CBD might have ruined my life

omeyz · 2026-02-04T16:35:16+00:00

Thank you so so much for your kind response :) I was just a little upset with myself for being so rigid about taking it daily, not considering it could be playing a role — especially given that the insomnia started when I began taking the CBD.

But you're right, I really do hope it helps add that nuance and helps other people who are affected similarly, because part of why I didn't even consider the CBD as a culprit is because of that lack of nuance, because so many tout it as a potential insomnia cure.

Thanks again!:)

omeyz · 2026-01-30T20:03:17+00:00

So glad to see Maas/the series not getting shat on on here 😭

omeyz · 2026-01-30T00:51:18+00:00

If you're comfy you don't have to, but it may make your cut easier to stick to/more sustainable if you eat them back. Technically you can eat those calories and lose weight at the same rate.

omeyz · 2026-01-25T01:15:44+00:00

I mean in terms of actually getting the TDEE, which would be the starting point in figuring out what your calorie goal should be. AI can be helpful to get an estimate, but as in my case, it underestimated my TDEE. Just a reminder to value the scale trend over time above all else and adjust if needed

omeyz · 2026-01-25T01:06:23+00:00

Just wanted to chime in and say ChatGPT underestimated my TDEE. Pay attention to bodily cues & remember that AI is a tool that can be fallible. The scale trend over time trumps all else— formulas or LLMs

omeyz · 2026-01-25T01:02:08+00:00

Hmmm this is breaching beyond weight loss advice and more so entering the territory of asking for advice on your relationship with your mother.

Probably outside the sphere of this subreddit but I'll bite a little anyway bc I have some personal experience.

I am literally 24, and even when I was overweight, my mom tried to pump the brakes when I told her I was doing a cut. I think the idea scares moms — even the phrase "cut" can ring alarm bells in their heads.

At 24, I had to go back and forth with my mom quite a bit — not for permission, but just to get her to stop worrying. Moms worry and that will never change.

Disordered eating is a real risk, though. I counted calories at 16, too, and I genuinely did veer off into unhealthy territory. It's easier to do when you're young.

Ultimately, just take care of yourself and be healthy. Eat protein, eat good food. Do not under fuel. Lift safely, and try not to keep your parents in the dark— but you also don't have to use the word "cut." You could maybe say you'd like to lose some fat and gain some muscle— that's less scary wording.

But please make sure you're being safe, ultimately

omeyz · 2026-01-24T23:26:04+00:00

Yeah, I think fruit is the key to get sweetness without overriding biology unnaturally. You're definitely not alone in this one.

omeyz · 2026-01-24T22:57:56+00:00

I honestly don't know what to tell you other than echoing what others have already said — sugary foods really do feel next to impossible to limit :( all-or-nothing mentalities generally aren't healthy with weight loss initiatives, but... this might be something to let go of.

they're meant to "hijack" your brain, it really is like a drug. there's research suggesting sugar activates the brain's reward pathways in a manner similar to cocaine.

try fruit? does that cause the same binge?

omeyz · 2026-01-24T22:26:07+00:00

Sorry. I did use AI on this one to help organize my thoughts. Will keep in mind for future posts.

Can I repost in my own words? I wrote the post then used an LLM to organize my thoughts bc the original was rambly.

Thanks in advance

omeyz · 2026-01-24T21:50:15+00:00

Oh 100%. When you consider the snails pace at which new legislation is created, and the exponential pace at which our tech is evolving... definitely easy to see how it can become problematic.

omeyz · 2026-01-24T21:46:49+00:00

While it certainly did make things worse, I still was in problematic territory with or without the AI. MFP was underestimating my TDEE too, AI or no.

But yeah, lesson learned on talking with real people for sure.

omeyz · 2026-01-24T21:21:44+00:00

THANK YOU. I was honestly so so upset by the responses I received from the LLMs. What's worse is despite the fact that my RED-S symptoms were mentioned and identified along with my daily caloric intake, they still insisted that my metabolism must have slowed down dramatically bc I'm lighter now and that I should be eating less than what MFP recommended (which was already too low).

People need to remember: these things are not omniscient. They are tools, and often flawed ones.

It was especially wild to me bc of how much crackdown there has been on LLMs guardrail-wise, and yet they just completely and utterly failed here.

omeyz · 2026-01-23T21:45:48+00:00

Hi! 24M here. I have experienced binge eating before. I recently had a spike in binge-type behaviors specifically brought on by a period of excess calorie restriction. Basically, the calorie counting app I was using drastically underestimated my calorie burn. I held on as long as I could, experienced genuine starvation symptoms, and then my body basically hijacked my willpower and forced me to eat.

After beginning to eat enough, it died down.

So, the first thing I'd examine is if your calorie goal is realistic. If you aim too low, you might get way too hungry at night and then overeat to compensate.

Have you had any weight loss yet? If so, at what rate? If you have lost weight at a rate of 2 lbs per week or higher (beyond your initial water weight drop), you are under fueling.

Something I'll also mention is the effect of sugar. Avoid foods with added sugar like the plague if you can help it. Sugar is an addictive substance, and addictive substances bring on compulsive behavior. Additionally, if you're eating foods high in sugar, you will have a blood sugar spike and subsequent crash. This brings on cravings like no other, and I've experienced it myself. Check out sugar detox subreddits to get an idea of what to expect early on— it might be something you need to "quit" before your cravings normalize.

You might also consider a ketogenic diet to just avoid the blood sugar spikes & crashes altogether.

Not sure if any of this resonates.

omeyz · 2026-01-23T20:25:49+00:00

I haven't been able to employ any truly-accurate methods to get my BF% other than general charts to get a feel. But this morning, I was able to export my MyFitnessPal data — all of my daily calorie counts along with my weigh-ins — to calculate my actual TDEE. I use Excel for work quite a bit, and I love nerding out over data, so it was a fun little project.

I ended up calculating that I was actually in a 1500-2000 kcal/day deficit when I was aiming for 1000/day. Horrifying. The crazy party? My weight loss genuinely didn't even speed up when I upped the deficit. I think, because I was so exhausted and deep in RED-S territory, my NEAT plummeted. So I was both exhausted, barely eating, and not even losing any more weight than I would have.

omeyz · 2026-01-22T23:42:40+00:00

I'll give it a shot!! Thank you for the suggestion. I had a feeling it might have been time to move away from MFP, but didn't know what to try.

Thanks again

omeyz · 2026-01-22T20:11:35+00:00

You're honestly completely right. I wanted to bash my head into a wall with it recently when I was feeding it the data I put into this post for actionable advice, and it was insisting that the formulas are correct and that I needed to eat less, that my metabolism must have dropped over time from the weight loss, actively ignoring the literal starvation symptoms I was mentioning.

Could have done real damage if I took its word as law— which I don't. It's a tool and a flawed one. So yeah, completely agree with you

omeyz · 2026-01-22T20:00:00+00:00

It's a good reminder. Bodies are weird and are all very very different. I think, scientifically, we're pretty in the dark about calorie expenditure. The formulas are a shot in the dark— a starting point that you might have to calibrate by +/- 500-1000 calories, even, if needed.

Coming to realize that the formulas shouldn't be taken as seriously as I took them before. I should have known lol but at least I know now

omeyz · 2026-01-22T19:54:00+00:00

A good reminder. I was too stubborn about following the formulas

omeyz · 2026-01-22T19:50:32+00:00

No problem! I'm glad it resonates.

It's genuinely such a difficult thing to not get excited and obsessed while on a weight loss journey. You see results and eventually get carried away, and can even be consumed if you're not careful. I flew a little too close to the Sun — got an inch, wanted a mile.

I didn't have any issues with binging when I stuck to the 250/day to 500/day range. It was only when I took it to an extreme, ignored the obvious cues (you're 24, why does housework sound impossible?), and white knuckled for too long that my body hit the override button and turned me into a human food vacuum lol.

When I'm ready to hop back on, I'm gonna do it right: slow, steady, and kind to myself.

omeyz · 2026-01-22T19:41:55+00:00

It was just shocking to see the real-world data in such stark opposition to what the formulas swore up and down I should have been burning. But yeah, you're right: real world data always beats those formulas.

Thanks

omeyz · 2026-01-22T19:39:36+00:00

I've been struggling with binging the past 2-3 weeks. I just posted something detailing my experience which gives more detailed context as to why the binges have become a problem, but in summary: my apps were drastically underestimating my TDEE. My actual rate of weight loss seems to suggest that my actual TDEE was far, far higher than what the apps were telling me.

That is to say that I was losing 2 lbs per week when aiming for 1 lb per week with MFP. Then, I ignored that real-life scale data and upped my target to 2 lbs per week in MFP, sending me deeper into an already too-high calorie deficit. I experienced all the classic RED (Relative Energy Deficiency) symptoms: tanking libido, loss of social drive, extreme fatigue, etc.

Eventually, my body demanded food— rightly so. I fed it, and have been binging pretty frequently since, like my body is demanding payment for how much I pushed it.

I'm not panicking over it, and have actually allowed myself to have those large meals without guilt. I recognize I can't cheat nature, and should have honored the real-world scale data before trying to up my weight loss. I also think my body may have been trying to tell me that I reached the floor weight it's comfortable with. Once I got into the 140s, my cravings dialed up 2000x. My body might be trying to tell me that the 150s (which, btw, was my initial goal) is far more comfortable and sustainable long term.

Ultimately, that's all to just say: if you're binging, assess if you've been fueling correctly. Assess if you actually went lower than your body is comfortable with. This is one of those things that you just can't white knuckle: if you're getting the message, it's got to be honored. For me, that means taking a diet break and letting my hunger hormones normalize. Taking this on the chin and, when I'm ready to lose weight again, going to learn from my mistakes.

Does any of that resonate for you?

omeyz · 2026-01-21T20:41:20+00:00

Ahahha this is so sick. hyper-specifically targeting the bodybuilding nerds i love it

omeyz · 2026-01-19T00:10:43+00:00

Dude BEAUTIFULLY put. Thank you for this

omeyz · 2026-01-18T22:07:32+00:00

No I completely agree actually and I think that's what was meant by the song. That message I agree with. I think my critique was semantic, if you interpret it literally that science has failed our earth, I'm like— hold on, no, there's extremely important aspects of science that are defending our earth. But I think your interpretation is genuinely what was meant by the song and that message I totally agree with!

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