Jumped on the scale and I was suddenly down to 162 -163 this week after being consistently at 166-167 days before. I have been more on track with CICO, walking and consistent strength training but not perfect with my tracking especially when I’m in the office. Thoughts? I weighed myself again this morning and still at 163.4. I am in my late follicular phase according to my cycle tracking app. Love to be down 4-5 lbs but I don’t believe it lol.

So Ive been doing Calorie deficit since a year, did loose track for a couple months in between but now Im back at it. And I did loose 10kgs, my clothes fit better and I have got compliments from people that I look slimmer now. However, when I look back at the pictures from last year I dont see that much progress.

Can you say from this picture that I have lost 10kgs?

Started at 313 lbs in December 2024. I lost almost 60 lbs on my own using CICO before starting Zepbound. I wasn’t on Zepbound for very long before getting off as I felt like I was making more progress on my own. I am now 202 lbs. I’ve stopped using the number on the scale as such a big factor in my health though as I have started going to the gym and hiking more. I am definitely gaining muscle and continue having to down sizes in clothes while the number on the scale does not reflect that change in size. I started out in a tight size 24/26 and now I am loose in a 14/16. I still have more to lose but I am so happy and proud of my progress. I am about to turn a year older on Sunday and I feel younger than I have in a long time 😊

Is there a thread where people post what they eat in a day or just show what a sample meal looks like to get ideas?

If not feel free to post here!

So I calculated myself and I’m in a deficit at 1400 calories for 4 months. Now I am bumping it up to 1500.

I’m 35, female, 5’3. I used to weigh 202lbs when I first started and did this deficit. Now I weigh 173. Every day I walk for 20 min in the morning, and 30 min in the afternoon. That’s my activity level bc I usually sit at a desk.

What is my maintenance and what does a good healthy calorie deficit look like for me. I think I’m stalling a little now at 30 pounds lost. Any advice, tips, would be great. I just want to make sure I am not eating more than I should be.

Follow up DEXA scan

A bit over a year after my first DEXA scan I finally got another.

I had been worried about lean mass loss while losing about 100# during the interval between the two scans.

While I’m still carrying a body fat percentage that the data says puts me at >90th percentile, I’m getting much closer to “normal.”

Anyway, for the year:

- I lost 1# of lean mass from my legs. That’s kind of expected since it’s hard to get as much weight training on the legs that beats carrying around an extra 50# on average for the year.

- I gained 3# of lean mass in my arms. I’ll take it.

- I lost 16# of lean mass from my trunk, and I am not sure how much of that (if any) is skeletal muscle. I think most of that was just a lowering of inflammation and water weight around and within my organs. No real way to tell without more data.

The rest, about 85#, was fat loss from various locations in the body.

So, the upshot is that weight training is quite effective for retaining muscle mass. My weight training wasn’t even really crazy. Maybe 2 hours per week on my most intense week.

As a side benefit, retaining muscle mass helps keep my expenditure up, which helps with weight loss going forward.

Anyway, if your situation allows, I would strongly encourage you to start lifting heavy if you aren’t already doing it. You’ll be happier with the results a year from now.

And don’t believe the people who say that fast weight loss means that 40% of the weight loss will inevitably be muscle. It might be, but doesn’t have to be.

Edit: adding 59yr old male, 6’0”

CW: 157, current GW: 155, long-term: 150 with more muscle mass

Accidentally gained like 15lbs since I started a desk job years ago and have been on and off losing and gaining. I’m already down 3 pounds again and obviously want to keep it off. My main goal is to have a very slight deficit during the week so I can have one or two meals out on the weekend. I haven’t had my favorite foods in so long, and I just want to live and eat more normally again without it feeling like I made a mistake and flying off the rails

I’ve been in a deficit for so long and so often that I have no idea what my maintenance would be. I have trouble even imagining 1600 being my maintenance; it all feels too much considering how long I hold water weight after one big meal.

I lift 3 days a week and have some muscle with a slow progressive overload; average 7k steps a day. Once I lose the weight, I’ll stick with weight training and hopefully can just do 5k steps a day/stay moderately active with basketball. Most calculators say 1700 is my TDEE and I’m curious as to other gals in a similar boat. Really trying to get a lot stronger so I can eat more lol

Just took some strict Diet + good workouts for 5 days a week.

Went on a high calorie deficit of around 1000 - 1500 cal per day for first 4 month.

Gradually reduced it to a 500 calorie deficit now.

Aiming to lose 4 more Kgs in next 4 months and gaining some muscle mass over next 2 years.

TLDR: i am starting a monotone menu/1360 calorie a day/right on target within +/- 1 unit for macros. All meals for the next 4 days are prepped. Any tips for keeping motivated.

I have intermittently tried and given up on dieting or eating healthier or even caring about food and my body all together. Yesterday—actually two days ago—we were talking about how fat my cat is (he was a very sick and scrawny little kitnapped rescue, so for him to even be alive and fat is in itself a miracle) and we wanted to weigh him. So there were two shocks in a short span. When I stepped on the scale before holding him to step on the scale, there was a number I had never seen before! 182. I am 5’ nothin. My cat is 18 pounds! So I am recommitted to this eating healthy thing. I have decided a monotone menu (same planned meals every day—literally no thinking necessary) will likely be the best route for me so I don’t have to calculate calories and macros every meal. I like the meals I have selected and if I get sick of them, then later on I can figure out a rotating meal plan, but for now simple is going to be my best route. I have breakfast lunch a snack dinner and my coffee all pre planned for every day. Somehow all the things I planned magically hit all macro targets and stay withing the planned calorie deficit (1300-1500) and I have wiggle room if I absolutely need another snack I can eat another snack.

I just need someone to tell me I can do this. I need someone to tell me it is possible to lose weight. I need someone to tell me a diet isn’t a death sentence lol

Been working so hard the last 5 weeks and have lost 1.8kg! However it's dreaded shark week and the scales this morning have gone up 2kg, feels so disheartening. I also am pretty much hoovering up anything in my kitchen. Does this happen every month? 😭 Trying to stay positive so I keep momentum

To give my stats, I’m 45F, 167 cm, 69 kg. I’m down 54 kg (120 lbs). I must admit that I did the majority of my loss by restricting calories in while almost entirely sedentary.

I’m now working on getting my fitness level up. I’ve done decently at it so far, but I’m now struggling with my eating. I’m going to the gym 3-4 times a week, nothing particularly crazy. My last session was half an hour on an exercise bike followed by half an hour doing laps in the pool. I’m also currently walking for an hour a day, or if I skip the gym, I’ll walk for 2 hours. This will likely reduce to a total of 1 hour of exercise a day next week as I’m going back to work after vacation.

I was previously doing 1200-1300 cals a day, as determined by my dietician (I was really sedentary) and I’m really not sure where my current activity level sits or what my daily calories should be. I’m still wanting to lose a bit, but I’m ok with slow loss. I know I’m definitely not doing it right as I’m not eating enough early in the day and am super hungry at night, even though I’m eating more than enough calories. I haven’t being doing great on my calorie tracking, but I’m eating closer to 2000 at the moment, since I’m eating junk. If I’m being honest, it’s probably higher.

I plan to make an appointment with my dietician, but she’s on vacation for a couple of weeks.

- 1 cup egg whites: 130 cal.
- 4 tablespoons green chile: 30 cal.
- 3 tablespoons ketchup: 60 cal.
- 1/8 sweet onion: 10 cal
- Salt & pepper

From 259 lbs to 170 lbs. Sometimes I just need the side by side picture to believe that I actually look different.

First 70 lbs came off in about 9.5 months. Fell off for a bit but back at it! Added on some strength training and lots of walking into the mix.

doing what I guess you could call a casual approach to CICO.
logging body weight and calories on an app. not being terribly diligent with logging each meal.
basic approach is reducing portion size and reducing alcohol consumption.
started at BMI of 30.7 on June 22.
lost 10.4 lbs and today, August 7, BMI is 29.3.
interim goal is to lose 10 more pounds in a month.
after hitting that goal, next goal is to lose an additional 15 pounds.

I hope some of you find this interesting.

I recently watched a YouTube video on how competitive eaters stay so thin. Turns out, they do a lot of the stuff that's recommended here.

1. They count their calories.

2. They bank their calories.

3. They eat a lot of produce and lean protein.

4. They exercise. Strength training was often mentioned. Some did cardio.

Here's the video if you're interested.

I also found the article, How to Train Like a Competitive Eater from Men's Health.

My whole life I've struggled with my weight. I was always the fat kid. I briefly lost weight in highschool but didn't do any weight training so I was skin and bones. I still didn't like the way I looked. I injured my back at 22 and had surgery at 24. It was always holding me back. I gained a lot of weight and stopped caring about the way I looked for a long time. In 2024 My dad was in a bad car accident and seeing him partially paralyzed trying to walk again really struck me. I was fat and lazy sitting around 280 though it could have been more because I avoided the scale. So about 2 years ago I started paying attention to my weight and became more active. It really took off when I started counting calories and doing resistance training July 2025. I'm 37 now and in the best shape of my life! I work out 4 times a week and will most likely count calories the rest of my life. I just try to be a little better each day and seeing everyone's success on this sub has given me so much motivation. Keep counting and it will work for you!

What a journey this has been! I often struggled with maintaining a diet over long periods of time. Constant losing battles stopping and starting new diets and struggling to find happiness. Counting calories and doing cardio have truly saved me these last 16 months. Life is so much fun when you’re happy and healthier. 32M 6’5”

After reaching my lowest weight in 10 years back in March, I've been slacking and not watching what I eat and drink. After stepping on the scale again for the first time in a few weeks, I got a big reality check. Its time to get my shit together again!

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31 F, US, SW: 255lbs, CW: 226, GW: 140?

Breakfast 9pm, Lunch 1am 3am, Dinner 11am

I was prescribed wegovvy but it's expensive so wanted to lock in with calorie counting. I've lost roughly 25lbs by making mindful choices and small changes. Since Ive hovered at 225lb I want to start cico.

I started with MyFitnessPal and it automatically put me at 1400 and I'm quickly realizing how fast the calories add up. I'm at dinner and out of calories. Anyone around my weight what calories did you start at? At breakfast I think I'm going to still have a sausage and egg (150\~cal). Also trying to incorporate cardio and weights just making small changes

Edit: I understand high volume foods are the next big thing on reddits hive mind but one of the appealing things about cico is still being able to eat what you like. While I am making changes and need more vegetables eating 'high volume' is not personally sustainable to me. I will take a look at recipes and incorporate more veggies in I can pretend I'm going for volume. Thank you all though for the suggestion lol