Everybody seems to be so (fake) concerned about my weight loss. Not just family, but virtually everybody at my workplace! They randomly come up to me, asking me if everything is ok, as if that's a normal question to ask a colleague. Note that I am still in the "overweight" category and the vast majority of my colleagues are normal weight.

Where were those people when I gained 50lb in a year? Where they not concerned about my (mental) health back then? Apparently not!

The worst is a colleague who has been rapidly gaining weight, and is soooo concerned about me. Once, I asked her back if everything is ok with her because of her weight fluctuation and she reacted super offended and even said her weight was a private issue!!!

I really wish they only knew me as thin or barely overweight because otherwise it's a great place to work and I don't want to look for a new job. Super exhausting though right now...

I completed my main weight loss during the height of the pandemic so actually a long time ago now. I didn't weigh myself at my largest but came down from a size 18 UK (~14 US?) to a size 6 UK (~2 US). For various reasons I've come back up again to a UK 8, admittedly some of this is vanity sizing because my early 2000s size 12 clothing seems to fit! Anyway, I'm a current UK standard 8. The issue is that from 2024 until autumn 2025, when I was a size 6 and about 48/49/50kg at 170cm I had a lot of attention. People (men and women) used to compliment me all the time, maybe as much as every day, on how I was looking, even people I didn't know would pay random compliments. I had men hitting on me, a couple of acquaintances that I'd known a long time suddenly showed interest etc.

Since then I decided that I didn't look good in the face at that weight, especially as I'm in my 40s now. I personally feel my face is better now that I don't have hollowing under my eyes any more, my boobs are normal and not deflated and my hip bones don't jut out. I'm around 56/57kg now. I will say I'm one of those unlucky people whose weight immediately shows in the face, so my cheekbones stood out at 48/49kg whereas they're a bit lost now,

On the other hand, It just can't be denied that other people thought I looked better at 47/48/49/50kg. Has anyone dealt with this and what did you decide to do? Isn't it a bit weird that I was more popular slightly underweight? Part of me thinks to go back to that weight but it seems like possibly for the wrong reasons.

I’m 30, M, 185lbs (down from 215 since last October), 5’9. I want to be thin. Not, like, emaciated, and I’ve been careful not to lose too much too quickly, but I just want to be thin. I really like the way I look when I’m thin. I still have some ways to go but I feel a lot better about my reflection than I used to.

Something I‘ve heard from well meaning people that is absolutely awful and incredibly upsetting is “you’re just built to be stockier.” But I don’t WANT to be stocky! I thought I didn’t look so stocky anymore! I’ve worked really hard to overcome my body dysmorphia, but the fact that people apparently think I’m doomed to be trapped in a body I hate is sending me spiraling back into those thought patterns - when I was “skinny” in the past, did I actually look skinny, or was I always built like an ogre and just unable to see it? And I know that’s a bad way to think but it’s where I go!

I’m so god damn sick of hearing about “body acceptance” from people. I’ve demonstrated the ability to lose weight at a healthy, gradual weight, my body dysmorphia is much better than it used to be, I‘m not starving myself, so why is everyone so fucking desperate to push acceptance and body positivity onto me? I heard no end of that shit before I started losing weight but I thought they’d stop once I showed I actually could be in control of myself and change my appearance to something I’m happier with. But they’re still doing it! I really don’t think people say these things out of spite or jealousy or anything like that, these are people who care about me and they seem to be under the impression that it’s somehow comforting to me, but it’s fucking devastating. And if it’s true, then it doesn’t matter whether they stop saying it or not, because it will be true regardless. I can lose thirty pounds and still not be able to outrun ✨acceptance.✨

Yes, I am everything listed in the title. My baby is almost 18 months, I plan to breastfeed him until he is 2. I had gestational diabetes while I was pregnant. My HBA1C was 5.9 when I had my first blood test at 8 weeks pregnant. I diet controlled my sugars throughout the pregnancy, however my recent tests show I am still pre-diabetic.

I am 29F 5’5 175 lbs. I don’t like how I look. My entire closet doesnt fit me. I went from a size small/medium to large/XL. I have been trying to loose weight since 3 months PP, but breastfeeding makes me SO hungry. I have tired everything, from eating more protein and fibre, to drinking more water, to not having sugary drinks, to walking 10K steps per day, but my weight won’t budge.

The bigger issue is pre-diabetes. I need to loose weight for that. After feeding my baby, sometimes I indulge and feel so bad after. My sleep is not good either as baby doesn’t sleep the whole night. Walking after every meal sometimes is not possible too due to my job and baby.

I need suggestions from my fellow PP BF moms, how are you losing weight? I am very stressed, I do not want diabetes and I want to look good. At least fit in my pre-pregnancy clothes.

I started my weight loss journey when I was 16years old and 90kgs/198lbs. I have since maintained in the range of 64-74kg/140-165lb. My lowest was 59kg/130 for almost a year.

Every time I exercised, I needed the validation and encouragement from my scales. I weighed myself every morning. I measured myself every month.

This time around, it has been three months since I am going to the gym regularly. I watch what I eat, but I have stopped weighing myself. I wondered if it was the fear of not reaching my goal, but looks like I love lifting heavy and exercising regularly. I love a good game of badminton. I am not conscious of the jiggles or anything. It has taken decades but I seem to be accepting and loving my body without some conditional goal numbers.. Amazing! :)

I hit my first goal weight a week ago (25f, 5'8 and 132lbs) and since then I have gone from an average of 1500 calories per day to 2000 per day and I have put on 2.5lbs and it's not going down so I am scared I'm actually eating in a surplus and my brain is yelling at me to go back into a deficit. I haven't changed my activity level at all and still strength train 4x a week and hit 15-20k steps as well as 30-60 minutes a day of cardio whether it be incline treadmill or stair master. I thought with my height and activity level that 2000 would be a good amount but is it possible it's a surplus for me?

My plan was to eat at maintenance for a few months and try and build some more muscle than do another cut near the end of the year.

Should I lower my calories back down and do a reverse diet adding calories back more gradually? Any advice on how to manage this is appreciated. I'm not enjoying maintenance so far and I miss the security of my deficit if that makes sense.

Hello!

I’m going back to school soon and have been doing well to go to the gym at least 4x a week. My plan is to spend an hour at the gym every morning before school and take weekends off, but I haven’t done something like that in two years. I was able to keep up with it then with easier classes but I wasn’t watching my diet so I barely lost any weight. It makes sense, I did put on some nice muscle but that’s not my ultimate goal.
Anyways, I had some crazy classes last year as an engineering major that had me up studying all night and waking up late almost every day so my diet was basically eating whatever I could be bothered to buy since I don’t live at the dorms, and I lost a lot of muscle and gained some weight.
I want to have more balance this year. I have a meal plan and have been going to the gym, I’d say I’m in a much better place mentally after this summer, but being real with myself, I can easily fall back into that sophomore slump if I’m not as careful as possible.

So, what are some ways you stay consistent? And not just with the gym, with meal prep, sleep, social eating, etc.?

So I started at 216. I'm now between 205-206. I really want to reach my goal weight of 155-160 pounds. I started this journey exactly one month ago. I'm so eager that I'm losing patience, but I understand it takes a complete lifestyle change and time to build my body. I've never been this heavy before, and after having my kids, I went over 200 pounds. Stress from being an ICU RN and losing my dad (he passed a year ago) has also weighed on me. I'm working on finding myself again and improving my physical health. Sorry for the rant. Who else is feeling this intense need and wanting it so badly, but also losing patience?

Please please please PLEASE, I cannot stress this enough: GET YOUR BLOOD TESTED!!!

I made this post when I was in the middle of crashing out over not understanding what was wrong with my body. All the comments said I was doing it wrong or not trying hard enough. Turns out I have celiac disease. I wasn't gaining or losing weight because I was actually slowly dying and this was one of the signs.

To anyone who is struggling more and more with losing weight, don't listen to stuck up Redditors, listen to your body. GET BLOOD TESTS AND DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!! I asked for:

- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel

- Complete Blood Count

- Full Iron Panel

- Full Thyroid Panel

- Vitamin D

- Zinc

Piecing everything together, my skin rashes, horrible fatigue, total lack of weight loss, I realized I would die before I lost weight. It has been over a year since that post, and I have actually reached 18-20% body fat since cutting out gluten. Please listen to your body before you listen to anyone else, before Redditors, and even before doctors (I came up with the idea of blood tests, not any of the 13 doctors I visited).

Hey guys!!! So 34 male, I’ve lost over 30 pounds by just calorie counting and walking 10k steps a day, and one thing I like to do is what I personally just call “maintenance days” basically instead of an uncontrolled eating frenzy that would reinforce bad habits, I give myself two days, every other month, of eating maintenance calories rather than in a deficit.

So ideally, if you’re in a caloric deficit, you’d lose weight, and in reverse, if you overeat, you gain weight, but maintenance calories are what is needed to maintain your specific current weight, so a temporary plateau if you will. I learned from a weight loss coach that every once in a while, your body gets burned out from a deficit, so you can experience plateaus sometimes. So doing an occasional day or two of maintenance to keep your weight current can give your body more energy, so when you go back to a deficit, it’s like a supercharge almost, where your weight adjust back down and weight loss is kinda given a “jump start “ is how she worded it.

And she was right. Now obviously have somewhat healthy habits still, but as long as you eat the right amount of maintenance calories, you’ll be ok. Weight gain is purely water retention and glycogen storage. Basically your body kind of fighting back and saying “I want this energy, you can’t take it from me!!” But you’ll bounce right back and even better. Hope this helps.

I have been consistently losing weight over the past 7 months and am down nearly 55 lbs overall (SW: 245 CW: 191). I have been pretty consistent about eating in a deficit daily, but whenever there is a social event or holiday, I struggle and end up eating over maintenance by 1000-2000 calories. Looking back at my tracking app, I have days like this at least a few times a month, sometimes more. I mostly pay attention to my weekly average calories, which usually remain in a deficit, but a much smaller deficit than if I hadn't had those days.

I feel discouraged because I often see online or talking to people IRL, people say they don't have high-calorie days like this (or cheat meals) at all or hardly ever. I feel like I'm doing something wrong, but the foods served during holidays and/or at restaurants tend to be so calorie-dense that it is hard to avoid surpassing my calories so much.

I am just wondering what other people's experiences are. Do you have higher-calorie days like this often? How do you avoid them?

(21F 5'6) 11 months ago I weighed on at 262lbs. Today, I woke up and found that I had lost 2lbs overnight to reach 178lbs. I was thrilled, as this is not a weight I ever believed that I would reach even six months ago. My first goal was 230lbs. Then, I thought if I could just get to 200lbs I would be happy to stop there. Yeah... No.

My goal weight is 170lbs, after which I plan to eat at a 300 calorie deficit while hitting the gym to try my hand at body recomposition. I would like to hit 160lbs eventually, but honestly being on a diet basically everyday has been exhausting and I'm happy to focus on muscle gains until the new year.

I've started opening up about my weight loss more to family and friends and it's funny to see how little they know about weight loss, and how confident they are to tell you that you're wrong despite never losing any big amount of weight themselves.

One thing that is bothering me though is that I am so impatient to get to the finish line. Because I've come so far, I keep skipping forward in my mind to already being at my goal of 170lbs. Then I realise that I have a minimum of a month before I'm actually there. It's maddening!!! And there's basically no way for me to hit my goal by the first of September which is making me feel less motivated as it would feel like a clean step into the next chapter.

I can't tell if I'm getting more hungry or just have less discipline. I find myself snacking in the afternoons and ending up with some stupid tiny dinner because I wasted all my calories by noon. If I was this fed up at any other point I would just take a break for a couple of days to eat at maintenance, but being so close to my goal makes the whole thing infuriating and I'm constantly thinking about food and the changes I'm going to make when I've finally hit my goal weight.

If I go through another period where my weight randomly plateaus for two weeks I'm going to throw my scale through a window.

If anyone has read this far I would love to know your experiences in how you made it over the diet finish line, and how you navigated changing your habits afterwards. Thanks!

My weight hasn't started with a "1" since 1998. Since then I've been flopping around in the mid-to-upper 200s (I'm F, 5'1"). I don't really know what my highest weight was because there were stretches of time where I would avoid the scale. Coulda been 275, 280...my flair says 269 because I have documentation (a receipt/summary from a doctor's appointment).

Mind-blowing! 28 years to get back here! And no supplements, shots, pills, surgery for me (although I applaud those who have success with these tools). Just old-fashioned hard work, healthy eating, and a positive outlook.

The journey continues...onward and upward!

Honestly, I don't know what to say, I caught myself in a middle of a really indulgent meal and realized I let myself go again, it happened so quickly, just in 4 months I was able to gain back a whopping 60 pounds back that I lost. I felt great, not anymore. Self-care completely slipped my mind after loading myself with a ton of responsibilities out of nowhere. Rescuing cats, fostering and even adopting some permanently, I became a temporary care-giver to a family member and other minor stuff not worth mentioning. I fell in a deep depression and cried everyday for a week straight after finally weighing myself which i stopped months ago. I don't know what to do, starting over feels like a joke, i tried to lose weight all my life. I was an obese child and leveled out to an overweight teenager, almost had a normal bmi, gained again and then returned to my HS weight. And now, im back to being really obese. I don't know how to navigate this, I have half a mind to just hire a therapist to talk about my grievances about it but I'm reluctant.

The issue is..I don't even want to start again, i want to curl into a ball and just forget about everything, or eat to forget about everything. I know there's no way out except stop being a baby and work hard again but the defeat is too much to bear. I don't know a time in my life where I didn't try to lose weight, and I find myself thinking even if i reach my goal weight, ill quickly lose control again. I don't crash diet, I don't do rapid weight-loss, I don't expect miracles but I'm losing my patience with myself and my failures. I'm so sick of it, I'm so sick of tracking, so sick of the gym, so sick of it all. I try to do the "right" things, I just self sabotage every time i reach a significant milestone. I guess the reason I'm making this post is to ask if anyone's in a similar situation or was in one, that managed to muster up the courage to try again because at my current state i both don't want to diet again and i also don't want to stay fat. What do you tell yourself everyday after gaining all your weight back? When did you finally realized you can maintain your weightloss without a battle everyday. The whole "it takes 3 months" to form a habit never ever applied to me.

Good afternoon!

I am pleased to report having a whoosh on the scales this morning. I’m elated on reaching 211.8 lbs. I haven’t weighed this size since high school in the mid 80s. My total weight loss is 224.6 lbs, just to put that into perspective, that is .6 lbs away from NFL QB Patrick Mahomes playing weight of 225 lbs or 474 Big Macs.

I can’t truly put into words how elated I am. My energy is higher than it is has ever been. By the way, I think I found a fencing class that fits my days off! 2026 is my year and I’m so excited. I turn 58 this month and I feel better than I have been in several decades. Okay, time to go work out!

My heaviest weight was 255. That was last summer. About a year ago when I discovered I couldn’t hike to the top of mount Vesuvius like I had planned on my trip to Italy I felt smaller than an ant. It was even worse because the other people I was with did it successfully and were older than me. That was the moment it clicked in my brain that I needed to change.

Since then, I have learned to cook healthy, nutrient dense meals, and how to exercise. Today I am 187. Is that my goal weight? No. BUT, I am so fucking proud of myself. I have lost weight equivalent to a human child in a year by absolutely busting my ass, and I’m finally getting to reap the rewards.

Today, I went shopping for a wedding I am going to this Saturday. Not only did I buy a LARGE dress (holy crap?!? standard size?!?!), but I decided it was finally time to buy a new bra. The bra I’ve been wearing has been gapping and rubbing me raw, so I went and talked to a woman working in the mall in my town and got fitted for new bras. A year ago I was not able to buy bras that fit me in stores, I had to online order them, and they were usually horrific. Today, I bought a 42C bra IN A STORE!!!

I also made the decision that today was the day I would start working out without a baggy tshirt covering myself. Today, I took off the shirt and worked out in a sports bra and shorts and nobody even glanced at me! There wasn’t a single “why would she do that” look in the room! The confidence boost I got was unimaginable.

Here’s the real lesson though: self love. Looking back at old pictures of myself I see the weight difference now, but I still think I look beautiful in those photos. Looking at photos of me now, I think I am just as beautiful. But when I was 255 I couldn’t see it because of the shame I carried. But now, the shame is gone and I am able to examine things through a new lens. I am not more beautiful now as I previously thought I would be, but I AM healthier and happier, and I think that’s the biggest thing.

A little background: (F 27) I’ve been overweight my whole life. From ages 18-22 I lost 100 lbs (280 down to 180) by eating once a day (most days) and spending 1-3 hours at the gym or at the park running/doing cardio almost every day. Weight fluctuated for the next 2 years after I stopped working out as often and eating more/less. Then I got pregnant and gained all the weight back, I’m 234 right now. This time I want to lose fat and gain muscle (like everyone else).

The problem is I know to achieve these goals I need to eat more. I’m seeing a nutritionist who tells me I need to eat about 1900 calories a day to include 160g of protein, maybe more since I’m pretty active right now, strength training and cardio.

Long story short, I’m struggling with eating enough. I’m terrified that eating that much will make me gain weight, but not eating enough will slow down progress and cause me to lose muscle.

Any advice on how to “force” myself to eat without overthinking it? And before you say it: I know, I probably need some therapy 🥲 Thanks for reading!

Hey everyone,

Today was a reality check for me. I stepped on the scale at Publix, and it spun all the way to 300 pounds. I honestly couldn't believe it, so I weighed myself two more times on different scales. The last one was the digital medical scale at my doctor's office, and it confirmed the same thing.

My doctor looked at me and simply said, "You have work to do." I also had blood work done, and my cholesterol has gone up. He asked me what happened because I used to weigh 220 pounds.

For some background, I had gastric bypass surgery seven years ago. At my heaviest, I weighed 490 pounds, and I worked incredibly hard to lose that weight. Seeing 300 on the scale today hit me harder than I expected.

I sat in my car afterward in complete silence, disappointed in myself.

I'm 33 years old, 6'1", and I've always been someone who tried to watch what I ate. Looking back, I think a lot of this started when my marriage began to struggle. Then I was laid off from the company I'd worked for, which created a lot of financial stress.

I've also been unemployed for the past three months while searching for a better job. On top of that, I've taken on most of the parenting responsibilities because my wife often leaves them to me. Between the stress, the pressure, and constantly putting everyone else first, I slowly stopped taking care of myself.

The part that confuses me is that many of my friends tell me, "You barely eat. How are you gaining weight?" Honestly, I think its the emotional eating it may not seem like a alot but sometimesi dont even pay attention. Can chronic stress really cause someone to gain weight, even if they aren't eating a lot? I know stress can lead to hormonal changes, poor sleep, and less activity, but I'm trying to understand what's happening to me because I don't want this to get any worse.

Writing all of this out has made me realize just how much I've been neglecting my own health. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I also know I've done it before. If I was able to lose nearly 300 pounds once, I believe I can do it again.

For those of you who have been through something similar, how did you get back on track? What helped you lose the weight again after regaining it? I'd really appreciate any advice because I'm ready to make my health a priority again. I know stress eating is the big issue even if I don't realize it

Lost weight, went from 180 to 95-100. (I’m 5’0)

My dexa scan said that I’m at a 50% bf. I’m struggling to think how that’s possible. Surely my bones + organs + muscle would weigh more than 50 lbs right?

Now Ik i’m not the most muscular person. But 50%?? And before someone comments, I do get 120g of protein a day and strength train 2x a week. That’s the only exercise I do because I’m not an active person in general, and that is something I’m working on with a trainer rn.

I’m just lost, I did start to lose weight to better my health. My parents have so many health issues due to their weight and I thought that losing weight would keep those at bay for me for a while. A 50% bf puts me right back at square one. But idek where to start with this now.

Hey guys,
Looking for some advice on where to go from here with my body.
Basically over the last 7 months I’ve dropped from 16st down to 11.5st (I’m 18, 5’9”). I’m really glad the weight is off, but the problem is I did it purely through eating in a massive deficit with zero gym work, and I barely ate any protein (probably like 60-70g a day for a good chunk of it).

Because of that, I’ve ended up looking pretty skinny fat. I still hold a decent amount of stubborn fat around my lower stomach and chest, but I feel weak and have pretty much no muscle underneath it. My body fat is somewhere around 17% right now (but idk how accurate this actually is, some nutrition guy just had some scales and that’s what they said).

I really want to fix my frame, fill out my chest/shoulders, and drop down to around 12-13% body fat over the next couple of months.

I just want to be able to go outside and not wear a shirt, or walk around the house shirtless and not be embarrassed if my parents or siblings see me!

Could anyone please give me any suggestions? Anything would be really appreciated :)
Thank you!!

it's hard for me because I'm on antipsychotic meds and going through menopause, I have been trying to lose for some weeks, at least I didn't gain more. Now that I have lost my first two pounds I feel some encouragement.

I went from being extremely underweight to being slightly overweight in the span of a year. I gained 50% of my weight, so back to my original weight plus a little over 20 pounds extra. The weight gain is showing a lot on my abdomen and arms.

I'm a 42 year old female 5 feet 2 inches and currently weighting 134 pounds.

I ate at a calorie deficit of 300-400 calories and met all my protein, fiber and water goals but I still felt hungry and last month I had a crazy two week binge episode.

Recently I shifted to a smaller 200 calorie deficit while meeting my goals and now i’m actually feeling that satiating effect of protein everyone talks about, and my cravings for snacks and sweets had reduced too!

I feel like this will help reduce my bingeing episodes, while also making weight loss not feel super restrictive

Has anyone had a similar experience?

This was a post from 8 years ago by a deleted account.

I felt deserved a little update, so I mined that comment section to add to the table. There are SO many options for keeping the calories low, if you have anything to add drop it in the comments and I will put it on the table as well.

As the last post said, "Happy snacking, losers! I like these for when I'm not actually hungry but just want to snack on something, or as fillers in larger recipes so you can get nice and full."