2mo ago

People who have lost weight, how has your experience been?

I've lost a significant amount of weight twice. I went from 230 lbs to 180 lbs on two occasions over the past 2-3 years. The world felt different; people were nicer, and I noticed more interest from women (Coming from a person who was originally 300 lbs, this was a dream come true lol) My confidence and self-esteem improved, even though I still had some stomach fat.

Currently, I'm at 190 lbs and aiming to reach 170 or 165 lbs, I want to get rid of all my stomach fat. I used to work out a lot, but now I mainly focus on dieting and walking more, like walking to work. This approach has helped me lose weight, but I should probably get back to the gym before summer starts up again.

I’ll be 21 next year, and I’m excited. I was stuck at 230 lbs for over a year, which honestly sucked, I really missed feeling good about myself. I plan to reach my goal of 165 lbs in the next 3-4 months. I've never been this weight before, and it's going to feel so surreal to have a flat stomach. Anyway, I would love to hear your stories!

18 comments

Weight loss is entirely about what/how much you eat, which makes it much easier to lose weight while single. Losing weight also makes you realize how poor your quality of life actually was at higher weights.

Honestly, I don't feel like it's made really that much difference in my life except that I don't worry about my health like I used to.
I'm currently under 155 lbs. At my heaviest, I was 230 lbs. 75 lbs difference.
Other differences I've noticed:
I get cold now. I used to be really "hot blooded." (Check it and see.)
I can do at least one or two pullups now. Not because my muscles are strong, but because I'm lifting less weight.
- Honestly, I don’t feel like it’s made really that much difference in my life except that I don’t worry about my health like I used to.
  Same boat. I went from 350 down to about 190 and I've been hovering around there for a while (haven't really tried like I did initially). I can't really say people are that much nicer to me, but maybe I'm just too autistic to notice IDK. I can do a pushup now, but for the same reasons.

Mid-thirties here, I lost 35kg this year going from 105kg to around 70kg.
Most important was/is the diet, at the start I wasn't exercising at all and just being very aggressive on the dieting, that's allowed me to lose a lot of the fat very quickly but I noticed I was also losing muscle so eventually I started adding in the exercise.
Once I started working out I couldn't cut the calories quite so intensively as otherwise I was almost passing out during the workouts, so from there on I was being much more precise with my calorie deficit.
Now I've been stable for a while, decently in shape but definitely don't look like the calisthenic heroes I watch on YouTube yet... I entered the much slower phase now where progress is happening at a much slower pace towards those secondary goals (namely a six pack..).
But it doesn't matter, I feel and look great, I feel the benefits every day, so I'm not in a rush. The important part eventually is to find the rhythm that works for you in the long term, it's better to do a little bit regularly than go full-on for 3 months then quit.
- I did a similar thing. Down from about 104kg to 74kg (30kg loss) (180cm tall and 30 years of age). Didn't do any changes at all except drastically lower my food consumption in steps and totally stopped with sugar (soft drinks, candy, crisps and so on). In the beginning I lost about 1kg/week but of course that slows down.
  It's awesome not being winded after going up the stairs or having acid reflux.

Lost something like 60 lbs by tracking calories in / calories out and making sure I stayed in a deficit. Wanted to enlist into the Air Force and had to get it to 168 before the recruiter would let me sign.
Biggest difference I noticed was I used to be uncomfortably hot all the time - no longer. That alone was worth it.
- The temperature difference was the worst for winter time for me (261-187 now)! I’m in layers inside the house and barely warm.

Back in August '22, I weighed about 270 lbs @ 6'0 (122.5 kg, 183 cm). I realized this was dangerously unhealthy so I asked my doctor if there was any drug options for helping me change habits. As my insurance didn't cover weight loss, the doc opted for Phentermine. It drastically cut my food cravings and with exercise I've been losing weight steadily since. Down to 215 lbs now and the physical benefits are great: no more constant GIRD, can bend over without discomfort, etc.
It is funny though, just finally barely breaking the obese barrier (30 bmi) and people say "and you still want to lose more weight??" My goal is 180.
Edit: As an aside, how fucked is it that insurance companies don't cover weight loss; wouldn't covering it reduce their costs over time?

Mid-40s MtF. I went from 210 to 185 lbs after going gluten free a few years ago. Recently, after cutting out a lot of processed foods and artificial sugars (HFCS and the like), I now hover around 170-175. I avoid most gluten-free replacements (breads, pizza, pasta) as I'm gluten-intolerant (not full-blown Celiac's) and it's a crap shoot if it makes me sick or not. I also stay away from all fast food and most junk food (I still treat myself on occasion, curse you Mt. Dew!).
I eat pretty healthy at home, preferring to cook from scratch, and staying away from fried anything. Avocados are my new crack: I eat at least 3-4 a week. If I have to eat out, I'm usually getting sushi or hitting up Core Life (their tuna poke bowl is fucking amazing, small bowl is under 400 calories). And, while exercise helps, changing my diet has been pivotal in improving my health, both physical and mentally.
- The calories are very much what matters. I'm relearning that the hard way right now:
  "You gain muscle in the gym. You lose weight in the kitchen."
  I'm current adjusting my diet for a lower calorie intake and slowing my junk food tendencies. Hopefully a long term change will pay long term dividends.
  
  Even that is only half true, for muscle gain the diet is also super important, need that proteiiiin.
  
  In the running community we say “you can’t outrun your fork”

I’m in my 40s and have struggled with weight most of my life, yo-yo 40-50 lbs at a time… what I will say to anyone reading this is to do your level best to maintain whatever weight is normal for you (eating disorders notwithstanding), because it gets harder to do the older you get.
- For sho, I saw my parent struggle to the max to get back to healthy weights (for pressurized air diving, you need so much lead on your belt to pull an obese human deeper under water), so when I detect weight gain I'm very motivated to adjust my lifestyle immediately to correct it. I have thanked them multiple times for this perspective, it might have saved me from investing so much effort in weightloss over time.

cut out 90% of your carbs and you'll drop major weight and feel so much better within a month.

One of my college professors had a printout of the school ID photos with their names by it. I had just lost 100 pounds. Apparently I was completely unrecognizable, compared to the photo at my top weight.

It's a huge change like turning on a light in a dark room.

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