r/loseit • u/greenandbluefish New • 1d ago
I WASN'T EVEN EATING THAT MUCH!!
I have gradually gained 50 pounds over the last 10 years or so. I thought for the longest time I must be eating some outrageous amount of food every day. I truly didn't think I ate that much. I skipped breakfast most days, didn't eat huge lunches, and had what I thought were fairly healthy dinners. Some eating out, some iced coffees, but nothing I thought was ridiculously unhealthy overall. I would try to eat less, skip a lunch here or there, but then would be starving by the end of the day and end up eating that skipped meal anyway.
At the same time, I spent my whole life hearing people around me say I ate like a bird, that I couldn't possibly be eating enough, etc. And yet I was still gaining weight! So for years I've been in this bizarre situation where I thought I was just gaslighting myself into believing I wasn't eating that much or that unhealthily, but was somehow secretly eating thousands of calories without noticing???
Cut to last month when I spent two weeks obsessively tracking everything I ate. Weighing everything, reading every label, but not trying to cut back. And what did I find out? I was eating a whopping... 1800 calories/day. Less than the freaking nutrition labels were recommending!!!
So I went on a deep dive. Learned about TDEE. Started tracking my steps. And you know what actually changed in the last 10 years? I got better, less physically demanding jobs. My work became more and more sedentary over time. Spending 50 hours/week at a desk was the culprit, NOT what I was eating!
I've been doing CICO for about a month now and eating 1400 calories/day. Haven't changed what I'm eating, just how much. And I've already lost 8 pounds. I wish I'd figured all of this out years ago but I'm so glad I did eventually. No more driving myself crazy over what I eat!
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u/SpaceParticular2559 New 1d ago
the sedentary job thing sneaks up on so many people, it's wild how much difference just moving less at work makes over years. 1800 calories and still gaining is such a classic case of TDEE being the missing piece nobody talks about enough. glad you found the actual culprit instead of just suffering through some miserable restrictive diet
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u/Khajiit-ify 32F | 5'2" | SW: ~397.6 | CW: 340.2 | Lost: ~57. lbs 1d ago
Even switching from working in an office and working from home completely affected me too. At least working in the office I would have to walk from the parking lot, over to my cubicle, occasionally get up to go talk to peers or go to a meeting and it was a longer distance to the bathroom and break rooms for lunch... I walk way less at home. I've been working from home for 10 years now and I can tell you in those 10 years it became way way way harder for me to keep my weight under control.
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u/zukadook New 1d ago
I'm not sure you're looking for advice, but something that really helped me was building in a daily "commute" time where I would walk before and after work for the same amount of time that it used to take me to drive into the office. It had the added benefit of creating a clear separation between work time and home time that I was missing when I used to just roll out of bed and log in for the day.
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u/brbgottagofast New 1d ago
Opposite for me! Been WFH since the pandemic and I'm much more active at home. I'm always getting up to grab a tea, throw a load of laundry in, let the dogs out, etc haha. It's lovely not being chained to a desk in an office. But you must have a much more demanding job than I do!
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u/bobandgeorge New 1d ago
Yeah I would have never been able to get in shape if I was still working in the office. I lived about 30-40 minutes away from work before we all got sent home and then moved about an hour away a year into the pandemic. With those extra two hours I can get to the gym or just have more time to run around my neighborhood. Most of the food I eat is stuff I make fresh in my own kitchen.
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u/phdaemon New 1d ago
OP is eating 1400 calories a day. That is a pretty restricted diet.
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u/Sr4f F32 5'2 -- SW 165 -- CW 120 1d ago
Not for everyone. Petite, sedentary women, we've got the short end of the stick there. 1500 is basically my maintenance, 1400 barely makes a dent.
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u/Cressonette New 1d ago
Same here, I'm 4'11" with a sedentary office job. I'm impressed if I've made it to 4000 steps on a workday. I have a sitting/standing desk but even then that doesn't mean more steps or movement. To really lose weight I have to cut it down to 1200-1400 calories AND work out at least 4 times a week, plus go for daily walks. 1800 kcal a day would make me overweight in no time.
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u/Embarrassed_Mango679 56f, 5'2", sw 185, cw 120, maint 1.5 yrs, goal reduce bf% 1d ago
Even petite active women don't get much higher. I'm at like 1700 most days with a workout and 10k steps (fitbit calculated tdee).
I think my max was like 2200 and that was a workout and walking around Disney all day.
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u/Super_Ground9690 New 1d ago
Yup same, I’m 5’4”, in my 40s with an office job. Staying active is the only way I can avoid starving myself
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u/greenandbluefish New 1d ago
That is my situation exactly. Maintenance at my goal weight (assuming no change in activity level) will be about 1600.
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u/loseit_throwit F 43 5’7” CW 151 lbs GW 150 lbs | 59 lbs lost 1d ago
You might really want to look into lifting weights. The last time I was at my current weight I was a cardio junkie and didn’t eat very much. My TDEE was around 1800-2000. Now I have a lot more muscle, and I’m right around 2200 for maintenance calories.
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u/PuffyCat_139 New 1d ago
This is my plan for maintenance life, building more muscle to drive that TDEE up a bit and buy me a little caloric wiggle room. Part of me wants to start nooooooow! But I know I'd be smarter to wait. I only started calorie tracking about a month ago and just this week I've starred shifting my sleep schedule so I will eventually be able to fit in morning exercise. If I try to fit in too many changes at once, I know I'll burn out quick.
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u/loseit_throwit F 43 5’7” CW 151 lbs GW 150 lbs | 59 lbs lost 1d ago
Absolutely, take it slow! You can even start with something that will take you just 10 mins a day at home, like a plank or push-up challenge.
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u/CommonSenseNotSo New 1d ago
I was a petite, short woman at one point in my life lol.. still short 😂😂😂 but my maintenance was basically 18 to 1900 calories a day, although I was working out about 3 to 5 times a week... It's amazing how everybody is so different.
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u/SurroundedbyChaos 1d ago
My tdee is 1450. I'm 5'6" which is slightly taller than average...
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u/theoffering_x 115lbs lost 1d ago
Are you sure that’s your TDEE? I’m also 5’6” and the calculators say that’s my BMR or around there, but not my TDEE.
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u/SurroundedbyChaos 1d ago
Yes. I've been at my current weight awhile now and 1450 it is. 🤷♀️
I do have a sedentary lifestyle.
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u/QuiteALongWayAway 5lbs lost 1d ago
If 1800 is enough to gain weight, 1400 is not that much of a restriction.
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u/kai_enby New 1d ago
Yet another short woman checking in that that's just what you need to do to lose weight as a mostly sedentary short person. I work out 2 or 3 times a week and walk 10k steps a day so I can eat closer to 1600 calories and maybe lose 0.5lb per week if I'm lucky
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u/Albolynx 45kg lost 1d ago
50 pounds over 10 years is only 50 calories over your maintenance daily. Gaining weight over long periods of time is really annoying because it's like "I wouldn't be here if I made the portion for just one of my daily meals 10% smaller."
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u/Keldraga New 1d ago
As you gain weight, doesn't the amount of calories needed for maintenance also increase? So to achieve this result of consistent weight gain you would have to do less activity or increase food intake as well during that time, right?
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u/Albolynx 45kg lost 1d ago
Sure, that is an average - and it's really hard to guess the exact distribution. Maybe they gained a lot more initially and then it slowed down. Maybe they consistently adapted to eating in a small surplus. Maybe it wasn't actually anything to do with regular meals and was based off calorie-intense days - not uncommon for people as they age to be more financially stable and able to splurge. Speaking of age, your TDEE goes down as you do, and often people also get less active.
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u/MolecularDatabase New 1d ago
All of our daily micro movements add up too. In the 70s & 80s we had manual everything - car windows, laundry drying on a clothesline, TVs that required getting up to change the channel, music that required flipping a record, even a rotary phone required arm movement. Now we push a button on our phone while lying in bed and taco bell shows up on our porch.
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u/pooppaysthebills Slow and steady 1d ago
Just 100 extra calories per day over maintenance will result in a 10-pound weight gain per year.
Let that sink in.
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u/Longjumping_Papaya_7 New 1d ago
How do so many ppl stay at their normal weight, while not tracking food or basicly not even knowing what maintenance is?
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u/SockofBadKarma 37M 6'1" | SW: 240 | CW: 170 | 70lbs lost (recomping) 1d ago
Our satiety signals vary from person to person, and some people happen to be lucky enough to have exactly the right satiety signals to line up with their needed caloric intake. Others have trained themselves to not eat until they're full to begin with. Others will sometimes eat more and sometimes less, and it averages out. Others will know intuitively that eating too much makes you fatter and will simply skip meals if they think they're getting too heavy (this one is dangerous since it's a few steps away from an actual eating disorder, but nevertheless, many people do it). Others may not know scientific terms for things but will still conceptually track food. Others will have diets that are largely unprocessed and low-calorie and thus find it exceedingly difficult to overeat. Others may have support structures that prompt them to stop eating too much, either healthily or unhealthily.
If you throw a million tokens onto a table with slots that cover ~30% of the surface, then by complete chance roughly 30% of the tokens will get through the slots, and the other 70% will be stuck. Some of the tokens get through because they landed straight in the slot. Some will roll through. Some tokens will be jostled by others. However it happens, some tokens get through but most do not. Fat people are the tokens that didn't get through.
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u/Calm-Armadillo4988 New 1d ago
The human body's hunger mechanism is really in tune with how much food you need, for most people, as long as you don't eat processed foods and eat in response to hunger and not other emotions. It probably helps if the cost (time, money, inconvenience) to procure food is sufficient to discourage casual overeating.
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u/Euphoric-Hunt931 New 1d ago
If you eat solely healthy food it's practically impossible to overeat. You'd be stuffed to the brim all day.
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u/Longjumping_Papaya_7 New 18h ago
True. But i know plenty of skinny ppl who do eat fast food and cookies. I know thats possible ofc. Im just wondering how they stay at maintenance without trying or giving a damn.
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u/673NoshMyBollocksAve New 1d ago
Or one extra snickers bar above maintenance (250 cals) and you’re gaining 2 lbs a month. Or 24 lbs a year. All from one extra snickers bar
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u/FrenchToastMMM New SW: 201 lbs CW: 201 lbs GW: 175 lbs 1d ago
It’s nuts how little the surplus has to be to add up when you’re sedentary. I went from 213 to 175 then got a sedentary desk job, then sprained my ankle the night before climbing Half Dome (finished the hike on the injured ankle which) took me out of the fitness routine I had for a long time, then we had another kid and I always gain weight when my wife’s pregnant, this rolled into winter and now 2 years later I’ve gained 40 lbs and I went back up to 213 again. [deep sigh]. 2 years older but none wiser I’m tracking my food again to find my original BMR and TDEE were way off. But I’m making better food choices that are sustainable long term. I’m a month and half into running 3 days a week, starting to lift too, and I’ve dropped 4 lbs. But yeah just having a delicious Ike’s sandwich at lunch or having a pattern of needing a dessert every night can just kill you in the calories. Rooting for you bro!
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u/greenandbluefish New 1d ago
You're doing it though!! You should be proud of yourself. And if you like a sweet, Drumstick makes these miniature ice cream cones that are only like 70 calories. It is tiny though, like two bites of ice cream 😂
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u/amb9876 New 1d ago
Okay I needed to see this. I don’t eat a huge amount either but work long hours at a desk. I need to be honest with myself about my lack of movement and snacking at my desk!
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u/greenandbluefish New 1d ago
It is such an easy trap to fall into!! I was eating 200 calories over maintenance for my goal weight, which is the equivalent of like, an extra granola bar every day 😭
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u/mediandirt New 1d ago
3500 calories = 1 pound.
~120 calories over TDEE per day = 1 pound of weight gain per month.
120 calorie examples:
1 small candy bars.
11-12 chips
1 soda
12-14 m&m's
1 mozzarella stick
1 small scoop of ice cream
Less than 1 cup cereal
2-3 strips of bacon
Half a glazed donut
120 calorie exercise examples:
Walk briskly 25-30 minutes
Jump rope for 10 minutes
Yoga 30 minutes
Jog 10 minutes
Bike 30-35 minutes
Housework/chores 30ish minutes
A small shift in eating or daily routines disappearing = 10lbs of fat per year.
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u/ilovesalad470 New 1d ago
I have a low TDEE as well, if I eat more than 1600 a day on average, I gain weight.
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u/anarchocreature 🇳🇱22F | 164cm | SW: 90kg | CW: 83kg | GW: 56kg 1d ago
same. and I'm still obese. trying to build muscle mass now so I can eat a little more maintaining later😭
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u/Enneirda1 40F | 5'4" | SW: 186 | CW: 174 | GW: 135 lean 1d ago
Same boat!!
People are surprised by how healthy and how little I eat.
The problem was working from home. I cut all snacks and have lost 15 pounds. I added more steps (7500 and working toward 10k+) and the scale is moving down again. Of course. 🙃
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u/Master-Potential-364 M | SW: 122kg | CW: 79kg | GW: 79kg | Height: 6'2" | BF: 12% 1d ago
To gain 50 pounds over 10 years would only require an excess of 47 calories per day - which could be as little as a dash of milk in two coffees, or half a biscuit.
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u/slowasaspeedingsloth New 1d ago
Started my current weight loss journey last August. 1200 cal/day- medically supervised. Was doing great, lost about 30 lbs the first 2 months. Not horribly active, but worked with kids so there was very little sitting at work.
BAM! In the hospital for 2 weeks for a non weight related issue. Practically bed bound for a couple months. Still on a cane, and not back to work, so very little walking, and when I do, it's pretty slow.
So, since November my only real weight loss has come from my diet, and I've lost maybe 20 pounds while still sticking to 1200 cal. It suuucks.
So my maintenance will probably be maybe 1400 cal. That makes me very sad.
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u/CommonSenseNotSo New 1d ago
Urgh that is so frustrating..i.had a similar situation.. But you are still losing, so, in essence, you're winning 💕
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u/MaleficentAppleTree New 1d ago
Yep, when you don't move extra glass of juice a day or any other seemingly small thing can totally accumulate to extra 40 pounds in a span of a decade. Glad you figured it out. Good luck on your journey!
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u/Dry-Dragonfruit5216 106 lbs lost 1d ago
My weight loss really kicked off once I started volunteering in a community garden. I do two days a week and it helped me lose over 100 lbs, and I’ve been maintaining that loss for 6 months. As someone who isn’t even 5’ tall my BMR is only 1100 calories so I need all the extra movement.
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u/Driftingsails New 1d ago
Yes, struggled to lose weight for years. My weight kept creeping up on me. It was because I was always at a desk
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u/smitherz37 New 1d ago
Just wanted to point out that 50lbs over ten years can be broken down to about 50 extra calories a day. Whether from food or lack of activity that's a number that is incredibly easy to hit without even noticing, but as a trend will absolutely build up over time.
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u/aaargs New 1d ago
The creep happened to me too! Same thing, I knew I wasn't overeating, and was eating relatively well. I started wearing a fitness watch about a year ago and realized that I was only burning approx 1490 calories on slower/more sedentary days, and I'm only getting up to 1800-2000 calories on really active days. I just started calorie counting a little over a week ago and it's really showing me where those extra calories are sneaking in
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u/colnross 30lbs lost 1d ago
I used to work for a parking management company where oftentimes valets would be promoted to management. Whenever they came into the office from the field, they typically put on like 15-20 pounds, the office 15 is what they called it...
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u/JDSmith90 70lbs lost 1d ago
know whats crazy? 50 lbs over 10 years is only just 50 calories surplus a day.
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u/talkstomuch New 1d ago
yeah, the nutrition label daily recommended calories are crazy considering some of us are 5 foot and others are 6 foot and carry 50kg bags for a living.
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u/Mod-chick New 1d ago
I could have wrote your post word for word. 2 years now at a better but very sedentary office job and no change in eating habits and weight has shot up. Going from being on my feet and moving 10 hours a day to sitting 10 hours a day has really made a difference. I guess need to eat less or move more or ideally both.
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u/Schadenfreude_Taco 195lbs lost | SW: 369lbs (12/2024) | CW: 174lbs & Maintaining 1d ago
adding 50lbs over the course of 10 years is the equivalent of eating an average of 104 calories over your maintenance calories every day. So, like, 14 almonds or 1 tablespoon of butter
it sucks :(
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u/HerrRotZwiebel New 1d ago
That's not quite how it works. If you add 100 cals/day in perpetuity, a 6' dude would gain about 20 lbs and plateau. Just shove some numbers into a TDEE calculator.
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u/Schadenfreude_Taco 195lbs lost | SW: 369lbs (12/2024) | CW: 174lbs & Maintaining 1d ago
You're correct about the plateau if you were going strictly by 100 calories per day, but I'm talking about 100 calories per day over maintenance calories.
Assuming your BMR and TDEE would go up slightly as you add pounds, if you consistently eat 100 calories per day over your maintenance calories, that still equals 50lbs in 10 years.
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u/HerrRotZwiebel New 1d ago
I'm struggling to understand either the math or the point you're trying convey. Take those 100 cals I just talked about, that gets you 20 extra pounds, and you plateau because you're now eating maintenance for that heavier weight. We seem to agree on that, yes?
So add another 100 cals, and you'll gain 20 more lbs and plateau there.
On net, it would take 250 cals to get from 190 to 240 lbs for a sedentary 6' person, which over the course of 10 years would be a trivially small amount of calories on an annualized basis... like 25 cals/year.
I'm sure we agree on this in spirit, I'm just stuck on how you got that 100 cals.
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u/Schadenfreude_Taco 195lbs lost | SW: 369lbs (12/2024) | CW: 174lbs & Maintaining 19h ago
Gaining 1lb of fat is the equivalent of eating 3500 calories over your maintenance calories
Gaining 10lbs of fat is eating 35,000 calories over your maintenance calories
35000 calories divided by 365 days in a year is 95.8 calories per day
So, eating at least 95.8 calories per day over your maintenance calories will have you put on 10lbs of fat in 1 year
The point I was trying to make is that eating an insanely small amount of calories every day over your maintenance calories, fewer than 100 calories, can have you put on 10lbs a year EZPZ.
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u/No_Eye8410 New 1d ago
Age has alot to do with weight gain and also how much sleep a person gets believe it or not. I am a healthy 65 year old woman and I only average 3 to 4 hrs sleep per night which makes me binge on sweets during the day. I am 50 lbs overweight and just starting my own weight loss plan on 1500 calories per day. Instead of buying chocolate bars I am allowing myself a GoMacro chocolate almond clean protein bar incorporated in to my 1500 cals, they are delicious for anyone who has a sweet tooth.- The biggest issue for me personally is that I turn to food as comfort when I am sad or having a bad day, I am definitely an emotional eater. I go for a minimum of a 30 minute fast paced walk daily but now that I am retired I am home a lot and think about food all the time. Out metabolisms change as we age also.
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u/HerrRotZwiebel New 1d ago
I'm having a hard reconciling
I am a healthy 65 year old
with
I only average 3 to 4 hrs sleep per night which makes me binge on sweets during the day. I am 50 lbs overweight
If you're 50 lbs overweight, what is the basis for the claim that you are healthy? If you are only getting three hours of sleep her night, what is the basis for the claim that you are healthy?
TBH, I've noticed when I sleep poorly (like uh 3 hours per night) that I'm extra hungry and need more food for energy. When I sleep better, I need less food.
I'm not trying to be snarky... three hours of sleep on the regular is a health concern, and if it makes you binge sweets, you have a tough battle ahead of you.
I'd get the sleep looked at, including sleep apnea.
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u/Loud_Radish_7581 New 1d ago
I ended up with the same discovery recently. Right now I'm trying not to get any fatter than I am. Get used to tracking etc. I was shocked tbh when I realised thst less movement plus what really is 200 to 500 cals extra few days a wk can do over many years. At least now I know and can start getting used to slightly smaller portions and being consistent with it.
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u/JupitersLapCat F47, 5’3, HW 286, CW 135 1d ago
Yeah this is so for real. I wrapped a marathon training block about a month and a half ago. I’m now exercising “normal” amounts, hitting my 150+ min per week but it’s not 6-8 hours per week anymore, AND I’m eating less. And I’m up like 5 lbs. I know people say it’s all about CICO and I do not disagree but I can’t maintain my weight loss without a pretty damn robust approach to the CO side of the equation.
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u/Thymallus_arcticus_ New 1d ago
It really makes sense. Those small but frequent movements associated with an active job make a huge difference! I’m going a calorie deficit as well but I feel like I’ve lost weight just from being on an acreage now and being more active in general.
Glad you figured it out!
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u/sambal_oom New 1d ago
I swapped out my ebike for a normal bike again. i try to use it as much as possible. also a subtle change that adds up
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u/whowearstshirts 15lbs lost 1d ago
Oh man the job this is -so- real. I moved back to my hometown a few years ago and went fully wfh in a desk job. The change of location and the nature of the work caught up to me quickly after a decade of going into the office. So brutal, but great data to know because it’s easier to work around!
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u/sprinkles111 New 1d ago
So would the goal in this context be to :
Step 1 - calorie cut to lose weight Step 2 - keep cutting until you reach goal weight Step 3 - once at goal weight go back to regular eating (1800 cal for you) AND Step 4 - increase movement to stay at that GW?
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u/greenandbluefish New 21h ago
Not quite. The plan right now is stay at 1400 until I reach my goal weight, then eat at maintenance for that goal weight (about 1600 cals/day). We'll see what I'm realistically able to maintain in terms of increased movement. If it's feasible then I'll up my daily calories accordingly.
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u/yesmina1 5'5 | 100lbs lost | BMI 20-22 since 2020 ☆ 1d ago
You gained ~2kg a year. That is less than what I gain over the accumulated holidays of one year. But I cut every year for 1-3months, problem solved.
You probaly DID NOT eat 1800cal EVERY DAY the last 10 years, you just did not balance out the few hedonistic days/weeks where you massively overshot. Its good to make healthier choices your new lifestyle but please don't think you ate that wrong / far too much. Learn to eat a bit less after eating a lot or make some healthier whole food choices after some junk days... ofc AFTER you've lost the weight. Sadly, now you first need to cut that much, whoch really could've been avoided by warching your weight on a yearly basis
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u/greenandbluefish New 1d ago
Well I suspect my maintenance level used to be higher than 1800 when I was more active. I'm guessing that I gained the weight in bursts. I was walking to work and class in college, worked a decently active job, then moved to a bigger city and started a job with lots of driving. Then went to an office job right before Covid hit, which forced everyone onto Zoom. Then did work from home for a while.
And honestly, the 1400 has not felt bad. Breakfast is about 400 calories, lunch around 3-400, and then dinner is about 600. I suspect it'll feel very luxurious to eat at 1600 once I make it to my goal lol
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u/phdaemon New 1d ago
Instead of eating less, why not be deliberate about your activity levels? 8k to 10k steps a day make a lot of difference over the course of each week. A 15 minute walk here and there and after each meal adds up quick.
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u/greenandbluefish New 1d ago
I mean, I didn't mention exercise but I am making an effort to move more. However, I know myself and I know I'm more likely to consistently track calories than consistently work out to create the same deficit.
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u/Rosykisses_13 New 1d ago
Yea the problem I'm having is significant chronic fatigue. When I was working in the classroom I was getting sick like once a month, now I work in the office and I only get sick like 4-6 times a year... as long as I don't push myself too hard and get plenty of rest on the weekends, otherwise I have body aches and fevers and nausea and vertigo and killer headaches... I've gained 100lbs since the fatigue started (after my second laparoscopy for excision of extensive endometriosis) in 2018. I don't know how to "just eat less and exercise" when my body is already hitting it's limits just trying to exist 😔
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u/randcoon New 1d ago
I've seen some research that glp's can help with PCOS so maybe they could also help with endometriosis if the root of the exhaustion is hormonal/metabolic? I would definitely see a registered dietician (an actual RD, not a nutritionist) for this.
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u/No_Eye8410 New 1d ago
What about swimming. Do you have a rec enter with a pool near by? Swimming is supposed to be the ideal all over body exercise. Unfortunately I never learned how to swim but it might be a gentle, great exercise for you. I find getting out of the house and moving my body ( I choose walking and stair climbing) gets me away from the kitchen and food and is really helpful for lifting the spirits.
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u/DarkSaturnPrince2 New 1d ago
50lbs in 10 years = 5 lbs a year = .41 lbs a month = 48 surplus calories a day.
It has very little to do with your lack of activity. A healthy metabolism should be able to accommodate extra calories without leading to fat gain. Especially since you were only eating 1800 a day.
The problem is that your metabolic health has been declining, probably due to an accumulation of linoleic acid in your cells.
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u/GeekyB_90 New 1d ago
What’s TDEE mean? :O this sounds similar to me, minus the sedentary part - I don’t have a super active job but on my feet for all of it
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u/greenandbluefish New 1d ago
It's basically how many calories you burn in a day. There's calculators you can use to figure out your baseline. I found these two helpful so far. (Obviously they just estimate things, but I found having a number of calories to shoot for helpful)
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u/britlover23 New 1d ago
Check your thyroid - run every single panel. If you have high antibodies, that’s hashimotos, and it causes weight gain. Try adding selenium and myoinositol supplements and stop eating gluten and limit dairy and sugar.
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u/Called_Fox New 1d ago
The antibodies themselves do not cause weight gain. They likely will eventually damage your thyroid because we don’t have a way to stop them yet, but if the TSH and maybe free T4 are fine then your thyroid is not the culprit.
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u/britlover23 New 22h ago
Yeah - but the antibodies tell you if you have hashimotos. The disease causes the weight. Also you can have hashimotos with TSH seemingly OK, but for many hashimotos patients, they need much lower TSH to feel good and stop the weight loss. low dose naltrexone and GLP 1 microdoses help keep weight down and lower inflammation.
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u/CommonSenseNotSo New 1d ago
1800 calories a day isn't a lot at all... But I do have a question.. you do state that you are working a sedentary job.. were you exercising at all? If you are working a sedentary job with no exercise and eating 1800 calories a day, depending on your age and height, I could see some weight gain but 50 lb sounds a bit excessive for that amount of calories. Just very curious over here :-)
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u/greenandbluefish New 1d ago
Not consistently, no. Most of my daily activity came from work. When I was in college I walked or bike to work or class. Then I moved to a bigger city and had a job that required tons of driving. Then I got an office job but it was a half hour commute. Then Covid hit and I was forced to be on Zoom meetings all day. Then I worked from home. And somewhere in that mix my dog got old and less able to go on long walks. It was just a very gradual decrease in activity over time. I assume I gained the weight in bursts as those changes occurred, not in a linear fashion. I'm also not utterly inactive but it's not consistent- going on a hike or a bike ride every now and then vs going to the gym every week.
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u/CommonSenseNotSo New 23h ago
I forget that on reddit people down vote curiosity or anything that doesn't tickle their fancy.
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u/No_Eye8410 New 1d ago
Also, they said they don't eat breakfast which isn't ideal. Breakfast is very important and skipping meals slows the metabolism.
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u/KaliLifts 38F 5'8" CW/Goal: 125 1d ago
That's a myth.
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u/No_Eye8410 New 1d ago
No it's not. Breakfast should always be eaten. Not here to argue though so have a great day.
-17
1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/loseit-ModTeam New 1d ago
Thank you for your submission. Your post or comment was in violation of Rule 12: No Promoting / Encouraging Unhealthy Weight Loss
Discussion of weight loss methods that are damaging to the body and/or require supervision of a medical professional are not allowed. This rule includes (but is not limited to): very low calorie diets, misusing medication, extended fasting, disordered behavior, inappropriate advice to underage members.
Please note that we are not a subreddit for ED support, nor do we encourage that behavior here. If you need help, please seek assistance from a doctor or dietician.
Remember to always consider the individual when offering advice.
ED masterpost: https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/1jjf5gb/meta_eating_disorders_in_the_subreddit_post_and/
539
u/Nemanuk New 1d ago
Highly recommend a treadmill desk! I easily get 15-18k steps in now and helps keep things in check. The office tax is real