gcminton Member

I try to look at BMI the way I do the scale. It's a piece of the picture, but it is very limited in what it can tell you. I've also never been at a healthy weight, so for me I have my goal set to the middle of the healthy range for my height and I'll reevaluate as I get closer. Nobody can say for sure what your ideal…

Cool. Wrote out a whole post and I think I hit "done" instead of posting the reply. So... Overall I just try to be patient and cut myself some slack. Mostly I drink more water and try to find protein or fat to snack on. That's usually fine if the hunger isn't too strong. If I'm ravenous, I eat. My goal then is just to not…

I can see fear being a huge contributor and that it could manifest in many different ways. I've lost weight in 30-50 pound segments, with long stretches of maintaining it in between, and a big part of why I keep stopping is frankly just that long-term habit or lifestyle change is very difficult to stick to with a ton of…

Nah it really doesn't matter, and I say that as someone who follows a keto or otherwise low carb diet. If you find you tend to overeat carbs then you may find that cutting them out is helpful to you, but that's a very individual thing. I've lost weight eating carbs and not eating carbs, at the same rate. The only…

My bottom half and arms are EASILY a full size or two smaller than my tits and belly. Those two and my hips are almost identical measurements and, of course, are shrinking at the same rate, which is annoyingly slower than my butt and legs. Could... could my belly just be a little smaller? It doesn't have to be flat, I have…

Well, since you know you can only approximate it, perhaps the best way to proceed is to be okay with an approximate answer. I also use TrendWeight's website since it syncs with my scale. Either the Actual readings or Trend readings will be perfectly good for telling me what I've lost for a set time period, as long as I'm…

I'd bet it has less to do with your age, and more to do with people seeing more and more and more complaints about any commentary ever. If you keep seeing or hearing "Why do people think they can comment on my looks? Was I ugly before? Not worthy? Is that what they're saying? It's not even their business! So rude!" and…

I weigh daily for trend data, and very very rarely measure (we're talking once a year, if that). For now I'm happy enough with the scale and watching how my clothes fit, plus it's helped me get used to the normal fluctuations so I don't panic over them. There are two reasons I don't measure more often: I'm lazy, and I…

Hahaha I'm starting to run into that, finally, along with the bizarrely shrinking pockets. I guess it's a good thing I like 3/4 sleeves and cropped pants.

I'm fine with comments if they aren't rude, and I do my best to read their intent when deciding the rudeness. Honestly, I've accidentally insulted people by trying to compliment them, so I try to cut people slack on that when I can. Most people don't say anything, other than occasionally a close friend will say something…

I know what you mean. I'm finally past the halfway mark to my end goal and at around the same point you started struggling with that, so did I. I have a friend who wanted some updated nudes of me (totally fine, he's not a creep) and at first he had a hard time understanding why I was so uncomfortable and self-conscious,…

Oh yeah, some people are absolutely bonkers. "I'm not your BEFORE" is one I've seen and heard several times. Yeah no kidding, lady, I'M my before, and I get to be not only unhappy about how MY life was previously, but I get to have goals for MY life and be proud when I reach them. You want to stay fat? You like it that…

The cravings have lessened considerably and I feel fine, but as far as I'm concerned, life is just too short to give up treats forever. I've tried to find sweets that fit my goals better, like higher quality dark chocolate, for example. Lower in calories and sugar than an equivalent milk chocolate and I've found it's more…

I weigh daily. I like having additional data points to plot a trend line, and I've gotten used to the fluctuations. It also helps keep me engaged with what I'm trying to do. For me, it's really easy to kind of check out and slowly slide back into old habits, so stepping on the scale first thing puts it back in my mind.

Getting enough sleep and a relatively consistent routine has helped a lot. My sleep schedule is not what I would prefer but is what I need to do for work.

Yeah! Another thread to bookmark! <3 I'm sure as hell not at maintenance yet (2/3 of the way there) but I love these kinds of threads, where knowledge just condenses.

My cycle didn't noticeably change from my highest weight (340-ish) to 290-ish. I maintained that for several years, then dropped 65 more pounds and it changed a lot. I suddenly had a regular cycle, though it was heavier than it previously was. I know I had hormonal issues that seem to have sorted themselves out as I've…

Sadly, women aren't much better, we just don't hear about them as much for various reasons. While I don't accept friends here, online creeps are still waaaaay better than in-person. If I never hear something like "hey pretty girl, you look like you need a hug" again, it'll be too soon. That "hug" I apparently needed turned…

I've done both. For me, eating small amounts every couple of hours just meant I was constantly hungry and fixated on food. I'm currently keto/low carb and find myself unintentionally doing IF because, while I do still get hungry, it's not a crisis I need to fix. I'm hungry but it can wait until I'm not busy or food is done…

A whole day of eating whatever? No ma'am. That's a fabulous way for me to blow my weekly deficit, with a good chance at throwing me off longer than that. I can go outside my plan for a meal here and there, but that's it.

Thank you for sharing! The looming specter of loose skin can be pretty daunting. Knowing it CAN improve to a certain point after maintenance does help, but then it's a patience game. Have I waited long enough? Is this it? Is there still fat in there to lose? Was all of the dieting worth it if I'll never look as good as I…

Determination mostly (remember why you're doing this), and it gets easier to say "no, thank you". It gets easier for them to accept my answer, too, and they offer less often now. If we get to the point where they're putting me in a position to say "no" to the same food more than twice, they're risking a fight about them…

Yep, mostly. I have incorporated exercise into my life here and there, but never long enough to make it a habit, and I'm down 110 pounds so far. Realistically, diet has the most impact for losing weight. Exercise is very good for health, but I know what it's like trying to add it to your life when you're over 300 pounds (I…

I wonder if this would work any better than the existing websites with pictures you can look at to help you estimate your BF%. It sounds like it'd be just as reliable.

If you have a hormonal imbalance, a doctor is really your best bet for getting help to confirm that is the problem, what the imbalance is, and how to correct it. I'm not aware of any secret ingredients that would help.

I see a lot of benefits to it in my own life, but it isn't for everyone. Depending on how low you want your carbs to be, it can be difficult socially because of eating out or other people cooking/sharing food. For me that's balanced by improved health (I have medical reasons for going low carb) and lowered cravings, which…

Daily. I like having more data to plot a trend line, and it helps me worry less about the fluctuations. I know they're normal, so seeing it daily reinforces that.

Health is the big one. Both of my parents are obese with Type 2 diabetes that 100% could have been avoided. At least one of my grandparents also had Type 2, one of them died from complications from it. My fiance's dad died from a heart attack in his 30s. I don't want to be them, and I got sick and tired of feeling like…

Oh I'm certainly taking the info with a grain of salt, especially since I don't have the studies handy, but comparing notes to other women about this is interesting. We all have different genetics, muscle mass, breast shape, etc. so speculating is just that. My breasts are large enough (yay G cup, and sadly "growing" in…

There have been studies done that have shown regular bra use can weaken the supporting ligaments and muscles, while not wearing one makes your body do the work of supporting your breasts, which can help with sagging and back pain. I don't have any of that info handy, but anecdotally it seems true in my personal experience…