Elon Musk - what are your thoughts?

Are you referring to that other motivation, the one involving...?
To get straight to the point, the answer is essentially the same as it was for the first one.
It comes down to some form of physical activity.😉
🙂Since my stomach isn't protruding as much now, I can actually see what's happening—though, honestly, I’m being quite foolish; the moderators might just kick me off the site for being so blunt.
😁Well, I look better, and frankly, I want people to notice.

Man, I am starving. Seriously, I’m famished. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa yum yum.

But hey, I’m sticking to the healthy stuff (well, except for that leftover pizza and some Little Debbie 😁 )
I've decided one day a week is for cheating, and that's going to be Monday. Seems fair enough to me.

Honestly, I’ve been struggling for as long as I can remember, and I still don't have any real wisdom to offer anyone else...

I've tried a million different diets, but I finally realized—after ten years of constant fighting😲 that I just don't know how to eat normally. That's the actual hurdle: learning how to actually eat. It's either starvation or binging; I feel like I have bulimia, just without the purging part...

And now the real issues are starting. I cut out bread, and then I end up eating nothing because nothing feels right without it. I haven't really had dinner in years, so skipping food after 6 PM isn't the issue—BUT IT'S NOT A MAGIC CURE EITHER (to everyone acting like that's some revolutionary tip: sure, you can stop eating at six, but if you polished off a massive plate of food at lunch, you aren't losing weight...). I eat fruit, vegetables... but nothing seems to work. It feels like my body is just exhausted, so it holds onto everything I consume because it never knows when the next period of starvation is coming... and now someone "smart" would tell me—just eat normally to stabilize your metabolism—BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EAT NORMALLY. When I try to eat normally, the scale goes up, and when I restrict, my brain labels it a "diet," so I eat healthy for a few days and then suddenly I can't stop myself from eating everything in sight.

So, I decided to start working out. For almost two months now, I've been active every single day—at least an hour or two—and still, nothing. My body looks better, sure, but the weight is the same. Actually, I think I'm up 2 lbs, though it's hard to tell with me since my weight fluctuates by about 10 lbs in a single month...

Anyway, I just needed to vent because I've had it up to here, and summer is right around the corner...

Regarding Melissa Gonzalez9—if you hit a two or three-week plateau where nothing seems to change despite your best efforts to watch your diet, I’d probably throw in the towel too. It's happened to me more times than I care to admit.
The real secret, however, is that you simply DO NOT QUIT. You push through the diet regardless.
Eventually, you'll see those results.
It's basic math: the greater the deficit between what you burn and what you consume, the more certain the weight loss becomes, even if your body stubbornly resists at first. If you can just stay persistent, the weight will eventually budge.
Believe me, I have tried every single fad diet under the sun over the last 13 years since having my kids.
Don't give up now. You're going to make it.
You can even indulge a little bit occasionally (as one of my acquaintances puts it, "making mistakes"). Sure, you might see an extra pound on the scale the next day, but... forget it, we aren't computers.
I’ve actually run my own little experiments. I track how much I gain when I eat normally versus how much I drop when I skip dinner, all while keeping a weight log (I weigh myself right after getting home from work, as that's usually when I'm at my lowest weight)😁 .
The more you experiment with calorie counts, carb-to-protein ratios, timing, and activity levels... the more weight you lose.
Take my word for it; I was once a total lost cause.
The only thing I can't speak to is hormonal imbalances or how specific medications might affect things—that's outside my expertise.

For what it's worth, I still need to drop about 20 pounds to fit back into my high school jeans, but I'll settle for losing another 10-12 first.

Rebecca Baker52 said:I see she gained weight during that debate over there, but honestly, I just love a fresh start! It gives me hope that this time might actually be different. So, I’m starting this thread for anyone who wants to leave the past behind and focus entirely on what's coming next.

Alright, it is time to drop the pounds. What are you all doing for yourselves to get moving in that direction? I am not going to sit here and write about how I will stop drinking, or quit smoking, or eat low-fat—because we all know I won't. Let's not waste anyone's time, including my own!

Here is my plan: I will go cycling at least one day every weekend. Once a week, I'll do an hour of water aerobics followed by an hour of swimming. And I am telling my friends right now: do not distract me if you aren't joining in! When I am there, I am going to SWIM.

I also plan to walk for at least 20 minutes every single day. How? Well, I can't manage it before work in the morning, so maybe on the way home? At least that much!

And I am cutting back to just one cup of coffee a day. Everything else will be herbal tea. If I can stick to that for a month, I will have made incredible progress.

Of course, I will introduce other changes as time goes on, but I am starting slow. Almost no coffee, some swimming, and a bit of walking. Sounds fine to me.

It’s not that I want to kill you with kindness, but I managed to stick to a strict diet and exercise routine for about 20 days, and now I’ve completely lost my way. I'm eating at least 100 grams of Milk Duds a day! I don't even know where the diet ended and the candy binge began, but it isn't good. Honestly, I blame my boyfriend—well, my ex-boyfriend...

I’ve been grinding through this diet for two months now, and honestly, I was about ready to throw in the towel. I was convinced I wasn't losing a single pound—mostly because my scale is clearly broken—so I was actually starting to look into those extreme, crash diets and all that nonsense. Then, out of nowhere yesterday, my professor stopped me in the hall just to tell me how great my figure looks.
She has absolutely no idea how much that meant to me. I'm actually feeling pretty stoked right now.
I feel good...

gentleskipper18 said:Regarding Melissa Gonzalez9—if nothing happens for two or three weeks even though you're still watching what you eat, I’d just give up. That happened to me plenty of times.
The thing is, you CANNOT give up. You have to push through the diet.
You'll see results eventually.
The more you burn and the less you take in, the weight drops—guaranteed—but the body naturally fights back for a while. If you stay persistent enough, it gives in and the pounds drop off.
Trust me, I've tried everything over the last 13 years since I had my kids.
Don't quit. You can do this.
You can even cheat a little (as one of my acquaintances puts it, "making mistakes"). You might see a pound jump up the next day. But... whatever, we aren't computers.
I've actually run some little experiments on myself. Seeing how much I gain if I eat normally versus how much I lose if I skip dinner. I keep a weight log too (I weigh myself right after work—that's when I'm at my lowest😁).
The more you play around with calories, carb-protein combos, timing, activity levels... the more you lose.
Believe me, I was a lost cause once.
The only thing I can't speak on is hormonal imbalances or how certain medications affect things—I don't know how that works.

Anyway, I need to lose another 20 pounds to fit into my high school jeans, but I'll settle for losing about 10-12 first.

Thanx, I know, it's just that you can't quit, but man, it's hard to keep going... I'm not quitting, no, it's just that occasionally I hit that desperate moment where I want to throw everything out the window... I think I'd be a lot happier if I just accepted having a few extra pounds and called it a day...

But, by summer, I'll be twiggy.👍 🙄At least I'll give it my all to make sure that happens...

Thanks again, I really needed that...🙂

Ugh... I'm dealing with the exact same issues. (And summer is coming fast😢 )

My doctor suggested trying Xenical from Roche. It uses Orlistat to help block fat absorption...

Anyone here actually used this before?

It isn't all about the number on the scale.

You can definitely put on some weight in muscle while actually shrinking your overall volume by losing fat.

Just a heads-up: Xenical is gonna have you running to the bathroom constantly, so maybe don't take your first dose on a workday. Plan it for the weekend so you can see exactly how frequent this madness is and how it actually works. 🙂

I totally messed things up yesterday and the day before—not even my fault, just bad luck. 🙂 But honestly? The main thing is staying consistent. CONSISTENT. Even when you screw up, you gotta keep pushing instead of just throwing in the towel.

Anyway, the grind continues. I’ve actually decided to kick things into high gear. The only catch is I'm currently busy fixing up my apartment, so I can't get to everything. It's all about priorities, right? Is the priority me, or is it my place? ;(

Rebecca Baker52 said:If you're starting Xenical, expect frequent trips to the bathroom. Plan your first dose for the weekend so you can figure out how often this happens and see exactly how it works without being stuck in an office or out in public. 🙂

😁 😁
Besides that, did you experience any other side effects?
Smajlic, sitting over there in the West: 😁

James Taylor51 said:Weight isn't everything.

You can gain weight in muscle while actually shrinking your size (fat)

Exactly—that’s basically the whole point of leaning out. Build up some muscle to help burn off that fat 😁
Instead of what most women do on those random diets—starving themselves to drop 20 pounds just to end up with zero muscle and all that loose skin left over. 🙂

nimblescout said:That’s basically the whole point of losing weight. Build up some muscle to help burn through that fat stores 😁
Instead of what most women do on those fad diets—starving themselves until they drop ten pounds only to end up with nothing but soft tissue and loose skin. 🙂

The thing is, my goal is to get a softer, more feminine shape. I don't want to trade heavy arms for bulky ones... because at the end of the day, people just look at me and think I'm too big again. That's where I'm at right now. 😢 And honestly, I actually really enjoy the workout...

A guy with 10 lbs of extra muscle is gonna look way leaner than someone who’s 10 lbs lighter but it’s all just fat. Where are you guys even getting these "toned" myths from? Mila, Gloria ???😁

Look, if someone hits the gym three times a week, they aren't going to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger overnight.

If you stick to cardio—cycling, swimming, walking, skating, or jogging—you’re mostly just going to lean out.
If your goal is to actually lose muscle mass, then by all means, just stop eating and stop training entirely. 😲
My brother's girlfriend can barely manage two push-ups and three crunches, yet she stays perfectly slim.

@lorduke said:A guy with 10 extra pounds of muscle is going to look leaner than someone who weighs 10 pounds less but is just carrying fat. Where did this whole obsession with being "skinny" come from? Mila, Gloria ???😁

It’s not about Mila or Gloria—I just look at myself and I’m not feeling it. Maybe I do look slimmer, but I honestly don't love seeing muscular arms and thighs on a woman, no matter how lean the overall look is. But whatever, it doesn't really matter... I just need to find a different sport to do. If anyone has suggestions... preferably anything that isn't running or cycling. I'd really prefer an actual sport...🙂>

Look, honey,
Yoga is really the answer to everything you're dealing with. And honestly? Just eat less! I tried those metabolism boosters—total waste of time. Dieting? Forget about it. From January 1st, 2004, until now, I’ve managed to drop about 20 pounds. To kick things off, I just cut out the cheap white wine—I'm definitely not a Napa Cabernet person—and I lost 11 pounds in that first month alone. After that, the secret was simply eating less. It really is that simple.
👋

Group classes or solo sessions? How many times a week are we talking?

Just gotta brag for a sec—I actually tried a Yoga class once, and honestly? It was pretty sweet. Super chill, and the instructor was cool too. Didn't spend the whole time yapping. Only downside was realizing just how out of shape I am; I was sore for five days straight. You’d think I’d run a marathon or something instead of just lying on a mat. 🙂
Anyway, the instructor moved away, so now I'm on the hunt for a new one. And yeah, I lowkey got attached. 😁 😁
Anyone know a solid Yoga spot over in Brooklyn? Thanks.

ps
Hitting the pool todayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
Doing some aqua aerobics too (looked totally ridiculous, but man, it works—instant lift for the girls 😁 😁

When I mentioned yesterday that we should probably eat less, I wasn't being entirely accurate. That’s not quite the full picture. What I really meant was this:

Don't overindulge!
👋

And what about that magic soup everyone keeps talking about? I heard it actually works.

As for me, I don't eat much of anything and just stick to running. 😎