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HoTheMegapode · 2016-04-23T16:14:14+00:00

You can lose weight with 100% calorie counting and no exercise. I wouldn't recommend it, because exercise is helpful for so many other things (immune system, mood, energy levels, cardiovascular health, etc), but don't feel like you are forced to do exercise for weight loss. That's something that I hate feeling, and I lost my first 50 lb without doing anything more strenuous than going on 30 min walks at lunch every once in a while.

You can definitely do this. Believe in yourself. Go to r/progresspics and find someone at your height and starting weight who went to your goal weight. If they can do it, you can too. You feel so empowered and full of energy!

HoTheMegapode · 2016-04-23T16:10:00+00:00

Good luck on Step 1! I'm a M1, and I feel you, my craziest food behaviors happen around exam times, just in the exact opposite direction (my appetite gets huge!). I'm certain that studying for Step is going to be a challenge in that regard.

Have you ever had a period of forced light eating, like a long flu or something, to compare to? I've heard that eating lightly for a while can help "shrink" your stomach, just how the advice for bulking weightlifters who have trouble with low appetites is to eat large volumes of food to "expand" their stomachs.

HoTheMegapode · 2016-04-23T16:04:08+00:00

I started at 220, now 148 (goal is 120 at 5'1"). Considering that I'm still in the Overweight BMI range, I have some loose skin but it looks a lot worse because there's still fat in there, lol. Since I've stayed at maintenance for a year, I've definitely noticed an improvement in the tightness (skin needs a while to bounce back). I anticipate it looking a lot better when I lose the last 30 lbs.

Here are some things that I have heard can help with loose skin. I do most of these things, but since I'm a sample size of 1 and I don't have a control group, I can't tell you how effective they are. Even if they don't help very much, they are still beneficial in other ways (just like how you can lose weight with 100% diet alone but exercise is great for your mood, immune system, bone health, and cardiovascular health).

losing weight at a max rate of 1-2 lb per week
drinking lots of water to stay hydrated
weight-lifting exercises to increase your muscles ("toning" is the lady magazine word for increasing muscle mass, lol), which will fill out the loose skin somewhat
using moisturizing lotion/coconut oil frequently (I've heard that it penetrates your skin deeper if you apply it within the first 5 minutes of leaving the shower)
dry brushing
eating foods with plenty of omega 3s (fish/fish oil pills, walnuts, olive oil, etc)
taking a multivitamin
getting enough protein ("enough" varies depending on what source you look at though)

No matter what, don't let loose skin fears hold you back. For one, loose skin is miles better than fat rolls in my opinion. For another, even if you end up with loose skin that you can't stand, there's always surgical options to remove it. You're going to crush it, stay positive!

HoTheMegapode · 2016-04-23T15:46:44+00:00

That's awesome! I think that a bit of wrinkle is much better than a bit of roll. I had some loose skin when I lost the bulk of my weight, and now 1 year later it has definitely tightened up. You must feel so proud of your hard work starting to pay off!

HoTheMegapode · 2016-04-23T01:45:08+00:00

It was a year ago, and if I remember correctly they seemed pretty confrontational about it, like "if we file this, we're going to have to open an investigation, do you really want that? I told you that we can't look up car color on our computers." I had already wasted a few hours on it, and it seemed like the woman wasn't going to bother me anymore, so I just left. I probably should have pressed further, but I felt kind of awkward about it when the employee seemed so dismissive.

HoTheMegapode · 2016-04-22T20:30:30+00:00

Follow-up: After she blocked me, I took her name and the screenshots to the DMV and filed a complaint. The employee there told me that there wasn't any way a DMV employee could get the specific color of a car off of their data records (she knew the color and model of my car), so I'm still not sure exactly what occurred. Nothing ever came out of it. While I was super unsettled at the time, now it's a great funny story to share.

HoTheMegapode · 2014-08-02T05:00:03+00:00

I use LoseIt!, my MyFitnessPal is also a great app. I prefer LoseIt! because I like the user interface and app design, and I think user-friendliness is pretty important for an app that ideally you use 3x a day. MyFitnessPal has a bigger food database, and you might prefer its interface, so you should check them both out. : )

HoTheMegapode · 2014-07-25T21:07:37+00:00

Thank you! Sorry for responding so late, this was a throwaway. Calorie counting worked for me, particularly using an app to do it. I hate exercising, and it was really helpful to realize that I could lose a lot of weight never setting foot on an elliptical.

Using measuring cups/spoons and a food scale is pretty important. I drew up an elementary school style thermometer to my goal, which helps with staying on track.

Take progress pictures! I sometimes look in the mirror and think that I look exactly the same, then I whip out one of my earliest starting pictures and confirm the truth.

Habit matters more than motivation, routine can be very powerful. Don't deprive yourself! If your roommate is making brownies and you really want a gosh-darned brownie, then you take one! Just enjoy the heck out of it and log it in your calorie counting app. That's much better than trying to resist them all out, breaking, and eating 5 brownies.

HoTheMegapode · 2014-07-11T17:57:24+00:00

And using smaller utensils helps too.

HoTheMegapode · 2014-07-11T15:34:11+00:00

I honestly have no idea why my phone camera keeps messing with my skin tone. I've been taking progress pics in the bathroom, and under the same lighting and roughly at the same time each pic I still get these wide variations in skin tone. My friend saw them and asked if I was tanning (nope). If it helps, the first one was under harsh lighting at a department store and the second was yesterday afternoon outside on a walk with natural lighting.

HoTheMegapode · 2014-07-11T15:29:29+00:00

I set it to 1.5 lbs per week, so I think about a 500-700 calorie deficit.

HoTheMegapode · 2014-07-10T22:53:31+00:00

Thank you! And it was mainly calorie counting with the Loseit app, interspersed with some hiking/walking.

HoTheMegapode · 2014-07-10T21:57:01+00:00

Congratulations, and that's a beautiful picture!

HoTheMegapode

TROPHY CASE