New Here! Starting My Weight Loss Journey Before Baby Arrives

[LighterDaysAhead]

I’m a 31-year-old guy who’s been navigating some significant life changes over the past couple of years. Growing up, I was always skinny, but around age 19, I started to see swings in my weight. This was largely influenced by my diet, activity levels, work stress, and personal circumstances.

I’d typically fluctuate between 170 and 200 lbs. Whenever my family got concerned, I’d lose a little weight, but I never made any lasting changes to my diet or lifestyle. It was a cycle I’d repeat without making permanent adjustments. But now, after talking with my wife, we’ve decided it’s time to make lasting changes—for our health and to promote a long, healthy life for ourselves and our family.

Over the last two years, I gained over 35 pounds, reaching a high of 217 lbs. With my wife’s support, I’ve managed to drop down to 205.4 lbs recently. According to online calculators, my ideal weight is around 150 lbs, which feels daunting, but I’m taking it one step at a time.

My first goal is to get under 200 lbs by January 1st. After that, I’ll focus on the next 50 pounds. To keep the process manageable and avoid feeling overwhelmed, I’m planning to spread this out over 52 weeks. This would mean losing just under a pound per week, which feels like a sustainable pace, and I think it’ll be easier to maintain in the long run.

On top of that, we’re expecting a baby in June, and I’d love to hit my weight loss goal before the little one arrives. I’m curious if anyone has thoughts, feedback, or advice on this approach—especially on managing the timeline with a baby on the way!

Thanks so much in advance for any insight!

[springersrule Moderator 76kg]

Hi LighterDaysAhead and welcome to our forum. You'll find all our members are extremely supportive and will tell you their experiences. They'll have you're back whether you've had a good week or a bad one.

The plan you have put in place is a very sensible one and you have hit the nail on the head in that slow and steady is the best way to lose weight and maintain your losses. It has to be a way of life and one that you can follow for years to come. Going on a "diet" doesn't work as just the phrase makes it sound like its a short term thing! Aiming to lose 1lb a week is a very sustainable target and do break down the total you want to lose into smaller chunks to keep it manageable and not daunting. When I started my weight loss journey I actually added up my losses by the weight of a baked beans tin until my imaginary tower grew too tall lol I changed to sacks of dog food after that and even calculated what i'd lost in comparison to the weight of my dogs - I've lost more than all 3 of them together and a bit more

To start joining in here, go have a look at our pinned posts, here's a link healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

Have a good read through the Welcome Newbies post which will help you to navigate this site. Then scroll down and you will see our weekly and monthly posts. Start by joining in with the Weekly Weigh In and the Daily Diary, I would suggest you wait half an hour or until tomorrow as the posts swap over at 9pm on a Sunday. These 2 as a minimum will get you lots of support as you progress along your journey. You will see other posts and challenges, take a look and join in with the ones that pique your interest.

We look forward to seeing you joining in xx

PS Congratulations on the baby ❤️

[BridgeGirl Administrator SS Supercook 2 stone]

Sounds as though you have a lot going for you: a steady approach, good support from your wife and the incentive to be the best you can as a dad.

Do follow up on the link that springersrule has given you. The more you get involved on the forum, the more encouragement and ideas you'll get to help you on your way.

Looking forward to hearing about your progress 😊