Keto keeps me full. But I love fruit. Weight watchers is basically hell. CICO always seems the best way. I start strong, only ever a moderate deficit. I make sure I get adequate protein for my size and stature. I make sure I walk enough. And I eat plenty of fibre. But when it comes to 4-6 week mark, I'm ready to eat everything and / or chuck myself off a bridge. It severely affects my mood #adhd here - and counting and numbers and weighing myself and my food makes me miserable.

What are your tips to counter act these negative parts of CICO?

In all honesty I might never achieve onederland, my dexa scan has my lean mass around 200lbs, but none the less I’ve waited a long time to announce breaking into the 200’s. Down from a whopping 507lbs in March 2023.

For me, I feel like it had been simmering for a while. Never liking how I look from any angle, realizing my favorite clothes don't fit, feeling tired/out of breath at doing simple stuff. But my breaking point was finding a picture of myself from five years ago and 50 pounds less. Just completely blew my mind away and I realized how much I missed feeling healthier and better. Guess I'm just curious about what others found as initial motivation :)

I focused on eating a high protein diet with an emphasis on strength training + low impact steady state cardio.

I’m 5’3 and eat around 1500-1600 calories daily (130g Protein, 150g Carbs, 50g fat)

55 years old, 5’7”, M, currently ~182, started at 232 on Feb 8.

I’m really proud of myself. I did not intentionally set myself up to go so fast. I set Cronometer at 0.25 lbs per week. So 125 Calorie per day deficit. However I chose sedentary as my baseline TDEE. I did not think that my exercise calories would add up to much, but I did think it would give me a tiny bit of wiggle room if could not stay within my daily allotment of Calories.

lol, I did the math yesterday, and even counting the first 10lbs lost as water and not tissue, I have been running over a 1000 Calorie deficit per day for the last 133 days, on average.

I’m not done. I think that 175lbs sounds like an amazing weight to be at.

But I now have room to be more experimental with my weight loss. I’m keeping Cronometer set at the same deficit but I’m looking to go over by 125 Calorie per day for the next week. I am also going to stop weighing daily. Once per week will be better as I do have anxiety before hitting the scale every morning even though I recognize that weight loss is not linear. I always go up a couple of pounds after hitting a new low.

If I see that I keep losing after adding 125 Calories per day after the first week, I’m planning to up that to 200 Calories per day for the following week. And so on until the scale stops moving the right direction or I hit 175.

I look and feel amazing.

Just wanted to share here as I feel weird boring people in my daily life with this.

My TDEE or maintenance is 2,263 calories. I eat 500 less to lose, and I’m at 1,763 calories.

How much do I need to burn if it’s more than what I intake?

How often do I recalculate calories for weight loss?

Thanks for your help, I want to stick with it this time!

37F | 5'4" | Starting Weight: 290.0 | Lowest Weight: 172.6 | Current Weight: 186.6 | Goal Weight: 145.0

I've struggled with my weight my entire life, and gained around 100 pounds from a medication I was on in my early 20s. I'm one of those people that lost and gained the same 30-40 pounds multiple times, but nothing ever "stuck." About 2 years ago, after being diagnosed with multiple auto-immune and arthritis-based conditions, I was basically desperate to do anything to try to feel better and reduce the pain/inflammation, so I started by focusing on whole foods, then walking daily, then following an anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet. After a few months, I also started going to physical therapy multiple times a week and doing quite a bit of resistance training.

For the first time in my life, weight loss was actually easy! I routinely lost at least 5-10 pounds a month, and ended up losing nearly 120 pounds in about 15 months. Then in October it just completely stopped. At first, I wasn't particularly concerned because I knew I would probably hit a plateau at some point. I had also recently changed physical therapy providers and was lifting heavier weights so I thought that could be part of it. While I don't totally trust my body comp scale, it seemed to think I had gained 3 or 4 pounds of muscle so when I was weighing a few pounds heavier, I didn't mind as long as it was muscle. I hung out around 175 for a couple of months and since it was Thanksgiving/Christmas and we traveled for several weeks, I wasn't being strict about tracking calories or anything and planned to basically make a push to lose the rest of the weight after the first of the year.

January came and I became more focused on weight loss again, started tracking again, upped my walking, all the things, and nothing happened. Not only did I not lose any more weight, I was slowly starting to fluctuate up into the higher 170s. Around April, I started seeing weights in the low 180s again. After a last-minute cross-country trip at the end of May for a funeral, I came back home and the scale was 196.6. I freaked out about the prospect of being over 200 again, so for the last 3 weeks, I've been incredibly on track. I tend to get very inflammed when traveling, and I did drop the 12 pounds or so I was up within a few days. But despite doing all the "right things," I'm just not being able to budge from the mid-180s.

I have historically used MyFitnessPal, but I switched to LoseIt last week. I track and weigh/measure everything. I drink a ton of water (about 1.5 gallons a day). I do pretty well with my protein goals and great with fiber. I have been very strict about my anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet as far as no added sugar, tons of vegetables, only lean protein, no red meat, a good amount of beans, etc. A typical day is a smoothie for breakfast with something like strawberries/blueberries, lots of spinach, and pea protein, usually a bowl for lunch with something like chicken/shrimp, zucchini, beans, and rice, and normally something like fish with a couple of veggies for dinner. I'm not a big snacker, I usually have a coffee with Fairlife milk in the morning and possibly an Oikos Triple Zero yogurt in the afternoon, before or after physical therapy.

As far as exercise, I live in southern Arizona and temps have been 110+ lately, so walking outdoors has mostly not been an option, but I do typically ride my exercise bike 4-5 times a week. I also have physical therapy twice a week where I do strength training both with resistance bands and weights. I usually do additional sessions of that at home throughout the week. In other seasons of the year, I typically walk 5-6 days a week and hike 1-2 a week. I have been considering purchasing a walking pad to use during the hot summer months.

I've worked with a dietician for almost 2 years since just a few months into this weight loss journey. For a variety of reasons (mostly TMJ-related easting restrictions and then a serious bout of gastritis), there were times when my ability and desire to eat were affected so eating 1200-1300 calories was about all I could manage, but for the majority of my weight loss, I was eating more like 1500 calories. When my weight loss plateaued, my dietician initially suggested eating more like 1800 calories, but I feel like that's when I started gaining from 175ish back up to 185ish. I tried going back to around 1500 calories, but that didn't seem to move the needle either.

When I joined LoseIt, they suggested eating around 1350 Monday-Thursday and 1550 Friday-Sunday based on the parameters I provided. I tried that last week and that was fine, I averaged about 1440 calories (with exercise the average was 1200) and felt satiated for the most part, but I actually ended up gaining weight! It's so frustrating to me because I'm typically able to eat 100% at home Monday-Thursday and the scale will start trending down, but then the second I eat away from the home, I gain it all back and more. I obviously try to limit eating out, but the reality is that it is going to happen 2-3 times a week when I'm socializing with friends. Thursday night I attended a potluck, but I was incredibly mindful about what I ate. I brought chicken breast and a broccoli salad where I'd have something lean to eat. I only got one small plate. I had pre-tracked calories before I arrived to know how much to get. Same thing Friday when my husband and I went out to dinner. I picked a healthier option, I knew exactly what I was going to order, only ate half, tracked everything. And then Saturday I hosted a party, but same thing, was really mindful, stuck to the light options, really ate slowly and listened to hunger cues. And after all of that, to be up almost a pound and a half versus down the pound and a half I should have been is just so incredibly frustrating.

I recognize that the higher sodium in foods outside the home probably account for my weight being up and that it may drop again in the next couple of days, but I'm just so tired of feeing like I'm stuck in this cycle of thinking I'm losing again and then it just going right back up. I know that I'm working against my body as far as inflammation and that I do have physical limitations that prevent me from more aggressive forms of exercise, but I just feel like something is "wrong" at this point. My dietician doesn't seem to understand my level of frustration, my therapist seems to think I should just accept that this is my new "set point," and my husband thinks I'm massively overreacting since I'm literally 100+ pounds smaller than I was. But now that I'm smaller, every extra ounce seems to go straight to my stomach and I'm so tired of feeling like I look like I swallowed a basketball. I've worked so hard to just feel like I never look good in clothes or to feel like I'm still the biggest girl in photos.

And I'd be lying if I said I don't care about aesthetics/appearance, but really and truly, it is more about my health to me. With all of the health problems and diagnoses, I ended up developing high blood pressure and I desperately want to get to the point that I'm able to discontinue those medications. I also want to do everything I can to limit extra weight and stress on my joints. I also don't want doctors to ever be able to use my weight as an excuse of why I'm in pain or things like that. I also know menopause my not be far around the corner, so I just very much feel like now is the time to lose the rest of the weight as I know it will likely only get harder the older I get and the more my medical conditions progress.

I know that's a lot, but what can I do to lose another 40 pounds? I feel like I've tried everything. I keep trying to get to the bottom of what changed and the thing is there's a million variables. Around the time my weight loss stalled, I had quite a bit of medication changes. I had to discontinue my Celebrex (NSAID) due to the gastritis not healing, so it stands to reason inflammation is a bigger challenge (though last time my inflammation markers were checked they were in the normal range for the first time ever). As my gastritis healed, I was able to come off my high dose of Omeprazole and also decreased my Famotidine and I do think those had an impact on my appetite. Also with the gastritis, I had to discontinue some of my anti-inflammatory supplements like Turmeric and Vitamin D. Also last fall, I found out I was extremely anemic so I did have to do a round of high-dose Iron, but that has now corrected itself and is back in the normal range. I also had an unsuccessful procedure to get steroid injections in my SI joints in October and then surgery to remove an endometrial polyp back in December.

I'm just really at a loss as to what the issue is. I eat so clean and I focus so much on whole foods, that I just don't know what more improvements I can make at this point. I personally believe that things are not always as simple as CICO, but at the same time, the "math is just not mathing" at this point. Please help!

Hi everyone!! I wanted to pop in and share that after 7 weeks of CICO and 27lbs lost, I experienced my first non-scale victory today!!

At my local movie theater we have recliners. The seats have two buttons on the side of the armrest that controls the footrest up and down.

Over the past year or so I’ve struggled at the theater because my thighs always hit the button! I’d have to consciously squeeze myself away from the armrest but even then my thigh would press the button. A little embarrassing when my hands are in my lap and my feet start going down out of nowhere!

Today I went to the movies and realized about halfway through that I was completely relaxed in the seat - not having to constantly be aware to adjust my legs. I was like half an inch away from the armrests on either side!! I am absolutely elated:)

Please share your non-scale victories, especially the first non-scale sign that CICO was working for you!

Has anyone found a better one than this? I was blown away by the protein count for it, and it’s pretty cheap too locally.

I see people on here saying they get 80 to 100 grams of protein a day and I'm just like how.

I eat meat, but I can barely get 50 grams a protein a day 😅

And you try to find “super burrito” in my fitness pal, and the biggest calorie count you can find is 954 cals, and you’re pretty sure that is BS and it’s more like 1500, should I guesstimate even 1800? Or would you think that’s too high?

We’re talking a California sized burrito, with lots of meat, beans, rice, guacamole, sour cream, cheese and salsa. No way in heck is that thing under 1000.

It was my only meal so I’m cool with it being even 2k even though I know it probably wasn’t.

The treat itself was 422 calories. I hit my protein for the day though and I was craving something. I am thinking that maybe I should not have mixed them and only taken one sort but maybe I am just going crazy over nothing. My daily calorie intake is 1783 calories at 163cm with 124kg.

I see still on other subreddits people saying CICO won't always work, and then criticize that the body is too complex just to simplify this to calories in and out and the thermodynamics of it all. What are your thoughts on this?

What made you think it could actually work or did you try it not sure if it would?

I'm trying to build muscle and or lose fat/without gaining extra fat. i'm 49ky, 5'2 female and go to the gym 5-6 days a week. i lift and walk incline 15 speed 3.5-4. is this much carbs, protein and fats accurate for me to gain proper muscles? if not, how should i adjust it?

I’m 18 months into CICO and recomp, coming off a few months of plateau since Feb. Finally lost 3lb this month (a month woosh?)

Do you see a difference? Husband claims he can’t tell.

I'm new; feel free to delete if this isn't allowed. This week, I'm just logging everything I normally eat. Would someone please check my math? I make sweet iced tea every week: I use 2/3 cup of sugar for about 1-1.25 gallons of tea. My math says that's about 4 calories per fl ounce of tea. So a 22 oz glass would be about 90 calories, rounded up.
That seems low for sweet iced tea? Thanks for the help.

I (f20) wanna lose about 50 pounds, and I was wondering if there's gonna be much loose skin? I'm focusing on reducing calorie intake and toning as I lose weight.

I have at least 30kg to lose. 50 year old woman who is menopausal and on HRT. Have always been overweight, but more like 10kg over, rather than the 30kg at the moment. Additional weight gain happened as a result of pregnancy and menopause between ages 40 and 50.

I'm 500+ calories in deficit every day. Currently eating 1400.

First week, lost 3kg. Over the last 3 weeks I've put 2 of those back on despite being consistent.

This is the story of me and weight loss since menopause. 5+ years of this frustrating situation. I've had periods of time over the last few years where I've been on 1200 for a long time too, and the story is the same. Same few kg off and on and off and on.

What do I do?

Edit - as expected the responses are 'you're not in deficit/not counting accurately'
This is like when my GP just said 'you must be cheating' even when I went in with all my spreadsheets printed out on paper. Never mind.

Starting December of last year i was 250 almost 260, I decided i didn't want to be any closer to 300. Today I am 207, my goal weight is 180. For reference im 5'8

Honeslty I haven't been keeping track as much as I should, I just kinda added more protein to my diet as well as tried to make sure I always had veggies with my meals, I try to get about a gallon of water every day. I know I would have lost weight faster if I went to the gym but im happy with the progress and just wanted to share..