Hi all!
So I was on semaglutide awhile back but am now getting on tirzepatide!
On semaglutide I had some side effects of bad acid reflux and also some digestion issues, and my hair thinned out a bit which I know happens with weight loss!
Does anyone have any suggestions for how to make this journey easier? Any products that have helped you? Diet plans? Etc!

Hey, Im 14 and I am 5'7 and 184 pounds. I did track and field but I want to go into wrestling this November and I want to feel better about my body. I feel fat and I want that to change. I can buy a gym membership but I honestly have no clue what to do there. Can you give me a ton of actual advice? I'm so confused and I want to lose weight. Tell me routines I can do, meals I can make, supplements I can take, etc. Just help me lose this weight.

I am a 32 year old female. Height 5'8".
The first time I did intermittent fasting was in 2019, but I didn't do it correctly, mostly starving myself. However, it worked! I went from 235 to 140 lbs in less than a year! This transformation completely changed my life. I was so happy and finally began to feel comfortable in my own skin, instead of constantly trying to hide myself.
Within a year, I intentionally increased my weight to 160 lbs and maintained it until March 2023.
Sadly, my husband passed away a year ago due to cancer, and I fell into a deep depression. I stopped working out, started drinking every night, and consumed unhealthy food throughout the day. Oh boy and of course because of that I've gained weight, and now I'm up to 204 lbs! All my clothes started feeling tight, so I decided to step on the scale, and seeing that number made me realize I needed to stop this BS!!
The first step I took was to completely stop drinking alcohol. Then, I started following a 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule. This time, I wanted to do it right. I ensured that I wouldn't consume more than 1200 calories a day, all from healthy homemade food. Also, I began working out daily.
After 14 days of following this routine, I decided to weigh myself, only to find out that I gained 2 lbs! I understand that it's only been 14 days, but I'm confused about why I'm gaining weight. What am I doing wrong?
I really need constructive criticism, advice, or any form of support. I really need it!!!
Side note: I've always been fortunate that when I started dieting, my body would begin losing weight. However, I also understand that I'm older now, and things might not work the same way as they used to.

I am a 32 year old female. Height 5'8".
The first time I did intermittent fasting was in 2019, but I didn't do it correctly, mostly starving myself. However, it worked! I went from 235 to 140 lbs in less than a year! This transformation completely changed my life. I was so happy and finally began to feel comfortable in my own skin, instead of constantly trying to hide myself.
Within a year, I intentionally increased my weight to 160 lbs and maintained it until March 2023.
Sadly, my husband passed away a year ago due to cancer, and I fell into a deep depression. I stopped working out, started drinking every night, and consumed unhealthy food throughout the day. Oh boy and of course because of that I've gained weight, and now I'm up to 204 lbs! All my clothes started feeling tight, so I decided to step on the scale, and seeing that number made me realize I needed to stop this BS!!
The first step I took was to completely stop drinking alcohol. Then, I started following a 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule. This time, I wanted to do it right. I ensured that I wouldn't consume more than 1200 calories a day, all from healthy homemade food. Also, I began working out daily.
After 14 days of following this routine, I decided to weigh myself, only to find out that I gained 2 lbs! I understand that it's only been 14 days, but I'm confused about why I'm gaining weight. What am I doing wrong?
I really need constructive criticism, advice, or any form of support. I really need it!!!
Side note: I've always been fortunate that when I started dieting, my body would begin losing weight. However, I also understand that I'm older now, and things might not work the same way as they used to.

I am a 32 year old female. Height 5'8".
The first time I did intermittent fasting was in 2019, but I didn't do it correctly, mostly starving myself. However, it worked! I went from 235 to 140 lbs in less than a year! This transformation completely changed my life. I was so happy and finally began to feel comfortable in my own skin, instead of constantly trying to hide myself.
Within a year, I intentionally increased my weight to 160 lbs and maintained it until March 2023.
Sadly, my husband passed away a year ago due to cancer, and I fell into a deep depression. I stopped working out, started drinking every night, and consumed unhealthy food throughout the day. Oh boy and of course because of that I've gained weight, and now I'm up to 204 lbs! All my clothes started feeling tight, so I decided to step on the scale, and seeing that number made me realize I needed to stop this BS!!
The first step I took was to completely stop drinking alcohol. Then, I started following a 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule. This time, I wanted to do it right. I ensured that I wouldn't consume more than 1200 calories a day, all from healthy homemade food. Also, I began working out daily.
After 14 days of following this routine, I decided to weigh myself, only to find out that I gained 2 lbs! I understand that it's only been 14 days, but I'm confused about why I'm gaining weight. What am I doing wrong?
I really need constructive criticism, advice, or any form of support. I really need it!!!
Side note: I've always been fortunate that when I started dieting, my body would begin losing weight. However, I also understand that I'm older now, and things might not work the same way as they used to.

I posted about this awhile back and did not get much response but I am gaslighting myself and need people who have gone through this or similar to help me be objective.
I will Try to keep this brief but it's a lot.
-long history of stricturing Crohn's of terminal ileum diagnosed in 2006. First resection Sept 2018, Last resection in April 2022. Surgeon told me he found Crohn's high up in small bowel, could not remove safely, hoped new biologic (Stelara) would take care of it.
-6 month delay in starting Stelara due to GI F up (forgot to send preauthorization)
-July 2022 began having severe upper gastric pain (under ribs and belly button) after even the smallest amount of food, followed by severe nausea and often vomiting. Within half hour multiple liquid BM's undigested food and insane amount of fluid. Began to eat less and less, moved to soft diet, and finally to complete liquids in August 2023
-July 2023-Oct 2023- Weight loss of 20 lbs over 3 month period. Many ER visits needed for rehydration and IV anti emetics and pain meds as could not keep down any oral meds. GI did colonoscopy but only found microscopic Crohn's in anastomosis site (he only took 2 biopsies from that area and nowhere else). CT's done in hospital showed thickening of wall of ascending colon, and collapsed bowel, free fluid in peritoneum. GI dismissed as "not reliable". Fecal Cal slightly elevated. Constant low grade anemia. After 4th ER visit in Oct 2023 they did a high res Ultrasound and I was admitted by surgery department. However, as I was urgent but not emergent, there were no beds available. Was given choice of staying in ER and receiving IV steroids, or going home and following up with GI. Chose home and was given Entocort. Entocort slowed down bowel from 30-50 bm's a day to ten. Did not help pain, nausea, vomiting, lack of ability to eat. After several desperate emails where I begged for help, said I wanted to die-GI ordered urgent MRI, would not change meds or give prednisone without "proof".
-November 2023-Began to experience fatigue like never before. Could hardly keep eyes open. This would be followed by severe upper gastric pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea that went on for days, followed by constipation for 1-2 days and severe bloating, only on the left side of belly which would be rock hard and hot to the touch. Then the diarrhea cycle woud begin again. Always pure liquid, sometimes black, always tons of mucous.
-Went to Mexico to visit my parents for the holidays where I usually feel better but still could not eat. Injecting myself with IM Gravol (anti emetic) just to keep fluids down. I lived off of chicken broth with rice. Saw GI in private hospital. Ordered full workup. Blood found in stool. 3 D CT ordered (could not find a vein for IV after 5 nurses, two doctors, and a radiologist with a vein finder so only had oral contrast) showed inflammation in small bowel, thickening of the ascending colon wall 11 mm, and inflammation of ileum. He wanted to send me to special IBD hospital in Mexico City for MRI but it would have cost 2500$ so I decided to wait till I got home to Canada where it would be free. Treated me with antibiotics for IBS (only available in Mexico and Germany) Zero improvement. I lived off of electrolyte drinks.
-Jan 29th 2024 returned to hospital because I could not keep any oral meds in (pills would be in toilet) also pain was 9/10, high fever, vomiting. Admitted again, but no beds. Left AMA with another prescription for Entocort.
-Feb 12 2024- High fever followed by two days of 40 plus liquid BM's, some of them bloody, all of them black. Husband insisted back to ER where I was admitted immediately. Cortisol levels 11 (close to adrenal failure) very low potassium. Doc said if we'd waited I likely would have died from heart event. Spent 8 + weeks in hospital having every kind of test imaginable. NOTHING showed on MRI, inflammation on CT, lower scope clear, upper endoscopy showed inflammation in esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. Negative for H Pylori, negative for celiac. Started on 150 mg of hydrocortisone for low cortisol to rescue my organs. MRI of brain showed small tumour on pituitary. Endocrinologist did ACTH test and was unhappy, kept me on 40 mg of hydrocortisone IV. PICC line insertion went awry when they Discovered I had complete stenosis of veins and needed port catheter surgically implanted. Was on TPN for 5 weeks. Needed pain meds and anti emetics every 4 hours or severe vomiting and diarrhea would ensue. 30-50 liquid bm's continued (they made me write down everything I ingested and every time I had a BM. They tested me for everything. No blood, NO CDiff, no parasites, no infection. High fever 104.5 plus delirium and CRP shot up to 50. Continued Anemia, blood work all over the place, even with TPN I needed potassium and sodium boluses 3 times a day.
-Requested pill endoscopy, GI said no Crohn's, no need for test. Suggested psych evaluation for a fucking eating disorder. Endocrinologist disagreed, said starvation and whatever disease process was causing symptoms was causing my cortisol issue. Psych diagnosed medical PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder (no shit) but NO eating disorder. Fired GI and hired IBD specialist from another city. Re ran all tests, CT showed huge diverticulum on duodenum otherwise clear. Was going to be moved to a ward from a private room. Had a panic attack because I could not share a bathroom and was not about to use a commode. Asked to be discharged after nearly 9 weeks. They were so overcrowded and basically did not know what else to do to help me, so they let me go even though I was still on TPN and NPO. Got a 5 minute instruction on how to insert a butterfly catheter for pain meds, and let go.
-Present-3 weeks later, still on liquid diet, (Boost drinks, blended oatmeal, yoghurt and soup) still on sub q and IM meds. Finally got new IBD doc to order capsule endoscopy and is treating me for SIBO (never been tested) plus set me up with nutritionist and psychologist for support. MRI repeated- totally clear.
I FEEL CRAZY. This is the sickest I have ever felt. It's been almost a year since I chewed food. The pain under my ribs just to the left of my belly button is now constant, whether I eat or not, pain meds barely take the edge off. Sometimes it's so intense I can hardly breathe. I keep passing out on the toilet. I projectile vomit daily, even using Gravol and Pantoprozole, the bile acid is awful. I've been doing tons of research and have learned that GDC and Jejunal Crohn's are extremely hard to diagnose. I have every single symptom and fit the criteria. Does this sound familiar to anyone????

Hello All!
I'm looking for some advice on fitness and weight loss that might help me out with my various needs for modifications. Please be patient with me if you feel like some of these questions have been answered before, I just don't always feel like they take into account my circumstances. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and answer! Your kindness is much appreciated.
And now we get into it... Some backstory to begin. I'm a 30-year-old female who's been struggling with an unhealthy relationship with food (for many reasons) for 15-ish years now. I've struggled to lose weight on and off for maybe 10 years. I've lost weight, gained it back, lost it, and gained it back again. Nothing really seemed to stick. I tried WeightWatchers, Noom, My Fitness Pal, and a fitness program with a certified coach. I've lost weight quickly and unsustainably and then slowly. I've struggled with an addiction to sugar and had ravenous cravings. I've even taken Vyvanse prescribed for Binge Eating Disorder but had to stop taking it due to blood pressure concerns. I am 5'7" and am currently 221lb.
I joined a fitness program this year that had me start with a reverse diet where I ate my maintenance calories for 5 weeks or so and then slowly decreased my caloric intake for a steady deficit. The coach calculated my maintenance as 2,600 daily with a moderate activity level. I initially worked out 6x a week with her program, mostly strength training, but I have an entirely sedentary job. During this time, I gained 5lb. After this, I decreased my intake to 2,100 and then 1,900 and then 1,800. At this point, I also decreased my workouts to about 4x per week of weights/resistance bands. I lost the initial 5lb I gained and then another 4lb over the course of 2 months. But this has me losing maybe 1lb per week.
Now, I also have various joint problems. I have hypermobility in my joints and I have to be very careful when working out. And the more I exercised, the worse I felt. The problems in my right shoulder became aggravated and I have new problems on my left now too. My collarbones and shoulder joints crack and grind with pain. My knees have sharp pains now whenever I put weight on them when they're bent. My physical therapists and doctors basically told me I have to stop doing squats, lunges, or other weight-bearing exercises on my knees, and stop doing what I was doing for my arms/back (dumbbell back flies, chest flies, shoulder presses, arnold presses, etc.) I feel deeply discouraged by the fact that I had to cut out most of the things I was doing. I feel like I'm very limited in what I can do.
But I also desperately need to lose weight to reduce the weight on my joints and get in better shape (and self-esteem!) So it seems like I'm down to doing only cardio and exercises that have my arms close to my body (like tight bicep curls and tricep kickbacks) which sucks because I was loving the muscle gain (and I could feel it!)
I am feeling very confused by all of the activity levels on TDEE calculators and I feel like maybe I'm getting it wrong. I put in lightly active and got around 2,400 and then read numerous articles that said it was overestimating because I have a sedentary job. I then tried the adaptive TDEE spreadsheet and got an average of about 2,400 anyway over the course of 14 weeks. So it seems like the coach was wrong to say I was at 2,600 with my exercise levels and it seems like others were wrong to say lightly active was too high.
Now, what do you guys think about the 2,400 TDEE? The data seems to support it, but does it seem accurate? I try to exercise 3-4x per week (still some strength training) after work, but I am very sedentary at work and when relaxing. Some days I don't make it past 8,000 steps. Now I've been trying to kick that up a notch (made it up to 16,000 steps today!) and have been aiming for 10,000 steps daily.
And next, what might be a good deficit? I've been eating around 1,800 but I don't know if that's going to be very slow and I tend to plateau early. (And, yes, I've been tracking all of my calories and keeping track of protein as well. I use MFP for the calories and I weigh my food when needed.) I was also told that I should be in a deficit for maybe 8-12 weeks at most before going back to maintenance for 2 weeks in order for my body to not "fight" the weight loss and repeat this cycle. Can anyone weigh in on this? Some studies I've read seemed to support this as well.
And finally.. does anyone have recommendations for exercises that I could do that would be light on my knees and good for people with hypermobility? This means nothing that requires joint extension that could be dangerous or any rotating of the shoulders. So definitely no lunges or reverse lunges, for example.
I think that's the end of my spiel.. but if you guys have any other questions, let me know! Thank you, again, for any suggestions you might have!

After my TBI, I can no longer smell things. But, I often spray my pillow with a lavender essential oil spray for its calming and relaxing effect. Will this still work on me with no ability to smell things?
My Info:
Age: 25 Height: 5'9 Weight: 150 Gender: Male Medications: Zoloft, Vitamins Smoking Status: Vape Daily Health Conditions: TBI in 2023, loss of smell

Abstract:
The Metals Company (NASDAQ:TMC, the “Company”) - sustained heavy mining operations in abyssal depths of 3500 - 5000m using all new technology while asserting environmental friendliness in an “emerging” market lacking a regulatory foundation. Profitability is a distant and very uncertain gleam on the horizon.
Today’s “earnings” saw an overshoot in estimated loss by 60% compared to street estimate. The stock took a dive -10% aftermarket. This is your shot at a management team that already tried and failed miserably.
TMC, the Company and Management:
The Company is specialised in Deep-sea mining (DSM) and exploration, was established in 2021 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
Members of TMC's management team, including CEO Gerard Barron, were previously associated with Nautilus Minerals, another company specialised in DSM. Nautilus Minerals' attempt to extract minerals from the seafloor within Papua New Guinea's territorial waters ultimately resulted in an environmental disaster and bankruptcy in OCT 2019.
The project was marred by instances of social, environmental, and financial mismanagement. A reported theft of $10 million was coupled with the lack of disclosure of investigation findings to shareholders.
What followed was a new DSM company called DeepGreen Metals, which in turn went public in 2021 through a SPAC merger with Sustainable Opportunities Acquisition Corp and took today’s name The Metals Company (TMC).
The Claims:
TMC possesses exploration contracts awarded by the The International Seabed Authority (ISA) through three subsidiaries: NORI, sponsored by the Republic of Nauru; TOML, sponsored by the Kingdom of Tonga; and DeepGreen Engineering Pte. Ltd., which has entered into an agreement with Marawa Research and Exploration Limited, a company owned and sponsored by the Republic of Kiribati.
All claims are situated within the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Pacific Ocean, which is regulated by the ISA.
NORI encompasses a seabed area of 74,830 km2 and is projected to harbour approximately 866 million wet tonnes of polymetallic nodules. TOML, spanning 74,713 km2 of seabed, hosts an inferred resource totaling 756 million wet tonnes of polymetallic nodules. As for the Marawa arrangement, its resource assessment remains pending.
Their compositions are found to consist of approximately 30% Manganese, 1.3% Nickel, 1.1% Copper, and 0.2% Cobalt. Based on current assessments, the net present combined value of mineable metals is estimated to range from $6.8 to $8.6 billion. The combined claims of NORI and TOML would constitute the second-largest nickel mine globally in terms of resource size.
Deep-sea mining (DSM) for Polymetallic Nodules:
A remotely controlled undersea robot is sent down from a support vessel to dredge and suck polymetallic nodules off the seafloor. In late 2022, TMC successfully demonstrated its mining capabilities by collecting approximately 4500 t of material and extracting 3000 t of nodules with a sustained production rate of 86.4 tonnes per hour during a system test. The company aims for 200 tonnes per hour with additional collector heads and a bigger capacity riser pipe.
Profitability estimates for DSM vary widely.
The Financial Situation:
TMC has a market capitalization of ~$460 million. It incurred a loss of $25.2 million last quarter, with a trailing twelve-month loss amounting to $73 million. Total cash at hand stands at $4 million. The company has the option to access $25 million in additional proceeds from an unsecured credit facility maturing AUG 2025, which remains undrawn, and another $20 million maturing SEPT 2025, of which $2.9 million were drawn in MAR this year.
Pro forma liquidity is ~$49 million. Dept sits at ~$16 million.
The ship should stay buoyant for another 12 months from now, without resorting to measures like dilution.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA):
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) serves as the principal regulatory body overseeing the exploration and exploitation of minerals located on the international seafloor. Established under Article 156 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the ISA is responsible for developing regulations governing these activities.
As of now, the ISA has yet to finalise a rulebook for the industry.
In 2021, TMC, sponsored by Nauru, utilised a regulatory loophole to initiate a process that imposed a two-year deadline on the ISA to establish regulations for DSM within its jurisdiction. With the ISA failing to meet this deadline in 2023, countries are now permitted to apply for mining licences in the absence of official guidelines.
TMC plans to apply for exploitation rights after the ISA session JUL – AUG this year.
The application review process is expected to drag on for 12 months. Production is anticipated to commence in Q1 2026 (revised from Q4 2025).
It is noteworthy that the USA is not a member of the ISA.
Relationship highlight - TMC and Nauru:
Nauru, formerly a prosperous island nation buoyed by abundant phosphate deposits, has faced financial challenges since the depletion of these resources in the 1990s. In recent years, the country has been associated with activities such as money laundering for the Russian mafia and detaining refugees seeking asylum in Australia in conditions widely criticised as inhumane. Additionally, Nauru has been noted for its propensity to alter political allegiances in pursuit of financial benefits, recently ditching Taiwan for China.
“The partnership with TMC is hoped to become the largest contributor to Nauru’s GDP, once fully operational, and vital for the country's economic survival.” This is according to Peter Jacob, a former chief of staff for Nauru’s Office of the President who now works as the NORI Country Manager at TMC.
Nauru Ocean Resources has pledged to pay corporate income tax in Nauru, where the current rate stands at 25 percent. Additionally, Nauru will receive a predetermined payment (tbd) for each ton of nodules extracted through mining activities.
Recent Development:
TMC has invested an approximate total of $100 million towards conducting environmental impact assessments as part of the regulatory process for securing mining rights from the ISA. The company submitted the biggest comprehensive dataset on the environmental impacts of DSM as of yet to the ISA, with an even bigger one announced for the ISA’s session JUL this year.
A life cycle assessment done in 2023 by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence suggests TMC’s NORI-D nodule project could outperform land-based routes in all measured environmental categories, including mining, transport, processing and refining.
Several countries, including China, Russia, Norway, Mexico, and the UK, advocate for the advancement of the DSM industry. China, in particular, already asserts claims to deep-sea mineral resources and has already undertaken mineral exploration activities in the international waters of the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean.
On JAN 9 of this year, the Norwegian parliament made a decision to open extensive areas in Arctic waters for DSM activities. In response, the European Parliament passed Resolution B9-0095/2024 in late January, expressing significant environmental concerns regarding Norway's action. The resolution reiterated Parliament's support for a moratorium on DSM and urged the European Commission and Member States to adopt a precautionary approach and advocate for a global moratorium on deep-sea mining, including at the ISA. A total of 24 countries worldwide, including seven European Union (EU) member states (Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden), have voiced their support for a moratorium or suspension of deep-sea mining activities. France has outright banned the practice.
In FEB 2024, the ISA released a streamlined draft of regulations with key areas yet to be “consolidated”.
In MAR, legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives calling for the U.S. to “support international governance of seafloor resource exploration and responsible polymetallic nodule collection by allied partners”, and to “provide financial, diplomatic, or other forms of support for seafloor nodule collection, processing and refining.”
Steve Jurvetson has joined TMCs board in APR.
Risks:
The Secretary-General of the ISA faces reelection in JUL. Michael Lodge, who served two terms, now faces accusations of "interfering with the decision-making process" and "sharing information with mining companies." He's not been nominated by the UK for his third term as before, but by the island nation of Kiribati. I fear Lodge's absence could spell short-term trouble for the sector, given the presence of some fiercely prohibitive candidates.
The recent earnings loss overshot was partly attributed to heightened transportation costs of nodules to a partner facility in Japan for processing. This highlights that the business model faces inherent risks, including the lack of provenness, the novelty of the technology, and the certainty for unforeseen challenges during sustained operations.
A surge in climate change and biodiversity cases indicates, DSM litigation is foreseeable as aggrieved countries, communities, and other stakeholders impacted by DSM can take the ISA, mining companies, and other parties they deem liable to international, regional, and national courts.
Profitability might face additional constraints due to anticipated seabed restoration obligations that are expected to accompany exploitation rights.
Considering the current financial situation and the expected timeframes, there is a risk of dilution due to liquidity challenges by Q3/Q4 2025.
All of these factors are compounded by a highly speculative and politically charged regulatory limbo, where states are beginning to enact regulations on a national level.
Finally, crowned by TMC's management team's prior involvement with Nautilus Minerals and the outcome of Nautilus' deep-sea mining project.
Speculation:
Treating TMC as a mining company at 20% - 50% of its underlying asset’s NPV, the price tag should be $9 - $11. Though TMC is everything but a “traditional” mining company.
Worst Case - a ban on DSM: Considering the lengthy processes of exploration, assessments, applications, and environmental studies, along with the current financial situation, the company may remain operational in its current structure for another 2-3 challenging years, but your investment will plummet to the depths of Hades.
Timelines shift to the future: This could be due to a prohibitive candidate becoming the next secretary-general at the ISA, or environmentally fueled initiatives to delay DSM. The more time passes, the more TMC will feel the urge to squeeze its shareholders.
TMC applies, the ISA misses the deadline again: We’ve come full circle, though with a higher potential. TMC could go to court, start operations as planned or something in between. I expect upside potential from this.
TMC applies, the ISA approves with restoration obligations: Based on the severity of potential outcomes, I anticipate the valuation range to be between $3.4 to $6 until the business model's feasibility emerges.
Bull Case - TMC applies, the ISA approves with minimal to no restoration obligations: Full potential upside is realised, until the business model's feasibility emerges.
Catalyst:
-ISA Vote JUL 2024 -TMC Application for exploitation following ISA session Q3/Q4 2024

I want to quickly dismiss a couple associations that this post will have.

1. This is not masochism (ie pleasure through pain).
2. This is not a method of achieving or "proving" self identity (ie "challenge yourself and find what you're made of, bud!!!")

This is a direct shot across the bow at what I see as the major cause for mental illness in the entire 1st world. In the physical health world, you have stages that lead towards obesity: there's the early stage (often termed "pre-diabetic"), then there's full on metabolic syndrome. Somewhere in between, you go from 20 lbs overweight to 100 lbs overweight. It's much easier to save someone in the early stages, as permanent long-term weight loss is extremely rare. Thus, to complete my analogy, it's my belief that there is an equivalent to this "pre-diabetic" stage of poor mental health across most of the 1st world, and the people we traditionally label "mentally ill" are merely in a more advanced stage that has become more difficult to recover from.
What ails us is that we were born into a successful society that provided for our needs without much effort on our part. Consequently, our primary daily concern is pleasure, rather than survival. We seek pleasure from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to bed through: food, entertainment, sexual gratification, and more broadly ego gratification. These are the things that give meaning to our lives. In other words, we create short and long term goals that ultimately result in the fulfillment of these objectives of pleasure. People pursue whole hobbies and careers solely for sexual gratification (get fit, make money, get chicks!). We fill up all of our spare moments with entertainment (most recently, in the form of social media, but older media forms still apply, particularly streaming television). And given that something like 70% of the US is overweight, we literally cannot help ourselves but overeat.
We'll blame these things on anything that we can. We're pursuing entertainment only because we're lonely! We're only overweight because we eat poor quality food or don't exercise! We only pursue porn because we aren't getting laid enough! No, you lack self-discipline.
But alas, this is not a post about self-discipline either. This is an attempt to illustrate your current orientation, it's core failing, and what it could be instead.
The feeling of surviving something is euphoric. Surviving a hard work day, a stressful moment around a wild animal, a taxing hike or workout, a risky move in an extreme sport, or even an act of heroism... all of these things trigger something extremely satisfying in the brain similar to what pleasure is doing for you now. Imagine if you could get yourself addicted to this form of success instead of pleasure chemical success. You would have new capabilities, a satisfaction with yourself, AND you would also be happy like you feel for brief moments right now. Now imagine how you could build up this feeling of happiness all day by pursuing these goals because your brain would be rewarding you in anticipation of more success. This is what pushing yourself can actually do.
Note: the amount of joy you feel from surviving something is NOT equivalent to the amount of pain experienced during the activity. At least, not in the narrow sense of physical pain telling you not to touch a hot stove, for instance. This is why this is not a masochistic philosophy.
To be blunt: instead of recoiling from pain, lean into it. Accept it. Think about how hard you can make yourself, and the cost/benefit for basic decisions in your life will be transformed in ways that I can hardly describe. If you were born in an era that wasn't so comfy, or you were born into unfortunate circumstances that made your childhood difficult, you already know these things by heart. But if your life thus far has been comfy, it might be time to experience something else.

Has anyone successfully lost their baby weight without calorie counting? I don't drink and am committed to doing one strength training session, one pilates class, one barre class and two running days a week but I cannot fathom cutting out my sweet treats.
Please share any stories about how you might've dropped weight without dieting. I need to hear them.

While I am primarily taking Mounjaro for Type-2, I have been shocked at some of other benefits and I’m posting here because this is one I’m just starting to see clinical trials and news coverage for.
A big one for me (beyond weight loss, I’ve lost around 120lbs) is the complete reversal of my non-alchoholic fatty liver disease. I get my liver checked every 6 months and the results have been nothing short of miraculous. I hope others are having the same experience!
Every side effect is worth it. I am so grateful.

I (14F) was asked by my parents what I wanted for my (15th) birthday. I listed off a few general suggestions like a book by an author I like, jazz shoes for dance... and a scale. For context, I am very overweight (I think) and I desperately need to lose weight for both my own personal health and for my new dance team. Anyways, I've tried to lose weight without any success (usually the opposite affect) quite a few times, but I've found that the only thing that's helped hold me somewhat accountable is weight checks.
My family isn't very supportive of my weight loss attempts, they don't let me cook my own meals, nor do they eat healthy as a whole family, and I am often forced to get seconds or even thirds when I say I don't want more. Calorie counting, while a great tool for some, made me feel powerless since I am not allowed to dictate my own diet, and it was mainly counterproductive for me. Every morning since January, I've made a daily trek down to my parents room in order to step on their scale and weigh myself. By about late February, my parents caught on to what I was doing and no longer allow me in there in the morning (I used to bring them coffee, sit in bed with my mom and talk, and occasionally have her help do my crazy thick wavy hair). This really caused me to regress in my weight loss attempts and I gained a whopping 10 pounds in the past few months. As my birthday is soon, I've been thinking long and hard about what I want for my birthday. Unfortunately, the only thing that has come to mind is a scale (and a pair of sunglasses, but I just got a freebie pair at a sporting event). As stupid as it sounds, a scale of my own is something I have been wanting for months, even more then traditional teenage items like bluetooth headphones or expensive makeup.
However, when I told my parents this, they freaked out. They said that I have an unhealthy relationship with food and that it's irresponsible of me to want a scale. It would send my younger sisters a bad message (they don't even share a bathroom with me) against body positivity and that they did not raise me to be a girl who is obsessed with her weight. After a long while of arguing, I snapped and said " I shouldn't have to be overweight just because everyone else in the house is"
Anyways, AITA for asking for a scale for my birthday?

Looking for an Ohio based PCP that is comfortable sending a tirzepatide script to a compound pharmacy. My first PCP was ok prescribing Monjaro (which insurance obviously denied)... I talked to her about a compound pharmacy and she said no. I then found a telehealth pcp and she also did not want to send a script to a compound pharmacy.
Is there any regular pcp that will work with a compound pharmacy or is everyone forced to go through an online weight loss clinic like Emerge or all the others people here have worked with?
I found a local compound pharmacy called central ohio compound pharmacy that has the starting dose of semaglutide for 180 per month ans tiez was 190 per month. Price doesn't seem too bad if I could get a pcp to send it. I called a local weight loss clinic that works with them but they charge 249 dollars for the first month for medical consultation and then 149 per month after that. So for the starting dose of tirz it's 339 per month for meds and doctor visits.... seems pricey considering other options people have mentioned.

I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes four years ago. I've always wondered if I was mistreated, but have always dismissed it at me overreacting. I've been thinking about it more and would like some validation in what I've always thought.
When I was diagnosed I was 11 F or 12 years old. A few months prior to my ER visit I had weighed about 140 lbs and was barely 5'0. At the time I went to the ER I was 120 lbs. (there was no reason for weight loss)
I had been having severe abdominal pain for around a week. It had gotten to the point that my mother (an RN) said to go to the ER. At 9:30 pm my test results came back. Listed below are the levels that were marked.
RBC: High, Hemoglobin: High, Hematocrit: High, RDW: High, Lymphocytes: High, Glucose (Urine): 3+, Ketones (Urine): 4+, Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, CO2: All Very Low, Glucose (Blood): 365 mg/dL
I had no previous history of diabetes or blood sugar issues. My high/low levels were completely disregarded. They sent me to have an ultrasound because they suspected appendicitis. At 11:25 pm my appendix came back as "suspicious". At 12:20 AM my mom came down from the NICU as I was getting prepped for surgery. The anesthesiologist was going over information when he asked, "How long have you been a diabetic?". We said never and my BG was checked. It had lowered but was still 207. Everybody was shocked. I was rushed to the PICU where I spent the next 3 days. Here were the other odd levels they found:
GAD-65: 54.8 (VERY High), C-Peptide: Low, A1C: 13, All of my Blood Gasses (minus O2): Very Low, Magnesium: Low
It took a long time to stabilize my levels. The next morning the surgeon came up, felt my appendix, and said it was completely back to normal. I am now a very well controlled diabetic and have run into no issues. I'm just searching for any validation in my thoughts that I shouldn't have gotten so close to get an organ removed for no reason while being seriously ill.

Hello, my name is Levi I’m a 28 year old male whom before July of last year was perfectly healthy! So July of last year I was at work and began to get really shaky and weak, this progressed over the next few minutes until I was white as a ghost, on the ground unable to move a muscle and being rushed to the hospital. They said I had heat exhaustion, gave me fluids and sent me home. 2-3 weeks later it happened again which cost me my job at the place I was working. Since then this has became a very serious problem. And ALOT OF OTHER THINGS ARE HAPPENING! My life has literally SHUT DOWN! I can not go anywhere anymore EVER without this being a problem. I’ve missed my sons first steps cause I am unable to go outside in the heat I’ve been on bed rest for almost a YEAR NOW! This doesn’t only happen in the heat but it seems heat is the biggest trigger. I’ve been to probably 30 doctors appointments in the last year to try to figure out WTH is going on with my body. And most of the time they are very dismissive and say I’m fine. I’m loosing weight now. Lots of other GI issues also. And the tremors! The tremors are eye catching to say the least. Let alone all the other symptoms including, vision loss lightheadedness, confusion, memory loss, ANXIETY, and loads of other craziness going on with my body. My daughter starts kindergarten in a couple months and considering her mother passed away a couple years ago I have no idea what I’m going to do about getting her to and from school. Or anything else that involves me leaving the house for that matter. I’m starting to cry a lot now and become VERY depressed thinking that my life is over as I know it! Cause that’s what it feels like. It happened big time today and I just got out of the hospital and am back home. It’s hard for me to even type all this cause I’m so weak and shaky and dizzy. PLEASE anyone out there PLEASE HELP ME with advice or give me advice on what I need to do. I’ve broken down and started doing as much research as possible and POTS and DYSAUTONOMIA stories have related to what’s going on with me the most.

Alter with addictions
How do you deal with addictions as a system.
So a few months ago things where really bad and so we allowed one alter to front while the rest of us went dormant so that we could rest. Me the old host was dealing with to much mental health issues and SH. Another with drinking and drug problems. You get the picture. We all agreed that the Co host (now host I guess) would be best for this under the conditions that she fixed her shopping addiction. She had the best mental health over all and she’s everybody’s favorite….(people in general seem to treat us better when she fronts) but a few days ago I fronted I think it has to do with the last post. And now I’m finding out she’s completely changed everything….. took out our piercings changed our social media changed all of our clothes…..BUT WORST OF ALL she hasn’t fixed her shopping addiction and did not inform us that she apparently has an eating disorder I found multiple weight loss apps on our phone. And she’s using MY name on everything! I’m just flabbergasted and i guess I wasn’t fully ready to come back to so much change.
-A🦇