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How I lost 50 lbs in 8 months - my full breakdown

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CA
calorieDeficitDan
member Original Poster
#1

Wanted to share my journey since this forum helped me so much. SW: 245, CW: 195, GW: 185. M/32/5'11"

What I did:

  • 500 cal deficit (started at 2400 cals, adjusted down as I lost weight)
  • Tracked every single thing I ate using PlateLens (the photo logging made it sustainable)
  • Walked 10K steps/day minimum
  • Lifted 3x/week
  • Prioritized protein (180g/day)

No magic. Just consistency. AMA.

FR
freshStart2026
member
#2

This is so inspiring. How did you handle plateaus? I'm stuck at week 6.

CA
calorieDeficitDan
member
#3

@freshStart2026 Plateaus happen to everyone. I had 3 of them. Each time I just trusted the process, made sure my tracking was accurate, and waited. The scale always eventually moved. Give it 2-3 weeks before adjusting anything.

FI
fitnessmom42
moderator
Macro Wizard
#4

50 lbs in 8 months is a perfect rate — just over 1.5 lbs/week. Sustainable and healthy. Congrats!

BO
bodyRecompBro
member
#5

180g protein at 2400 cals is solid. Did you find it hard to hit that protein target?

CA
calorieDeficitDan
member
#6

@bodyRecompBro At first yeah. I had to be intentional about it. Chicken breast, Greek yogurt, protein shakes became staples. Now it's second nature.

HU
hungryAllTheTime
member
#7

How did you deal with hunger? That's my biggest struggle. By 3pm I want to eat everything in sight.

CA
calorieDeficitDan
member
#8

@hungryAllTheTime High protein + high fiber + lots of water. Also volume eating — huge salads, tons of veggies. Hunger was real at first but your body adapts after a few weeks.

WE
weekendWarrior
member
#9

What about weekends? That's where I always fall off.

CA
calorieDeficitDan
member
#10

@weekendWarrior I budgeted for weekends. Ate a bit less Mon-Fri so I had more room on weekends. Not a huge difference but enough that I could eat out or have a few beers without going way over.

TR
tryingToBeHealthy
member
#11

Saving this thread. Starting my own journey next week. The simplicity of your approach is encouraging — no crazy diet, just basics done well.

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