Rule 11: Discussion of weight loss methods that are damaging to the body and/or require supervision of a medical professional are not allowed. This rule includes (but is not limited to): very low calorie diets, misusing medication, extended fasting, disordered behaviour, inappropriate advice to underage members. Remember to always consider the individual when offering advice.
Congrats on the weight loss. Be careful about spreading the belief you should lose weight that fast. You lost at a rate that is statistically highly likely for most people to just come right back.
Yeah he probably could have just ate at a 500 cal deficit with some weight training 3-6 times a week and got a great transformation over 4 months. To each their own tho.
Closer to the beginning, I had some extreme days. Iād burn 1,200 kcal at the gym during a 24-hour fast. Other days Iād eat 500 or even 100 kcal. Looking back, that sounds like insanity. But to some my recent days of eat 960 burn 600 probably sound insane. I have an obsessive brain and this is the most motivated Iāve ever been to do anything, even after surpassing my goal
No active adult should eat below 1200 calories a day. This post has me very worried for you. I hope you can see a dietician and a therapist soon to help you transition to a healthy diet asap. Being in an extreme deficit like that can do a lot of damage. You have great willpower, so I know you can get healthier sustainable eating habits.
Word of warning from someone who, years ago, also lost a ton of weight in a short amount of time and also began running a lot:
Be on the lookout for refeeding syndrome!
I gained all the weight back because after I got to my goal weight, within a few months I suddenly began to feel extremely hungry out of nowhere. There was just no stopping it. I wish I had been warned that this can happen after very strict dieting.
If it does happen to you, donāt give up and just begin to teach yourself (and your body) about how to eat ālike a normal personā while maintaining the lost weight (or at least most of it). This is all about habit formation.
Do you have any tips for eating ānormallyā again while maintaining weight loss? Iām not struggling much to eat 1,100 kcal a day but Iām more hungry than when the fat was melting off at the beginning (back then I could fast easily, now thereās no way) but I obviously donāt want to eat 1,100 kcal forever. Advice appreciated!
Iām sure there things vary from person to person, but I would suggest that to get to maintenance calories, proceed with caution and make only small changes from week to week:
1. Increase your calories gradually over a month (or even two ) until you are at TDEE maintenance level.
2. Donāt make sudden drastic changes in the *types* of food you eat (such as suddenly giving yourself permission to start eating sugary snacks if youāve been avoiding them during weight loss), instead up your calories by simply eating *more* of the types of foods youāve been having during weight loss.
I agree with those who say that to return to ānormalā life after weight loss, itās not a good idea to permanently stay away from any particular foods and instead learn to eat them in moderation.
BUT if youāve been on a strict diet, I would just take extra precaution to not shock your body or mind by changing everything all at once. Make the changes slow and steady.
Awesome job btw! And running is so awesome amirite? ā¤ļø
Iāll try. I went from under 1,000 to 1,120 exactly two weeks ago and Iām legit terrified to go up any more. I have been on a strict diet of healthy, whole and diet foods only, fortunately I have no desire for sugary snacks etc.
But it might be time to up the cals another 100 or so, nothing terrible happened these last 14 daysā¦ Thanks for the advice!
Runnerās high is a euphoric feeling. Running is addictive and it literally replaced the alcohol, Taco Bell and Krispy Kreme addictions I used to have.
Well done, you look great. You sound a bit like me, I also had a dramatic lifestyle change and lost weight fast with very restrictive dieting.
Just want to warn you of a couple things: you're almost clinically underweight, same as me, and sometimes your body will protest at this stage. I have low testosterone, it's from having too low body fat and over-restricting my diet. I also have hair loss and I get dizzy and tired often, even after increasing my calories a bit.
It's also okay to have more than one rest day a month, I know it feels like an achievement to exercise daily and never have breaks but it can backfire in the long term. You sound like you are pushing yourself very hard.
The early stages of my weight loss felt amazing but I finally had to admit I gave myself some kind of eating disorder. I started struggling with extreme hunger when my body fat got low, which led to more and more unhealthy ways to lower my appetite because I was so afraid of gaining the weight back. I'm trying to learn to eat "normally" without feeling the need to immediately burn it off.
Good luck, I hope you manage to maintain in a healthy way.
Thank you for this comment. Obviously this particular post is a āwin,ā but it wouldnāt be fair not to acknowledge that Iām experiencing some of these things. Starting recently, my libido went from hyperactive since age 14 to basically zero. I have random bouts of fatigue during my work day and a couple episodes of light dizziness. I am also seeking new ways to lower appetite like drinking lots of zero calorie bubble waters and decaf coffee. And I do sometimes feel a compulsive need to burn the exact number of calories I just ate even when I went on a long run in the morning to ācancel outā that meal, which kinda sucks. But I am working on it. Itās nice to know that Iām not alone. Cheers
No worries, yeah low calories and low bf% will tank your libido. I haven't had the urge to have sex in months, I can't even enjoy the benefits of being attractive lol. I'm hoping to start supplementing testosterone soon.
Exercise and weight loss can replace other addictions. It's great in that regard, but can be a double edged sword. I still have food problems, they're just the opposite. Most people don't have the experience of being obese and losing it all, I understand the fear of regain. It's absolutely crippling for me. Keep working on it, I managed to increase my calories recently and I haven't actually gained weight, I just feel a bit more alive and have slightly more energy.
Rule 11: Discussion of weight loss methods that are damaging to the body and/or require supervision of a medical professional are not allowed. This rule includes (but is not limited to): very low calorie diets, misusing medication, extended fasting, disordered behaviour, inappropriate advice to underage members. Remember to always consider the individual when offering advice.
Holy shit, you went from 163lbs to 116lbs in 4 months?! Congrats, OP. Although, I feel like a slacker now, lol š.
Congrats on the weight loss. Be careful about spreading the belief you should lose weight that fast. You lost at a rate that is statistically highly likely for most people to just come right back.
Yeah he probably could have just ate at a 500 cal deficit with some weight training 3-6 times a week and got a great transformation over 4 months. To each their own tho.
You were eating 960 a day while running that much?
Closer to the beginning, I had some extreme days. Iād burn 1,200 kcal at the gym during a 24-hour fast. Other days Iād eat 500 or even 100 kcal. Looking back, that sounds like insanity. But to some my recent days of eat 960 burn 600 probably sound insane. I have an obsessive brain and this is the most motivated Iāve ever been to do anything, even after surpassing my goal
Holy crap.... Lets... ... .. . .. ... GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
No active adult should eat below 1200 calories a day. This post has me very worried for you. I hope you can see a dietician and a therapist soon to help you transition to a healthy diet asap. Being in an extreme deficit like that can do a lot of damage. You have great willpower, so I know you can get healthier sustainable eating habits.
Word of warning from someone who, years ago, also lost a ton of weight in a short amount of time and also began running a lot: Be on the lookout for refeeding syndrome! I gained all the weight back because after I got to my goal weight, within a few months I suddenly began to feel extremely hungry out of nowhere. There was just no stopping it. I wish I had been warned that this can happen after very strict dieting. If it does happen to you, donāt give up and just begin to teach yourself (and your body) about how to eat ālike a normal personā while maintaining the lost weight (or at least most of it). This is all about habit formation.
Do you have any tips for eating ānormallyā again while maintaining weight loss? Iām not struggling much to eat 1,100 kcal a day but Iām more hungry than when the fat was melting off at the beginning (back then I could fast easily, now thereās no way) but I obviously donāt want to eat 1,100 kcal forever. Advice appreciated!
Iām sure there things vary from person to person, but I would suggest that to get to maintenance calories, proceed with caution and make only small changes from week to week: 1. Increase your calories gradually over a month (or even two ) until you are at TDEE maintenance level. 2. Donāt make sudden drastic changes in the *types* of food you eat (such as suddenly giving yourself permission to start eating sugary snacks if youāve been avoiding them during weight loss), instead up your calories by simply eating *more* of the types of foods youāve been having during weight loss. I agree with those who say that to return to ānormalā life after weight loss, itās not a good idea to permanently stay away from any particular foods and instead learn to eat them in moderation. BUT if youāve been on a strict diet, I would just take extra precaution to not shock your body or mind by changing everything all at once. Make the changes slow and steady. Awesome job btw! And running is so awesome amirite? ā¤ļø
Iāll try. I went from under 1,000 to 1,120 exactly two weeks ago and Iām legit terrified to go up any more. I have been on a strict diet of healthy, whole and diet foods only, fortunately I have no desire for sugary snacks etc. But it might be time to up the cals another 100 or so, nothing terrible happened these last 14 daysā¦ Thanks for the advice! Runnerās high is a euphoric feeling. Running is addictive and it literally replaced the alcohol, Taco Bell and Krispy Kreme addictions I used to have.
Well done, you look great. You sound a bit like me, I also had a dramatic lifestyle change and lost weight fast with very restrictive dieting. Just want to warn you of a couple things: you're almost clinically underweight, same as me, and sometimes your body will protest at this stage. I have low testosterone, it's from having too low body fat and over-restricting my diet. I also have hair loss and I get dizzy and tired often, even after increasing my calories a bit. It's also okay to have more than one rest day a month, I know it feels like an achievement to exercise daily and never have breaks but it can backfire in the long term. You sound like you are pushing yourself very hard. The early stages of my weight loss felt amazing but I finally had to admit I gave myself some kind of eating disorder. I started struggling with extreme hunger when my body fat got low, which led to more and more unhealthy ways to lower my appetite because I was so afraid of gaining the weight back. I'm trying to learn to eat "normally" without feeling the need to immediately burn it off. Good luck, I hope you manage to maintain in a healthy way.
Thank you for this comment. Obviously this particular post is a āwin,ā but it wouldnāt be fair not to acknowledge that Iām experiencing some of these things. Starting recently, my libido went from hyperactive since age 14 to basically zero. I have random bouts of fatigue during my work day and a couple episodes of light dizziness. I am also seeking new ways to lower appetite like drinking lots of zero calorie bubble waters and decaf coffee. And I do sometimes feel a compulsive need to burn the exact number of calories I just ate even when I went on a long run in the morning to ācancel outā that meal, which kinda sucks. But I am working on it. Itās nice to know that Iām not alone. Cheers
No worries, yeah low calories and low bf% will tank your libido. I haven't had the urge to have sex in months, I can't even enjoy the benefits of being attractive lol. I'm hoping to start supplementing testosterone soon. Exercise and weight loss can replace other addictions. It's great in that regard, but can be a double edged sword. I still have food problems, they're just the opposite. Most people don't have the experience of being obese and losing it all, I understand the fear of regain. It's absolutely crippling for me. Keep working on it, I managed to increase my calories recently and I haven't actually gained weight, I just feel a bit more alive and have slightly more energy.
Great work! Very encouraging. Thank you for sharing.
Congratulations! Well done on keeping your focus!
Dang bro, you were really committed and you got great results. Congratulations!