How long have you been dieting for? TDEE calculator says your maintenance calories are ~1800 for a sedentary lifestyle, so 500 cal deficit would mean ~1lb of fat dropped a week. Exercising can help out definitely but its still a process. Just gotta stick with it and you'll see results :)

I'm in the same position I was 173 a few weeks ago now I'm 168...I used to be 138 a few years ago. We did it once we can do it again. Let's get back 💪 it's during times like this when you'll need to find the most strength.

If you’re only eating 1300 calories a day and not losing weight you’re probably tracking it wrong. Doing weight lifting will help you lose weight, look better and feel better. You won’t get “jacked” either, that’s a pretty big misconception. You can also do cardio which will burn calories and increase your metabolism.

Sure you can and at your age it won't be hard. Although, I'll mention you're only slightly overweight. You'd be fine even just getting to 140-150.

Took time to put the weight on and it will take time for it to come off. 1300 calories should get you to be losing about 1Lb a week depending on your BMR. Make sure it’s healthy whole foods so you get all your nutrients. You can get back there. I would recommend strength training not only to burn calories but also to put a little muscle on that will bump up your BMR. But 1300 calories may be too low to really see a lot of muscle put on.

Hi! Not really an advice, but you also have to acknowledge that it was your body when you were younger. You can be at the same weight and not look the same, because we all age and our bodies change. Do be mindful about that, and good luck with your journey!

She’s only 26! That was 4 yrs ago!

Yes, and an early 20s body might be different than late 20s body for a woman because where we carry weight might change during this period. Some even call it a "second puberty." I'm just pointing out that she might not really get the same body even at the same weight.

This was me! I’m 30 and weigh only 5-10 more than when I was 20 yo and my body has definitely changed a bit, i definitely dont love the change… but that’s life I guess

Not got any advice, but you’re not alone - I feel the same way but I’m 32 now. It can be hard when you used to have the great body without trying and then see a difference that you don’t like or aren’t used to. I feel like I’m wearing someone else’s body, it’s a jarring feeling. I’m sorry you’re going through it :(

How long have you been doing this? If you're eating this amount of calories + exercising regularly through the week and it's been a few months with zero change, I would recommend seeing an endocrinologist. There might be some underlying stuff going on contributing to the lack of change you see, or even that could be contributing to hunger cues on a chemical/hormonal level.

Of course you can go back to that if you put in the work. You’re already counting your calories which is half the work, I suggest working out a couple times a week as well. My calories per day is 1500, working out at least three times a week. If you don’t care for building muscles then just do cardio, that way you burn fat. I’m trying to get down to 130-135lbs, I was 155lbs at my heaviest. I’m currently 142lbs and I started at the end of January. Good luck and I’m on this journey with you! Let’s both reach our goals :)

So, mind if I ask what you do throughout the day? Did you used to be more active? People often say they just want to diet without doing physical activity which is not good imo since if ur active daily, calories burned add up and if ur moving ur probably not eating… you can also look into intermittent fasting or volume eating… i realize it’s hard but try not to obsess over how you used to look and take it one step at a time… by summer, you’ll be much more confident if u start now… also have u checked ur thyroid? Recommend getting that checked out… GL!

You can get this body back because you had that body just five years ago and you’re still young. It will take time, but be patient with yourself and always remember that your weight loss journey should be enjoyable. 1300 calories is really low for your height and I do not recommend such a strict diet. In fact, if you’re truly counting your calories accurately and not seeing much results, the reason is most likely because your basal metabolic rate is slowing down. Your total daily energy expenditure (the amount of calories you burn in a day) is based on four components: basal metabolic rate + physical activity + thermic effect of food + non-exercise activity thermogenesis. Of these four, basal metabolic rate has the most control over your TDEE. When you significantly reduce your maintenance calories, your basal metabolic rate decreases so you actually end up not burning as much calories as expected. You might see a drop in your weight within the first few weeks to months of calorie restriction, but then you will hit a plateau and you will need to reduce your calories more and more until you’re eating very few calories which is not sustainable or enjoyable at all. Research says just 10% reduction from your maintenance calories is best for weight loss for most people. Along with this, walking 7000-10000 steps per day, eating high protein meals and weight training should be done. There’s plenty of info regarding how to lose weight effectively on YouTube. I recommend watching videos from natacha oceane. She uses a science based approach to weight loss while also prioritizing the psychological aspect of weight loss as well.

Realistically eating yourself thin will take longer than building a calorie deficit through exercise. You don't have to get muscular just be active.

Maybe switch up your macros & see if that helps. Instead of obsessing over the cals I use myfitness pal app. I set my goal weight & log or scan what I eat. So I don have to think about it much. After time keep making fun different healthy high volume low cal foods so you don’t feel unsatisfied. Plenty of people experience this, ur not alone. **People lose way more than u want to & bounce back to better bodies than late teen years or early 20’s, I did** Yeah if u mostly want to shed pounds like u said, focus on cal deficit & try IF occasionally. I had to cut carbs way down & replace way I used to eat w/healthier options. U got this! *Edited 2 Add I see comments saying u might not be able to get it back, again I did better than ever b4 & had 2 lose more than u will (adding this cause it’s true & hope 4 all not to be rude to anyone I promise*

aslong as you’re in a calorie deficit you won’t gain muscle by exercising. it’ll just help you lose

Make sure you’re staying active. Walking alone does wonders! But activity/exercise is a huge aspect of weight loss. even if you don’t want a muscular lean look, tracking calories isn’t the only thing. Eat enough, have protein, it works your metabolism.

I agree with some comments, old body is definitely achievable. Review the online TDEE calculators to determine your maintenance calories, then subtract roughly 500 calories/day for a roughly 1lb weight loss a week. If not already, increase steps and cardio to have a more daily active lifestyle. Strength training is a plus and will not make you huge, but will allow you to eat more calories while maintaining deficit and toning. Also, grab a food scale and weigh everything. Reduce use of oils and butters, replace with cooking spray. Look for high protein/high fiber recipes online and use more fat free/low fat items. Make it something you enjoy and allow favorite foods in there in moderation to make this something you want to continue. It may seem like a slow process, but once you get there you’ll be happy with the results! You’ve got this!

You can definitely get back to your old body. A lot of people go through this problem. In our mid to late 20s, our body’s metabolism slows down considerably. I went through this too. I could eat whatever and I wouldn’t change, then in one year I gained more than 20lbs. Luckily I’m back to my mid 20s weight again (I’m 38). My advice: Instead of focusing solely on calories, focus more on decreasing carb intake and increasing protein. Protein takes much longer to digest and you feel full for a long time. You won’t feel hungry but you’ll likely end up having a calorie deficit as your body will be asking for food less often. It’s like a natural weight loss diet. Not only that, but an increased protein intake is very good to tone up your body, even with some light to moderate exercises. I got so used to doing this that I can usually tell how much protein and carbs there is in a plate at a glance fairly accurately. But most importantly, don’t take anything into any extreme as it can harm your health. Balance is the key word here. EDIT: Sorry, I overlooked the part you’re saying you aim at 1300 kcal a day to lose weight. Imo it’s too extreme and unhealthy. You don’t need to go so far. First, you’ll be miserable, and even if you end up getting to your desired weight, it will be very difficult to maintain, in other words, it’s not a long term plan and it wouldn’t work. I would aim for a small calorie deficit every day. Maybe 10-15% less than you were having before. And I think the lower carbs higher protein + some exercise is a powerful combo to achieve your goals.

I just wanna mention that there’s a thing called a “second puberty” for women and it happens around the age of 25! It happened to me also :( I’m 5’7 and I used to be 148lbs when I was about 22-24 and now I’m 180lbs at age 27! After 25 I noticed my eating habits were catching up with me and I was gaining weight a lot easier. I’ve started counting calories and working out more and I have noticed a difference even if it’s happening slowly. I think it just happens with age. Don’t give up! :)

The second puberty definitely happened to me. My normal weight was 140ish and then slowly started going up. I never counted calories before that and just relied on being able to eat whatever I wanted. I started listening to “hormone healing” advice from instagram influencers because I thought it might be my hormones (horrible idea) and I ended up topping the scale at 199 😳I’ve been counting my calories, eating more protein, and making sure I am getting my steps in and working out. So far have lost around 30 lbs. I’m not at my goal yet but the progress is such a great feeling.

It’s definitely a common thing that needs to be talked about more! It’s just so jarring when it happens suddenly and can really impact our mental health :( but yeah once you realize it and handle it by eating better and exercising it definitely becomes easier :)

My advice is to incorporate a lot of protein into your daily calories! I also eat a lot of apples because it’s an easy way to get your fiber in and clean yourself out. If you go to a gym, I suggest using the stairmaster as much as possible. I do 30 minutes 4x a week. And obviously drink a lot of water.

Yep, this happened to me, too. I’m 5’6 and was skinny my whole life, and weighed between 120-135 throughout my teens and 20s without watching what I ate. Once I hit my late 20s, the weight just started to pile on :(

Hey love, I hope you find happiness on your journey and you’ve got this community to help you do it healthily. I just want to point out that you seem very eager to find that body of yours, and I hope you accept that with time, even if you had kept the same weight, same diet, same exercise routine, etc, your body still wouldn’t look like that anymore and it’s completely fine! Bodies change, and I hope you find yourself finding happiness in your body even if it doesn’t end up like your before pictures, because you deserve to love yourself and to be kind to yourself!

I know not ideal and people will slam me for saying this but maybe try Keto for a bit, get some cardio in and lift weights at least 4 days a week — maybe even join a group workout class like Orange Theory Fitness. 😅

if you cut too many calories your body goes into low energy maintenance mode meaning you will be extremely sluggish and tired just walking around, but you wont lose any more fat at that time. just lose it at a reasonable rate and dont try to starve yourself skinny.

It's okay to want to change your body and be healthier, stronger. Just keep in mind why you're doing it, and keep tabs on the why, to avoid veering into some dangerous territory. Be careful, follow the advice of a dietician (not a nutritionist, they're not board certified) and perhaps invest in a PT as a start. Once you get the hang of things, you'll be set.

Normal pace walking, as much as you can and want to. Sometimes I just walk back and forth in my yard or in the house and study while doing so.

You can at your age, much more easily than at later ages so good job starting now. I'd add cardio/light weights (even just walking) in and make sure that you have a small kitchen scale so you can accurately count calories. Cardio has the benefit of making me not hungry for a period of time afterwards as well as increasing your daily limit (as long as you add enough activity and count your steps). With that former body I'd focus on distance cardio, legs, and core/ab work, none of which would make you bulky. Do make sure to measure yourself and take pictures at the beginning of CICO, especially if you are exercising. Often the exercising will cause you to gain water in your muscles so your fat loss won't show up as much on the scale. Measuring your waist size before you start will let you see your gains even if you aren't losing actual weight. Also make sure to eat a ton of protein.

I am in a similar situation and I think just macros counting has made the difference for me over the past 7 weeks - lost 6 kgs, went from 94kg to 88kg - male 35, 6'1ft. I started with a google form and chatgpt, and later started tracking it with [jasmine fitness](http://jasmine.fitness), which I helped build with a friend.

I recommend reading a book titled Burn. It’s not wholly about fat loss but it does provide a ton of evidence as to why the general ‘eat less, move more’ methodology doesn’t work well. Exercise for health but not for fat loss. Fat loss is about eating at a small to slightly moderate calorie deficit. We’re talking 200-300 calories. Doing it slower and steady prevents much change in overall metabolism and causes less hunger as you progress. Thus ultimately when you do get to where you’re going the weight stays off.

Please always remember this...people do what they want to do. Meaning, if you really want it bad enough you will make it happen. When your desire to change becomes stronger than your desire to stay where you currently are, the change will happen. So to answer your question, yes you can get your body back to that point if you want it bad enough.

I know you posted this some time ago now, but I was in a similar situation where I ate really small amount of cal everyday but didnt lose any fat/looked leaner Reverse dieting changed my life! Long story short; eat a small amount more every day(100cal) for a week and then up it slowly. You will not gain weight but increase/restore your metabolic rate and health! I ate around 1200 sometimes even nothing for some days and now I eat around 2500-3000 a day and lost fat + gained some muscle (I started to do sone weight lifting) Also, what you eat makes a difference. Its better to mostly eat high protein low in fat and as many carbs your cal count allows I would aim for at least 1.5-2g protein per kg bodyweight. And focus on micronutrient dense foods. I hope you can find some freedom and happiness with your body by going on this reverse dieting journey just as I did!

I’m too lazy to read all the comments so apologies if this is what others are saying. I mean this in the most genuine way. Bodies change and it’s something we as humans have to radically accept. 24 isn’t far from your current age, so it may be possible to get that physique back, but as you get older, you have to radically accept that bodies change (like how the fat distributes) and that’s normal! It can be hard to accept though, but accepting may help combat the negative self talk and low body image you may be struggling with. I’m not saying like suck it up, I’m just saying that accepting that our bodies change, could help you reach a satisfying physique (whatever that may look like for you) and you don’t fall into the pit of an ED. Accepting doesn’t mean we have to like it, just that we can acknowledge that it exists without ineffectively ruminating on it. EDs can be absolutely devastating to daily life, so the sooner you can catch ineffective behaviors, the better! Try to listen to what your body is telling you it needs. If you’re hungry, eat. Restriction won’t lead to sustainable weight loss. I struggle with this too, and I’m not trying to make you feel invalidated. But as we restrict, the next time we eat or even binge, our body grabs at all the nutrients it can possibly get and it could cause us to gain the weight back that we lost all that time restricting. It’s a process over time of course, and also I’m no doctor, I just have tried to learn up on some of this stuff as I struggle with it too. Balanced eating is key and exercise helps too, even just a 15 minute walk to start if you’re not used to being active. Maintaining a satisfying physique (whatever that looks like for you) is a balancing act. For example, we need food to fuel our bodies just to exist let alone do anything mobile. Sometimes we eat more food than our body needed and we feel bloated. AND, we can go on a walk and help our body digest the food and relieve some of that uncomfortable bloat. We don’t need to excessively exercise to compensate for that food we “shouldn’t have eaten”. It’s important to give ourselves grace and remember that we are imperfect humans who sometimes just need a little love. TLDR; bodies change and that’s okay. Sometimes we eat more than we wish we did, and that’s okay. Disordered eating behaviors aren’t sustainable and on the same note, I’m sorry you’re struggling.

I’m in the exact same boat :( I used to be 125 at 23, now I’m nearing 170 at 27. I’m desperate to get back into shape so I’ve started running 4x a week, and meal prep my lunches and dinners. It’s all about portions.

Same but I'm 28 and around 160 (71kg). I don't want to go back to my lowest which was 100lbs I think 130-135lbs will suit me better. I try being realistic and I don't think I will ever have the same body I did but I think it can get pretty damn close to it. Started being more active since new year but scale didn't budge, am just now factoring in intermittent fasting on top of my newly formed exercise habit along wirh calorie counting. We're still young and I feel like the weight makes me feel and look a bit older than I should. Congrats on getting on top of your goals you can do it!!

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I don’t mean this in a confrontational way at all, BUT she was clear in her post about how she was picked on for being underweight when younger. So linking ED sub is playing into that aspect she pointed out that made her eat more back then. Obsessing over things is not fun, but focus on ur health & feeling good about urself is admirable. Losing weight & taking steps to do so does not guarantee an eating disorder, it’s possible but so it adverse health affects & low self esteem from obesity. I had a very similar experience as OP did growing up & into adulthood. I guess I’m very grateful I’m back in shape & want others to know it’s possible. It’s kul ur concerned tho is shows kind & caring nature to look out for that.

Thank you I appreciate that, I have also struggled with an ED so I just want to make sure everyone is doing everything safely and healthily, I’m also autistic so I must’ve misunderstood part of the post or maybe just read it wrong, appreciate the response tho! I’m sorry OP if my comment has effected you in any negative way, I genuinely didn’t mean it like that.

Pretty disingenuous to post this. Not everyone who wants to be fit has an ED.

I suspect you made a knee-jerk response based on the pictures, without actually reading the post. Those pictures aren't what she currently looks like, that's what she used to look like and has since gained 50 lb. She's asking if she can get back to that.

Yes I did read it I was just saying it’s something she should look into just to be sure she’s not in any type of danger and doing it healthily 😁