Weight Loss Challenge...

"So, you’re unhappy with your weight and you’ve been trying to slim down for a while now. But nothing's working. It's not like you expected to drop twenty pounds overnight or that it would be a walk in the park, but the fact that the scale just won't budge—combined with the feeling that your inner circle isn't really getting it or supporting you—is slowly draining your motivation.
Don't throw in the towel just yet! More often than not, the real reason losing weight feels like such an uphill battle is the lack of support from the people around you. It’s tough when the people you love and care about most either ignore your efforts or, even worse, actively work against them. On the flip side, having even just one person in your corner who is on the same journey can be a total game-changer. You can track progress together, cheer each other on, or even have a little friendly competition (as long as you're keeping it healthy, obviously). Basically: find a friend who’s also struggling with their weight and tackle this beast together!
Ugh, what if you feel like a lost cause because all your friends are super thin? What if you don't even have one friend who understands the struggle? There's absolutely no reason to despair—that’s exactly what the internet is for! Dive into online communities or blogs dedicated to women's health and wellness; you are guaranteed to find plenty of people going through the exact same thing. Regular chats with a friend or connecting with people online will give you that extra boost of motivation and keep you focused on your goals. Plus, seeing others hit their milestones can help keep you from getting too complacent.

Everything is just easier when you have someone by your side.

I came across this snippet in an article online recently, and I couldn't agree more. I’m actually in that situation where all my girlfriends are fit, so we're all pretty unhappy with our current weights. If anyone else is feeling the same way, shoot me an email or a DM so we can crush these goals together!!!!
👍 👍 👋

Look, either you actually want this or you don't. Anything else is just smoke and mirrors.

Honestly, the last thing anyone needs is to spend their free time obsessing over this stuff. People need to chill out...

My life is non-stop. I’m just happy when I clock out and get home, or if I manage to swap one meal a day for some actual fresh fruit and veggies instead of junk.

You gotta believe in yourself, not some random person on an internet forum.

I was sitting at 155 lbs this summer 🙄 (back when I was 120 two years ago) and managed to drop about 15 pounds in four months. Didn't even hit the gym because I have zero time and even less motivation...
But I did clean up my diet. I'd spend the day sipping on that magic soup. Goal is to lose another 15 by next summer, fingers crossed...
I used to live on pizza, bags of chips, and chocolate for snacks.
Today? Had some veggie pasta, two apples, and a pear.

It's not rocket science. You just gotta put in the work.
(For days—actually, for three whole weeks—the scale wouldn't budge. But I wasn't about to go on a rampage and eat everything in sight just to be stubborn. I figured I'd wait it out, maybe it'd move again...)

Man, I want it so bad... like, really bad. But I always end up giving in. I clearly just don't have the willpower, which is frustrating. Last year, I somehow managed to drop 30 pounds in just three months—I honestly have no idea how I pulled it off—but then I slowly gained 20 of them back. It’s been a total disaster!

You just don't have the willpower.
So you need someone else to step up and provide it for you?
I think you're heading down the wrong path.

Starving yourself is definitely not the way to go, but you really should shake up your eating habits and pay attention to food pairings—like, what you eat with what!
I actually did this diet right after I finished breastfeeding and managed to drop about 18 pounds, so if you're curious, I can totally send you the details. Honestly, I thought it was great because you still get three full meals a day and plenty of variety, you just have to be smart about not mixing different food groups in one sitting.

Edward Green said:you just don't have the willpower.
guess you need someone else to provide that willpower for you...
seems like you're heading down the wrong path.

exactly what I'm saying!
and you probably gained it all back because you dropped it too fast. yeah right...

no kids are doing any work at my place, whether they're counting calories or playing "watch out what I'm eating."
if I actually had time to work, go out, clean... honestly, just cutting out the fried stuff helps me. more steaming, less sugar. swapping cookies for a bowl of fruit instead...
stopped snacking while watching TV, too.
the scale's finally moving down... slowly, but it's moving.
been four months now...🙂

Look, maybe I'm wrong here, but I honestly feel like overthinking everything you eat is the worst way to actually lose weight. You know? Like, "If I had this for lunch, I can't have that," or "How many calories are even in these zucchini slices?" It's exhausting.

I’ve never really dealt with being, you know, significantly overweight, so I don't get what it's like to try and drop 40 pounds. But when I notice I've put on a little extra—I don't use a scale, I just tell when my jeans feel tight—I just tell my mom to grab me some granola instead of that sugary cereal for breakfast, and that pretty much does it.

Then there's this friend of mine who went from 175 to 130 over the summer without even trying. She wasn't dieting, wasn't counting macros, nothing. She just walked her dog for a few hours every day. Sure, not everyone has the time or ability to do that, but the point is... she wasn't obsessed with food.

I mean, there’s no way she dropped 20 lbs just by walking her dog.
But you’re totally right—it’s so much harder when you're constantly obsessing over what you can or can't eat and counting every single calorie... I tried one of those crazy diets once and ended up gaining 4 lbs in a single month! I'd hold out all day, but then around 11 PM, I'd just lose it and raid the fridge...😁

So, I switched things up and started eating smaller meals more often (like 5 times a day), and I made sure to walk for at least 50 minutes daily (basically, I take the long way to catch the bus, which adds about 25 minutes to my commute). I stopped eating heavy stuff after 8 PM, though if I got super hungry, I'd just grab a bowl of carrots and an apple... Plus, I started waking up about 15 minutes earlier to do some morning workouts—abs and stuff. Those first seven days were brutal, my muscles were so sore I wanted to scream, but now I can't even imagine starting my day without it!
The worst part was definitely the first 20 days because I didn't see any progress at all. But since this lifestyle didn't feel like total torture, I stuck with it and the fat finally started melting away—slowly but surely (I lost about 2-3 lbs a month) and eventually dropped 10 lbs total.
That was two years ago and the weight hasn't come back...😎

The best part is that nothing is "off-limits"—it's just about controlling the portions... If I know I'm going to a birthday party tonight and I'm definitely going to demolish chocolate cake and some burgers or whatever, I'll just stick to salads for the rest of the day leading up to it. I just listen to my body and make sure I don't overdo it.

A lot of this really boils down to how much time you actually spend out of the house. Since I started college five years ago, I’ve consistently put on about 4 to 5 pounds every single year—it’s such a slow creep that I barely even notice it happening at the time. Most of my days are spent hunkered down at home, just studying and sitting around, which is exactly how the weight creeps on. After spending an entire day hunched over books, the last thing I have any motivation for is physical activity. And let's be honest—without being active, everything you eat basically goes straight to your waistline. I started my freshman year at 115 pounds, and now I’m sitting at 155 (though I do jump on a random diet every now and then to try and reset).
I actually just started a really solid new diet today—so if you guys are interested, I’ll post the details for you. 👋

Bradley Davis33 and Edward Green 👍
Peter Bennett8, you aren't getting fat just from sitting around studying... I mean, I'm stuck in a chair 10 hours a day too. It’s usually because the food choices are trash, or you're just overeating. Not even about hunger, really... just trying to fill some other kind of void

Like what Bradley Davis33 is saying, small shifts over time actually lead to results

A few months back, I couldn't imagine playing a piece on the piano after work... too tired, too much going on, blah blah blah. But now? It's just part of the routine. Totally logical😁

Go to campus, walk to the grocery store, whatever... just bake some movement into your day. When I was studying, I used to get so anxious I’d just pace the floor nonstop

Lawrence Garcia93 said:Regarding what Bradley Davis33 is getting at—I think he's right. It’s those small, incremental shifts over the long haul that actually lead to success.

I'm with you on that.🙂

coppercrane89 said:Starving yourself isn't the answer, but you definitely need to overhaul your diet and pay attention to food pairings—basically, what you eat with what.

Look, it's no pain, no gain. Don't kid yourselves into thinking you can just swap out empty calories for "healthy" ones and expect magic to happen. If someone actually needs about 1,500 calories a day to function but they're slamming 3,000, they’re going to have a rough start... we could pretty much call that starving the body of what it actually needs. But the reality is you have to eat what your body requires, which is usually WAY less than what we're used to.
Hit the gym a couple times a week and that's basically it...

how much we actually need... usually way less than what we're used to.

yeah, I'm with you
honestly, didn't even see it coming
like, if I eat just a third of my old portions, I'm already full
but now the food actually feels smarter 😉
not just empty calories

I have to admit, I’m actually quite relieved that my sister ended up gaining weight right along with me—it meant we could tackle a diet as a team.
For the first week, we went all-in on that "miracle" cabbage soup diet, and we both managed to drop about six pounds. Honestly, I don't know if I could have survived the mental grind alone, but having her there to joke around with made the whole ordeal much more bearable. Even now, we’ve transitioned to eating lighter meals and watching our portions; even Mom has stepped up to help us stay on track since she sees how committed we both are.
I will say, though, that the cabbage soup definitely shrunk our stomachs—to the point where we can barely handle a standard serving size anymore (standard, I mean, compared to the massive amounts we used to inhale 😁)).

Alright everyone, it’s been three days since I officially started this "diet" (if you can even call it that). For breakfast, I’m sticking strictly to fruit—I've got plenty of tangerines, grapes, and apples sitting around the house, so I might as well use them up, though obviously not all at once! 😢 😢 Lunch is whatever my mom whips up for me; I try not to overthink the carb-to-protein ratio, and if I absolutely have to have bread, I stick to whole wheat. Dinner is usually just some fruit or a yogurt. Basically, I’m just trying to overhaul my eating habits and we'll see how long I actually last. Oh, and no sweets whatsoever—it's brutal.👍

Wish me luck!!!👋 👋

Just wanted to throw my support behind you. Honestly, things just go smoother when you aren't fighting the uphill battle alone. It’s all about motivation—once that guard drops, you're stuck. You need backup. You've got mine. 👍

ella_zg said:So, folks, it’s been three days since I started this "diet" (if you can even call it that). For breakfast, it's just fruit—I've got plenty of tangerines, grapes, and apples sitting around the house, so I might as well use them up, though obviously not all at once. Lunch is whatever my mom whips up, but I'm skipping the heavy carbs and proteins, and if I absolutely have to have bread, it's strictly whole wheat. Dinner is usually just more fruit or maybe some yogurt. Basically, I'm just shaking up my eating habits... we'll see how long this actually lasts. Oh, and zero sweets. I'm suffering.😢 😢 I've been working out too... a little movement in the morning and then a longer session in the evening... feels okay so far.👍

Wish me luck!!!👋 👋

ella, don't do that to yourself. Just grab some oatmeal for breakfast, maybe mix it with some fruit yogurt if you need flavor. For lunch, eat what your mom makes but pile on the salad and cut back on the carbs. For dinner, go even lighter on the carbs—maybe some cottage cheese with fruit, eggs, or some ham...
In between meals, stick to fruit and yogurt.

Don't burn yourself out like this, because you won't last... A solid breakfast helps keep you from overeating at lunch, which then makes it easier to have a light dinner.

Melissa Cruz2 is right here
that’s why you live such a short life, kid
nobody can handle two steaks in one sitting
you crave everything alive
and then there's no limit
look at me, eating chocolate right now
so what?
I'll go for a walk for an hour after, and I won't polish the whole bar like I used to, just half🙂
it's dangerous to ban everything you actually enjoy
eat healthy, load up on fruit and veggies, but a little chocolate here and there is fine... maybe some cake too... just don't make it a daily thing

ella_zg said:For lunch, I just stick to fruit—since I've already got plenty of tangerines, grapes, and apples sitting around the house, I might as well put them to good use (though, obviously, I'm not going overboard all at once!). Lunch is whatever my old lady whips up—I don't bother mixing carbs and proteins—and I won't have bread with it unless I absolutely have to (and even then, only whole wheat). Dinner is much the same; I'll just satisfy myself with some fruit or maybe some yogurt. Basically, I'm shaking up my diet—we'll see how long this lasts! Oh, and I'm staying away from sweets entirely (ugh)!😢 😢 I've been exercising quite a bit too... I get moving in the morning, and then I do a slightly longer session in the evening... so far, so good.👍

Oh boy, you've got it all backwards! 😁 Not mixing carbs and proteins doesn't actually do anything—they all end up mingling in your stomach anyway, specifically in the small intestine. Plus, they're broken down by different enzymes in various parts of your digestive tract. Bread is essentially pure carbs, so if you're going to eat it, you're better off pairing it with meat or cheese, if you insist on having it.
If I may offer a little suggestion, try having some cheese with your fruit in the morning. Ideally something fresh and light—not the fatty stuff—just about the same amount as the fruit (like a little dollop the size of an apple). Do the same thing in the evening, though I’d say cooked fruit or veggies are a better bet than raw ones at night.
And flip your workout schedule—go harder in the morning and take it easy in the evening. Some studies have actually shown that people who exercise in the AM tend to eat less throughout the day. Besides, if you work out too late, you'll be tossing and turning in bed all night!
As for me? Well, yesterday and today I absolutely demolished 400 grams of chocolate (thanks, PMS!) 🙄 I did pair it with some low-fat cottage cheese, though, just to try and "balance" everything out 😁

These are the dietary rules for the zone, and honestly, they seem fine since I’ve been sticking to them for a year and a half. 👍 Except when PMS hits—then watch out, because I’ll devour every single cookie in sight! 😁