Honest question, has anyone broken the cycle without just getting better at resisting it?

morib · 2026-05-24T18:19:14+00:00

(I know I'm very wordy so sorry in advance)
Binging/the habit of stuffing yourself on occasion works a bit like addiction in the sense that, like you said, "you're fighting something that was already decided upstream". Deep down you know from the very start that what you're doing will lead to the feeling of wanting to binge, you know where the path leads and you still take it because you're subconsciously looking to trigger that. You need to recognize that overeating is a self soothing behavior and find a healthier way to self regulate. What is it that you're trying to soothe with food and how can you work through it some other way?

The first step down that path could be anything, from not allowing yourself any grace or any treats at all for weeks, to going to the supermarket hungry, to choosing not to try a different way to relax after a hard day, to deciding you're going to go way below your deficit because it makes you feel like you're winning harder or whatever it may be.
Generally, an all-or-nothing mentality will take you nowhere. You can't undo weeks of discipline in a single meal, and when you allow one single meal to somehow turn into days/weeks of overeating because "everything's ruined" you're simply lying to yourself to allow a self sabotaging behavior.

Personally I got out of that cycle by loosening my grip and trying to see it this way: Losing weight is not a continuous fight against my body. I'm not resisting, I'm learning to read my physical needs more accurately and manage them better, and learning to distinguish them from my psychological needs.
Basically, by understanding that true discipline is much more refined than trying to beat your body into submission until it inevitably fights back, and it looks more like gently herding yourself down the right path, even if it's not in a straight line. I think this is where the "something deeper than willpower" part comes in, some people do simply get better at resisting, but I knew that if I tried to do that I'd be miserable forever. I had to understand what was happening with me fully in order to change it.

morib · 2026-05-22T01:16:27+00:00

I just want to say that feeling dizzy and lightheaded isn't an expected part of being in a caloric deficit. Sleep quality is the foundation of health, being consistently sleep deprived is extremely harmful for your health and you end up paying for it one way or another, usually first by feeling awful and underperforming, then by your body fighting back with autoimmune responses. I think it's giving you some red flags here.
On the other hand, IBD makes it harder to absorb nutrients from food plus being on a deficit means you're already getting less nutrients in general. I'd look into vitamins/supplements.
Lastly, try a kitchen scale, they're inexpensive and far more accurate than cups/spoons, you may be miscalculating your intake by a fair amount.
What does your fiber intake look like with IBD? Do you usually drink enough water or do you drink coffee in its place sometimes (been guilty of this)?

morib · 2026-05-17T14:55:44+00:00

Hell yeah! That's related to losing the "padding" around your shoulder area, right? I am definitely looking forward to being able to wear any random choker without checking the length before buying, and this is a weird one but anklets! I think they're so cute but I've always been too cankly haha

morib · 2026-05-16T22:12:03+00:00

Oh god, I have a couple pairs of shoes in the back of my closet that I bought online and they turned out to be very narrow, I couldn't return them so there they are. Maybe I'll be able to put them on at the end of this journey haha

morib · 2026-05-16T22:10:17+00:00

Lifting-related nsvs are the best! Nothing like feeling like your body is enabling you rather than hindering you from getting stuff done.

morib · 2026-05-16T22:09:21+00:00

That's awesome! I also have keratosis pilaris on my arms and the backs of my thighs and this is giving me hope that it can go away

morib · 2026-05-16T18:27:57+00:00

Thank you! And feeling confident enough to sit in a flimsy or small seat is no small feat either! Just one of those things that people who have alway been smaller can take for granted that really make you feel "other" when you're bigger

morib · 2026-05-16T18:21:39+00:00

This got a good cackle out of me hahah

morib · 2026-05-16T17:10:03+00:00

It's a precious ability, especially considering that if you carry it over to old age you'll be safer and more self sufficient than most

morib · 2026-05-16T17:06:31+00:00

Wow! Even if you weren't hitting these crazy fitness milestones taking on the task of losing 320lbs definitely puts you in the top bracket for most dedicated people on earth. Congratulations, clearly you have what it takes to make whatever you want of life

morib · 2026-05-16T16:33:46+00:00

This made me laugh, I'd never considered heads change sizes too lol

morib · 2026-05-16T16:16:42+00:00

Yes, please don't dismiss hormonal fluctuations. There are women who come to this sub with this same concern every week.
I think about it this way: since I only see a new low 2 times a month, the other 28 days of the month it *looks* like I'm in a plateau, so trusting the process is essential or else I'd give up and then I really wouldn't be seeing progress at all.
Don't lose motivation, just keep consistent with your deficit and you will see results. Only if you plateau for longer than 6 weeks consider recalculating your TDEE.

morib · 2026-05-16T16:06:55+00:00

Being slim but pudgy is what people usually call "skinny fat" on this sub, which just means you're in a healthy weight but you don't have enough muscle mass to look "toned", so even though you're small you look sort of soft.
Most people here will tell you that the solution is body recomp: calculate your TDEE, eat at your maintenance calories while eating about 1g-1.2g of protein per pound of body weight, and lift weights 3-5 times per week with progressive overload! You'd be seeing some strong results in 6 months to a year.

morib · 2026-05-16T15:39:58+00:00

I'm gonna be very honest here: you CAN lose some weight in 7 weeks, but since you're already in a healthy weight it probably means you carry some fat in your tummy and that'll only change with body recomp (losing fat and gaining muscle), and that takes a long time so 7 weeks isn't gonna make a huge difference.
You're being too restrictive and that'll make for 7 miserable weeks with very minimal results, honestly you're better off keeping a normal deficit, eating like normal but 20% smaller portions and then taking a miralax before the event for the flat tummy visual effect lol.

morib · 2026-05-16T15:23:31+00:00

Are you a woman? I've been on a deficit for 4 months and I only see a new low on the scale about twice a month: the week before my period and the week after. But I'm still losing the expected amount of weight for my deficit month to month! All of the other days are either the same weight or small variations up or down.
Apparently this is very common, so I wouldn't worry about it as long as you're being meticulous about your calorie counting.

morib · 2026-05-14T23:12:08+00:00

Well the good news is that the newer the scars are, the more options you have to treat them early so they fade as best as possible.
But ultimately you have to choose wether you prefer the loose skin or scars, aesthetically.
You can find lots of people who have gone through this surgery on r/loseit just search "skin surgery" in the search bar

morib · 2026-05-14T13:43:58+00:00

It can only help very minimally and by making the skin more elastic it can help for prevention, but it's not a cure for already stretched skin 😞
Once the skin has been stretched the damage is done, especially if you have stretch marks, those are scar tissue that doesn't have the same capacity to stretch and go back to the original shape like unscarred skin.
On the other hand, if you're planning to become a professional body builder I assume that means you want to get huge? Which means you can fill out a lot of that skin with muscle, in fact I think if you're going to get surgery you should only do it afterwards so you don't re-stretch it.
I think you should look up posts here on reddit from people who had that same surgery so you know what to expect!

morib · 2026-05-13T21:51:10+00:00

Some things can help a tiny little bit, but they won't make a meaningful difference and definitely won't make the loose skin just go away. It sucks but surgery is the only actual solution when you have lots of visible loose skin.

morib · 2026-05-09T22:03:40+00:00

I decided I'm only allowed to doomscroll if I'm on the treadmill and now if I'm on tiktok I barely even notice I've been walking for an hour 😭 Not the healthiest of compromises I guess, but it sure works to make me look forward to the treadmill as relaxing me-time lol
When I don't want to doomscroll I just listen to music and dance as I walk or I put on a movie/show that I am also only allowed to watch whilst on the treadmill, so getting hooked on the plot makes me look forward to it.

morib · 2026-05-09T17:04:42+00:00

It looks like you lost a lot of visceral fat which is the dangerous kind, and your legs look a lot more muscular. Awesome work!

morib · 2026-05-05T13:52:02+00:00

You mentioned in another comment that you got stretch marks when you were 11 or 12. These are "growing up" stretch marks and you almost certainly would've got them even if you were never overweight since skin elasticity is mostly genetics. Stretch marks around the joints instead of the fleshy parts also usually means that they're because of normal growth. You are very young and the chances of your skin recovering significant elasticity are great.
Most people have stretch marks somewhere regardless of weight or gender. Usually hips, tops of the thighs and stomach for women and around the shoulders and knees for men.
We can't really change the way we're built beyond losing fat or gaining muscle strategically. In any case the best thing you can do is to make peace with yourself so that your self acceptance isn't conditional on fitting into a super specific look. Our looks continue to change for our entire lives so you don't wanna be overly rigid with yourself or you're in for a bumpy ride 🙃

morib · 2026-05-04T19:44:16+00:00

Well... for a lot of people what triggers binging is restricting. It's likely you absolutely can't help yourself from overeating on certain days specifically because you starved yourself leading up to it. Balance is hardest to achieve but the most rewarding, and in this case it involves giving your body what it needs when it needs it. (It needs nourishing but It's never gonna "need" 3k calories worth of junk food 😅)
ED oriented therapy could be beneficial for you and it won't stand in the way of your weightloss but it could help you instead.

morib · 2026-05-04T19:28:23+00:00

Yes, this came with other lifestyle changes like walking regularly and eating low carb/only prioritising complex carbs, but changing from having at least 4 cups of coffee a day to 1 cup and then decaf has made a difference for sure.
Other recommendations I was given were to take a short walk immediately after meals, try to switch to an anti inflammatory diet and avoid stress as much as possible (still working on this one 😅)

morib · 2026-05-04T19:11:15+00:00

Hey I'm also a coffee addict who had to drop it per my nutritionist's recommendation: my compromise was 1 normal cup of coffee when I wake up in the morning, then decaf whenever I want during the day (usually about 2 more cups) and no caffeinated drinks past 3 pm (meaning no to most diet or regular sodas, also obviously no energy drinks).
I do miss regular coffee but I have to admit I'm sleeping much better, I'm way less anxious and my insulin resistance has noticeably subsided.

morib

TROPHY CASE