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Started By
Message
Healthy Weight Loss Help (I'm Starving Myself)
Posted on 2/27/26 at 6:27 am
Posted on 2/27/26 at 6:27 am
Looking for some guidance - I jumped on the New Years resolution bandwagon and set a goal to lose 50 pounds. Well, we're fixing to start March and I'm already down 29 pounds (for reference, I was about 30 pounds over the "Healthy" BMI weight coming into the year - so overweight but not considered "obese" per BMI.
Anyway, I've taken pretty well to losing the weight - it's something I've wanted to do for a long time and outside of the first week or two I really haven't had any issues or setbacks and have stayed very consistent. However, I'm taking it to far - at my weight/height I should be eating 1400-1600 calories to maintain a 1-2 pound/week loss, but I've been at 700-800 for the past couple of weeks, outside of our Friday night date night where I'll get up to the 1400-1500 range. The scale has just turned into an obsession for me - seeing the numbers drop is like a dopamine hit.
Has anyone else dealt with this? What did you do? My wife hid the scale this morning haha and I'm making this post, so I'm trying to take some steps... I know it shouldn't be about the number and as long as I'm eating at a deficit then the weight will continue to come off, so my thought (or hope) is that without the scale checking every morning, I won't obsess so much over eating a little more everyday.
Also, I've always been a runner and never had a ton of muscle, or been a fan of a traditional gym (I'll sign up and force myself to go for a few months and then just get burned out) - just not a fan of lifting weights. Anyone else similar? How did you compensate? Pushups, pullups? Thought about buying some kettle bells for some home use. We have the space for an at home gym, but I hate to waste the $$ on traditional weights, when I've proven over and over that I'll get burned out.
Thank you for reading my diary, I appreciate any responses!
Anyway, I've taken pretty well to losing the weight - it's something I've wanted to do for a long time and outside of the first week or two I really haven't had any issues or setbacks and have stayed very consistent. However, I'm taking it to far - at my weight/height I should be eating 1400-1600 calories to maintain a 1-2 pound/week loss, but I've been at 700-800 for the past couple of weeks, outside of our Friday night date night where I'll get up to the 1400-1500 range. The scale has just turned into an obsession for me - seeing the numbers drop is like a dopamine hit.
Has anyone else dealt with this? What did you do? My wife hid the scale this morning haha and I'm making this post, so I'm trying to take some steps... I know it shouldn't be about the number and as long as I'm eating at a deficit then the weight will continue to come off, so my thought (or hope) is that without the scale checking every morning, I won't obsess so much over eating a little more everyday.
Also, I've always been a runner and never had a ton of muscle, or been a fan of a traditional gym (I'll sign up and force myself to go for a few months and then just get burned out) - just not a fan of lifting weights. Anyone else similar? How did you compensate? Pushups, pullups? Thought about buying some kettle bells for some home use. We have the space for an at home gym, but I hate to waste the $$ on traditional weights, when I've proven over and over that I'll get burned out.
Thank you for reading my diary, I appreciate any responses!
7
Posted on 2/27/26 at 6:36 am to TheJunction
How much do you weigh and how much daily protein are you getting?
Posted on 2/27/26 at 6:55 am to pwejr88
I'm at 161 now, looking to get down to 140 or so. Not nearly enough - 30-40 grams.
This post was edited on 2/27/26 at 6:57 am
Posted on 2/27/26 at 7:05 am to TheJunction
I would ride out the low calorie track until you get tired of it or plateau, then switch to 20:4 intermittent fasting.
Congrats on the weight loss.
Congrats on the weight loss.
Posted on 2/27/26 at 7:30 am to TheJunction
quote:
Also, I've always been a runner and never had a ton of muscle, or been a fan of a traditional gym (I'll sign up and force myself to go for a few months and then just get burned out) - just not a fan of lifting weights. Anyone else similar? How did you compensate? Pushups, pullups? Thought about buying some kettle bells for some home use. We have the space for an at home gym, but I hate to waste the $$ on traditional weights, when I've proven over and over that I'll get burned out.
It's not for everyone for various reasons - but have you thought about trying jiujitsu or some other form of hobby that throws you into hiit? Basketball?
What I realized for me - and I know everyone is different - is that I'm not going to run or walk or peloton or row. So a year ago I started JJ. My youngest kid started 2 years ago and I finally started after watching him for a year. I enjoy it - I'm terrible at it - but I would guess I burn somewhere between 3000-4000 calories at the gym a week between 3-4 nights. My kid is already there - he loves it. I am spending time with him and helping him get better and he is helping me get better. I am down 45 lbs and the only reason I'm not down more is that I started to lift about 5 months ago so that my strength could carry me the little bit it will at the lower levels of JJ and my lifting goals have been to get stronger/put on muscle mass. I have changed my diet to a higher protein diet. I am not that strict and I will splurge but if I ate gross 2000-2300 calories a day right now I would probably drop 1-2 lbs a week if not more. But that's not the goal for now. It's not for everyone but I thought I would mention it. I'm healthier/stronger than I have been since I was a teenager.
This post was edited on 2/27/26 at 7:32 am
Posted on 2/27/26 at 7:53 am to TheJunction
quote:
The scale has just turned into an obsession for me - seeing the numbers drop is like a dopamine hit.
It sounds like at least for now you don’t need to worry about putting all the weight back on. Maybe try building muscle and put on some good size. You don’t want to look like a twig.
Posted on 2/27/26 at 7:57 am to OysterPoBoy
quote:
Also, I've always been a runner and never had a ton of muscle, or been a fan of a traditional gym (I'll sign up and force myself to go for a few months and then just get burned out) - just not a fan of lifting weights. Anyone else similar? How did you compensate?
I just saw this.
If you just go frick around in the gym it is very hard to stick to. Use your ocd to your advantage. Find a progressive overload program (I do ppsa) and let that become your new obsession. Get the dopamine hit by watching your numbers go up.
Posted on 2/27/26 at 8:16 am to TheJunction
cut sugar and processed foods out of your diet, weight training and cardio, get plenty of sleep, reduced stress.
Posted on 2/27/26 at 9:05 am to TheJunction
quote:
I'm at 161 now, looking to get down to 140 or so
How tall are you?
quote:
Not nearly enough - 30-40 grams.
Yowza. You need to prioritize your protein intake at each meal. Sneak in a few protein shakes if you need to. You are doing more than just starving yourself of calories.
Posted on 2/27/26 at 9:13 am to boxcarbarney
How old are you? What contributed you to gain all the excessive weight you gained previously?
Posted on 2/27/26 at 9:44 am to TheJunction
I did what you did.
Crashed calories.
5’10”
Started at 180 lbs
Got down to 160.
I was skinny fat. I lost fat yes, but I also lost muscle. Looked like crap.
Did it healthily down to 142 lbs. Still had the pudge around the belly from not enough protein.
Then I ballooned back up to 180 overnight because my body was starving and held on to every single fat calorie I ate.
Then I did it right and it paid off big time. My advice…
Ease up on your timeline.
Get 175g of protein a day no matter what… over total calories, over gym, over exercise, over everything.
Once you’re hitting your protein goal consistently, dial in the exercise and diet to get your caloric deficit where you need it to be to burn the fat/weight.
Crashed calories.
5’10”
Started at 180 lbs
Got down to 160.
I was skinny fat. I lost fat yes, but I also lost muscle. Looked like crap.
Did it healthily down to 142 lbs. Still had the pudge around the belly from not enough protein.
Then I ballooned back up to 180 overnight because my body was starving and held on to every single fat calorie I ate.
Then I did it right and it paid off big time. My advice…
Ease up on your timeline.
Get 175g of protein a day no matter what… over total calories, over gym, over exercise, over everything.
Once you’re hitting your protein goal consistently, dial in the exercise and diet to get your caloric deficit where you need it to be to burn the fat/weight.
Posted on 2/27/26 at 10:14 am to Popths
quote:
How old are you? What contributed you to gain all the excessive weight you gained previously?
Did you mean to reply to me?
Posted on 2/27/26 at 10:38 am to boxcarbarney
quote:
Did you mean to reply to me?
We’ve all been wondering how old you are behind your back.
Posted on 2/27/26 at 10:47 am to OysterPoBoy
quote:
We’ve all been wondering how old you are behind your back.
A lady never tells
Posted on 2/27/26 at 4:56 pm to boxcarbarney
Replying to OP
Posted on 2/28/26 at 10:27 am to TheJunction
quote:
700-800 for the past couple of weeks
You shouldn't go before 1,500. Extreme calorie deficit will result in your body shutting down your metabolism and pruning muscle (which makes it tougher to lose fat). Think concentration camp survivors.
Shoot for losing a pound a week, eat a gram/target body weight a day (if you are shooting for 150 lbs, eat 150 grams of protein), get eight hours is sleep, lift weights 2-3 times a week at moderate intensity, walk 10,000 steps a day. Don't do cardio.
Posted on 2/28/26 at 9:39 pm to rmc
I appreciate you mentioning that. I've tried JJ in the past and it's not really my thing. Outside of running, I play a decent amount of pickleball, some basketball. Really need to find something that I enjoy that I could also gain a little muscle too. I like doing crossfit - just hard to commit to a class - young kids and my work schedule can get all over the place.
Would love to here any recommendations/stories for what y'all have at home for some "alternative" lifting ie. not strictly dumbbells.
Would love to here any recommendations/stories for what y'all have at home for some "alternative" lifting ie. not strictly dumbbells.
Posted on 2/28/26 at 9:42 pm to OysterPoBoy
quote:
It sounds like at least for now you don’t need to worry about putting all the weight back on. Maybe try building muscle and put on some good size. You don’t want to look like a twig.
Man, I've never been huge by any means, but I lifted all through high school and college for sports and would go here and there after I graduated (not consistent, but enough to keep a little). I'd read that what I was doing would make me lose any muscle that I had. Was rocking along and that really hadn't happened, until last week and I swear in a day I went from not much change no zero muscle - hence me making this post and wanting to change how I'm doing things ha. I'm looking pretty gaunt right now honestly (and still "overweight" according to BMI) - so the weight is still there to lose, but I've got to figure something out.
Posted on 2/28/26 at 9:44 pm to OysterPoBoy
quote:
If you just go frick around in the gym it is very hard to stick to. Use your ocd to your advantage. Find a progressive overload program (I do ppsa) and let that become your new obsession. Get the dopamine hit by watching your numbers go up.
I did exactly this the last time I went to the gym - sometime in 2024 - for 5-6 months. That helped, but it's just something about a gym that I can't stay motivated for. We were living in a condo at the time and the general was literally down the hill (so a 45 second walk) and I'd still find excuses not to go (but would run by it on my nightly runs ha).
Posted on 2/28/26 at 10:03 pm to Popths
quote:
How old are you? What contributed you to gain all the excessive weight you gained previously?
32. Good question. Honestly, I've never had a good relationship with food - my parents essentially let me eat what I wanted growing up, but I was never overweight because I played sports year round through high school and stayed active in intramurals through college and kept playing basketball after college and kept my running up, so I didn't get "overweight" until I was married and had our first kid and my career got busier - stopped the sports and wasn't running as consistently and my diet stayed what it was (shite) and I'd also stress eat (something new - my stress reliever in college was running) and it just ballooned from there.
I've tried on and off to lose weight, but without much direction - I'd just start keto one day - be miserable for 3 weeks (but lose a lot of weight), have a cheat day, that turned into a cheat week, etc. get back to the original weight, start keto again, etc. and the cycle would continue.
This has been the first time that I've been 100% consistent (without cheating) for longer than 3-4 weeks - started first of January. Honestly feel really good as far as motivation. I'm not really on a diet per se - at the beginning of the year I made a chart showing the calories I needed to maintain my weight, lose 1 pound/week, 2 pounds/week, and 3 pounds/week and I did that for my current weight then down to my goal weight at 5 pound intervals.
So starting out the goal was just to eat what I want and just stay under that 1 pound/week calorie limit. Then that turned into staying under the 2 pound/week limit and then 3 pound...
I've been mindful of what I eat though, just not eating enough. I'd gotten obsessive over the scale and each bite I'd think about what it was doing to my weight. Gave the scale to my wife the day I made this post and I've been doing better since. Ate around 1400-1500 calories today and was over 100 grams of protein.
Sorry this turned into a book.
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