Weight loss accountability/support 2024 edition

started my journey in june (83kg) and managed to get down to my target (73kg) and maintain it ever since. think next year will be about strength and improved sleep (which has suffered this year due to teeth issues)

Started riding (non e-bike) again in August. I was 110kg. Haven't really changed much else. I still eat and drink what I was doing at that point, but now down to 103kg. Not massive volume, but I'm wearing jeans and shirts that I haven't been able to for 2 years. Just bought a turbo trainer to get me through the winter now it's all going to be shit until March.

This is much harder at 42 and WFH, with a 5 year old than it was at 30 when I last lost any significant weight!!!

It is all diet, not exercise. Get the nutracheck app.

Consistent diet. Consistent exercise. Both important but in that order.

Also resistance exercise 2-3 x per week proven to be one of the best long term health benefits

Thats largely true, but not the whole picture.
Exercising and resistance exercise burns calories, while also giving you body recomposition.
The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate, and more calories you burn just by existing.

For some people, doing exercise also promotes healthier eating habits.

Losing weight by exercise is quite imprecise, compared to calorie counting and diet, but losing 7kg and many inches just by adding exercise is legit, impressive and very commendable.

It is not easy to purge your house of snack items when you have a 5 year old kid at home!
If you're not set up physically or mentally to count calories and work out a suitable calorie deficit, you can do it the old fashioned way of cutting out or replacing something.

The typical ones are:
Sugary drinks and juices -> water, sugar free squash, diet drinks
Beer/alcohol -> same as above
Chocolates / mince pies / biscuits/snacks -> veg sticks and hummus (possibly dangerous) / popcorn
Rice/pasta -> more veg

Keeping up the volume of food, but reducing the calorie density using food choices will help you loads.

Having plenty of calorie free fluids while working from home helps keep me out the fridge and snack cupboard (coffee, tea, green tea, squash, water)

Also, although it feels wasteful, but in my experience not eating the 5 year old's leftovers at the end of meals will probably save a 1000 calories or so a week.
In a year, thats approx 14.85 pounds of fat loss, or 6.7kg.

snack items

That handy thing is, I got Invisalign last month. That makes eating anything quite an annoying production. Bands off, aligners out (tricky and painful at times), eat (with tender teeth), brush teeth, brush aligners, refit aligners, refit bands. Has made snacking pretty much zero since I got them. It makes think "Do I really need/want whatever it is I spy on the kitchen counter?" 99% of the time so far it's just not felt worth it.

Been lurking, but decided to get my shit together 10 weeks back (at nearly 59, a bit now or never lol)
Can now (just) get into 34”w jeans again, from (to ashamed to quote waist) XL size elasticated cargos
Don’t have scales (used to use them obsessively, which was another problem when doggedly maintaining 68kg through my forties, which on reflection at 5’10” wasn’t that healthy either) so just going to keep at things and judge by eye
Diet (just way less of everything rather than specific stuff), no booze, daily cycle (actual and static bike combination so it can actually be every day, no excuses), strictest of strict crisps ration, acknowledging the hungry feeling is a good feeling not an excuse to reach for snacks
So far, so good

Lots of good advice as always

Keeping up the volume of food, but reducing the calorie density using food choices will help you loads.

This is a great one.
Skyr has gotten a lot of love on here. But the other day I roasted a whole cauliflower - which I then had instead of rice with two meals. I think rice at the same weight would have been 350-400 cals per serving, cauliflower was 60ish

On the calorie density thread what are people's thoughts on Shirataki / Konjac noodles? I chucked them into a miso mushroom coconut broth thing and really enjoyed it. Only just found out about them, are they really as good as they sound, minimal calories / carbs, lots of fibre, what am I missing? (obviously eating lots of veggies with it for some nutritional value!)

Big Konjak noodle fan here. They don’t have much taste and need to be well rinsed. Some people say they smell weird and others say they repeat on them or whatever. I buy mine from bulk foods or Myprotein

Cauliflower is a great option.
I like air frying them tossed in various seasonings, garlic, soy, sesame oil etc.

I'm not the biggest fan of tricking myself into eating cauliflower rice, or courgette noodles/pasta, konjac noodles etc as I always feel the pang of an inferior option.

However, if its delicious in its own right, happy to choose it as a primary option.

I find preparing side salads and veg a bit tiresome when preparing multiple meals all through the week.

Having grown up with Korean food and banchan, I prepare or buy side dishes/vegetables to make meals more interesting and delicious.

Kimchi
Asian dressed slaw (no mayo, very little fat)
Picked radish
Korean seasoned spinach

I also have a couple of squeeze sauce bottles with homemade gochujang dressing and sweet soy sauce for extra punchy flavour, while minimising the calories. A drizzle on top of a dish goes a long way and a lot less calories than adding to the cooking sauce.

I eat them all the time. Coincidentally, tonight I had creamed cauliflower and mushrooms with Konjac noodles for dinner. It was great!

The wide Konjac noodles are my favourites but they contain way more carbs than the thin ones for some reason. Delicious with curries or even with a rich Italian ragu. Obvs needs heaps of pecorino, not very pasta like but still good.

I've stalled again, have been eating more chocolate (ALDI 90% cocoa) which has sent my numbers in the wrong direction. Still sitting around the 93kgs mark.

Ah, seems I'm late to the Konjac party then! What brand are the wide version? Thanks!

Thanks @Tenderloin, Bulk have them at £0.87 a pack at the moment! Will stock up!

I buy these, not sure they're available in the UK. Three bux a pop, not cheap!

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Eating large quantities of 90% chocolate is an impressive feat.
I demolished a 250g box of Guylian seashells in about 15 minutes the other day...

Eating large quantities of 90% chocolate is an impressive feat.

20gms a day isn't that greedy, I guess, but it's 10gms of the 28gms of carbs I'm allowed every day.

Yeah I don’t like Cauli rice but cauliflower adds a lot of mass to a plate and is a reasonable substitute. I roasted mine with a curry powder, cumin, fenugreek rub

You can also do the classic big slices of cauliflower steak which can be quite satisfying to eat

Long shelf life too so I tend to buy the multipacks

Finally some improvement (dunno why, didn't eat right or exercise much)

75.5kg 16/09
73.3kg 09/10
72.7kg 18/10
71.9kg 12/11
71.4kg 17/12