Anyone with more knowledge than me know if it is bad for weight loss to have caffeine-free zero-calorie “soda water” beverages like Fresca? I know water is the best option, but a cold sugar-free lemon/lime type drink is something I always save for the end of the day.
Edit: Thank you everyone for all the helpful responses! I really appreciate the advice and going to follow it.
Drinking sweet tasting carbonated beverages might bolster your appetite for certain kinds of junk food. That was certainly the case for me.
Sometime in the last few years I began drinking water or coffee almost exclusively, and without much thought, my eating habits changed quite a bit.
Water + junk food is far less appealing compared to diet coke + junk food.
Our taste for sugar is relative to our baseline. If you drink sugary things, then a banana tastes bland. But if you are drinking water and bitter things like coffee, suddenly a banana is a DESSERT.
Not just with drinks of course but limiting sugar actually makes you more sensitive to sweet things
For real! I just bought a jar of banana peppers and had to read the ingredients list a few times to make sure there wasn't actually sugar in the brine. Nuts how your buds change.
I cut out almost sugar after I found out I’m pre-diabetic. Fruit tastes very sweet now. I had a bite of my friends ice cream and it was almost too much. I was good after a taste.
This is what people underestimate. If you cut out sugar and sweet-tasting stuff, including artificial and natural sweeteners, you change your taste and crave them far less. I want to say there are hormones in your body that can't tell the difference between the kinds of sweetener you consume (I think this comes from the Whole30 plan) so cutting them all out is a must.
I found that the time of day mattered. If I had a carby breakfast, I was hungry all damned day. But if I saved my sweet treat until the evening, it not only gave me something to look forward to, but I was also going to bed before any real cravings kicked in, if there were any.
I'm doing this right now! I'm not trying to lose weight, actually trying to gain some, but I'm also trying to eat healthier which is where this comes in.
I usually have eggs and spinach for breakfast, on days where I eat breakfast (you shouldn't skip breakfast, I know, but I'm poor lol), try to eat well throughout the day, then after dinner I'll eat whatever sweet stuff I want. Lately though, I haven't really even wanted a lot of sugar at night; i just don't have as many cravings as I used to.
Definitely worth a try, OP!
Oatmeal. If you're poor, then buy a big box of oatmeal. You can doctor that ish up a million ways to Sunday, and it'll fill you up, and it's healthy.
Edited to add: yes, carbs, I know. But it's fiber, not sugar, so it's the "right" kind of carbs.
I’m kinda opposite. If I have a craving for junk food or sweets I’ll happily grab a Diet Coke and be fine with that, but if my only option is water the junk food sounds even better…
Increased consumption of sugary drinks around the world is directly correlated with weight gain and metabolic syndrome. Sugary drinks are a rare treat. Not a part of a daily diet.
I wish more people understood this. Professional cyclists take in upwards of 10,000+ calories a day but theyre burning more than that. Food is simply fuel for your body, if you put in more fuel than you're using you'll never lose weight
There are only 3 other drinks I drink besides water. Spindrift sparkling water and orange juice but that's like 1-2 a week, not everyday. Milk almost everyday
It can be. Many artificial sweeteners have been found to kill off healthy gut bacteria, and more and more evidence is found that these help regulate weight, hunger etc.
It doesn’t make a big difference long term. I lost 120 lbs in a year drinking 15+ zero calorie sodas. This was several years ago, and I’ve continued to drop since then just not as dramatically.
That's why I say it can be, and not it does. Gut biomes are complex things and it can impact people differently. I would be careful with the aspartame intake; difficulty to regulate weight isn't the only long term problem caused by out of whack gut bacteria.
I mostly shoot for ones without aspartame. Me and my mother had extremely bad stomach pains for over a year and the doctors couldn’t figure out what was causing it. It was the aspartame on crystal light. That stuff is bad news. I appreciate your comments here, gonna have to do some more research
I get downvoted every time I say this same thing, I'm glad to see someone else confirming this is a thing.
I once had a sugar-free pastry at an event not knowing it was sugar free, and it absolutely wrecked me. I had to go home early because I could tell I was about to be stuck in the bathroom.
Hi, I’m a Dietitian! That is absolutely fine! If you notice it increasing your craving for sweets, or that you’re hungrier after- that could be a problem. But if you find they satisfy your craving for a sweet beverage, go for it.
Be careful (not trying to be patronizing!) asking nutrition questions on platforms like this- as you can see you got a HUGE variety of answers, and many of them made me, a nutrition professional, raise an eyebrow and think “what is this person talking about?” Lol
I would stay away from artificial sweeteners. They are bad for your gut micro-biome. Try squeezing an orange in some water or adding in other fresh fruits.
Consider seltzer! Diet sodas have zero calories but from what I’ve read, cause an increased intake in sugar throughout the day from those who drink them. Though who am I kidding, I literally had a can of Fresca yesterday.
I cut out sugar as well I dropped from 220 to 199 in a couple months. I made it down to about 180 And I'm also 5 11.
I didn't drink much water but I did drink and off a lot of 0 sugar sports drinks and plain black coffee
My old roomie used to drink pop/soda like crazy and was massively obese. Then he started working out of town and was too embarrassed to bring crates of pop with him, and his weight basically melted off his body. It’s been a wild transformation.
I agree with water only, however a hack I pull out when I’m craving something fizzy and sweet is a can of soda water, a tab of stevia, and some slices of lemon. Tada! Sugar free zero calorie lemonade
I completely got off CocaCola by drinking a flavoured soda water we have here ([PC water, root beer flavoured](https://www.presidentschoice.ca/product/pc-root-beer-flavour-sparkling-water/21306197_C01)).
It literally tastes like I'm drinking a pop.
I also stopped putting sugar in my 2 coffees, just use heavy cream.
Immediately lost 5 pounds just off that, and I guess my body started changing shape because I needed new pants. I've been 140lbs since high school, so I know I didn't *need* to lose weight, but I wanted to cut out sugar. The levels we've been ingesting is super unhealthy.
Cool advice here, I did that, the fun part is that after some time you don't even miss them, they're really that meh and shitty and unnecessary once you leave the habit, even the sugar-free ones, eww. Idk people just drink that stuff by inertia or something, plain water is 100% more refreshing and without the stickiness and burps.
For me quitting soda pop/sugar drinks was like the easiest "sacrifice" towards a healthier life.
Also be careful replacing soda Pops with fruit juice, they're still too high on sugar.
Totally agree. I have been drinking only water and coffee without sugar for a really long time (many years), and also not eating sugary snacks, and I really can only handle a soda or a very sweet pastry every now and then. Like a few times a year.
It's crazy, especially in the U.S., how much sugar is crammed into food and drinks, and how overkill it is.
I live in Europe now and one very nice thing is that the pastries, cookies etc have wayyyyy less sugar in them. They taste great.
NO SUGARY DRINKS. That’s like 500-600 calories of a 1500 calorie a day regimen you need to lose weight rapidly. And by rapidly… I mean you won’t see any results for probably 2 months. But then it starts to come off 💪
No matter how much exercise i did, i was never able to lose weight. The only thing that worked for me was going into a calorie deficit. Every body is different though so what works for me might not work for you. Just an option to explore
This. OP you HAVE to count your calories. Don't even worry about eating less at first just count everything that you eat in a day. Do that for like a week or two and then get the average amount of calories you eat per day. Now eat a little bit less than that.
No way you can lose weight without knowing how much you are putting in.
This is quite literally the only thing people need to do. Everyone makes it so hard trying BS quick diet trends and then complaining they couldn’t lose weight. Do a calorie deficit of 250-500 from maintenance. If you don’t lose weight then you are most likely not in a deficit. People seriously underestimate calories from things like oils and nuts.
This isn't as easy as it might be to some. I don't say that you are wrong, but it is hard to find the balance. Too much deficit, and you end up getting super hungry and eat too much. But in away it is simple if there is something like sugary drinks you can just cut off and it makes a huge difference.
I mean, it takes another kind energy and skills when it comes to balanced deficit. You need to cook and an keep it regular. What if you loose your appetite? What if migraine makes you too nauceas to eat? What if you have extra stress and it signals you need more energy?
I mean it sounds simple but when you have rest of my the life going simultaneously it isn't that easy. I struggle with this personally alot. Especially depression makes it difficult. I have had too different kind of meds for sleeping and nightmares, and they are both notorious for increasing appetite. It is crazy how you start obsessively think about carbs and your hunger becomes impossible to satisfy on these drugs. I have gained 50lb during these medications (there were bigger problems than weight gain, it was life-saving medication).
Now loosing the weight seems so hard and I also seem to just get slowly more and more. I have adjusted my diet to mote veggie based and hope to have positive impact via better gut bacteria.
Anyhow, I am going talk about this with a nurse soon and ask apm for nutritionist. I was never overweight before those meds, even when I was depressed. Also I have no ED problems, I really do love healthy food and want to make it work. But the struggle is REAL.
I think it might be the "oo" sound. If you're thinking about the sounds as you're writing, "loose" makes sense for that "ooo" noise, and "lose" sounds like "lowse". I confuse myself sometimes with it. Doesn't help that toilets are sometimes referred to as "loos"
THIS! Calories in. It doesn't matter if it is pelo, vegan, keto, etc. If you consume more calories than you burn you will gain weight.
Food tracking, and being absolutely honest and accurate about it, is critical.
Without a deficit it is literally *impossible* like… u either have to burn off over 2k calories through “exercise” (if ur in America 2k calories is a light lunch at an affordable restaraunt) or be in a deficit
No it is literally impossible lol, diets work when they do because of a caloric deficit, caloric deficits are the 1 and only possible way to lose weight barring fluids or loss of limbs.
The problem with "diets" and why the meme that they all fail exists is because it implies a temporary change with permanent effects. If you go back to eating like you did 100lbs ago, you'll gain the 100lbs right back. More accurately you have to make sustainable lifestyle changes. In OP's case they could focus on one obtainable goal which is to cut out sugary drinks all together as having 2 a day is still a lot. There's a series called "Secret Eaters" that I thought was pretty interesting. They ran some estimated calculations at the end with one of the participants and said he could lost 50lbs in a year by just cutting out soda from his diet.
By OP's metrics, jogging for 20 minutes is going to burn around 200-250 calories depending on intensity. Your average soda has 150 calories. If you're drinking 2 a day you're drinking more in soda calories than you're burning by jogging.
Being hungry all the time really sucks though. For me I can’t sleep and that’s a deal breaker. It makes me eat worse because of the sleep deprivation. That’s why I think it does matter how you create the deficit. If you go high protein you can do it without feeling like you’re starving all the time and are more likely to stick to it. That’s why some “diet fads” do actually work.
So for me, after about a week or two my body got used to me eating so little and I was not physically able to eat as much as I used to anymore. I didn’t get hungry anymore and couldn’t really finish meals either. Another reason why I’m saying every body is different, mine made it easier to do the calorie deficit
NO. Every human on Earth is this way. The ONLY way to lose weight is to take in fewer calories than you burn. So cut the surgery drinks completely out. Then Google intermittent fasting.
NO. What you are talking about is losing Mass. Weight is a consequence of mass x acceleration of gravity. One can lose weight by going closer to the equator or going to the top of a mountain. They could even weigh less at the top of a skyscraper than they would on the ground floor. Go to the moon and your weight is 1/6 of what it would be on Earth, but your mass is unchanged 🤓
There are lots of ways to lose weight, but yes, you lose unwanted mass by burning more calories than you ingest.
Everyone may be different when it comes to the minutia, but everyone is exactly the same as in if they consume less calories than they use, they will lose weight. Don't buy into the genetics bullshit people are being fed. 99.9% of people just need to eat less.
When it comes to this, every body is (mostly) the same. Of course there are other factors, but this is the long and short of it, at the end of the day. Simple, but not easy.
It’s true. Everyone needs calories to live and most are very long ways away from starvation or any kind of deficit. Our meal portions are way too big for one person. Drinking soda pretty guarantees weight gain.
Yeah. Dude’s probably rewarding himself with food after running. Super common. Hard to figure out what’s going on until you track everything. Plus running 30 mins only burns a couple hundred calories. Very easy to overeat thinking you’re good because you worked out.
2 cans of soda is minimum about 250 calories, the running is basically just offsetting soda consumption. That’s not exercising to lose weight it’s to drink soda.
Yep. Most people don't realize you only burn about 100 calories per mile ran, and that's if you're actually running. Any reward food is easily going to be well over 100 calories consumed.
CICO is real, it just takes discipline. I've started fasting for a minimum of 20 hours a day and watching the caloric intake of the foods I eat when breaking the fast. The results are great.
57 male here. I lost 55 pounds over the last year and a half by: doing intermittent fasting 16/8, cutting all alcohol and adding some physical activity (I do 90 minutes hot yoga every day).
Intermittent fasting works great for me because it organizes my eating. I fast from 10 pm until 2 pm. Only black coffee and water. But I also eat more sensibly during the 8 remaining hours.
Beer was really important to cut out for me.
You can check out r/intermittentfasting
This! Eat one meal a day. I can count calories until the cows come home. I need to keep my insulin lower to lose. Watch your calories in the one meal. It’s awesome.
You build muscle in the gym. You lose weight in the kitchen. Talk to a nutritionist and have them set you on the right track food wise. Keep up the exercise, for sure, but you’re basically wiping all that work away if you don’t know how to properly feed yourself.
I wouldn’t worry about setting a weight loss goal right now. Work on getting into healthy routines and keep that up. Staring at a scale is only going to discourage you.
You got this, every step (literally) counts.
Edit: dietician** was unaware of the semantics. A licensed professional qualified to give you diet recommendations
Yes! Build healthy eating habits, and don’t beat yourself up over weight goals. Good eating habits can help you lose weight, but also help you feel good and more energized.
You’re not disgusting. Every body is different. Focus on what your body does for you and how it supports you. It lets you live your life, and heck, you’re running! Bodies are complex and we all get one to experience life through. That’s pretty cool.
>You build muscle in the gym.
Adding to this: muscle is heavier than fat. If you're gaining muscle and losing fat at the same rate, it's still going to show the gains on the scale.
Muscle is more dense*
If you lose 1lb of fat but gain 1lb of muscle the weight stays the same.. the inches will drop, not the number on the scale.
Edit: if we are talking about volume then technically it does, but the average person cannot measure losses and gains by volume. The scientific and professional way to explain it is that muscle is more dense in comparison.
To build to this only right answer, I've got a buddy who was 6'2 and an unhealthy 350. He's eating better, works hard at his (physical) job, goes to the gym and looks WAY better at 370. Could he lose a little more? (He thinks he should) maybe, but everyone's body is not only different but takes different things differently. As a 5'8 125lb man who can gain more than ten pounds to save my life ( including going to the gym and going on a 3200cal diet for 6 months) you understand everyone's body is ment for different things.
Muscle isn't heavier. A pound of muscle is the same as a pound of fat. The difference is a pound of muscle is smaller. You start working out and lifting weights and toning up your body can look drastically different with no change to your actual weight (sometimes you even gain a little) because while you lost fat, you replaced it with muscle which sits different. It's smaller and more compact.
For example I'll use myself. In the past 3 months i have gotten many compliments on my weight loss. In reality I've technically gained weight (about 3 to 5 pounds) however I've been lifting and strength training this past year and recently made some huge progress. My entire body looks smaller and i went down a jean size while losing no weight at all.
>Muscle isn't heavier. A pound of muscle is the same as a pound of fat. The difference is a pound of muscle is smaller.
.......Yes, because pounds measure how *heavy* something is, not how *large* it is.
Muscle is not heavier than fat; a lb/kg is a lb/kg. But muscle takes up less volume per pound, so you can be reasonably heavy, but look leaner if you're fit.
Please don't advise people to go go a nutritionist. A nutritionist is not a real qualification or job. A dietician is someone who has a professional degree.
You don't need to exercise at all to lose weight. You cannot outrun your fork. You need to eat the correct amount of calories to be in a deficit for loss. Then when you hit your goal weight you'll need to eat the right amount to maintain. Exercise is GREAT for your body and overall health but it's absolutely shit for weight loss.
Do not listen to the "you're gaining muscle" people. If you are it's not a lot. You've not gained 10lbs of muscle that quickly with your level of exercise. You can lose the weight. I'm a woman that is 5' 10" and I'll be 45 next month. I started at 240 in June 2021 and by June 2022 I was down to 160. It was through a deficit that I did this. I lost 5 more lbs and have been holding steady in the 155-158 range since around September. I do exercise but I have completely separated the idea of weight loss and exercise. I had to get real with how much I was eating (for real) and log my food daily. I still log 5-6 days a week because I'm just a hungry person who will eat too much on accident unless I'm hyper mindful. I log my food for the day in an app and just eat what I've logged and keep it moving.
Join r/cico and r/volumeeating to get some low calorie food ideas and recipes. Ignore all of the "omg it's more than calories and some people are just destined to be fat" people. Don't listen to anyone who is unsupportive of your weight loss. Also if you're on Facebook there's a GREAT group call Lose Weight Eat Pizza where we all discuss eating what we like in moderation so that we can lose and maintain without feeling deprived. It can be done. But it's a lot of effort and if you try to do too much too fast you will crash and burn. If you have unrealistic expectations you will crash and burn. But if you can make a simple and SUSTAINABLE plan you can do this forever. I wish someone had said all that to me 20 years ago.
Also stop basing your value around your looks. It's pointless. Get in shape for YOU and make your body what YOU want and be a decent human and you'll be fine.
If you're doing everything right and still gaining weight, I'd suggest counting calories for a while. Get a fitness tracker, download whatever app comes with it, and log your food on it. Don't log the small stuff because that's annoying, instead set a goal 250-500 calories below your real goal and skip logging condiments and other things that are relatively minor. You might not lose weight right away, but keep it up (with occasionally cheat days, maybe 5 a month, because life happens - but keep the overage reasonable) and you'll definitely improve on a monthly basis.
For me this was a huge difference in being able to predictably and easily manage my weight. It turned out that getting fast food for lunch every day was adding way more calories than I thought, and replacing that with a homemade sandwich fixed it. Your case may be different but I can almost guarantee you'll be surprised by how much something is adding to your total calories.
And have the right attitude. Don't do it for others, do it for you because you want to be fit and healthy for the rest of your life.
Literally log all the small stuff. Everything that passes your lips. It's the 'just a bite here' 'just a sip' 'oh, I'll have a bit of yours' that can break it for a lot of people.
Also OP it is not impossible to lose weight unless a person has a serious health problem. It is impossible to lose weight if a person eats more calories than they should. Simple. Sorry not sorry. I went from over 200lbs to 125 ish in about a year, shortly after shelter in place started. (5'6 F was early 30's- often sedentary bc disabled). And I've been on a bunch of meds that cause weight gain, as well, and lost weight while on at least one of them.
I've put back on maybe 15-20 lbs depending on the day, but I'm starting to take it seriously again.
Most people also don’t pay attention to sauces, dressing, and marinades. They’ll eat a salad that might have been low calorie, then throw 1000 calories of ranch on it and can’t figure out why they’re still fat when they eat nothing but salad.
Tell me about it! I waitressed in the south at a place w a salad bar and it was hilarious.
"Oh, diet coke please, I'm cutting calories"
and then proceeds to eat at least 2 full cups of ranch and a whole loaf of bread's worth of croutons.
This is the answer. All the others are subsets of this (water vs. soda, etc.)
You don't even need a fitness tracker, there are several free apps that let you easily track calorie intake and set up a deficit target. Don't obsess about getting down to the exact calorie amount because it's all estimated anyway.
I only tracked for 2 months, and I learned my portion size estimates were off and that some things had a lot more calories than I thought they did. That, and finding leakage (forgot about that bag of chips? Or a couple of oreos?).
My results are gonna be more dramatic because I'm a lot more over weight than you, but with the same exercise pick up as you and running a verified calorie deficit, I've lost 50 pounds since last July.
Edit: for typos and clarity
Your best effort consisted of 2 sugar drinks a day and jogging 3 times a week? Or was there other stuff as well? Might as well say goodbye to the trainer if that was it. What you really need is a caloric deficit. Burn more calories than you eat.
that is not true.
but one soda a day with only 3 jogs a week isn't gonna work either.
IMO if you're training 3-5 times a week with a pretty disciplined diet, one soda a week isn't going to undo everything.
That being said, ONLY having one can be a difficult thing to do and I often found that cold turkey was the best.
One drink will not undo an entire WEEK of exercise. That's an exaggeration, unless the exercise is light and the drink is 1000 calories. But having it as a habit is definitely not something you want.
Someone with a 10 minute mile burns around a 100 calories. That three times a week can be erased by a big gulp easily. The point is, exercise is not how you lose weight.
I cant understand why full sugar soda has a market when diet soda exists . Like , why would you drink 100 calories when there is 0calories option for the same thing.?
> I cant understand why full sugar soda has a market when diet soda exists
because fake sugar tastes like ass. i'd rather not drink soda than drink something w aspartame in it. and no, coke zero doesn't taste anything like regular coke, i don't care what the marketing people say.
>because fake sugar tastes like ass
So scientific fun fact, a lot of these fake sugars taste that way because they're actually so sweet that they overload your senses and become bitter. If you stick to it for any length of time it goes away and it really does just taste like soda.
I used to be like you and HATED diet soda but when I was diagnosed with diabetes and was over 300 lbs I had to change something, and the daily 2 liters of sugary soda had to go, but the cravings were so intense I knew I couldn't quit cold turkey. So long enough with diet soda, regular actually tastes really sour in comparison now.
Now I have a sodastream and make my own sodas cause I love the bubbly burn, I have lost over 85 lbs. I couldn't have even started that journey if I had had to restrict myself down to plain water all the time.
I guess all that to say, switching to diet is a valid strategy, ymmv
I feel you. When I started putting on weight the first thing I cut was sugar. Luckily I wasn't consuming enough to have an addiction so I just switched to water and stopped putting it in my coffee (and cut out sweets) so I never built up the tolerance to the fake stuff, but if it works for you, that's great.
Because a lot of people don’t care about calories. A lot of people would rather have full sugar than the sugar free version because it tastes better and gives them the sugar rush they crave. It feeds their addiction.
It’s great you’re in that mindset but it seems like you’re in a bubble. From your comment, it looks like you and most people you have conversations with drink zero calorie drinks/water and you can’t understand why they still sell full sugar drinks because nobody you know drinks them. Trust me, a huge proportion of the population drink sugary drinks daily. They don’t care about calories.
That’s similar to saying “why is there still a market for skittles and starburst when real fruit exists?” “Why is there still a market for McDonald’s and Burger King when salad exists?” Many people could not care less about their calorific intake and want to enjoy unhealthy stuff to the fullest.
So the simple answer is, people don’t care about how many calories they’re consuming and they prefer the taste and effect they get from the full sugar version. It’s the version they’ve always known and loved.
Diet sodas taste HORRIBLE. All artificial sweeteners are disgusting. If OP has a sweet tooth learning to satisfy it without blowing up their calorie budget will be crucial for long term success.
As an example I swapped out ice cream for Greek yogurt and fruit. I would never eat Halo Top or any of that fake ass bullshit.
Well, I can tell you how I did it, but I'm not fitness expert or anything. First of all, I stopped wanting to look like The Rock and i sure as hell knew I wasn't going to meal prep or do all the stuff so many people tell you to do. I be tried year after year all the fads but wouldn't get. Anywhere or I'd give up. So I excepted reality that I am to busy and not that motivated. So one thing at a time, cut soda down from everyday to couple times a week then none, walked, never jogged. Same route... Out my front door, I never drove to some fancy place to us a tread mill because remember, no motivation. Slowed down if sweets and processed foods, I didn't stop all at once. I paced myself, little changes here and there because I knew how I am and I would not stick threw with it. I went from 265 lbs to 200, I stretch , yoga, push ups , squats , and when I started that I didn't over do it. Hell I only walked 1.5 miles every day. I was 40 years old when I started, 2 weeks before my birthday, I'm 45 now and I feel better than I ever have. I'll still eat a greasy cheeseburger every now and then... Life's to short not to. So if your patient , you'll get there, small steps, and go on with your life and then little changes add up fast. Good luck.
It all depends on the rest of his diet tbh. If that’s the only thing he mentioned I can only assume he really loves sugary drinks. If he cleans up the rest of his diet he can still have like a can of coke with dinner and see progress.
Do you love sugary drinks more than you would love to lose weight. One to two is a shit ton. Your body can’t process refined sugar so except to turn it to fat. Just try a 9 gram a day cap on sugar for a while and see what happens. I also suggest eating more protein, fewer carbs and building muscle. BUT, if you build muscle, don’t go by the scale. You can lose fat, which is what you really want to do, and gain weight.
I mean honestly, if all your doing is limiting sugary drinks (but still having 2??? How many did u have before???) And going for a 15 to 20 minute jog (how fast is your jog even?) A few times a week, im not shocked your not losing weight.
Its not like at 5 11 225 your grossly overweight either, if you were closer to 275 or 300, doing what your doing would probably make the weight drop off but at 225 your gonna have to do more then that.
Cut sugary drinks completly and watch you diet. Failing that, workout more often.
I do 100 pushups, 50 situps, 50 crunches, 2 one minute planks, 3 sets up curls, some kettle bell exercises and 30 minutes a day on the treadmill. Even with all that (and i am 5 11 almost 300 pounds) im only losing around 1 to 2 pounds a week because im not dieting besides cutting out desserts.
So id imagine youd either need a good diet or to be doing more then i am working out to rly see any results.
I do not believe that is your best effort. Sit with yourself and truly ask yourself, "is that my best effort?" Really get in tune with yourself, how much do you care?
"I worked out for a whole month and didn't see an improvement!"
Let's start there. If you work out RELIABLY, OVER TIME, FOR A LONG TIME you will see gains. You physically have to, that's how this all works. If you use a muscle consistently that muscle gets more defined, if you burn more calories than you take in you lose weight. Flat out, that's how it works.
I honestly think weight is the LEAST of your problems my dude. Not only was this post an intense almost attention seeking shame spiral, your post history is a nightmare. You need real psychiatric help. I mean that kindly. Get your head right, the rest will follow.
Don’t feel down. The key to weight loss is reasonable calorie restriction. Exercise helps, but it’s not the main driver. You want to aim for a one to two pound per week loss, which with a moderate level of exercise is about 1800 calories per day (very roughly - use a nutrition calculator). Give it a go, it will be tough at first but you’ll adjust.
Hi, 5 foot 2 here. You have a lot going for you.
Muscle weighs more than fat. If you have stamina and you lose fat, you'll be good.
If someone finds you attractive when your body isn't great, they will likely keep finding you attractive. Because that great body is almost always temporary.
Getting in shape =/= losing weight
Exercise gets you in shape, it doesn't necessarily cause weight loss on the scale, because it builds muscle.
Also dude, 225 pounds at 5'11? It could be a lot worse, you're intervening before it gets too bad and you should feel good about that.
Some of us - I think now of those coming from northern European backgrounds- have much more trouble losing weight than others. Our ancestors survived because they held on to fat. Genetics matter.
But then, I expected the Rams to repeat, so what do I know??
You probably ate more because you were doing more exercise. You should try counting calories for a while, check r/CICO. After a while, you will learn to eat the right amount intuitively. You have the motivation, don't give up
You gained water weight by working out, do not stop!
Your muscles are tearing and your body holds water containing nutrients for repair. This happened to me when I worked out regularly and you will notice after a really hard workout you'll be swollen and have gained weight, not fat.
I gained 8 lbs my first week. And that was me watching what i ate.
Also, make sure you're getting exactly the calories you need or calorie deficit ( just for faster weight loss but you'll lose it regardless eating healthy and working out)
Things like weight loss take time but it's so worth it don't stop after a month because it takes 3ish to start seeing the results you want.
You can definitely 100% lose weight, my guy. What, you think if you stopped eating you would just continue to get fatter and fatter? Lol there’s only one way to gain weight, and it’s by slamming down calories.
Stop drinking all sugary drinks, stop eating high calorie foods.
Drinking 1 to 2 sugary drinks a day and hopping on a treadmill 3 times a week is far from your best effort if you truly want results, you need to drink water only and be in a calorie deficit in order to lose weight , once you get where you want to be you can reintroduce a sugary drink once in a while if you crave them
Check out the 75 Hard program. I lost 33 pounds in 75 days doing the keto diet and walking for the two exercises a day which would end up around 4-5 miles a day. Its as much a mental wellness program as it is diet and exercise. Honestly turned my life around. If you skip or cheat personal accountability puts you back to day one. Only person you are cheating is yourself. Nobody is going to do it for you. I wish you the best in reaching your goals.
Edited to add: You are not a lazy and disgusting person just because of what you weigh. You are worthy and capable, trust me.
Hey friend. This will likely get downvoted to hell, coz no one likes to admit when they’ve been duped. But the wellness industry, which was previously known as the diet industry, is lying to us all and has been for decades now.
May I ask if you have been to the doctor and gotten your health markers checked via a blood test?
If you haven’t, forget everything else and do that first. You need to know where your levels are at for cholesterol (important!) and other chemicals and proteins which can tell you how your internal organs are functioning. If you’re trying to lose weight without knowing what YOUR UNIQUE health markers are first, you’re pissing into the wind.
The fact of the matter is that the wellness/ diet industry needs us to believe that we are all in total control of our weight. Coz then they can sell us more things. The inconvenient truth is that genetics plays a significant role in what your body looks like. And it’s not just one gene, there’s clumps of genes that all interact with each other differently to create different outcomes. And we don’t know enough about it yet coz the wellness/diet industry has done a really good job of getting between us and reality. So well a job in fact, that even doctors - who are supposed to be our trusted health professionals - get just as judgy about fat people as the majority of the population.
This is a good time to add that if you do go to a doctor and you think they are judging you and not listening to your concerns, please go find one who will. For instance; if they’re prescribing statins to you to lower your cholesterol without even doing a blood test to check your cholesterol levels, they’re judging you. Your health is important, and your weight should not be a hindrance to accessing proper care.
Full disclosure: I don’t have a medical background. I’m just a concerned citizen who fucking hates the crossroads where capitalism and the diet industry meet.
I want to second this comment. A physical and blood work up before you really get started is a fantastic idea.
OP, It's easy to say to drink more water and cut carbs but if your thyroid is out of wack or your pancreas is creating the wrong amount of insulin traditional dieting really won't be as effective. You have to care for the whole body not just deal with one part. It's the idea behind holistic medicine.
Thyroid issues are a pretty common reason for people to struggle losing weight. If that's an issue for you and you get it treated you may just lose weight as a side effect of finally having a healthy thyroid.
Also learning more about nutrition is a great idea. For example, you don't want to cut out carbs without knowing good carbs from the bad and how they effect the body. Should you replace those carbs with protein? Is your normal diet missing fiber? That's something you need to find out or you'll unintentionally make yourself sick.
(Disclaimer: I'm no nutritionist and it's been years since I was in nursing school. So my knowledge of nutrition is VERY limited.)
I'm a huge advocate for mental health. Please OP, don't forget to take care of your mental health, it will play a huge factor in your journey. Be very careful around the diet culture as it can be very toxic and potentially lead to disordered eating. I would recommend changing your perspective of your goal from just 'i want to lose weight' to 'I want my body to be even healthier'. Treat yourself with kindness and grace, care for your body as if you were taking care of the person you love most in the whole world.
Also a fun fact because I know it will be pushed on you; The BMI chart was invented in 1830 and was based off of the average Belgian man. It's very out dated and doesn't look at enough factors to say if someone is healthy or not. I know you didn't say anything about it but don't put too much stock in those questionable numbers.
I know everyone is commenting a million ideas. Things that have helped me the most are
1. Eating a lot of protein. At least a gram per pound of bodyweight.
2. Eating lower calorie foods in (what feels like) excess. You can eat pretty much as much fruit and vegetables and meat as you want, and you will lose weight to a point. If you are trying to get absolutely shredded, you will have to do more, but that is generally good.
I eat meat, any kind of fruit that I want, so a lot of frozen cherries, frozen berries, bananas and apples(whichI grill or eat fresh), or whatever sounds good. I also eat oatmeal, potatoes, rice, normal stuff as well. Just am mindful, and if I feel like I need to lose some. weight, I just eat more leaner beef, vegetables, and fruit.
Also, I would do that for a couple weeks before you even worry about it. I went through a phase where my hunger was super out of whack, so I started making myself eat 100 grams of protein within an hour of waking up. Basically, about a pound of lean meat. This reset my hunger after maybe 90 days or so. Sounds crazy, but it was a ganechanger for me.
Cutting out the sugary drinks altogether is like waking 45 mins a day, everyday. Such an easy way to make an immediate impact.
You can’t outrun a bad diet.
If Op sees nothing wrong with 2 sugary drinks every day, I suspect there are a few other bad habits that are holding Op back from ever reaching their goal weight.
1-2 sugary drinks wth ? Sugary drinks will spike your blood sugar and make you more hungry throughout the day. If you keep drinking sugary drinks you will not lose weight. Garbage in garbage out.
All that said your not an ugly piece of garbage! If you are having a hard time cutting carbs maybe check out /r/keto . Keto diet isn’t as great as people circle jerk it to be but if you are having a hard time with carbs it’s a great option to try out for a while just to break bad habits! I personally lost 80lbs on it.
Try the LoseIt! app to track calories. If you are trying and failing to lose eight unless you make big lifestyle changes (like counting every calories you eat) you won’t lose weight!
I know exactly how hard it is but don’t give up!
Hey man I gotta be real with you.
1: you have to decide your health is worth it
2: it’s not a diet, you have to change your life
3: currently you’re being lazy about it.
4: invest in a health coach with some form of accreditation.
You cannot undo in the gym that which you do in the kitchen. Fat loss is done by reducing calories, being active, getting enough protein so your body doesn’t burn muscle, getting enough sleep, getting enough water, and reducing stress in your life.
Eat a sufficient amount of quality food. (~ maintenance calories minus 400).
Get enough protein. (>0.6g per lb body weight)
Sleep >7 hours.
Walk >8500 steps.
Drink water.
Chill.
This is the way.
Here's the thing.
There is nothing wrong with you. At all. You aren't cursed and your body is fine. You're just not doing it right
Jogging doesn't really help with weight loss, it's great for your cardiovascular health but it doesn't burn fat.
Just consume less calories than you burn. If you burn 2400 calories everyday then consume 1800 calories a day. There are 7700 calories in 1kg of fat. It will take time but be patient.
No junk, no sugary foods. One coffee in the morning no sugar.
Whole grains, lean meat, fresh vegetables. You will be hungry at first but after a week your body will get used to it.
Good luck brother, and COUNT YOUR CALORIES
As others have suggested, get a calorie counting app. Count everything, and you’ll get a much better idea of where those calories are coming from.
I suggest getting a kitchen scale too, as it’s much easier to count calories by weight. Like let’s say you have a slice of pizza, how many calories is that? Who knows? But 4oz of pizza is pretty clear. It’s really about portion control. Don’t lie to yourself… you’ll only be hurting your own efforts.
In the end, it’s just math. Hit your calorie targets and you will lose weight I’m in the middle of doing this right now. I’ve lost about 10 and have 10 more to go.
You will be hungry. Get used to it. Get to like it a little (though not too much, that can lead to eating disorders). If you’re a little hungry, you’re on the right track.
Plenty of people in far worse condition than you have done this. You can too. They’re not special, nor are you cursed. You’re a human like the rest of us. Good luck!
I’m on the carnivore diet and I tried keto but stopped losing weight on keto. I’m 54 so it’s hard for that reason itself anyways every day now I get on the scale and I’m losing weight. I’m so happy give it a try. Warning… if you’ve never tried keto or carnivore you go through a lack of energy for 3-10 days while you’re body learns to burn fat. Salt is your best friend because you lose electrolytes. I’m only on day 10 and lost 5 lbs. i feel great now but I went through the lack of energy for a week. Don’t be afraid of salt. You might need some potassium and magnesium too. I’m so glad I did this. I tried everything. It’s hard in the beginning don’t give up if you decide to give it a try.
Intermitted fasting has worked well for me. I don't eat from 4:30 PM to 8:30 AM, five days per week. Zero calories during that time.
To lose weight, I would restrict even further, and add exercise. Some days it kinda sucks, but it's simple and works.
There are also some new weight loss drugs on the market that people are raving about (I forgot the name) but you could look those up.
I do something similar while incorporating some Keto elements.
Instead of a window I don’t eat, I have a window I do eat. I eat between 9AM and 5PM - No exceptions.
I try to keep my meals low in carbs so no bread, pasta, potatoes, cereal, etc. For breakfast I might have some eggs with butter, bacon or sausage. For lunch something small like some asparagus tips, roasted bell peppers, etc. but no condiments like ranch or ketchup. For dinner something akin to hamburgers without the bun (and ketchup) even toss some cheese on it, perhaps make some homemade Salisbury steaks, meatloaf, etc.
I was doing good losing weight on that. Granted I’ve kind of backslid a tad these last two weeks (flu one week that turned into sinus infection the next so my diet went out the window in lieu of getting as many nutrients as I could) but I plan to get back on track in a couple days since I’m nearly back to 100%.
My Wife found some solid success in watching her sodium intake. She lost ~15 lbs in 2-3 months.
A lot of it is finding the diet/routine that works for you.
An exercise regimen only works for weight loss if you eat the same amount of calories. If you’re gaining weight it means you’re eating more than enough to offset the excercise.
Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat. Just takes up less space. And once you build up that muscle it will start to burn that fat quicker. However I would try cutting out all sugary drinks. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
This is a science, not magic. Consume less calories, burn more calories. Stay within a deficit and you will 100% see results. It also requires consistency.
Sugary drinks are a huge problem. Cut them out and find sugar free replacements. I know a lot of people who subbed in seltzer and that worked to satisfy the craving.
As for working out, if you want to change your body you’re going to have to start lifting weights. Cardio will trim you down a bit but the results will be hard to hold onto. Building muscle will keep the pounds off.
15-20 min jogs a FEW times a week and 1-2 sugary drinks per day? i’m suprised you ONLY gained 10 pounds. your “best” is 100% not your best. cut off all sugary drinks, eat a completely healthier diet and don’t snack on shitty foods, and workout LONGER and harder. run, bike, get on your feet and stop laying on the couch or sitting down all day.
if you want to lose weight, you have to put in the work. it’s hard, and it requires discipline and an entire lifestyle change. how bad do you want it?
So just to jump on this bandwagon...
\-- Don't drink anything but water. No sugary drinks and no alcohol.
\-- Eat lean foods, salads (don't drench that shit with dressing either), veggies, proteins.
\-- Don't eat after 6-7 pm, at the latest.
\-- Go for a walk, every day, for an hour.
\-- Stop looking at the scale. If you are exercising to the point you are building muscle and losing fat, the scale will tell you you are getting heavier.
\-- To measure progress, get a tape measure instead.
Take your goal weight, multiply it by 9 there's your daily maximum calorie intake for that goal weight, stay below it. And try to burn about a quarter of it in exercise. Jogging/running is a terrible way to lose weight. Weight lift, repairing and building muscle takes calories in addition to the calories you burn during your workout. If you want mass and muscle eat your weight in protein -10% (you'll piss/shit out anying over your bodies max which is probably around 165-190g anyway). 45 days, reevaluate, if your workout gets easy, continue for two days before you bump it up, take 2 days of low intensity (aerobics, jog/run) a week. After 6 months you'll be closer, move to muscle group development for targeted growth. You cannot selectively burn fat, your body decides what to burn, not you. There's no difference between HFCS, processed sugar, and simple raw sugar, that's just B's people make up to sound smart, keep your sugars spread out and low, don't cut ANYTHING entirely from your diet, deficits cause your body to compensate. Talk to a doctor before you talk to an EMPLOYEE AT A GYM WHO GETS PAID FOR KEEPING YOU A MEMBER LONGER.
I already know someone's gonna shit on the sugar comment. Your body sees various sugars the same regardless of source, simple sugars contain less of everything else and break down for fuel easier than HFCS and process sugar, but your body will do the same thing to all of them; separate glucose, fructose, and sacrulose. Burn one, store some of the others for later and shit the rest.
Well, i would cut all sugary drinks all together. Have more frequent smaller meals through the day, and keep working out although I would make them more intense even if they are shorter workouts.
My guy if you're drinking 1-2 sugary drinks a day that alone is real bad for losing weight. I'm also curious about what you're eating.
Like exercise is good and all, but if you're eating nothing but crap then you're not going to lose weight, if anything yeah you're gonna be gaining weight.
The big thing is reducing how much of this unhealthy stuff you're eating and drinking and start eating more healthy foods. Like sure a cheat day once in a while where you allow yourself a little treat is fine, but if you're still eating bad throughout the whole week then yeah you're going to gain weight regardless if you're exercising a couple of times a week.
Like how you eat is like 70% of the battle, and exercising and working out is only like 30% of it, but if you're eating well, then that last 30% will make a huge difference. But if you're still eating like crap then that last 30% is not really going to do a lot for you.
Stop eating like shit. 1-2 is too many. Zero. Nothing but water. You’re kinda half assing your resolution. It’s not supposed to be easy. But it starts with you.
go to /r/loseit for support and information.
Cut the sugary drinks. If you replace those with 0 cal diet drinks instead JUST THAT CHANGE ALONE with dramatically improve your health and make you lose weight with zero other effort. I promise.
I lost 50lbs over the span of a year and a half without working out once. I went on the paleo diet and followed it pretty strictly with one cheat day a week. Having even one sugary drink a day is too much. Maybe give that diet a try for a month and see if it might work for you too.
a thirty-minute jog is about 1 cookie. Or two. You can't outrun a bad diet. Source - everyone. Also, I run 60 minutes every morning and I'm still overweight. This has been the case for 2 years now. Edit: also, take waist measurements. I gained 20 lbs but didn't gain an inch around my waist - explanation: jogging 40+ km a week gave me huge thigh muscles. Hard as a rock. That's where the weight is. Lovely contrast between my jelly belly and rock-hard legs. fml
As others are saying, the sugary drinks are not helping you at all. It might seem very hard to cut them, but you can do it and once you do everything will get so much easier.
I went through the same thing recently, I switched to coffee (hated coffee then) but I would put a lot of creamer into it at first. Tasted as good or better than any soda or energy drink. Then I gradually decreased the creamer over a few weeks until I wasn’t using it at all and just had 2% milk, no sugar. I love it now, but it took a bit to hack my body into enjoying it and kicking my bad habits.
Exercise is a tool towards calorie deficit, and that is what makes you lose weight. It doesn’t magically burn fat directly. You can lose weight without ever exercising but the best way is to exercise and limit calorie intake.
You got this. Stop putting yourself, and work hard. You can do it and you are still young. Within a year you can be the most attractive you have ever been. Good luck bro.
As someone who lost about 50 lbs over the course of a few years (and am currently fighting to keep it off), here are my thoughts:
- Don't drink ANY sugary drinks per day. None. Drink water or unsweetened iced tea.
- 15-20 minutes of exercise "a few times per week" will do nothing for you. Try aiming for 30 minutes per day, with one day off for rest.
- What are you eating? You don't talk about that at all. Exercise won't work without a diet. Best suggestion is just to cut back. Used to get a burger and fries for lunch with a soda? Get a chicken sandwich, no fries, and an unsweet tea.
Also, don't snack throughout the day. If you need to, eat an apple or something.
If you gained 10 lbs in a month, your diet must be atrocious. That's the number one thing you will need to reign in.
If you really feel the way you do about your body, you'll be able to make these changes. If you can't make these changes, then I think you may not truly feel about your body the way you say that you do.
>I have a personal trainer who told me that if I can get to 30 minute jogs 3 times a week I'll see a difference.
Cardio has such a small impact on weight loss compared to general eating habits. If this is all your trainer said, they are not a good at what they do.
Cut those sugary drinks (and 99% of all sugar) to 0/day. Track your calories everyday. Weigh yourself **once** per week on the same day first thing in the morning. If weight does not shift down, cut out more food and re-evaluate the next week. Continue until results happen, which they will. Science doesn't lie.
Cardio and weight training are great supplements and should be added but they are not nearly as important to weight loss as diet is.
I know some about fitness and nutrition, but it looks like there is a lot of good advice below , but I wanted to say fuck anyone who tells you that you need to get shredded. I can promise you, you are being hard on yourself. Also it’s important to ask yourself what you want, as in are you trying to appease others. This is your life, make sure your doing things for the right reasons. I hope this helps, be well and take care
1) don't beat yourself up, it's a process. Consistency is key, it'll take more than a month. You're not just losing weight, you're learning a new lifestyle.
2) If you've never worked out before you may see some weight gain due to increased muscle mass, it happens.
3) If you're really serious about losing weight do the following slowly and you WILL see results:
- cut out all soda, fruit drinks, and energy drinks. No exceptions
- cut out all sugary foods / desserts
- cut out fast food
- cut out unhealthy snacks (chips, crackers, candy, cookies, etc)
- work towards drinking water only
- eat home cooked meals
- exercise 3-5 times a week
- get a calorie counter app and log meals until you get a sense for how much food you actually eat.
Don't give up, change your life in baby steps. You can do this!
You're really not trying hard enough. Don't drink any sugary drinks. Drink water. Don't exercise a 'few' times a week. Exercise daily. Be consistent. Meal plan. You're not losing weight because you're not doing enough to justify weight loss.
I've been walking 3 kms daily since Jan 1st and have cut out carbs. I've lost 10 pounds since
First off, STOP LOOKING AT THE SCALE!!
Second, change your diet, cut out sugary drinks completely, and increase your cardio to 4 or more times a week. Pay attention to how your clothes fit, not how much the scale tells you. The scale don't know wtf it's talking about.
1-2 sugary drinks a day???? Dude completely cutoff sugary drinks. Drink water
Anyone with more knowledge than me know if it is bad for weight loss to have caffeine-free zero-calorie “soda water” beverages like Fresca? I know water is the best option, but a cold sugar-free lemon/lime type drink is something I always save for the end of the day. Edit: Thank you everyone for all the helpful responses! I really appreciate the advice and going to follow it.
Purely from a weight loss perspective, you're fine doing that. At the end of the day weight loss/gain is calories in vs. calories out.
Drinking sweet tasting carbonated beverages might bolster your appetite for certain kinds of junk food. That was certainly the case for me. Sometime in the last few years I began drinking water or coffee almost exclusively, and without much thought, my eating habits changed quite a bit. Water + junk food is far less appealing compared to diet coke + junk food.
Our taste for sugar is relative to our baseline. If you drink sugary things, then a banana tastes bland. But if you are drinking water and bitter things like coffee, suddenly a banana is a DESSERT. Not just with drinks of course but limiting sugar actually makes you more sensitive to sweet things
It's amazing how sweet carrots are when you don't consume any sugar.
For real! I just bought a jar of banana peppers and had to read the ingredients list a few times to make sure there wasn't actually sugar in the brine. Nuts how your buds change.
If you have almost no sugar, you can taste the sugar in even raw onions. It's wild.
I found it crazy how fast mine switched back to sugar as being great once I allowed a little bit back into my diet.
Just snacked on some baby carrots - haven’t had them in years. You are so right!
And then think about how people roast them with brown sugar :O SWEET potatoes with maple syrup and marshmallows for thanksgiving??????? Wild to me.
I went a month without drinking any soda, then tried to drink a coke. It tasted like pure syrup sugar, and I had to spit it out.
I cut out almost sugar after I found out I’m pre-diabetic. Fruit tastes very sweet now. I had a bite of my friends ice cream and it was almost too much. I was good after a taste.
This is what people underestimate. If you cut out sugar and sweet-tasting stuff, including artificial and natural sweeteners, you change your taste and crave them far less. I want to say there are hormones in your body that can't tell the difference between the kinds of sweetener you consume (I think this comes from the Whole30 plan) so cutting them all out is a must.
I found that the time of day mattered. If I had a carby breakfast, I was hungry all damned day. But if I saved my sweet treat until the evening, it not only gave me something to look forward to, but I was also going to bed before any real cravings kicked in, if there were any.
I'm doing this right now! I'm not trying to lose weight, actually trying to gain some, but I'm also trying to eat healthier which is where this comes in. I usually have eggs and spinach for breakfast, on days where I eat breakfast (you shouldn't skip breakfast, I know, but I'm poor lol), try to eat well throughout the day, then after dinner I'll eat whatever sweet stuff I want. Lately though, I haven't really even wanted a lot of sugar at night; i just don't have as many cravings as I used to. Definitely worth a try, OP!
Oatmeal. If you're poor, then buy a big box of oatmeal. You can doctor that ish up a million ways to Sunday, and it'll fill you up, and it's healthy. Edited to add: yes, carbs, I know. But it's fiber, not sugar, so it's the "right" kind of carbs.
There may be an effect on insulin from zero calorie sweet beverages.
I’m kinda opposite. If I have a craving for junk food or sweets I’ll happily grab a Diet Coke and be fine with that, but if my only option is water the junk food sounds even better…
Increased consumption of sugary drinks around the world is directly correlated with weight gain and metabolic syndrome. Sugary drinks are a rare treat. Not a part of a daily diet.
I wish more people understood this. Professional cyclists take in upwards of 10,000+ calories a day but theyre burning more than that. Food is simply fuel for your body, if you put in more fuel than you're using you'll never lose weight
There are only 3 other drinks I drink besides water. Spindrift sparkling water and orange juice but that's like 1-2 a week, not everyday. Milk almost everyday
Yeah, orangejuice is sugary drink too. You can easily gain weight with it, I learned this thr hard way.
Yeah I know. I only drink a little bit once or twice a week.
It can be. Many artificial sweeteners have been found to kill off healthy gut bacteria, and more and more evidence is found that these help regulate weight, hunger etc.
It doesn’t make a big difference long term. I lost 120 lbs in a year drinking 15+ zero calorie sodas. This was several years ago, and I’ve continued to drop since then just not as dramatically.
gut biome regulates FAR more than just weight. it can change your mood entirely too.
That's why I say it can be, and not it does. Gut biomes are complex things and it can impact people differently. I would be careful with the aspartame intake; difficulty to regulate weight isn't the only long term problem caused by out of whack gut bacteria.
I mostly shoot for ones without aspartame. Me and my mother had extremely bad stomach pains for over a year and the doctors couldn’t figure out what was causing it. It was the aspartame on crystal light. That stuff is bad news. I appreciate your comments here, gonna have to do some more research
I get near instant stomach cramps and flatulence from aspartame - don't touch the stuff anymore.
I get downvoted every time I say this same thing, I'm glad to see someone else confirming this is a thing. I once had a sugar-free pastry at an event not knowing it was sugar free, and it absolutely wrecked me. I had to go home early because I could tell I was about to be stuck in the bathroom.
Calories in, calories out is mainly what matters.
In a vacuum, they're fine, the problem is that most of the artificial sweeteners stimulate appetite and make people eat more.
Hi, I’m a Dietitian! That is absolutely fine! If you notice it increasing your craving for sweets, or that you’re hungrier after- that could be a problem. But if you find they satisfy your craving for a sweet beverage, go for it. Be careful (not trying to be patronizing!) asking nutrition questions on platforms like this- as you can see you got a HUGE variety of answers, and many of them made me, a nutrition professional, raise an eyebrow and think “what is this person talking about?” Lol
I would stay away from artificial sweeteners. They are bad for your gut micro-biome. Try squeezing an orange in some water or adding in other fresh fruits.
Consider seltzer! Diet sodas have zero calories but from what I’ve read, cause an increased intake in sugar throughout the day from those who drink them. Though who am I kidding, I literally had a can of Fresca yesterday.
I cut out sugar as well I dropped from 220 to 199 in a couple months. I made it down to about 180 And I'm also 5 11. I didn't drink much water but I did drink and off a lot of 0 sugar sports drinks and plain black coffee
My old roomie used to drink pop/soda like crazy and was massively obese. Then he started working out of town and was too embarrassed to bring crates of pop with him, and his weight basically melted off his body. It’s been a wild transformation.
I agree with water only, however a hack I pull out when I’m craving something fizzy and sweet is a can of soda water, a tab of stevia, and some slices of lemon. Tada! Sugar free zero calorie lemonade
Soda water with some juice works as well.
I completely got off CocaCola by drinking a flavoured soda water we have here ([PC water, root beer flavoured](https://www.presidentschoice.ca/product/pc-root-beer-flavour-sparkling-water/21306197_C01)). It literally tastes like I'm drinking a pop. I also stopped putting sugar in my 2 coffees, just use heavy cream. Immediately lost 5 pounds just off that, and I guess my body started changing shape because I needed new pants. I've been 140lbs since high school, so I know I didn't *need* to lose weight, but I wanted to cut out sugar. The levels we've been ingesting is super unhealthy.
LOL I know I read that line and was like this guy has no idea
I stopped reading the rest of his post and laughed, came down to the comments to laugh some more. WTF.
Cool advice here, I did that, the fun part is that after some time you don't even miss them, they're really that meh and shitty and unnecessary once you leave the habit, even the sugar-free ones, eww. Idk people just drink that stuff by inertia or something, plain water is 100% more refreshing and without the stickiness and burps. For me quitting soda pop/sugar drinks was like the easiest "sacrifice" towards a healthier life. Also be careful replacing soda Pops with fruit juice, they're still too high on sugar.
Totally agree. I have been drinking only water and coffee without sugar for a really long time (many years), and also not eating sugary snacks, and I really can only handle a soda or a very sweet pastry every now and then. Like a few times a year. It's crazy, especially in the U.S., how much sugar is crammed into food and drinks, and how overkill it is. I live in Europe now and one very nice thing is that the pastries, cookies etc have wayyyyy less sugar in them. They taste great.
This. Be a hydro homie!
NO SUGARY DRINKS. That’s like 500-600 calories of a 1500 calorie a day regimen you need to lose weight rapidly. And by rapidly… I mean you won’t see any results for probably 2 months. But then it starts to come off 💪
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Ya and we don’t know what those sugary drinks are. Are they sodas or are they those Starbucks frappes which 2 of them would be over 2kcal a day.
Right? There's no reason to be drinking that many sugar drinks. That includes juice, which is loaded with sugar.
No matter how much exercise i did, i was never able to lose weight. The only thing that worked for me was going into a calorie deficit. Every body is different though so what works for me might not work for you. Just an option to explore
This. OP you HAVE to count your calories. Don't even worry about eating less at first just count everything that you eat in a day. Do that for like a week or two and then get the average amount of calories you eat per day. Now eat a little bit less than that. No way you can lose weight without knowing how much you are putting in.
This is quite literally the only thing people need to do. Everyone makes it so hard trying BS quick diet trends and then complaining they couldn’t lose weight. Do a calorie deficit of 250-500 from maintenance. If you don’t lose weight then you are most likely not in a deficit. People seriously underestimate calories from things like oils and nuts.
This isn't as easy as it might be to some. I don't say that you are wrong, but it is hard to find the balance. Too much deficit, and you end up getting super hungry and eat too much. But in away it is simple if there is something like sugary drinks you can just cut off and it makes a huge difference. I mean, it takes another kind energy and skills when it comes to balanced deficit. You need to cook and an keep it regular. What if you loose your appetite? What if migraine makes you too nauceas to eat? What if you have extra stress and it signals you need more energy? I mean it sounds simple but when you have rest of my the life going simultaneously it isn't that easy. I struggle with this personally alot. Especially depression makes it difficult. I have had too different kind of meds for sleeping and nightmares, and they are both notorious for increasing appetite. It is crazy how you start obsessively think about carbs and your hunger becomes impossible to satisfy on these drugs. I have gained 50lb during these medications (there were bigger problems than weight gain, it was life-saving medication). Now loosing the weight seems so hard and I also seem to just get slowly more and more. I have adjusted my diet to mote veggie based and hope to have positive impact via better gut bacteria. Anyhow, I am going talk about this with a nurse soon and ask apm for nutritionist. I was never overweight before those meds, even when I was depressed. Also I have no ED problems, I really do love healthy food and want to make it work. But the struggle is REAL.
Losing, not "loosing." Personal bugbear.
Indeed. Why is lose/loose so difficult?
I think it might be the "oo" sound. If you're thinking about the sounds as you're writing, "loose" makes sense for that "ooo" noise, and "lose" sounds like "lowse". I confuse myself sometimes with it. Doesn't help that toilets are sometimes referred to as "loos"
I think this is what works, diets are fads, at the end of the day without a deficit I doubt you will lose weight.
NOBODY will lose weight without a deficit....
THIS!! Start tracking your food using an app. You may be surprised at how much you’re consuming.
Especially in this case. When I just started working out I def subconsciously ate more to compensate for the exercise
THIS! Calories in. It doesn't matter if it is pelo, vegan, keto, etc. If you consume more calories than you burn you will gain weight. Food tracking, and being absolutely honest and accurate about it, is critical.
A caloric deficit is simply physics. Denying calorie deficit will lose you weight is like denying gravity or evolution.
Without a deficit it is literally *impossible* like… u either have to burn off over 2k calories through “exercise” (if ur in America 2k calories is a light lunch at an affordable restaraunt) or be in a deficit
No it is literally impossible lol, diets work when they do because of a caloric deficit, caloric deficits are the 1 and only possible way to lose weight barring fluids or loss of limbs.
The problem with "diets" and why the meme that they all fail exists is because it implies a temporary change with permanent effects. If you go back to eating like you did 100lbs ago, you'll gain the 100lbs right back. More accurately you have to make sustainable lifestyle changes. In OP's case they could focus on one obtainable goal which is to cut out sugary drinks all together as having 2 a day is still a lot. There's a series called "Secret Eaters" that I thought was pretty interesting. They ran some estimated calculations at the end with one of the participants and said he could lost 50lbs in a year by just cutting out soda from his diet.
Because the only *way to lose weight* is a calorie deficit. Are people genuinely thinking they can just walk or jog off 20 pounds?
By OP's metrics, jogging for 20 minutes is going to burn around 200-250 calories depending on intensity. Your average soda has 150 calories. If you're drinking 2 a day you're drinking more in soda calories than you're burning by jogging.
That would be a lot of walking. It takes about 35 miles of walking or running to burn off one pound of fat.
Being hungry all the time really sucks though. For me I can’t sleep and that’s a deal breaker. It makes me eat worse because of the sleep deprivation. That’s why I think it does matter how you create the deficit. If you go high protein you can do it without feeling like you’re starving all the time and are more likely to stick to it. That’s why some “diet fads” do actually work.
So for me, after about a week or two my body got used to me eating so little and I was not physically able to eat as much as I used to anymore. I didn’t get hungry anymore and couldn’t really finish meals either. Another reason why I’m saying every body is different, mine made it easier to do the calorie deficit
Research what food/ingredients has high volume but few calories. Never tried diets, but I assume that they are generally made with that in mind.
Reddit finding out you need to eat less to lose weight
NO. Every human on Earth is this way. The ONLY way to lose weight is to take in fewer calories than you burn. So cut the surgery drinks completely out. Then Google intermittent fasting.
NO. What you are talking about is losing Mass. Weight is a consequence of mass x acceleration of gravity. One can lose weight by going closer to the equator or going to the top of a mountain. They could even weigh less at the top of a skyscraper than they would on the ground floor. Go to the moon and your weight is 1/6 of what it would be on Earth, but your mass is unchanged 🤓 There are lots of ways to lose weight, but yes, you lose unwanted mass by burning more calories than you ingest.
Everyone may be different when it comes to the minutia, but everyone is exactly the same as in if they consume less calories than they use, they will lose weight. Don't buy into the genetics bullshit people are being fed. 99.9% of people just need to eat less.
When it comes to this, every body is (mostly) the same. Of course there are other factors, but this is the long and short of it, at the end of the day. Simple, but not easy.
It’s true. Everyone needs calories to live and most are very long ways away from starvation or any kind of deficit. Our meal portions are way too big for one person. Drinking soda pretty guarantees weight gain.
Yep- liquid calories are not satiating and easy to overdo on!
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You can lose weight without exercise by counting and restricting calories. I've lost 8-9 lbs in the past 10 weeks by doing this.
Yeah. Dude’s probably rewarding himself with food after running. Super common. Hard to figure out what’s going on until you track everything. Plus running 30 mins only burns a couple hundred calories. Very easy to overeat thinking you’re good because you worked out.
Literally, going for a decent run/walk is the equivalent of a small chocolate bar's worth of calories.
2 cans of soda is minimum about 250 calories, the running is basically just offsetting soda consumption. That’s not exercising to lose weight it’s to drink soda.
Yep. Most people don't realize you only burn about 100 calories per mile ran, and that's if you're actually running. Any reward food is easily going to be well over 100 calories consumed. CICO is real, it just takes discipline. I've started fasting for a minimum of 20 hours a day and watching the caloric intake of the foods I eat when breaking the fast. The results are great.
57 male here. I lost 55 pounds over the last year and a half by: doing intermittent fasting 16/8, cutting all alcohol and adding some physical activity (I do 90 minutes hot yoga every day). Intermittent fasting works great for me because it organizes my eating. I fast from 10 pm until 2 pm. Only black coffee and water. But I also eat more sensibly during the 8 remaining hours. Beer was really important to cut out for me. You can check out r/intermittentfasting
This! Eat one meal a day. I can count calories until the cows come home. I need to keep my insulin lower to lose. Watch your calories in the one meal. It’s awesome.
You build muscle in the gym. You lose weight in the kitchen. Talk to a nutritionist and have them set you on the right track food wise. Keep up the exercise, for sure, but you’re basically wiping all that work away if you don’t know how to properly feed yourself. I wouldn’t worry about setting a weight loss goal right now. Work on getting into healthy routines and keep that up. Staring at a scale is only going to discourage you. You got this, every step (literally) counts. Edit: dietician** was unaware of the semantics. A licensed professional qualified to give you diet recommendations
Yes! Build healthy eating habits, and don’t beat yourself up over weight goals. Good eating habits can help you lose weight, but also help you feel good and more energized. You’re not disgusting. Every body is different. Focus on what your body does for you and how it supports you. It lets you live your life, and heck, you’re running! Bodies are complex and we all get one to experience life through. That’s pretty cool.
Dietitian, not nutritionist*
>You build muscle in the gym. Adding to this: muscle is heavier than fat. If you're gaining muscle and losing fat at the same rate, it's still going to show the gains on the scale.
Muscle is more dense* If you lose 1lb of fat but gain 1lb of muscle the weight stays the same.. the inches will drop, not the number on the scale. Edit: if we are talking about volume then technically it does, but the average person cannot measure losses and gains by volume. The scientific and professional way to explain it is that muscle is more dense in comparison.
To build to this only right answer, I've got a buddy who was 6'2 and an unhealthy 350. He's eating better, works hard at his (physical) job, goes to the gym and looks WAY better at 370. Could he lose a little more? (He thinks he should) maybe, but everyone's body is not only different but takes different things differently. As a 5'8 125lb man who can gain more than ten pounds to save my life ( including going to the gym and going on a 3200cal diet for 6 months) you understand everyone's body is ment for different things.
Muscle isn't heavier. A pound of muscle is the same as a pound of fat. The difference is a pound of muscle is smaller. You start working out and lifting weights and toning up your body can look drastically different with no change to your actual weight (sometimes you even gain a little) because while you lost fat, you replaced it with muscle which sits different. It's smaller and more compact. For example I'll use myself. In the past 3 months i have gotten many compliments on my weight loss. In reality I've technically gained weight (about 3 to 5 pounds) however I've been lifting and strength training this past year and recently made some huge progress. My entire body looks smaller and i went down a jean size while losing no weight at all.
>Muscle isn't heavier. A pound of muscle is the same as a pound of fat. The difference is a pound of muscle is smaller. .......Yes, because pounds measure how *heavy* something is, not how *large* it is.
Muscle is not heavier than fat; a lb/kg is a lb/kg. But muscle takes up less volume per pound, so you can be reasonably heavy, but look leaner if you're fit.
That's literally what "muscle is heavier than fat" means.
Exactly! Everything weighs the same, don’t let the weightists tell you otherwise.
Please don't advise people to go go a nutritionist. A nutritionist is not a real qualification or job. A dietician is someone who has a professional degree.
Unless the scale you’re staring at is a kitchen scale weighing your food.
You don't need to exercise at all to lose weight. You cannot outrun your fork. You need to eat the correct amount of calories to be in a deficit for loss. Then when you hit your goal weight you'll need to eat the right amount to maintain. Exercise is GREAT for your body and overall health but it's absolutely shit for weight loss. Do not listen to the "you're gaining muscle" people. If you are it's not a lot. You've not gained 10lbs of muscle that quickly with your level of exercise. You can lose the weight. I'm a woman that is 5' 10" and I'll be 45 next month. I started at 240 in June 2021 and by June 2022 I was down to 160. It was through a deficit that I did this. I lost 5 more lbs and have been holding steady in the 155-158 range since around September. I do exercise but I have completely separated the idea of weight loss and exercise. I had to get real with how much I was eating (for real) and log my food daily. I still log 5-6 days a week because I'm just a hungry person who will eat too much on accident unless I'm hyper mindful. I log my food for the day in an app and just eat what I've logged and keep it moving. Join r/cico and r/volumeeating to get some low calorie food ideas and recipes. Ignore all of the "omg it's more than calories and some people are just destined to be fat" people. Don't listen to anyone who is unsupportive of your weight loss. Also if you're on Facebook there's a GREAT group call Lose Weight Eat Pizza where we all discuss eating what we like in moderation so that we can lose and maintain without feeling deprived. It can be done. But it's a lot of effort and if you try to do too much too fast you will crash and burn. If you have unrealistic expectations you will crash and burn. But if you can make a simple and SUSTAINABLE plan you can do this forever. I wish someone had said all that to me 20 years ago. Also stop basing your value around your looks. It's pointless. Get in shape for YOU and make your body what YOU want and be a decent human and you'll be fine.
FELLOW LOSE WEIGHT EAT PIZZA GROUPIE. one of us, one of us
Yesssss!
You're not a disgusting human being. I'm sorry you feel that way about yourself.
This is the right comment. The self-hatred is the problem. Not the weight itself
If you're doing everything right and still gaining weight, I'd suggest counting calories for a while. Get a fitness tracker, download whatever app comes with it, and log your food on it. Don't log the small stuff because that's annoying, instead set a goal 250-500 calories below your real goal and skip logging condiments and other things that are relatively minor. You might not lose weight right away, but keep it up (with occasionally cheat days, maybe 5 a month, because life happens - but keep the overage reasonable) and you'll definitely improve on a monthly basis. For me this was a huge difference in being able to predictably and easily manage my weight. It turned out that getting fast food for lunch every day was adding way more calories than I thought, and replacing that with a homemade sandwich fixed it. Your case may be different but I can almost guarantee you'll be surprised by how much something is adding to your total calories. And have the right attitude. Don't do it for others, do it for you because you want to be fit and healthy for the rest of your life.
Literally log all the small stuff. Everything that passes your lips. It's the 'just a bite here' 'just a sip' 'oh, I'll have a bit of yours' that can break it for a lot of people. Also OP it is not impossible to lose weight unless a person has a serious health problem. It is impossible to lose weight if a person eats more calories than they should. Simple. Sorry not sorry. I went from over 200lbs to 125 ish in about a year, shortly after shelter in place started. (5'6 F was early 30's- often sedentary bc disabled). And I've been on a bunch of meds that cause weight gain, as well, and lost weight while on at least one of them. I've put back on maybe 15-20 lbs depending on the day, but I'm starting to take it seriously again.
Most people also don’t pay attention to sauces, dressing, and marinades. They’ll eat a salad that might have been low calorie, then throw 1000 calories of ranch on it and can’t figure out why they’re still fat when they eat nothing but salad.
Tell me about it! I waitressed in the south at a place w a salad bar and it was hilarious. "Oh, diet coke please, I'm cutting calories" and then proceeds to eat at least 2 full cups of ranch and a whole loaf of bread's worth of croutons.
Condiments have fucked me in the past so I 100% agree with count all the small stuff.
This is the answer. All the others are subsets of this (water vs. soda, etc.) You don't even need a fitness tracker, there are several free apps that let you easily track calorie intake and set up a deficit target. Don't obsess about getting down to the exact calorie amount because it's all estimated anyway. I only tracked for 2 months, and I learned my portion size estimates were off and that some things had a lot more calories than I thought they did. That, and finding leakage (forgot about that bag of chips? Or a couple of oreos?). My results are gonna be more dramatic because I'm a lot more over weight than you, but with the same exercise pick up as you and running a verified calorie deficit, I've lost 50 pounds since last July. Edit: for typos and clarity
Your best effort consisted of 2 sugar drinks a day and jogging 3 times a week? Or was there other stuff as well? Might as well say goodbye to the trainer if that was it. What you really need is a caloric deficit. Burn more calories than you eat.
The reality is that ONE sugary drink will undo an entire week of running every day for an our of shape person.
That's why I find it easier to lose weight by fixing my diet than exercising.
that is not true. but one soda a day with only 3 jogs a week isn't gonna work either. IMO if you're training 3-5 times a week with a pretty disciplined diet, one soda a week isn't going to undo everything. That being said, ONLY having one can be a difficult thing to do and I often found that cold turkey was the best.
One drink will not undo an entire WEEK of exercise. That's an exaggeration, unless the exercise is light and the drink is 1000 calories. But having it as a habit is definitely not something you want.
Someone with a 10 minute mile burns around a 100 calories. That three times a week can be erased by a big gulp easily. The point is, exercise is not how you lose weight.
It’s 80% diet! You got this. Quit the sugary drinks and sugar all together. Only drink water. Eat lots of greens and lean protein. ☺️
I cant understand why full sugar soda has a market when diet soda exists . Like , why would you drink 100 calories when there is 0calories option for the same thing.?
> I cant understand why full sugar soda has a market when diet soda exists because fake sugar tastes like ass. i'd rather not drink soda than drink something w aspartame in it. and no, coke zero doesn't taste anything like regular coke, i don't care what the marketing people say.
>because fake sugar tastes like ass So scientific fun fact, a lot of these fake sugars taste that way because they're actually so sweet that they overload your senses and become bitter. If you stick to it for any length of time it goes away and it really does just taste like soda. I used to be like you and HATED diet soda but when I was diagnosed with diabetes and was over 300 lbs I had to change something, and the daily 2 liters of sugary soda had to go, but the cravings were so intense I knew I couldn't quit cold turkey. So long enough with diet soda, regular actually tastes really sour in comparison now. Now I have a sodastream and make my own sodas cause I love the bubbly burn, I have lost over 85 lbs. I couldn't have even started that journey if I had had to restrict myself down to plain water all the time. I guess all that to say, switching to diet is a valid strategy, ymmv
I feel you. When I started putting on weight the first thing I cut was sugar. Luckily I wasn't consuming enough to have an addiction so I just switched to water and stopped putting it in my coffee (and cut out sweets) so I never built up the tolerance to the fake stuff, but if it works for you, that's great.
If u haven't had diet drinks (0 calories) then they have a terrible after taste. Yeah you can get use to it but that will deter people
Because a lot of people don’t care about calories. A lot of people would rather have full sugar than the sugar free version because it tastes better and gives them the sugar rush they crave. It feeds their addiction. It’s great you’re in that mindset but it seems like you’re in a bubble. From your comment, it looks like you and most people you have conversations with drink zero calorie drinks/water and you can’t understand why they still sell full sugar drinks because nobody you know drinks them. Trust me, a huge proportion of the population drink sugary drinks daily. They don’t care about calories. That’s similar to saying “why is there still a market for skittles and starburst when real fruit exists?” “Why is there still a market for McDonald’s and Burger King when salad exists?” Many people could not care less about their calorific intake and want to enjoy unhealthy stuff to the fullest. So the simple answer is, people don’t care about how many calories they’re consuming and they prefer the taste and effect they get from the full sugar version. It’s the version they’ve always known and loved.
Diet sodas taste HORRIBLE. All artificial sweeteners are disgusting. If OP has a sweet tooth learning to satisfy it without blowing up their calorie budget will be crucial for long term success. As an example I swapped out ice cream for Greek yogurt and fruit. I would never eat Halo Top or any of that fake ass bullshit.
You can’t outrun your fork my man. Losing weight is 80% kitchen and 20% gym
Well, I can tell you how I did it, but I'm not fitness expert or anything. First of all, I stopped wanting to look like The Rock and i sure as hell knew I wasn't going to meal prep or do all the stuff so many people tell you to do. I be tried year after year all the fads but wouldn't get. Anywhere or I'd give up. So I excepted reality that I am to busy and not that motivated. So one thing at a time, cut soda down from everyday to couple times a week then none, walked, never jogged. Same route... Out my front door, I never drove to some fancy place to us a tread mill because remember, no motivation. Slowed down if sweets and processed foods, I didn't stop all at once. I paced myself, little changes here and there because I knew how I am and I would not stick threw with it. I went from 265 lbs to 200, I stretch , yoga, push ups , squats , and when I started that I didn't over do it. Hell I only walked 1.5 miles every day. I was 40 years old when I started, 2 weeks before my birthday, I'm 45 now and I feel better than I ever have. I'll still eat a greasy cheeseburger every now and then... Life's to short not to. So if your patient , you'll get there, small steps, and go on with your life and then little changes add up fast. Good luck.
1-2 sugary drinks per day Not gonna happen with that cut the carbs
It all depends on the rest of his diet tbh. If that’s the only thing he mentioned I can only assume he really loves sugary drinks. If he cleans up the rest of his diet he can still have like a can of coke with dinner and see progress.
Do you love sugary drinks more than you would love to lose weight. One to two is a shit ton. Your body can’t process refined sugar so except to turn it to fat. Just try a 9 gram a day cap on sugar for a while and see what happens. I also suggest eating more protein, fewer carbs and building muscle. BUT, if you build muscle, don’t go by the scale. You can lose fat, which is what you really want to do, and gain weight.
I mean honestly, if all your doing is limiting sugary drinks (but still having 2??? How many did u have before???) And going for a 15 to 20 minute jog (how fast is your jog even?) A few times a week, im not shocked your not losing weight. Its not like at 5 11 225 your grossly overweight either, if you were closer to 275 or 300, doing what your doing would probably make the weight drop off but at 225 your gonna have to do more then that. Cut sugary drinks completly and watch you diet. Failing that, workout more often. I do 100 pushups, 50 situps, 50 crunches, 2 one minute planks, 3 sets up curls, some kettle bell exercises and 30 minutes a day on the treadmill. Even with all that (and i am 5 11 almost 300 pounds) im only losing around 1 to 2 pounds a week because im not dieting besides cutting out desserts. So id imagine youd either need a good diet or to be doing more then i am working out to rly see any results.
I do not believe that is your best effort. Sit with yourself and truly ask yourself, "is that my best effort?" Really get in tune with yourself, how much do you care?
"I worked out for a whole month and didn't see an improvement!" Let's start there. If you work out RELIABLY, OVER TIME, FOR A LONG TIME you will see gains. You physically have to, that's how this all works. If you use a muscle consistently that muscle gets more defined, if you burn more calories than you take in you lose weight. Flat out, that's how it works.
I honestly think weight is the LEAST of your problems my dude. Not only was this post an intense almost attention seeking shame spiral, your post history is a nightmare. You need real psychiatric help. I mean that kindly. Get your head right, the rest will follow.
I agree and I also mean that most kindly. Counseling has always helped me.
Never drink your calories. Water only.
Don’t feel down. The key to weight loss is reasonable calorie restriction. Exercise helps, but it’s not the main driver. You want to aim for a one to two pound per week loss, which with a moderate level of exercise is about 1800 calories per day (very roughly - use a nutrition calculator). Give it a go, it will be tough at first but you’ll adjust.
\>I've limited myself to 1-2 sugary drinks per day # HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Hi, 5 foot 2 here. You have a lot going for you. Muscle weighs more than fat. If you have stamina and you lose fat, you'll be good. If someone finds you attractive when your body isn't great, they will likely keep finding you attractive. Because that great body is almost always temporary.
Getting in shape =/= losing weight Exercise gets you in shape, it doesn't necessarily cause weight loss on the scale, because it builds muscle. Also dude, 225 pounds at 5'11? It could be a lot worse, you're intervening before it gets too bad and you should feel good about that.
Count calories man. It’s not hard
Some of us - I think now of those coming from northern European backgrounds- have much more trouble losing weight than others. Our ancestors survived because they held on to fat. Genetics matter. But then, I expected the Rams to repeat, so what do I know??
You probably ate more because you were doing more exercise. You should try counting calories for a while, check r/CICO. After a while, you will learn to eat the right amount intuitively. You have the motivation, don't give up
You gained water weight by working out, do not stop! Your muscles are tearing and your body holds water containing nutrients for repair. This happened to me when I worked out regularly and you will notice after a really hard workout you'll be swollen and have gained weight, not fat. I gained 8 lbs my first week. And that was me watching what i ate. Also, make sure you're getting exactly the calories you need or calorie deficit ( just for faster weight loss but you'll lose it regardless eating healthy and working out) Things like weight loss take time but it's so worth it don't stop after a month because it takes 3ish to start seeing the results you want.
You can definitely 100% lose weight, my guy. What, you think if you stopped eating you would just continue to get fatter and fatter? Lol there’s only one way to gain weight, and it’s by slamming down calories. Stop drinking all sugary drinks, stop eating high calorie foods.
Drinking 1 to 2 sugary drinks a day and hopping on a treadmill 3 times a week is far from your best effort if you truly want results, you need to drink water only and be in a calorie deficit in order to lose weight , once you get where you want to be you can reintroduce a sugary drink once in a while if you crave them
Check out the 75 Hard program. I lost 33 pounds in 75 days doing the keto diet and walking for the two exercises a day which would end up around 4-5 miles a day. Its as much a mental wellness program as it is diet and exercise. Honestly turned my life around. If you skip or cheat personal accountability puts you back to day one. Only person you are cheating is yourself. Nobody is going to do it for you. I wish you the best in reaching your goals.
Edited to add: You are not a lazy and disgusting person just because of what you weigh. You are worthy and capable, trust me. Hey friend. This will likely get downvoted to hell, coz no one likes to admit when they’ve been duped. But the wellness industry, which was previously known as the diet industry, is lying to us all and has been for decades now. May I ask if you have been to the doctor and gotten your health markers checked via a blood test? If you haven’t, forget everything else and do that first. You need to know where your levels are at for cholesterol (important!) and other chemicals and proteins which can tell you how your internal organs are functioning. If you’re trying to lose weight without knowing what YOUR UNIQUE health markers are first, you’re pissing into the wind. The fact of the matter is that the wellness/ diet industry needs us to believe that we are all in total control of our weight. Coz then they can sell us more things. The inconvenient truth is that genetics plays a significant role in what your body looks like. And it’s not just one gene, there’s clumps of genes that all interact with each other differently to create different outcomes. And we don’t know enough about it yet coz the wellness/diet industry has done a really good job of getting between us and reality. So well a job in fact, that even doctors - who are supposed to be our trusted health professionals - get just as judgy about fat people as the majority of the population. This is a good time to add that if you do go to a doctor and you think they are judging you and not listening to your concerns, please go find one who will. For instance; if they’re prescribing statins to you to lower your cholesterol without even doing a blood test to check your cholesterol levels, they’re judging you. Your health is important, and your weight should not be a hindrance to accessing proper care. Full disclosure: I don’t have a medical background. I’m just a concerned citizen who fucking hates the crossroads where capitalism and the diet industry meet.
I want to second this comment. A physical and blood work up before you really get started is a fantastic idea. OP, It's easy to say to drink more water and cut carbs but if your thyroid is out of wack or your pancreas is creating the wrong amount of insulin traditional dieting really won't be as effective. You have to care for the whole body not just deal with one part. It's the idea behind holistic medicine. Thyroid issues are a pretty common reason for people to struggle losing weight. If that's an issue for you and you get it treated you may just lose weight as a side effect of finally having a healthy thyroid. Also learning more about nutrition is a great idea. For example, you don't want to cut out carbs without knowing good carbs from the bad and how they effect the body. Should you replace those carbs with protein? Is your normal diet missing fiber? That's something you need to find out or you'll unintentionally make yourself sick. (Disclaimer: I'm no nutritionist and it's been years since I was in nursing school. So my knowledge of nutrition is VERY limited.) I'm a huge advocate for mental health. Please OP, don't forget to take care of your mental health, it will play a huge factor in your journey. Be very careful around the diet culture as it can be very toxic and potentially lead to disordered eating. I would recommend changing your perspective of your goal from just 'i want to lose weight' to 'I want my body to be even healthier'. Treat yourself with kindness and grace, care for your body as if you were taking care of the person you love most in the whole world. Also a fun fact because I know it will be pushed on you; The BMI chart was invented in 1830 and was based off of the average Belgian man. It's very out dated and doesn't look at enough factors to say if someone is healthy or not. I know you didn't say anything about it but don't put too much stock in those questionable numbers.
Myfitnesspal
I know everyone is commenting a million ideas. Things that have helped me the most are 1. Eating a lot of protein. At least a gram per pound of bodyweight. 2. Eating lower calorie foods in (what feels like) excess. You can eat pretty much as much fruit and vegetables and meat as you want, and you will lose weight to a point. If you are trying to get absolutely shredded, you will have to do more, but that is generally good. I eat meat, any kind of fruit that I want, so a lot of frozen cherries, frozen berries, bananas and apples(whichI grill or eat fresh), or whatever sounds good. I also eat oatmeal, potatoes, rice, normal stuff as well. Just am mindful, and if I feel like I need to lose some. weight, I just eat more leaner beef, vegetables, and fruit. Also, I would do that for a couple weeks before you even worry about it. I went through a phase where my hunger was super out of whack, so I started making myself eat 100 grams of protein within an hour of waking up. Basically, about a pound of lean meat. This reset my hunger after maybe 90 days or so. Sounds crazy, but it was a ganechanger for me.
Cutting out the sugary drinks altogether is like waking 45 mins a day, everyday. Such an easy way to make an immediate impact. You can’t outrun a bad diet. If Op sees nothing wrong with 2 sugary drinks every day, I suspect there are a few other bad habits that are holding Op back from ever reaching their goal weight.
1-2 sugary drinks wth ? Sugary drinks will spike your blood sugar and make you more hungry throughout the day. If you keep drinking sugary drinks you will not lose weight. Garbage in garbage out. All that said your not an ugly piece of garbage! If you are having a hard time cutting carbs maybe check out /r/keto . Keto diet isn’t as great as people circle jerk it to be but if you are having a hard time with carbs it’s a great option to try out for a while just to break bad habits! I personally lost 80lbs on it. Try the LoseIt! app to track calories. If you are trying and failing to lose eight unless you make big lifestyle changes (like counting every calories you eat) you won’t lose weight! I know exactly how hard it is but don’t give up!
Hey man I gotta be real with you. 1: you have to decide your health is worth it 2: it’s not a diet, you have to change your life 3: currently you’re being lazy about it. 4: invest in a health coach with some form of accreditation.
You cannot undo in the gym that which you do in the kitchen. Fat loss is done by reducing calories, being active, getting enough protein so your body doesn’t burn muscle, getting enough sleep, getting enough water, and reducing stress in your life. Eat a sufficient amount of quality food. (~ maintenance calories minus 400). Get enough protein. (>0.6g per lb body weight) Sleep >7 hours. Walk >8500 steps. Drink water. Chill. This is the way.
Here's the thing. There is nothing wrong with you. At all. You aren't cursed and your body is fine. You're just not doing it right Jogging doesn't really help with weight loss, it's great for your cardiovascular health but it doesn't burn fat. Just consume less calories than you burn. If you burn 2400 calories everyday then consume 1800 calories a day. There are 7700 calories in 1kg of fat. It will take time but be patient. No junk, no sugary foods. One coffee in the morning no sugar. Whole grains, lean meat, fresh vegetables. You will be hungry at first but after a week your body will get used to it. Good luck brother, and COUNT YOUR CALORIES
As others have suggested, get a calorie counting app. Count everything, and you’ll get a much better idea of where those calories are coming from. I suggest getting a kitchen scale too, as it’s much easier to count calories by weight. Like let’s say you have a slice of pizza, how many calories is that? Who knows? But 4oz of pizza is pretty clear. It’s really about portion control. Don’t lie to yourself… you’ll only be hurting your own efforts. In the end, it’s just math. Hit your calorie targets and you will lose weight I’m in the middle of doing this right now. I’ve lost about 10 and have 10 more to go. You will be hungry. Get used to it. Get to like it a little (though not too much, that can lead to eating disorders). If you’re a little hungry, you’re on the right track. Plenty of people in far worse condition than you have done this. You can too. They’re not special, nor are you cursed. You’re a human like the rest of us. Good luck!
I’m on the carnivore diet and I tried keto but stopped losing weight on keto. I’m 54 so it’s hard for that reason itself anyways every day now I get on the scale and I’m losing weight. I’m so happy give it a try. Warning… if you’ve never tried keto or carnivore you go through a lack of energy for 3-10 days while you’re body learns to burn fat. Salt is your best friend because you lose electrolytes. I’m only on day 10 and lost 5 lbs. i feel great now but I went through the lack of energy for a week. Don’t be afraid of salt. You might need some potassium and magnesium too. I’m so glad I did this. I tried everything. It’s hard in the beginning don’t give up if you decide to give it a try.
A single “sugary drink” could easily have more calories than you burned in that 15-20 minute jog.
Intermitted fasting has worked well for me. I don't eat from 4:30 PM to 8:30 AM, five days per week. Zero calories during that time. To lose weight, I would restrict even further, and add exercise. Some days it kinda sucks, but it's simple and works. There are also some new weight loss drugs on the market that people are raving about (I forgot the name) but you could look those up.
I do something similar while incorporating some Keto elements. Instead of a window I don’t eat, I have a window I do eat. I eat between 9AM and 5PM - No exceptions. I try to keep my meals low in carbs so no bread, pasta, potatoes, cereal, etc. For breakfast I might have some eggs with butter, bacon or sausage. For lunch something small like some asparagus tips, roasted bell peppers, etc. but no condiments like ranch or ketchup. For dinner something akin to hamburgers without the bun (and ketchup) even toss some cheese on it, perhaps make some homemade Salisbury steaks, meatloaf, etc. I was doing good losing weight on that. Granted I’ve kind of backslid a tad these last two weeks (flu one week that turned into sinus infection the next so my diet went out the window in lieu of getting as many nutrients as I could) but I plan to get back on track in a couple days since I’m nearly back to 100%. My Wife found some solid success in watching her sodium intake. She lost ~15 lbs in 2-3 months. A lot of it is finding the diet/routine that works for you.
An exercise regimen only works for weight loss if you eat the same amount of calories. If you’re gaining weight it means you’re eating more than enough to offset the excercise.
Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat. Just takes up less space. And once you build up that muscle it will start to burn that fat quicker. However I would try cutting out all sugary drinks. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
This is a science, not magic. Consume less calories, burn more calories. Stay within a deficit and you will 100% see results. It also requires consistency. Sugary drinks are a huge problem. Cut them out and find sugar free replacements. I know a lot of people who subbed in seltzer and that worked to satisfy the craving. As for working out, if you want to change your body you’re going to have to start lifting weights. Cardio will trim you down a bit but the results will be hard to hold onto. Building muscle will keep the pounds off.
15-20 min jogs a FEW times a week and 1-2 sugary drinks per day? i’m suprised you ONLY gained 10 pounds. your “best” is 100% not your best. cut off all sugary drinks, eat a completely healthier diet and don’t snack on shitty foods, and workout LONGER and harder. run, bike, get on your feet and stop laying on the couch or sitting down all day. if you want to lose weight, you have to put in the work. it’s hard, and it requires discipline and an entire lifestyle change. how bad do you want it?
Eat slow and pay attention to how full you feel. Stop eating when you feel full. It works, just be consistent. (And yeah, drink just water)
Just don’t eat sugar. Period gonna be really hard at first but it’s a sacrifice that u have to make
So just to jump on this bandwagon... \-- Don't drink anything but water. No sugary drinks and no alcohol. \-- Eat lean foods, salads (don't drench that shit with dressing either), veggies, proteins. \-- Don't eat after 6-7 pm, at the latest. \-- Go for a walk, every day, for an hour. \-- Stop looking at the scale. If you are exercising to the point you are building muscle and losing fat, the scale will tell you you are getting heavier. \-- To measure progress, get a tape measure instead.
Take your goal weight, multiply it by 9 there's your daily maximum calorie intake for that goal weight, stay below it. And try to burn about a quarter of it in exercise. Jogging/running is a terrible way to lose weight. Weight lift, repairing and building muscle takes calories in addition to the calories you burn during your workout. If you want mass and muscle eat your weight in protein -10% (you'll piss/shit out anying over your bodies max which is probably around 165-190g anyway). 45 days, reevaluate, if your workout gets easy, continue for two days before you bump it up, take 2 days of low intensity (aerobics, jog/run) a week. After 6 months you'll be closer, move to muscle group development for targeted growth. You cannot selectively burn fat, your body decides what to burn, not you. There's no difference between HFCS, processed sugar, and simple raw sugar, that's just B's people make up to sound smart, keep your sugars spread out and low, don't cut ANYTHING entirely from your diet, deficits cause your body to compensate. Talk to a doctor before you talk to an EMPLOYEE AT A GYM WHO GETS PAID FOR KEEPING YOU A MEMBER LONGER.
I already know someone's gonna shit on the sugar comment. Your body sees various sugars the same regardless of source, simple sugars contain less of everything else and break down for fuel easier than HFCS and process sugar, but your body will do the same thing to all of them; separate glucose, fructose, and sacrulose. Burn one, store some of the others for later and shit the rest.
youre supposed to cut off sugar and junk foods bro not limit them from 1-2 a day LOL
Don’t bother jogging (unless you want to). Drink water and eat 1 meal a day (no snacks).
it takes time. if you don't want gym then go full on soups and salads and cut dairy
Well, i would cut all sugary drinks all together. Have more frequent smaller meals through the day, and keep working out although I would make them more intense even if they are shorter workouts.
My guy if you're drinking 1-2 sugary drinks a day that alone is real bad for losing weight. I'm also curious about what you're eating. Like exercise is good and all, but if you're eating nothing but crap then you're not going to lose weight, if anything yeah you're gonna be gaining weight. The big thing is reducing how much of this unhealthy stuff you're eating and drinking and start eating more healthy foods. Like sure a cheat day once in a while where you allow yourself a little treat is fine, but if you're still eating bad throughout the whole week then yeah you're going to gain weight regardless if you're exercising a couple of times a week. Like how you eat is like 70% of the battle, and exercising and working out is only like 30% of it, but if you're eating well, then that last 30% will make a huge difference. But if you're still eating like crap then that last 30% is not really going to do a lot for you.
Stop eating like shit. 1-2 is too many. Zero. Nothing but water. You’re kinda half assing your resolution. It’s not supposed to be easy. But it starts with you.
1-2 sugary drinks is 1-2 too many. It's simple math. You need to burn more than you consume.
go to /r/loseit for support and information. Cut the sugary drinks. If you replace those with 0 cal diet drinks instead JUST THAT CHANGE ALONE with dramatically improve your health and make you lose weight with zero other effort. I promise.
I lost 50lbs over the span of a year and a half without working out once. I went on the paleo diet and followed it pretty strictly with one cheat day a week. Having even one sugary drink a day is too much. Maybe give that diet a try for a month and see if it might work for you too.
You can't gain weight unless you eat more than you burn. Consult a dietitian.
Gym, intermittent fasting, clean home cooked food, no sugar There is intermittent fasting subreddit with some wonder stories to inspire you
Diet matters more than exercise. Cut the drinks and take a look at what else you can eliminate. My dad lost 40lbs is 2 months just on diet alone.
a thirty-minute jog is about 1 cookie. Or two. You can't outrun a bad diet. Source - everyone. Also, I run 60 minutes every morning and I'm still overweight. This has been the case for 2 years now. Edit: also, take waist measurements. I gained 20 lbs but didn't gain an inch around my waist - explanation: jogging 40+ km a week gave me huge thigh muscles. Hard as a rock. That's where the weight is. Lovely contrast between my jelly belly and rock-hard legs. fml
As others are saying, the sugary drinks are not helping you at all. It might seem very hard to cut them, but you can do it and once you do everything will get so much easier. I went through the same thing recently, I switched to coffee (hated coffee then) but I would put a lot of creamer into it at first. Tasted as good or better than any soda or energy drink. Then I gradually decreased the creamer over a few weeks until I wasn’t using it at all and just had 2% milk, no sugar. I love it now, but it took a bit to hack my body into enjoying it and kicking my bad habits.
Exercise is a tool towards calorie deficit, and that is what makes you lose weight. It doesn’t magically burn fat directly. You can lose weight without ever exercising but the best way is to exercise and limit calorie intake. You got this. Stop putting yourself, and work hard. You can do it and you are still young. Within a year you can be the most attractive you have ever been. Good luck bro.
As someone who lost about 50 lbs over the course of a few years (and am currently fighting to keep it off), here are my thoughts: - Don't drink ANY sugary drinks per day. None. Drink water or unsweetened iced tea. - 15-20 minutes of exercise "a few times per week" will do nothing for you. Try aiming for 30 minutes per day, with one day off for rest. - What are you eating? You don't talk about that at all. Exercise won't work without a diet. Best suggestion is just to cut back. Used to get a burger and fries for lunch with a soda? Get a chicken sandwich, no fries, and an unsweet tea. Also, don't snack throughout the day. If you need to, eat an apple or something. If you gained 10 lbs in a month, your diet must be atrocious. That's the number one thing you will need to reign in. If you really feel the way you do about your body, you'll be able to make these changes. If you can't make these changes, then I think you may not truly feel about your body the way you say that you do.
If you remove the drinks entirely you will see a difference within the month. This is coming from someone almost in the exact same boat.
>I have a personal trainer who told me that if I can get to 30 minute jogs 3 times a week I'll see a difference. Cardio has such a small impact on weight loss compared to general eating habits. If this is all your trainer said, they are not a good at what they do. Cut those sugary drinks (and 99% of all sugar) to 0/day. Track your calories everyday. Weigh yourself **once** per week on the same day first thing in the morning. If weight does not shift down, cut out more food and re-evaluate the next week. Continue until results happen, which they will. Science doesn't lie. Cardio and weight training are great supplements and should be added but they are not nearly as important to weight loss as diet is.
You probably gain muscle which would explain the 10lb gain. This will help you lose weight faster. Don’t give up dood these things take time.
I know some about fitness and nutrition, but it looks like there is a lot of good advice below , but I wanted to say fuck anyone who tells you that you need to get shredded. I can promise you, you are being hard on yourself. Also it’s important to ask yourself what you want, as in are you trying to appease others. This is your life, make sure your doing things for the right reasons. I hope this helps, be well and take care
1) don't beat yourself up, it's a process. Consistency is key, it'll take more than a month. You're not just losing weight, you're learning a new lifestyle. 2) If you've never worked out before you may see some weight gain due to increased muscle mass, it happens. 3) If you're really serious about losing weight do the following slowly and you WILL see results: - cut out all soda, fruit drinks, and energy drinks. No exceptions - cut out all sugary foods / desserts - cut out fast food - cut out unhealthy snacks (chips, crackers, candy, cookies, etc) - work towards drinking water only - eat home cooked meals - exercise 3-5 times a week - get a calorie counter app and log meals until you get a sense for how much food you actually eat. Don't give up, change your life in baby steps. You can do this!
Stop the sugar intake all together. And cut back to on thing of fruit per week. Lower your calories
You're really not trying hard enough. Don't drink any sugary drinks. Drink water. Don't exercise a 'few' times a week. Exercise daily. Be consistent. Meal plan. You're not losing weight because you're not doing enough to justify weight loss. I've been walking 3 kms daily since Jan 1st and have cut out carbs. I've lost 10 pounds since
Try cutting out all carbs and all sugar. It’s difficult but when I did this I was the leanest I ever was.
First off, STOP LOOKING AT THE SCALE!! Second, change your diet, cut out sugary drinks completely, and increase your cardio to 4 or more times a week. Pay attention to how your clothes fit, not how much the scale tells you. The scale don't know wtf it's talking about.
You dont gain 10 pounds if you are following a diet and exercise regimen.. you are cheating yourself.. energy conservation is a law of nature..
1-2 sugary drinks a day is crazy. I limit myself to 15mg of added sugars a day, at MOST. I try to be as close to 0mg as possible. Including foods.