I don’t really know where to post this but just wanted somewhere to write out my thoughts really.
For the last 10 years I’ve slowly put on weight. I’m not obese but I’m a little chubbier with every passing year.
I’ve always thought I should do something about it. But I like eating, and I don’t like exercise, and everyone says it’s such a chore to lose weight so I never really bothered and just shrugged off the weight gain as, “oh well, it’s not that bad and I cba fixing it”.
I have always kept track of my weight though. I use an app to record the trend over time, just for my own nerdery. And six months ago I hit 95kg and decided that I didn’t want to creep any closer to 100kg, which felt like some tipping point where it’s no longer something I can ignore.
I don’t like the idea of doing some huge “diet” or regime or life overhaul. Those are not sustainable. I don’t want some one weird trick to lose 50kg in 3 days. I don’t want to significantly change my diet. I’m not going to stick to some intense exercise or gym plan. So I figured, I’ll informally just make some subtle, easy, sustainable changes and see how that goes. So for the last 6 months, when I make myself food, for example pasta or cereal or rice or chips (fries for muricans), I measure out how much I would normally eat, then I put a little bit back into the bag before I cook the portion. Just slightly reducing my portion size. I’ve also been consciously pushing myself to go out on walks around the local streets, and on cycles which I actually quite enjoy. There’s no structure to when, how, or where I go out; I just make an effort to get myself out a few times a week for at least around an hour. I used to eat a LOT of chocolate, biscuits, etc, so I’ve made a conscious effort to cut that back a little. How much? I don’t know. I didn’t go cold turkey; I didn’t give myself a ration; I’ve just been a little more conscious of trying to eat less crap, and when I do eat crap I try to eat a smaller amount. I haven’t changed my diet at all (which is still terrible) - all I did was reduce my portion sizes, eat a little less crap outside of meals, and push myself to get out of the house a little more by walking and cycling.
My results have been quite pleasing. I’m down from 95kg to 89kg in six months. I’m really, really happy with that. If the trend continues I’ll be below 85kg by the end of the year, which will be great for me. Mainly I’m pleased that I’m making sustainable progress with an easy mindset that doesn’t take a huge effort or structure.
Was it always that easy?
Turns out it really is just all about calories in and calories out. All I really did was decide to be a bit more aware/conscious about my eating and exercise instead of just doing whatever and never thinking about it. I spent no money; I followed no plan; I did not have to exert willpower or make myself miserable. By not expecting any extreme change overnight I was able to put in next to zero effort and get some quite positive and sustainable results.
I’ve always read/heard about how hard it is and how you have to make a plan and stick to it, and override your natural urges with extreme willpower, and overhaul your diet and get a personal trainer and commit X hours a week to the gym, and on and on. It sounded exhausting and impossible. So maybe someone needs to hear this: it’s not impossible, it’s easy, as long as you don’t expect your entire body to magically change in a short time and make small, achievable, sustainable changes.
Of course it’s that simple. It always was. Purely technically speaking. Reduce calories in whatever way and probably even exercise to some degree. No magic needed.
It’s just not that easy for everybody equally. Some just can’t regulate themselves well, some take drugs that fuck your weight up even if you’d just eat a slice of bread daily, some can’t exercise at all, some are too poor to buy non-shitty foods (especially in horrible food-anarchy-countries like the US where sugar is legion), and some simply don’t know better or don’t understand.
You saying “is it really that easy?” Is survivorship-bias. You succeeded where millions(?) fail. But congrats anyway 😁
Thank you for mentioning some of the other factors alongside the fact that it’s literally just math. I think the former gets lost on a lot of people, which makes me sad
True and me too. But it’s always easy to judge from a safe vantage point. And to judge things that don’t concern or affect me.
Small adaptions over a longer time are better than crazy strict diets, because there is a higher chance that you stick to these adaptions.
Crazy strict diets or massive dietary changes are also generally very stressful, which in turn makes those changes pretty useless for losing weight. Raising your cortisol levels just makes your body hold onto fat stores, as a cautionary measure, which obviously means you wont be losing much weight.
Really if people want to lose weight they should focus on tweaking their diet, as OP is describing, but perhaps in a bit more educated fashion.
For me, I know my old dietary habits were bad for my gut health, centered around addiction to sugar and salt, and didnt feature enough variety of nutrients. So for me, improving my diet meant a few different things:
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For my gut health, the most amazing difference came from drinking live kombucha. Way better probiotic content than taking a probiotic supplement. I never realized how bad off my gut was until I started drinking it regularly, and it made a massive difference both in my gut and in my brain (not enough people know how intensely the brain is ruled by the gut). Without a healthy gut, your body thinks its in crisis, and it holds onto fat stores, not to mention the impact it has on your mood and general sense of wellbeing.
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Getting away from sugar and salt was the hardest part, and it mostly came down to simply not buying certain foods anymore (other than on occasion). Potato chips I basically quit eating entirely. Snack cakes. Anything with an insane amount of sugar or salt in a highly processed food item, you just have to stop buying it regularly. Treat yourself now and again, listen to your body. But dont listen to your body when its being a crackhead for dopamine triggers like salt and sugar. If you eat processed meals, like freezer section stuff, stop eating that crap. Learn to cook fresh prepared food faster, and dont eat a frozen meal of any kind more than once a week at most. I still cave for a pizza now and again, but primarily I have a rotation of meals I really enjoy making and eating that I can accomplish in exactly 1 hour. If you find that you cook or flavor with too much salt, consider getting into making spicy food. I really enjoy spicy food, and its a dopamine trigger that is relatively healthy in comparison to sugar or salt. Spicing your food heavily also masks the lack of salt if you crave salt. Either way though, just avoiding highly processed foods that are loaded with salt is far better than adding a significant amount of salt to your own food. Salt you add yourself is much easier to taste than the amounts of salt they pack into a lot of processed items.
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A lack of nutritional value is a bit more easily resolved. Of course you can always take a multivitamin, but personally I find most of them upset my stomach a lot. So I prefer to find foods that pack a lot of nutritional value in a small package, and try to diversify my food portfolio so to speak. I eat a 12oz bag of unshelled pistachios about every week, as they have an insanely high amount of nutritional content compared to most snackable items. They do have a lot of fat, but it is a relatively healthy profile of fat compared to the fat content of processed foods. Another I would say is acorn squash, just an incredible amount and variety of nutrients despite not being my favorite vegetable. Avocado is good, although I eat it less frequently. I primarily cook with avocado oil though now rather than olive oil, both because it has a higher heat degradation point (less carcinogenic) and a better nutritional profile. I dont usually snack, but when I do it is fruit, cheese, and nuts like 80% of the time. Its the little things like that which will make a big difference in the long run. Eat what you enjoy, but dont only eat what you crave. Try to find ways to incorporate new healthier foods into the meals or snacks you already enjoy.
Overall, a lot of these things are more expensive in the world of fresh foods. Everyone knows pistachios, avocado, and good kombucha arent cheap. But in comparison, dollar per pound or whatever, to the boxed quick-and-easy shit most people have come to rely on as food sources, it is actually far cheaper. Sure you have to spend time cooking, and you might have to buy groceries more frequently to avoid waste, but at the end of the day you have a much healthier diet, better quality food, and way way way less unnatural preservatives, sugar, salt, and all the other shit you really dont want to be eating because it fucks with your body and mind.
Ive been practicing this type of “diet” for 3-4 years now, and while I havent really lost any weight I also dont gain any weight and my ratios of fat/muscle/water whatever are most likely much better (im not enough of a health nut to actually check, but by eye at least), and overall I am significantly healthier and feel way better than I ever did before I slowly figured this shit out
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Going from 95 to 89 is easy, but it’ll get progressively harder. I can stay at 85 with very little effort, but getting to below 75 required more substantive dietary changes.
You were going down few kilos. That’s easy. The challenge is to lose 40kg and keep it that way. It’s not a short journey, it’s multiple Lords of The Rings travelling to a volcano and back (from that book we know though that walking a few hundred miles does not make a hobbit skinny).
You are kind of disregarding and minimising the struggle that a lot of people go through to try and lose weight.
Everyone has different experiences and everyone’s body will react differently to diets and exercise, for a lot of people it is a massive struggle and despite following strict diets and exercising religiously they will still struggle to lose weight effectively.
You obviously react well to differences in diet but if you were also only around 95kg despite eating inordinate amounts of shit for 10 years then it is obvious that you don’t put weight on as quickly as other people can through having a shitty diet.
I, like you, am very lucky that I can eat shit for a while and won’t put on a lot of weight. I can fluctuate 5kg within the space of the same week so for me I prefer to measure progress through actual fitness and gains in things like stamina and strength as weight is just not a reliable indicator for me at all.
Don’t get me wrong it is fucking great that you are making healthier choices and actually getting some exercise, hopefully you stick to it for the long term and make positive habit changes for yourself going forward. Hopefully you can find some exercise that you actually enjoy and start chasing something more meaningful such as stamina, endurance or strength rather than just a number on scales. Going forward from now hopefully you will notice the improvement in your everyday life that even a minor improvement in base fitness can provide.
I just think you should also be mindful of going around thinking “this shit is easy” and getting some kind of superiority complex over people who have been struggling with health and fitness for long periods of time, it isnt a good look.
Good luck with your continued progress, I hope you get more into fitness in general and start to reap the benefits outside of numbers on a scale :)
I don’t think it’s “disregarding and minimising” to report they lost 13 lbs (6 kg) over the course of half a year by eating less, eating better, and moving more. (OP, if you happen to see this, I’m also not minimizing your accomplishments.) Again, they didn’t track food macros or follow a workout regimen, just small improvements.
Respectfully, that is easy and we could all do it. You talk about the “massive struggle” of rigorous exercise and strict diets… That’s the entire point. Again, they improved by eating less, eating better, and moving more instead of large changes. That’s it! There’s not an overweight person on the planet that won’t benefit from these small steps. The point is it adds up. And unlike shaking up your entire lifestyle, it’s effective, consistent, and doable…
With respect, I think you are confusing technical simplicity with ease. Technically, it is very simple to lose weight. Just eat fewer calories than you consume. But there is a huge psychological, financial and often biological component to it as well. When some people lose weight, it doesn’t cause them to feel like shit, or cause them cravings they can’t ignore, or cause them to have diabetic issues. People with thyroid conditions may be extremely lethargic and have trouble exercising. People who are lower income may have a difficult time buying healthy food for their family (actually one of the biggest predictors of being overweight).
As an example, when I was a teenager, I smoked with my friends casually. I didn’t find that tobacco did much for me though, so when I no longer hung around those friends, it was easy for me to not smoke. However, I have seen how difficult it is for others around me to quit smoking. It is technically simple to stop smoking. Just don’t smoke anymore. But it isn’t easy for a lot of people.
So it may be “easy” for some healthy, active, middle class to upper class person with no health conditions or psychological issues that would prevent them from dieting to lose weight, but that doesn’t make it easy for everyone. It’s technically simple to do, but saying that makes it easy is very dismissive of the struggles people go through when dieting.
I think you missed the point I was trying to make. Some people can start losing weight quickly by making those small changes but that isn’t the case for everyone at all, so when I say it is a massive struggle for some people implementing stringent diets and exercise regimes, those are the people that making just small changes like OP is talking about hasn’t been effective and consequently their weight loss / fitness journey can be a lot more of a struggle.
I was not trying to put OP down because it is beneficial for not only themselves but society as a whole for them to live in a healthier manner, I was trying to get across the point that when talking about these subjects to be mindful of everyone’s own journey within health and fitness.
The people that do find it hard for reasons such as pointed out by your other response to this post can already be very demoralised by the journey as a whole and to just be claiming it is all so easy by making such small changes can be even more demoralising for those people by making them think what is wrong with them or what are they doing wrong which in turn does minimise and diminish the effort they are putting in.
I have no desire to put OP down in terms of making a positive change in their life and tried to write a response that put that across as we should all be encouraging each other to live healthier lives, in turn I hope OP encourages other people too to make positive changes in their lives, I just think it is important as well to not approach it by framing it as “easy” because that can be seen as dismissive to people that already struggle with health and fitness.
I’m not going to disagree with what you say because everyone can benefit from small things and should be encouraged to start small so that they don’t quit early on trying to change their entire lifestyle in one go but claiming it is easy does not help achieve that and will sometimes have the opposite effect for people that aren’t finding it easy.
Everyone has their own journey with its own issues, I just wanted OP to be able to encourage other people with his story but in a manner that won’t be seen as negative by some others :)
It’s not easy, but it’s simple.
How old are you?
Because when I was in my early 30s, I had the same experience. Just move around a bit more, cut down on the snacks and the weight would come off. However now well in my 40s, this is no longer the case. I can bust my ass walking, cycling and even active exercise. Hardly eat anything, be hungry all the time, no more snack, no more alcohol. But the weight won’t come off, only very very slowly. It can take months and months just to lose 1kg. And one slip and it’s all back again, one cookout with too much food and drink and you’re back to square one.
I dislike how a lot of people downtalk your achievement. Seems there are a lot of unhappy people here.
You did the most smooth way of losing weight and are happy about it. Super cool!
Congratulations on the weight loss. It really is as simple as a few lifestyle changes. I think so many people get overwhelmed with needing an exact diet and exact workout schedule. You seemed to be very successful and fairly stressfree with your more casual but still committed approach.
I struggle with the oposite problem where i struggle to gain weight and id like to pack on a few more pounds. I found by upping my calorie intake in the evenings has been helpful as i don’t mind being sluggish from over eating then.
This post made me so jealous.
My body doesn’t let go of fat unless i literally starve myself.
I’ve been trying to lose weight since November.
I do an hr of intense cardio at least 2 times a week, most of my meals are rice and veggies, i try to eat less than 1000 calories a day if I can stand it.
I’ve lost 10lbs since November, just another 30lbs until I’m where I want, it’s pure suffering tho.
Maybe look up Greger’s 21 tweaks; easy habits which could aid weight-loss, if you’re struggling so much.
No need to be so hyperbolic.
That’s how weight loss works… Calorie deficit.
You’re lying about your food intake or are delusional. I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, but you’re lying. Mostly to yourself.
Perhaps a tip that would help you, in order to make calorie deficits less difficult emotionally and physically - consider changing your type of calories; reducing your intake of enriched bleached white flour, sugar and sweetened foods; More whole foods and high fiber foods.
Losing weight is easy?
For some perhaps and it’s great that you found it to be the case. Genetics and lifestyle play a big part as well though. Some people really struggle to shift any weight with much more extreme changes.
I’m glad you found something that works. I don’t think there is a one size fits all solution to weight gain, but it’s awesome that your approach does not necessitate splurging on diet plans or gym memberships.
I’ve been losing weight very slowly myself over the past several years since I cancelled my largely ignored gym membership during the pandemic and bought an ebike instead. I commute on it regularly and, while it’s hardly what I would call a vigorous workout, it seems to have flipped the weight curve from slight gain/time to even slighter loss. Like we’re talking a pound/month if that. But I’ll take it!
Well yes, it is that „easy“ for someone who is mostly healthy. At the same time, what has been easy for you can be very hard for other people. Changing habits is hard for most people in itself and if you add in (mental) health issues, medication, hardships in life etc. it can get a lot harder. Having said that, I‘m happy for you that you are on a good track while still being kind to yourself!
I’ve done something similar. I’m somewhat different to you in that I don’t really care all that much about eating, but I was having BIG problems with eating because I was bored. I also started smoking weed (occasionally, like once or twice a week, just a little bit), and let me tell you, the munchies posses me.
I switched to eating 1 packet of Huel savory meal replacement for dinner each night, and keeping 0 other food in my apartment (I’m single and live alone, nobody else to feed), and my work has a cafeteria that serves excellent cheap breakfast and lunch. I truly mean nothing in my apartment, because one time I got high and cooked like 2 cups of rice and added a random can of diced tomatoes and some random spices and ate the whole thing. I don’t know why I don’t have the compulsion to consume more than 1 Huel packet, but I’m not going to question it. I’m also saving a buttload of money, because each packet is like $4, paired with the cafeteria at work, I’m never spending more than ~$12-15 a day on food, which is WAY less than what I used to spend buying and cooking myself stuff. I’m also lazy, and clicking the kettle on and pouring a packet being the only steps required to make a whole meal is a big bonus.
The packets are actually really tasty, I get 4 flavors and change it up depending on how I’m feeling. Everyone that I’ve told this to so far thinks I’m some crazy person lol, but it works for me.
I wasn’t originally doing this for weight loss, more just consumption control, because I was constantly feeling like garbage after eating random junk all evening when I had a bored night in.
In the last ~year, I’ve taken 4 inches off my waist, went from waist size 34 pants being snug to 30-31 fitting just right. I just sorted through my closet the other day to pare down the amount of clothes I have, and tried on a bunch of 34 inch waist shorts and pants I haven’t worn in a while, and they were HUGE, like even wearing them with a belt, they’d have been all bunched up and awkward. I have no idea how much I weighed before, or how much I weigh now…Another aspect of this might be that in the last year, I learned that I am lactose intolerant. Instead of taking lactaid pills or whatever, I’ve just chosen to completely cut out dairy. No more ice-cream, no more pizza, no more fried cheese whatevers… and that definitely feels like it could be helping lol.
I do feel like I’m really lucky that it’s teken aproximately 0 effort on my part. I know plenty of people (like my mom) who have had a lifelong struggle to maintain a healthy body weight.
Careful! The American diet industry doesn’t want people to actually loose weight so the push all that propaganda you said about how hard it is.
It is easy to loose weight as long as disability allows and privileged enough and I try to always help people who asks about it to do stuff what you said. The diet culture here in Amerikkka is all about money not helping people loose weight and keep it off. And you did what exactly I suggest most of the time and I’m glad that you did realize that. There’s no complicated regime or love choices or “don’t eat this” or " less carbs and more protein". It’s extremely simple. Calories in and out and using those calories. Doesn’t matter how you do it. And your way is absolutely wonderful.
“My life is easy so then everyone who isn’t in my situation must be lazy”
