I hope all of you are having a great day! I just was feeling encouraged today as I have officially lost 30 pounds since August, 10 of which have been just this last month. I don’t have many people in my life to share this accomplishment with, so I figured I would post here.
I’m new to Beehaw and federated social media in general. I have spent a lot of time lurking on Reddit, but I’m finally ready to actually be an active part of a friendly, inclusive community!
If anyone here is concerned about their weight from a health perspective, don’t be shy about looking into medically managed weight loss. And it doesn’t have to be surgery- there are plenty of options out there now with independent medical research supporting them.
I started in November with my local hospital network’s weight loss surgery and medical weight management team, and I’m down 80lb over the last 8 months even on the non-surgery track, and it’s all covered under my insurance plan (unlike subscriptions with a the diet company).
Medical support isn’t a cop-out, no matter what Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers and NutriSystem tell you. And your doctor is incentivized to actually get you healthy rather than have you regain everything the moment you stop so you come back to pay them more.
What does a non-surgery track look like if you don’t mind me asking? Is it just a medically managed meal plan or are there weight loss supplements/drugs they prescribe you?
No problem! I’ve been taking the prescription medication Wegovy. You may have hear about the Ozempic craze over the last year or so, and Wegovy is the same medication but specifically FDA approved for weight loss. For me it massively cut down hunger signals, cravings, and capacity - I basically get full on about 1/3 the food I used to eat and no longer have issues with stopping mid-plate. I’ve also started eating at least a serving of protein every meal and snack which keeps me full on smaller amounts overall.
If you don’t want to do prescriptions or medications, these programs usually have a full team including nutritionists, psychologists, physical therapists, etc to help with tips and tricks to start eating more balanced foods (like the protein trick), identify and break down any mental barriers you might have that make it hard to change your habits, and help you get more active in a safe, planned way if you’re not so mobile or have physical restrictions.
Thank you for such a detailed response! Have you noticed any side effects taking medication for weight loss? That’s been the main reason I haven’t really looked into it
I got a planned diet and a drug that prevents you from feeling hungry. It doesn’t change your habits though and I gained some of the weight back.
Agreed, I’m on the surgery track with my weight management team and it’s been great so far. I think surgery is what’s best for me, but I could absolutely see it working without the surgery. I was 8 pounds from the goal they set for me when I last checked in, so hopefully my effort being good on vacation turns out results.
Congratulations! It’s been some time since being at my heaviest, but the memories of shedding the weight and feeling good about new healthier habits is still fresh. I hope you celebrated the milestone with something that will help keep up that good work you’re doing
I haven’t celebrated with anything yet, got any good ideas? I know when I finally hit 100lbs lost, I am going to get my first tattoo to commemorate it
When I lost the first twenty it was a new cookbook, and at thirty lost it was some new pants and shirts for the rotation. That quickly became additional better fitting clothes since I was still dropping weight.
Clothes are definitely going to be necessary very soon, I’m starting to look like I’m wearing a circus tent!
Awesome! I’ve been trying myself, I know what an accomplishment this is!
Don’t give up! You got this!
thx! :)
Congrats! It’s something I’ve been working on as well so I know how awesome it feels to see the progress. Well done!
And also welcome to Beehaw :D
Thanks! So far this seems like a great community!
Congratulations! Care to share any tips on how you’ve been successful with everyone here?
The first one in my experience would be to reduce or cut out soda and beer.
Oh yeah, liquid calories are absolutely a killer. Even stuff like orange juice or fruit juice in general has insane amounts of calories.
I haven’t done anything fancy really, just focusing on being aware of how many calories I consume. Not necessarily counting them, but having a general idea. This past month I’ve only been eating different variations of chicken, vegetables, rice, and beans.
Just cutting out empty carbs and replacing with higher protein/fat foods will naturally fill you up more with fewer calories.
Also, if you know you’ve hit your calorie limit for the day and are still dying of hunger, drink a large glass of water. Just chug it and that shaking stomach feeling of being hungry goes away for a while, at least in my experience.
This is exactly how I lost 20lbs in 3 months. Eat less, walk more only drink water. That was 5 years ago. I keep my daily calorie intake at 1800-2200 and it gives me room to enjoy a day off a week with booze. I’m almost 50 and I’ve never felt healthier.
Any small adjustments help, and you can stack them up over time as each change becomes habit!
Congrats! I am trying to lost weight too, so it’s always nice to hear the effort isn’t worthless.
It’s never worthless! Keep up the good work!
Way to go!!! Last Summer I decided enough was enough, and I cut 25! Felt amazing! I’ve put about 10 of it back on, but I’m trying to get back on the discipline train and get back down to my goal weight. :)
It feels so good! I hope you’re proud of yourself… it’s not easy work! :)
good job, that’s a great accomplishment!
Lost 30 pounds
Hey, I found them!
I seriously need to change my sedentary lifestyle.
No time like today!
Super awesome news! It takes a ton to change habits and set new ones, and a lot of people arent strong enough. 30 more towards being the you that you want to be!
Nice one! Congratulations.
Just wanted to also say great job and welcome!
That’s awesome man or gal! I have also ridden the weight loss train after letting myself go over COVID. It’s hard, it takes discipline and sacrifice and you should feel great about yourself! Some friendly advice, don’t panic if/when you have the inevitable upswing. I feel like not enough people talk about how once you hit your goal and start level off/maintain, your body will take awhile to find it’s level after being in a deficit mode for so long. Your weight will be ALL OVER THE PLACE for awhile, and then you’ll probably find that your level off will be about 2-5 pounds above the goal weight, really depends on your body type, exercise type/level! In my case my body decided 195 is where it can hover happily, but my goal of 185 was unsustainable. I’ve been 195 for 10ish months and I look and feel better than I did at 185 - more muscle, more energy, less skinny more in shape. So upswing/rebound can be good, and may help you fill out that newly slimmed down frame in a much more attractive way than before!
The second thing is, ten pounds in a month is a LOT. So great job, but be really careful with your dieting when you’re dropping that fast. That’s 1/3 of your weight loss in one month, or fifty percent more weight than you’d lost in the 9 months prior!
That’s definitely a fair point and I don’t expect to keep losing weight this fast. In August I was 390 pounds, so I’ve got quite a lot of extra weight, which results in bigger changes at the beginning.
That’s so awesome! Congrats! That’s quite the accomplishment 😃
Amazing work!