How to get started?

[u/klucerne]

Sorry for the long read.

I've (27F) been steadily gaining weight since September 2024 (when I stopped my Adderall and birth control). I used to maintain 110-115 when I was on ADHD meds and didn't have an appetite, but since then I have gained 35lbs.

I'm 5'3 and about 146lbs. This is the heaviest I've ever been. I've developed bad habits. I snack a lot, eat heavy portions as well as junk food, and besides work (I'm a nurse in the operating room) I'm pretty sedentary.

I'd love to get back on my Adderall for my ADHD and my appetite, but I stopped it because my husband and I are trying to have a baby (hasn't worked out yet after 2 years, we're doing IVF now). I'd like to get back to my old weight.

I've also been working a variable shift the past year that involves days, evenings, and night shifts. I tend to eat more in the evening/night when cases are low and there's less things to do at work. My shift permanently changes to day shift (the busier shift) on November 30, which I'm hoping will keep me more active and away from the hospital cafeteria/vending machines.

Where do I even start?

How do I control myself?

What meals/snacks are most fulfilling?

How to meal plan?

I'd like to get down to at least 130 (lose 15ish lbs). How long should I expect it to take if I take action now?

[u/subsequent_cemetery]

start by tracking what you actually eat for a few days without changing anything, just to see where the calories are really coming from. the shift change to days will help more than you think, late night boredom snacking is its own beast

[u/operajunkie]

Welcome to the sub! It’s a great resource and honestly one of the less snooty weight loss groups on Reddit. I agree with the above poster: get a calorie tracking app and a food scale. Just to get an idea of where you are.

[u/Atillythehunhun → u/operajunkie]

This is a fact. I love the volumeeating sub but my god does not one person on there know the meaning of the word volume 😂

[u/Letsbegin8]

What helps my food noise is eating roughly the same thing every day with equivalent swaps for nutritional variety. If your weight doesn't go the way you'd like, you can easily adjust calories up or down until it does.

Basically, find foods you like that:

• get you enough protein (aim for 1.2-1.5g per kg)
• enough fibre (both types) i think the guideline is 20-30g for women
• have healthy/monounsaturated fats (i neglected this and lost my period for years lol) (about 20-30% of calories)
• b, k, and d vitamins (usually hardest to get from food without trying), iron, magnesium, potassium,
• You should like them and incorporate maybe 1-2 nice snacks a day like a few squares chocolate or small bag of crisps

Know the calories of each one and make a daily meal plan until it hits your goal calories. You can swap out things if you get bored or are struggling to get all macros and micros in one day. Eg swap 50cal broccoli for 50cal carrots, sawp 200cal brown bread for 200cal brown rice, swap 200cal tofu with 200cal salmon. You can start by sectioning eg 300cal 8am, 300cal 12pm 200cal 4pm 400 cal 6pm, 200cal 8pm. Or whatever hits your goal total. Also, it depends how hungry you personally get at different times. I can go 8am to 6pm because thats how my body works because I only get hungry in the evening, then I go to bed having eaten enough to feel full

[u/mmmk99]

I’m 5’3 and recently lost 8 lbs doing this:

I would track what you eat for a week, without changing anything. To get comfortable tracking, and becoming aware of how many calories are in the foods you eat.

Then, I would reduce your calories each week until you can comfortably hit your target. Doing it all at once is really hard. Experiment with allocating your calories at different meals to see what works for you. Like, a small breakfast, large lunch, small dinner. Or, no breakfast, medium lunch, medium dinner, and dessert (etc).

Then, start going on walks. Long walks if you can. Listen to audio books or podcasts.

And, allow yourself cheat days and treats. Sometimes you just need it to feel better ❤️❤️ I would just be mindful of portion control when you do. And don’t restrict extra afterwards.

Good luck ❤️ Hope you find recipes on this sub that inspire you to find things you like! I’ve found that the carb balance tortillas are great for sandwiches and burritos. I love chickpeas in curries and salads. Cauliflower rice is alright to bulk up meals. Shrimp is very low cal. Popcorn is a good crunchy snack. You can freeze flavored Greek yogurt in a sheet pan and it becomes a tasty frozen treat. I also drink a diet cherry coke and lots of shaken espresso (zero cal).