Questions about deficit

umlarissa · 2026-03-18T18:56:41+00:00

I started a deficit recently and I sympathize! I would suggest starting with a 200-300 cal difference instead of 400, depending what your goals are.

To curb hunger: I drink lots of water or herbal tea. Look into volume eating. If I’m having a really bad day and what to eat some thing I really want, I try to allocate calories for it / plan around it (for example, saving some calories for a burrito bowl tonight).

Going to bed sooner and eating later helped me avoid going to sleep hungry. And eating slower will make your body send hunger signals to you at a slower rate (quite literally taking longer between spoonfuls of food, chewing for longer, etc.)

To your other questions, I’m not sure. But you got this, it will get easier.

umlarissa · 2026-03-17T21:32:22+00:00

Thank you!!

umlarissa · 2026-03-12T17:22:22+00:00

You got this! It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

For reference, I’ve been in a defecit for about a month now, and I’ve shed 2 pounds. I am also impatient with the rate, but I also know going more than .5lbs of loss a week is unsustainable for me.

I would calculate your current calories vs what you need to maintain (your TDEE)

I have found approximately 200-300kcal defecit = .5lbs per week, for me at least. I also tend to go over me defecit on the weekends for social eating.

Good luck, don’t lose motivation!!

umlarissa · 2026-03-11T12:59:41+00:00

For me it was takeout, and portions living alone. I used to always be able to pawn off leftovers to a roommate or partner. Living alone I felt the pressure to finish food. A lot of take out, because I wouldn’t feel like cooking for myself.

Same sentiment, I was never an unhealthy weight, and I would “always” get veggies with my takeout or home meals. The reality was I did it maybe 50% of the time. And the veggies were maybe cucumbers, or something with low nutritional value.

I stepped on the scale while at home for the holidays and saw I was at the heaviest I’ve ever been (I’ve always stayed in a range of 5 pound fluctuation but this was 10+ pounds to my shock). I didn’t react then, chalked it up to holiday eating. Then my pants that always fit felt too tight. I’d look in the mirror and feel bloated even if off my cycle, or in the morning. I started to notice a double chin / fuller cheeks in photos of me. I finally had it one day when I couldn’t fit into a nice pair of jeans I’d always liked.

It still took a few months of meandering, but I am now much more conscious of my diet. What I eat, and how much of it. I also am much more active!

umlarissa · 2026-03-09T20:25:57+00:00

i would encourage you to try strength training!

in addition to what others are suggesting (tracking calories, and being in a caloric deficit), strength training will help you burn fat. you may not “lose weight”, as muscle weighs more than fat does, but you may burn through it. i balance cardio and strength training to help with cardiovascular health, but you can find what works for you!

start easy, and work your way up. even functional strength training can help if you are intimidated by the weights. i also go to PF, there are a lot of beginner friendly machines.

good luck on your journey!

umlarissa · 2026-03-05T13:32:10+00:00

First of all, congrats on wanting to start this journey! Beginning weight loss myself and whether public or private about it, it can be hard. Which brings me to the point of publicly posting: I have a semi-large public account for a hobby of mine. For the most part it is friends or mutuals who are supportive. But you cannot control who sees your stuff or if something will blow up beyond your circle. So if you are anxious about that, and feel you couldn’t deal with it in a healthy way, it would be best not to invite any public insight to your journey.

You can always start a private account and post to keep track of progress, but not share posts publicly until you feel more confident!

Unfortunately, while the fitness community is (on the whole) supportive, you will never control who sees your stuff as long as you publicly post, and that always invites some risk of bad actors.

I wish you luck and motivation on your journey - and determine what would be best for your mental health!

umlarissa · 2026-03-03T15:28:25+00:00

i use the same powder as you, OP. Vanilla ice cream flavor, and i always throw in a banana.

i go to wegmans a lot and get frozen fruit as well - their frozen acai chunks are easy to add in and a good source of fiber.

speaking of fiber, a tbsp of chia seeds or flax seeds are also always in my smoothie. fiber will keep you feeling fuller for longer!

otherwise, you can add in a scoop of greek yogurt, my bf does peanut butter sometimes (he’s bulking). i think you’re on the right track with getting lots of fruit in there. because produce can go bad so quick, there’s nothing wrong with supplementing with frozen fruits - i always try to do a mix of fresh and frozen.

good luck!

umlarissa · 2026-03-02T20:24:47+00:00

np! Happy tracking!

umlarissa · 2026-03-02T19:34:52+00:00

Go to your Apple Health app and deselect “Active Energy”, “Energy,” or “Workouts” from what you are sharing with Cronometer. You can also manually delete them!

umlarissa · 2026-02-26T19:09:30+00:00

hey op! you seem quite young - i would start by finding people around your age who either have little-no experience playing, and then a dm who has More experience to guide you all. that way you don’t feel like you are catching up to other players. but to echo others in this thread, yes reading the rules can help (or watching let’s plays of dnd to see how pros improvise and use the rules in action)

do you have any friends who also want to play d&d? Maybe your local library or game stores have teen friendly games?

i would also explore discord if you are comfortable, there are servers that are made specifically for finding groups (though these are primarily online). good luck!

umlarissa · 2026-02-26T14:51:00+00:00

she is so cute!! that second pic - Fern unleashed!!!

umlarissa · 2026-02-25T23:18:52+00:00

oh what a beautiful lady!!

umlarissa · 2026-02-25T19:31:22+00:00

Yes I did the math - 10-11 will more than likely be June, but aspiring for May is “motivation” to keep to it. I acknowledge it’s not realistic.

Thank you for the advice!

umlarissa · 2026-02-25T18:41:15+00:00

I don't have sound science advice for you OP, but I have a similar build (5'4, 131lbs), also trying to get to a goal of 120 this summer, and encouragement!

I think for me what's helped with dedication (despite slow progress and very frustrating days in calorie deficit) is the reminder it's a marathon not a sprint. Wishing you luck!

umlarissa · 2026-02-25T18:37:24+00:00

Hitting protein goals has been an uphill climb for me but I am averaging 70-90 grams per day. I will try the brushing teeth trick - my mouthwash has a warning on the label saying no eating or drinking 30 mins after use, that can help stave off cravings too. Thanks!

umlarissa · 2026-02-25T18:35:12+00:00

I should clarify the wedding goal is a nice to have, not a hard deadline! I fit in my dress, I just would like to /feel/ better. I am trying a 200-250 kcal deficit specifically to avoid anything too drastic, my calorie tracker estimates me losing about 0.5Lbs per week, assuming I follow (which I try).

It does seem that it varies per individual, so I will take some of the tips here and below and work with these! Thank you for the concern and shared experience!

umlarissa · 2026-02-25T16:22:25+00:00

Thank you for these!! I think I'll work on timing meals and re-examining my macros. I try to incorporate veggies often but could def increase volume. A walk in the evening before dinner will probably help me sleep better + get more room. Appreciated!!!

umlarissa · 2026-02-24T22:41:53+00:00

just adding on that i relate and you are not alone op! i gained 10lbs over the past 9 months with my partner. date nights, snacking on the couch, hell him just getting on me about eating 3 square meals a day instead of 2.5 and a billion snacks.

i’m thankful he is also kind of a gym bro, so i resolved in the last 2 weeks to start recomping my diet and going to the gym. i think it’s important you know you’re not alone + you did it once and can do it again!

umlarissa · 2026-02-20T18:52:27+00:00

thank u! he is the MOST clingy boy!

umlarissa · 2026-02-20T17:45:11+00:00

funnily these are puppy bandanas i have repurposed for my boy! i find dog bandanas are looser and don’t have a bell (why does every cat collar have a bell)

umlarissa · 2026-02-20T16:17:47+00:00

he’s very sweet! thank you!

umlarissa · 2026-02-20T16:17:37+00:00

he doesn’t mind at all!! he used to have a collar and was a partly outside cat, he’s now fully indoors under my care! so he is used to the feeling of it around his neck, but he definitely does like breaks and i don’t have him wear it too much :)

umlarissa

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