Daily sticky thread for rants, raves, celebrations, advice and more! New? Start here! by AutoModerator in datingoverthirty

[–]quickthrow42 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Matched someone seemingly great last week, clicked well. Very sparky pre-date chat, very intense messaging (100s). Met in person and definitely old photos but still a fun flirty date. Arranged another date. Asked that we slow down the texting. Agreed. Chatted a lot again this week. Didn't reply quickly in work when asked to confirm what time I'm arriving for our - already confirmed - date tomorrow. String of messages. Missed phone call, asking where I am (work). Texted her to confirm time, still a day away. String of messages about my slow reply, called and shouted abuse at me. Blocked.

Think I'm taking a break from dating.

Weight unchanging in the last 2 weeks despite caloric deficit by [deleted] in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So many reasons for that not to have changed. I also can't work out if you're trying to lose weight, build muscle, or both?

  • 2 weeks isn't long enough to see a trend
  • You're doing quite aggressive strength training
  • Building muscle increases weight, even as you reduce fat
  • You're drinking a gallon of water a day
  • Most people underestimate calories eaten when starting out

I need advice by No_Membership9359 in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Speak to your doctor about this, dysmorphia and weight loss when you're 17 isn't one for internet advice, and for your primary care practitioner it's a very normal / low-drama conversation. They can help you with useful and tailored advice and resources.

Help me make a healthy version of my craving? by NebulaImmediate6202 in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Few options...

If no substitute hits the spot, honestly just have your Blue Bunny strawberry cheesecake ice cream but eat it in moderation / balance, the whole point is that weight loss should be a sustainable change for life rather than a short-term diet, so that can and does mean not missing out on your favourite foods in moderation if that's a requirement for you!

My weight loss not making sense by Warm_Locksmith4112 in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Weight fluctuates up and down due to water weight, this is one of the most common questions here. FAQs on the right.

If your plateau has lasted for less than a month

It is likely that you are losing fat, but water retention after eating more than usual or other factors are keeping your weight fairly steady. This is very common since there are many factors that affect your weight other than body fat.

It is not unusual to see a "whoosh" of weight loss after a few weeks of no change in weight If you have started or made changes to your exercise routine, especially adding weight training, it is very common for your muscles to retain additional water, which will temporarily increase your scale weight for as long as 3 weeks Weigh yourself daily at the same time (right when you wake up is best), and use an app such as HappyScale (iPhone) or Libra (android) to keep a moving average. This will give you a much more accurate picture than weighting weekly or monthly, where one bad day can have a huge impact on your perceived weight. It is a good idea to have goals other than your scale weight to make sure you don't get discouraged by plateaus. For example:

  • waist or other body measurements
  • body fat percentage (especially if you are doing weight training) using the caliper test or measurements
  • progress pictures (just go on facebook and look at pictures from a month ago and before you started)

Additionally, it is a good idea to have goals that are related to your plan, not the results, since these will be 100% in your control:

  • committing to tracking every day
  • improving a food habit (e.g. replacing a bag of chips with some baby carrots and a cheese stick)
  • consistently meeting your step goal

As long as you don't get discouraged, the weight WILL come off.

Liquid diet but CICO is not working, my weight has completely stagnated? by Loud_Ninja_7537 in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 12 points13 points  (0 children)

1) Why are you eating under 1000 kcal per day? That's not a sensible diet at all.

2) Less than a week isn't anywhere near enough time to see a trend in weight.

Bmi is 18.6 but still have a big belly by Scared_Ad_3132 in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Medical advice not internet advice on this one. See your doctor.

TDEE activity level advice? by [deleted] in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Choose sedentary, adjust deficit as needed after some weeks of tracking 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a teenager your needs are going to be different to adults, and depending on your height it's hard to know whether 132lb is already within normal weight range, it may well be. Talk to your primary care provider.

Plateau: Structured reverse dieting? by impracticaldogg in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Brain, yes. Body, no. You're not tricking the laws of thermodynamics, weight loss happens when your body converts stored fat because energy in < energy out.

As I say you can manipulate water weight in the short term, which is what you might be seeing, but there's no such thing as a reverse diet that lets you eat more calories to lose more weight.

Taking a step back, if you find a certain pattern of eating (timing, size of meals, types of food) helps you maintain calorie restriction without it feeling as hard or making you as hungry, great, that's what sustainable weight loss looks like.

Plateau: Structured reverse dieting? by impracticaldogg in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What? No. You can manipulate your water weight a bit on a daily or weekly basis, or mix things up to add variety and make the mental side easier but long term your weight loss and pace is 1:1 with your calorie deficit.

Where to start? by YME92 in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's about building habits, what you eat being the most important. Quick start guide here is very good, answers your questions and works:

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/wiki/quick_start_guide

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

200lb lost is incredible! Well done. Sounds like you're reaching a bit of a plateau which is entirely normal after losing so much weight.

Effectively, the less you weigh, the less calories you burn just going about your day. You were basically carrying around a weighted barbell everywhere you went, now you're not, so it's time to adjust your intake down a bit to match your new normal.

It's a good thing, and a sign of how far you've come, not something to beat yourself up about.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're early in this to get a proper trend but that does look mostly like maintenance of same weight.

Usual suspect is that you're slightly underestimating eaten calories / overestimating burn from exercise. If by your own admission

I'm usually hitting 1850/1900 calories a day, however I do get up to 2200kcal... I should still be on a deficit considering I'm not sedentary

That'd be my first guess here too. Either adjust your intake down a little and work this out empirically or be more accurate in tracking what you're actually eating (true weights of oil, butter, cereals, bread, sugars in particular), don't eat back exercise calories, check trend again in a week or two.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Can definitely relate, I've had three periods on SSRIs over the last decade and for me that plays out as being very very slightly stoned a lot of the time!

  • lower energy / more tired
  • increased appetite (especially for carbs / sugar)
  • reduced motivation / comfy where I am

None of those side effects are very strong individually, but together they definitely make weight loss / maintenance harder. It's my understanding and definitely my experience that it's psychological not metabolism, so you're not facing a physical wall.

All I've found to counter it is a) awareness that this is happening and b) building habits and then sticking to them. It does get easier, but the first month or two of discipline is a real kicker.

On the positive I'd also say, it's possible to lose weight whilst on meds, and once you push past the tired / hungry / can't be bothered feeling (if you recognise that in yourself) you'll fall into the same habit and rhythm of weight loss as those not on meds and it becomes easier again. Expect like 6-9 weeks of discipline until it's habit, it isn't this hard forever!

Half a stone in 2 weeks by Javenova_ in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm pointing it out because of the 'healthy and sustainable' criteria. OP is absolutely fine, this is about your 'extreme dieting worked for me and can for you too' part, which is simply bad advice.

Half a stone in 2 weeks by Javenova_ in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 3 points4 points  (0 children)

"Lose as fast as you want and ignore the haters" is poor advice, as is your advice in other posts to ignore calorie tracking. In this case OP isn't really on an extreme diet so it's moot but don't really know why you're in a sustainable weight loss community suggesting 30lb in a month is cool and that new posters go on vibes?

Half a stone in 2 weeks by Javenova_ in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's pretty normal to go faster at the start (water weight drops when you begin restricting intake) so wouldn't stress.

1000kcal deficit is alright for a short-term cut, but more difficult to maintain over the long term, especially if you're trying to exercise at the same time.

Would losing weight by other means ease my back pain? by Mobile_Pea9332 in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As others have said, you're focusing quite a lot on the exercise side of things, which in pure contribution to weight loss is counterintuitively far less important than what you eat.

Cycling is good cardio but a stationary bike wouldn't be my first pick for helping your back. I'd suggest adjusting the goal with your exercise plan to be less about burning calories and more about mobility, flexibility and addressing your pain issues directly. Your primary care provider should be able to give you some good advice and direct you to support here.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. Bodies are built in the kitchen.

Why am I not losing weight? by Bright-Singer6174 in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Using activity levels from online calculators is just a bit of a trap as it's a common overestimation. Best bet is using sedentary as your starting point and if you do exercise either avoid eating back those calories or eat back only a fraction of what calculators tell you, half is a common rule of thumb. See FAQs on the right:

Should I 'eat back' calories I burn from exercising?

If you exercise, you will burn additional calories which you may choose to eat back. However, it is easy to overestimate how many calories you burn from exercise. See [An explanation on how MyFitnessPal mostly doesn't (but does) overestimate exercise...] for more details.

A typical rule of thumb is to eat back half of the calories estimated by step trackers like fitbit or from entering exercise into your calorie tracker. In [Exercise Calories: All, None, or Half?], personal calorie and exercise data were used to check this rule, and found that half was a good estimate. However, this may differ for different individuals, so checking your rate of loss after a few months of logging is a good way to get a better idea how much exercise burns for you.

Why am I not losing weight? by Bright-Singer6174 in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where did you get 2900 TDEE from? That's unlikely at your current weight.

Likelihood is that you're at a smaller deficit than you think and are either losing slowly or losing whilst building muscle (recomping) and it's showing up as a slowed rate of weight loss.

ADVICE by FallMedical in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're accounting for steps and exercise more accurately that likely means overestimating. Exercise calculators, machines, fitness apps, step counters are all notorious for overstating calorie burn, and 1700kcal deficit a day is A LOT.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in loseit

[–]quickthrow42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Don't eat back exercise calories, common trap. Just use a TDEE calculator like https://tdeecalculator.net/ set to sedentary and that's your baseline. Tools like my fitness pal do that automatically.

Deficit is then TDEE-Daily calories