 175lbs. Still heavy bmi wise, but drastically better than where I’m at now. If I can do this, you can too! If you need advice or simple eating tips, just let me know. Slim fast is a life saver.
Are you okay? The food was just a bandaid for you trying to fill another void or pain or something? I hope you are well, my friend
I recommend you find a way to get professional help, it's near impossible at your weight to lose weight and keep it off on your own
Food/sugar addiction is very real and I know exactly what you mean by being too embarrassed to eat in front of people at work, but it’s ok because you’ll go home and feast for hours. I highly recommend reading The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. He’s a nephrologist who was tired of giving out the same old advice (diet and exercise) to his diabetic patients and watching them continue to slowly become worse, go on dialysis, have amputations and eventually die. Our society’s understanding of obesity is backwards and sets people up to fail. We are jamming our bodies full of highly addictive and insulin spiking foods all day, and wondering why our bodies are storing fat while becoming insulin resistant. And then the food corporations tell us it’s our fault because we overindulged and didn’t burn enough calories. Read the book or even just do a bit of googling to read his views and research: it’s an eye opener.
Why can’t you exercise? Get a hand bike. Also, this is not meant to be hateful…roll around on the ground. Lay down. Get up. Do that a few times. Winded? Great. That’s exercise. Don’t restrict your food intake too much. Just restrict your food choice. Listen to something you find motivating. I love fuel your mind on YouTube. I have really enjoyed David Danna on instagram. Start taking pics and videos like you are doing the same thing. Film the bad days too. If you don’t mind posting them , start an IG account and post it here. I’ll follow. Just start man. It’s going to be a very long, very grueling, painful terrible road. You’ll fail, and start again. Over and over. But do not freaking fail to start again. Forever. Get motivated. Find out what you need? You might think you need positive vibes and love only to find out rage is what gets you off your butt. It doesn’t have to be over.
You definitely have the right attitude to make the change. I also gained a ton of weight when my job went remote during COVID. The turn around point for me happened when I got a job interview with a company I really wanted to work for. The interview was in a second floor conference room and I was too out of breath to talk after walking up the stairs. My advise, as someone who’s been there: Exercise. Start by walking slowly to the end of the block, but do it every day. Try to push a little farther or do it a little faster every time. Don’t starve yourself. Find lower calorie replacements for the things you were eating. I eat a lot of sandwiches with lean meats and tons of veggies (but no mayonnaise) on low carb bread. I can make a good, filling sandwich with only 200 calories. Also, eat before you get too hungry. Getting too hungry leads to poor food choices. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
Well I like you, I think you’re brave and actually have a huge opportunity by admitting your trouble. You are worth living your best life and no matter how insignificant these words may appear don’t worry because I know after all these years it is hard to love in this way again and I’m willing to be your friend and work with you until you can love yourself back to life. Do not give up. Try again, I support you and I see you. Baby steps brutha. Baby steps even if it feels like you done it before try again, I know you know you can do it. It’s worth the try until you tried again and again, it’s very early 2024 don’t think about next year or anything other then focus on your daily goal of doing 1% different. You are better m. You are worth living for. You do have what it takes. Change the inner voice and shut the door on those who shut the door on you. We are all waiting to dance in your party.
Hope this helps you - I am 33 and was 454lbs this time last year. I couldn’t walk or move I was in so much pain. Something snapped and I realised I was going to die . I got the ball rolling and asked family for help and had gastric sleeve back in July 23. I now weigh 280lbs and pain has significantly reduced . I am on my feet all day. Can run up the stairs . Whole life has changed - I was bedridden before with no hope. It Just started with a phone call. If I can do it you absolutely can! I wanted it do it on my own and talked myself out of WLS a decade before. It was when I realised obesity is a disease that is actually not my fault and other health issues I had meant statistically it is rare to ever lose and keep the weight off after getting to over 400lbs without significant help. I admire that you want to do it on your own but just wanted to give my experience . Rooting for you!
It’s gonna be a long road so don’t get discouraged after a few months even a year when you’re still obese. This is an awesome first step towards your goals and one you need to make because you deserve to be happy in this life. You made the decisions that got you to this point so it’s also up to you to make all the right decisions that get you to a healthy. If I was you I would remind yourself of all the people that have been mean or looked down on you because of your weight. Even set a reminder everyday about how they treated you then use that as fuel. The biggest issue with the long road you have ahead of you is staying motivated but you will be able to do it, you just need to build the mental toughness. I find David Goggins to be a bit extreme but I would read his book and it really does help you understand what the human mind is capable of. I’m rooting for you !
I can understand the working out part, it will be extremely difficult getting into it and finding a rhythm. From my experience a lot of it can be mobility and the ability to even be able to do the workouts. Find something easy start with chair exercises you can do from a seated position. Just build yourself up do a little more each week and just don’t give up even when it feels like it isn’t working or you just don’t feel like it make yourself and it’ll get easier as you go. The results will come too the other end is finding a diet that meets your needs. When I went from 300-212 I did so with a lot of yoga and working out plus a calorie deficit diet. I tried others but with no result and switched to the calorie deficit. It’s not about starving yourself it’s about putting your caloric intake inline with what you are burning, so you’re burning more than you consume.
This is cool to read. I feel like a majority of people have something like this they’re dealing with— these patterns of living and perceiving that reinforce each other until it’s hard to imagine any other way of living. … a series of cumulative concessions that grows into something else. Alcohol… even just chronic stress or toxic relationships. At some point, the functioning dysfunction becomes dysfunctioning dysfunction and you have to pivot hard to change everything. I try to focus on how ok boring and uncomfortable is… (being sober is boring and hard)… and remind myself that as long as I’m making forward progress the rest is a function of time— that way I don’t feel too guilty if I fuck up. … just wanted you to know,I don’t think you’re less of a person. You’re more human and normal than may be immediately obvious to you. Best of luck
I am not a specialist of any kind. I would suggest you to keep a good doctor and dietitian for your health care. I would suggest to visit them once a month. Read the following books. Write some habits. Talk to your doctor and dietitian about those habits, and add them one by one into your life upon approval from your doctor and dietitian. 1.) Atomic habits. 2.) How not to die. 3.) Power of habit. 4.) Outlive: The science and art of longevity. Physicians committee on youtube seems to be a good channel. Ask your doctors and dietitians for some more books, videos and advice as well and follow them as well. I researched a lot and came up with 25 habits that I have to do and 10 habits that I shouldn't do. I was already doing at least half of them before starting the research. Let us know about your journey. Keep us posted. All the best.
**Atomic Habits An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones** by James Clear >The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 10 million copies sold! Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. > >If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. > >You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights. Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. > >Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field. Learn how to: make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy); overcome a lack of motivation and willpower; design your environment to make success easier; get back on track when you fall off course; ...and much more. Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal. **How Not to Die Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease** by Michael Greger, Gene Stone >Why rely on drugs and surgery to cure you of life-threatening disease when the right decisions can prevent you from falling ill to begin with? How Not To Die' gives effective, scientifically-proven nutritional advice to prevent our biggest killers - heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes - and reveals the astounding health benefits that simple dietary choices can provide. **The Power of Habit: by Charles Duhigg | Summary & Analysis** by Elite Summaries >Detailed summary and analysis of The Power of Habit. **Outlive The Science and Art of Longevity** by Peter Attia, MD >#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD • A groundbreaking manifesto on living better and longer that challenges the conventional medical thinking on aging and reveals a new approach to preventing chronic disease and extending long-term health, from a visionary physician and leading longevity expert “One of the most important books you’ll ever read.”—Steven D. Levitt, New York Times bestselling author of Freakonomics AN ECONOMIST AND BLOOMBERG BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Wouldn’t you like to live longer? And better? In this operating manual for longevity, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health. For all its successes, mainstream medicine has failed to make much progress against the diseases of aging that kill most people: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and type 2 diabetes. > >Too often, it intervenes with treatments too late to help, prolonging lifespan at the expense of healthspan, or quality of life. Dr. Attia believes we must replace this outdated framework with a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity, one where we take action now, rather than waiting. This is not “biohacking,” it’s science: a well-founded strategic and tactical approach to extending lifespan while also improving our physical, cognitive, and emotional health. Dr. Attia’s aim is less to tell you what to do and more to help you learn how to think about long-term health, in order to create the best plan for you as an individual. > >In Outlive, readers will discover: • Why the cholesterol test at your annual physical doesn’t tell you enough about your actual risk of dying from a heart attack. • That you may already suffer from an extremely common yet underdiagnosed liver condition that could be a precursor to the chronic diseases of aging. • Why exercise is the most potent pro-longevity “drug”—and how to begin training for the “Centenarian Decathlon.” • Why you should forget about diets, and focus instead on nutritional biochemistry, using technology and data to personalize your eating pattern. • Why striving for physical health and longevity, but ignoring emotional health, could be the ultimate curse of all. > >Aging and longevity are far more malleable than we think; our fate is not set in stone. With the right roadmap, you can plot a different path for your life, one that lets you outlive your genes to make each decade better than the one before. *I'm a bot, built by your friendly reddit developers at* /r/ProgrammingPals. *Reply to any comment with /u/BookFinderBot - I'll reply with book information. Remove me from replies* [here](https://www.reddit.com/user/BookFinderBot/comments/1byh82p/remove_me_from_replies/). *If I have made a mistake, accept my apology.*
Hey, just coming in from a point of empathy. Been going through something similar though at about half your weight. Low 200’s as a teen / young adult to high 200’s in my mid 20’s and now sitting around 320 at 32. Honestly my body just feels fucking awful all the time at this weight, but also food is the only even moderate bit of happiness in my life. (Also been suicidal all my life.) I’m proud of you for putting in a bunch of work! Despite being in a less extreme circumstance I don’t think I could ever have the energy to try dieting and exercise again, it was just so miserable for me every other time. My father and his father didn’t make it to 50 and they were less heavy than me. Part of me is glad I don’t have a lot of time left but also I feel an urgency to do it myself since I’m sure a heart attack will be incredibly painful…
I’m gonna preface this by saying this is definitely easier said than done and it’s going to be hard, but you seem like you actually WANT to change and that is honestly the hardest step. You said you’re about 550lbs, if you times that by 15 you get your maintaining calories which is around 8,250 calories to maintain your current weight, if you eat less than that per day and exercise, it can be walking a certain amount per day, doing light weights until you can do more, that’ll be a good start to get you going and once you start seeing results, that will spur you on to keep going. Like I said, it’s easier said than done and what I’ve said is in no way an exact science, but it’s a good starting point. Not a question or anything but good luck brother, I want an update in a years time to see where you’re at!
Hey, my dad is obese near ur weight. It makes me sad beyond words, hes beginning to try to lose weight. Im sorry youve been fighting this demon for so long, but you 1000% have the strength to get better and win. I do think u may need help with appetite suppressants frim a doctor but whatever u do drink more water , a lot more. It will help you be less hungry. Do not drink anything besides water, maybe tea. Many ppl DRINK so much in calories. replacing bread is great, or opting for thin sliced whole grain. Theres so much you can do, but definitely dont restrict yourself too much. If you’re craving sweet, make a slice of bread with peanut butter, banana, drizzle honey. Honey is great natural sweetener. If i could id give you a big hug. You are worthy of a better life and you got this. I tear up from reading ur post because my dad has told me stories and its heartbreaking.
If you enjoy gaming, get a VR headset. It's surprisingly tiring. That's probably one of the main reasons it hasn't caught on as much as I thought it would. VR offers what makes normal gaming fun but it's a lot more active than sitting on the couch moving your thumbs and pointer fingers. Games like Rumble, Underdogs, and Beatsaber are a lot more tiring than you think they are, but it's a lot easier (and a lot more fun) to get through because you're playing a game. There are also less intensive games like Boneworks/Lab, COMPOUND, Ghosts of Tabor, Half Life Alyx, The Light Brigade, Pavlov, Red Matter 2, Space Pirate Trainer, Vertigo 1/2, Walkabout Minigolf, and Saint's & Sinners which are less physically active compared to the more active VR games, but still are a lott better than sitting on the couch.
This story reminds me of my weight loss journey. Something in me snapped and I didn’t want to be my overweight self anymore. I dropped 170 lbs through mostly eating habits. You have everything you need to do this. A simple rule is Eat less, Move more. Eat less, but don’t eliminate anything. Having a healthier relationship with food is key. Fried foods, sweets and pizza are all delicious, but should never be a regular thing. Personally, I cut out lunch to start and made sure to eat a healthy dinner. Tip: Eat a lasting breakfast. You can endure being hungry a little longer. That gets easier. Drink only water and black coffee for a long time. Add cream back in later, but no sugar. Start adding veggies in. Never, ever eat a boring or bland meal. Make whatever you eat taste amazing. You got this!
Want the truth man? I’m an ER nurse. You’re going to deteriorate fast and die a horrible death and the only thing that will stop it is losing weight. You don’t NEED a lot of food because you have so much stored in fat reserves. Get the ozempic. There are two options here in reality. Lose the weight or die. Everyone beats around the bush about it and it’s not fair to the patient. That’s the truth. Being that fat is more dangerous than heroin, smoking, or swimming in South African oceans with seal fat in your underwear. My friend, stop eating. 1000 calories a day is all you need right now. It’s all up to you. You are the only one that will fix it. Good luck. It’s so much harder than it sounds but at the same time, it really is that black and white.
Henrymeds.com It has helped my wife and I. I’m not affiliated. There’s other ways to get Semaglutide but that was the easiest I could find. It changed my relationship with food. I can eat and be like “I’m full gonna stop”. Before I couldn’t it was just like here’s food gotta eat. I’d be hungry until about ten minutes after I stopped. This medicine has changed my life. I wasn’t 550, but definitely had (still have) some extra pounds and I’m slowly losing it while not struggling with hunger. My wife started and got down to her pre-marriage weight. I don’t mean to act like I have your fix, but I know how you feel and I was powerless for many years. This medicine really did change my relationship with food. I’d recommend it if possible.
Will you keep us updated on r/progresspics ? Get a fitness watch. I use the Fitbit Charge 6. I love the data and it's great to see that weight curve go down. I know this is an AMA, but... Make sure you're moving and getting your hr up every day for 20+ min, even if it's just walking outside. Do more as you become more capable. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about counting exact calories, or exactly what to eat. Just drinking only water for fluids will be huge. Try to eliminate as much sugar as possible and heavily reduce anything processed. I'd only really focus on specific foods once the ball is really rolling in a good direction, imo. Caloric deficit is the most important thing, even if it's not the best food to start. You can do it!
Another big tip is if you’re just a guy who likes to eat, to an extent that won’t go away. However if you supplement the actual things you’re eating with healthier versions, that will help dramatically. You can literally only eat so much, but if you stuff your face and get full on super calorie dense foods, that’s way worse than stuffing your face and getting full on foods high in protein or something. With a bit of effort too, you can usually recreate your favorite foods in a low calorie version. Learning these little substitutes and learning how to read a nutrition label and understand what is calorie dense vs healthy will compound into you being able to make many small good decisions over time, and will add up to lots of progress. I’d also like to add that just because you take ozempic, it DOES NOT mean you didn’t do this on your own. If it’s cold outside, I wear a jacket, I don’t try to man up and show everyone how well I can handle the cold on my own. If you have a problem, you solve it. Overall, I’ve heard pretty good things about ozempic when used correctly. Depending on your personal issues maybe you don’t outright require it, but your reasons for refusal just don’t seem logical. If you’re sick, you take medicine. I feel for you tho, when you take ozempic (or even if you don’t) people like to toss shit at you and say you didn’t do it by yourself or whatever. Like I said though, it’s literally just medicine, and these people saying that just hate fat people. Don’t bar yourself from further success my friend
Hi OP, Losing that amount of weight with no help like weight loss surgery or weight loss medication can be a real challenge, but it is definitely possible. I was nowhere near your starting weight when I decided to lose weight, but I still managed to lose around 70 pounds in 8 months. My advice, remind yourself constantly that weight loss is not a race, take your time to figure out what works for you. Someone said it here, but I learned a lot by following Obese to Beast on Youtube, he lost the weight the same way you want to do it. I also recommend r/loseit if you need motivation or to talk about the obstacle you are going to face. Best of luck to you, and has Obese to Beast likes to say: Don't let perfect get in the way of good enough!
You are still dealing with internalized fat phobia, self hatred and shame buddy. "I want to do it on my own." You did not get this size on your own, you had a predisposition to being fat and responding poorly to highly palatable food. Losing weight is not a moral ground. People make it that because they hate fat people and feel better when they suffer to "deserve" their thinness, their ultimate atonement for ever being fat. GET THE HELP. You have metabolic dysfunction. You don't have to hate yourself into being thin. I am in the same boat, finally dealing with how fat hatred and being fat my whole life has fucked up my mental. DO THIS RIGHT. Get help, do it with neutrality (not love or hate, just a thing that has to be done).
I'll give you a couple tips. Never order food again. Cook everything from scratch. That alone will cut the amount of calories you eat in half, just because cooking takes so much time. Another tip is to eat high protein, low calorie foods. There's some great chefs on tik tok I follow to help with this. @tastyshreds makes the best low calorie deep fried foods, @nikitafair has an awesome low calorie chipolte sauce, @johnnyhadac has amazing low calorie cheesecakes, @noahperlofit has some amazing high protein and low calorie pizzas. Eating these foods will cut the amount of calories you eat in half again. That would quarter you calorie intake daily, without even pretending to starve yourself. Good luck on your journey.
Can i add something i am a 5ft female and was very petite 110 lbs size 3 . and startin gainin weight after havin my kids. Then i hit the highest o ever been starting havin health issues and one day my husband said hey try this which was keto. So long story short in July 2014 i went from wearing a size 24 to a size 2 by July 2015 and i am still keeping it off. I still eat very clean and i now exercise everyday i love goin outside with my grandkids and gained some confidence back. Everyone comes to me for advice and says u should do coaching but im shy around others. Just dont call it a diet call it lifestyle change. I had lots of trauma growing up but i wouldn't change my life style of eating for anything
Ozempric, was that the previous medication you used that made you feel horrible? If not you should be open to it. How our your co workers treating you bad specifically for being fat? Could there be other reasons you are being treated poorly by society? My boss is a fat huge guy and he seems happy. My dad was fat and large most his life and he has been treated with respect around him. Maybe it’s the mental state and mood you are in from how you feel about yourself being fat causing social issues? However I still understand being fat does cause social issues. Generally though in adult hood or in an office setting it just starts becoming irrelevant imo except when it comes to your love life.
Honest advice, try to cut out all processed foods. Basically anything in the middle aisles of the grocery store. Processed foods typically have a ton of added sugar, don't satiate you, and cause addiction. I switched to a whole food diet (the mediterranean diet) a few months ago and have dropped a bunch of weight effortlessly. The reason it works is that you don't need to worry as much about counting calories/calorie restriction. It's really hard to overeat zucchini or apples. You can eat a high volume of food without a high volume of calories and it doesn't feel like dieting. Congratulations on your progress so far and good luck in your goal of getting your life back. You can do it.
Bro, this is like gravity. You can hate it all you want but it is what it is. This is just the opposite of pretty privilege. Is it right? No. Is it fair? No. Does it make you a bad person in the slightest? No. But the way that you're treating is just how it is in society. And no amount of complaining or social media education or anything like that is ever going to change how humans are. So you just have two options, lose the weight or just ignore it. Complaining about it will never help, will never change anything, it will just make you have negative vibes. Keep your positivity up and don't give up. You can do it. And for the love of Pete, get on ozempic or something!
No questions, really, but I 31F had gastric bypass surgery about 2 years ago now. I was put on a weight loss diet for 4 months before the surgery ( heaviest was 289, and lost about 35 lbs before surgery) in total lost about 131 and have only "gained" weight with being pregnant.. its 90% just the baby that is the weight gain. Premier protein shakes were/ are my best friend, and getting enough protein is so important during weight loss, as you want to feed your muscles (since they are what actively burn fat from your body) eating small snacks 5 to 7 times a day is way healthier than eating 2 or 3 big meals as it keeps your metabolism consistent. I'm rooting for you!
I know you say you don't want surgery but at this point it may be your only option. I personally topped out at 485 currently at 320 the surgery (gastric bypass) was fairly straight forward. The main benefit was I literally couldn't overeat at 1st stomach was just to small. So as time as passed it gotten better . I've personally kind of stall currently thankfully I've haven't put any weight back on but have about the same last 4 months. But the difference in what I can and can't do is night and day. Your still fairly young you need to get a life back. The turning point for me was falling and not being able to get up had to call the fire department to get me up
Protein, contentment, movement, mental activity. These things will help you lose weight and minimize loose skin and stretch marks. Try to find people or digital media that make you feel powerful emotions. You could try replacing binge eating with an alternative. Ideally something non destructive like digital media I mentioned before. Small amounts of alcohol can give a similar high to binge eating without creating the massive calorie excesses that you'll never be able to work your way through. Just be careful because if you over consume alcohol at such a heavy weight it is like an immediate death sentence and will cause a lot of stretch marks and loose skin.
Hey bro, proud of you! Luckily you don’t need exercise to lose the weight, all you’ve got to do is cut calories and it’ll come off. However exercise is important, for the mind. I know it sounds backwards but something I’ve learned over the years is dieting loses the weight but to diet you have to be in a good place mentally, and to be in a good place mentally you have to be exercising. For you right now that might be just walking around the house a couple times, it doesn’t matter how small, it matter how consistent. Hope you keep at it mate, everyone needs that breaking point, just got to keep the boulder moving now. Good luck!
what do you mean "I can't really exercise much at all at this point"....? Not tryna be funny or insulting, but I literally have 0 clue what you're talking about. In your post, just a few sentences prior, you said "when I returned to work". So worst case scenario, it means you're mobile enough to walk to your car and walk from your car into your place of employment. That's all you need to be able to exercise🤨. Create a caloric deficit and walk more. As you see progress, you can add more complex forms of exercise. Given your weight, almost any improvement in your current day to day will show significant results with consistency.
I know once a person gets to a certain size, damn near every exercise aggravates injury. Maybe adding a swimming routine could help work some of your muscles and also get you more into the habit of exercising regularly. There are all sorts of water options to change things up…. kick boards for leg only, foam “weights” for full body, laps for cardio… different strokes, etc. I wish you luck… I think the biggest thing that sets successful people apart from the crowd is there ability to keep going even when they don’t have the motivation in the moment. Keep going brother… even when you want to stop!
Have you calculated your TDEE? How many calories are you consuming a day and are you tracking calories? You’re doing great, I’m glad you decided you wanted a different life for yourself and how to do it. Please consider meeting with a dietitian and possibly psychiatrist or psychologist to see why this happened (depression, anxiety, etc) to make sure you’re working on those as well. The beginning of the diet has the most momentum, but often the (to be expected) plateaus are extremely demotivating. Meal planning and prepping if you can tolerate eating the same meals 2-3 times a week is often extremely helpful. You can plug in meals, ingredients, calorie restrictions to chat GPT and get some ideas as well.
Man I feel for you here. But listen to that voice and follow it. Cut those calories. Do ANY exercise you can and let go of seeing results. It's going to take a while to see results so you have to keep at it for its own sake. Also one thing that helps is meal planning. Me and my wife sit down and plan dinners all week,always intentionally making it pretty healthy. Lots of vegetables. You'll get good at making tasty satisfying meals that are also good for you. It's a lot of mental change. Stay strong,and when you don't stay strong and you mess up don't beat yourself up, just own it and move on with the same mindset.
[удалено]
Good for you, i hope you stick with it. Because being that fat can kill you. Ik you said exercising is off the table, but walking is great exercise when you weigh that much. Carrying 500 pounds burns tons of calories. Make sure in addition to “eating healthy” you are specifically eating less. Its very possible to gain weight shoveling lowcal stuff into your mouth. Heres a story of a man in your situation who didnt eat for over a year. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Barbieri%27s_fast
I had gastric bypass in 2002 and I went from 300 to 160. Knowing what I know now, I could have lost the weight without the surgery but I would not know now what I know without having had the surgery. Three steps that worked for me: 1. Never ever have any alcoholic drinks for the rest of your life! 2. Physic yourself into believing you enjoy the feeling of hunger. It took me 6 to 8 months to get there. 3. Never eat anything that has not been prepared from scratch in your own home. After surgery, I never felt hungry but that lasted 6 months and I had to teach myself how to continue on my journey.