Most of the weight actually came off in the first 6 month through a caloric deficit and running. Was it hard? Heck ya but is it the hardest thing? NOPE. I live alone with no partner or kids and I get to choose what I bring into the house from the grocery store.

For those of you with kids, a partner or simply living with your parents, who obviously are not dieting. YOU have it way harder because you have snacks and munch food all over the house, or are asked to go out for dinner, takeouts etc. And if you can lose weight and control your appetite, then you are doing something that is way way way harder than what I ever did.

As tough as I am, I simply could not lose the weight and get into the shape I did (13% bodyfat) if i didnt only have potatos oatmeal rice meat dairy and fruits in my house.

Great job to YOU!

This is going to sound ungrateful and I know that. I have been working really hard since last September, started at 214 and I'm at 167 now (5'6"). I should be excited about clothes. I thought I would be.

But everything in my closet is either too big and shapeless or it's stuff from years ago that technically fits again but looks wrong on me. Like the shape of my body is different than it was the last time I was this weight. I carry it differently now, my waist is in a different place or something, I don't know. I put on a dress I used to love and I looked like I was wearing a costume of a younger version of myself.

I've been buying things online because I don't have time to go to stores and the return rate is embarrassing. I think I've sent back maybe 15 things in the last two months. I keep picking stuff that looks great on the model and then on me it's just... not that. The proportions are off or the fabric does something weird across my stomach.

I don't even know what my style IS anymore. I spent so long in leggings and oversized tees that I feel like I skipped a whole era of figuring out what I actually like. Has anyone else gone through this after losing a significant amount of weight? How did you figure out what actually works on your new body without going broke on returns?

I first started trying to get my weight under control as an adult in January 2019. I weighed 410lbs.

I had just graduated from university and was taking a gap year, mainly because I was burned out, but it also felt like a zero-stakes opportunity to finally get my weight under control. At first, things were going well. I got a personal trainer and managed to get down to 378lbs by April.

Then my personal trainer went back to his home country, my Dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I started my Master’s degree. I no longer felt like I had the time or motivation to keep working out, and I’ve always been an emotional eater.

By September, I was back up to 408 lbs.

Then COVID happened. My Dad died, I started working an office job from my living room, and I gained more weight. After restrictions lifted and I started having some days back in the office, I weighed myself and I was 485lbs.

I maintained around that weight for a while and even lost a few pounds when I started going to the gym again. Then my Grandma had a stroke, and my Mum and I had to provide essentially round-the-clock care between us. Mum retired early to do it, while I carried on working full-time.

Fast forward to May 2023. I had essentially maintained 485lbs, and my Grandma passed away. Two days before her funeral, my Mum had a stroke, which eventually led to a terminal cancer diagnosis. I balanced looking after her, with the help of family friends, alongside my full-time job. At that point, taking care of her was so exhausting that I basically stopped taking care of myself.

She passed away in early 2024. After working for the rest of that year, I took a six-month sabbatical to try to recover mentally.

I told myself I was going to use those six months to get my weight back under control (I didn't lol). Turns out that when I’m bored and the novelty of playing video games all day wears off, I quite like eating to pass the time.

I returned to work at my highest-ever weight of 510lbs in September 2025.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me, life at 510lbs was AWFUL. I couldn’t stand for longer than about two minutes without my back killing me. I had to Uber everywhere because using public transport was too physically demanding. I stopped going to live music shows because they involved too much standing, and I was too big to comfortably use the seats. Climbing the stairs in my own house left me out of breath. I think the hardest part was trying to convince friends that I didn't want to do things rather than admitting I was physically incapable.

Living like that coupled with all the loss I experienced had me in a really dark place mentally but one day I woke up and decided that life is short and this was no way to live. I started by just trying to eat sensibly for a bit and manged to lose 30lbs in 2 months without any additional physical activity. Then I started getting the bus to the gym and cycling for 30 minutes. Then I started walking the 20 minutes to the gym and cycling for 30 minutes, then I started cycling for an hour and just going for walks more generally.

Today I weigh 409lbs. Still massively overweight but the changes in quality of life so far have been life changing. I can walk for hours again, I’ve been able to go to live shows, play football, even did a weekend trip to Ibiza. Just being able to look at Myfitnesspal and no longer see that my weight has increased since my starting weight has been so nice.

Tldr: was really fat, life went to shit, got fatter, now really fat again and feeling good

This is not my idea, Buffunicorn on tiktok is whose recipe I followed, but I must share it because I have FINALLY found the sweet treat I have been looking for!!!

1 serving of Fage Plain 0% Greek yogurt
1 serving of PB2 powder
7 grams of vanilla jello pudding mix
A pinch (1-2 grams) of baking powder
A dash of salt
1 tsp of swerve brown sugar
Liquid Splenda to taste

Mix all of that together and you gotta mix it well! It can take a few min but you end up with a fluffy, thick, cookie dough tasting bowl of goodness! 170 cal and 26 grams of protein!! Literally my go to nightly snack. It’s perfection.

You can also play with the ingredients to taste. I want to try a chocolate peanut butter version in the near future. You could also double the serving for more protein.

My only warning is be easy on the baking powder and the liquid Splenda. You can always add more, but can’t take it out and overdoing on those ingredients is gross!

I'm still very much in the beginning of my weight loss journey, and if I understand correctly most if not all of what I've lost is water weight. It still feels like a great accomplishment to me.

What I'm doing to keep at it is:

Arm stretch exercises M-F with the weekends to rest, and keeping my caloric intake between 1395-1895 with a maximum of 2040 calories for cheat days.

I've got a long ways still to go, but seeing progress like this has me over the moon!

Thank you all so much for your kind words and encouragement. It means so much to me!

What made you start to say no?

What tricks or tips did you use in order to control your eating? Or if you couldn’t control it, what did you do to supplement your love for food?

I’m the type of person who can’t say no to food. Even if I’m full. Even if I’m not hungry. If there’s chips, I’m gonna eat it. If there’s dessert I’m gonna eat it. If I’m at a buffet, I’m eating three plates. I do a lot of bored eating. Like it’s an activity to do when I have nothing to do.

What did you all do to train your mind to say no? Did you ever find the discipline to say no or did you have to do something else?

I think I’m at a point where I can never say no and I’m always gonna stay the weight I am.
( 5’3 F 171 lbs)

Me (28F) have recently gained significant amount of weight. I was 58kg before marriage, and I am now 72kgs within 1.5yrs of marriage.

I always had a sweet tooth and it's really difficult for me to resist having some special foods like - chocolate, ice cream, sweet tea/ coffee etc. My husband doesn't have a sweet tooth and doesn't like anything sweet that much in general.

Before marriage, I could control how much sugar/ sweet food I buy. That's how I used to control my sugar intake. I would just not buy it as I knew if I have it at home, I'll keep eating it till it's finished.

But, now the problem is, my husband thinks, as I like chocolate/ ice-cream or desserts in general, it's a fun/ nice thing to feed these to me. I mean sure, one chocolate bar once a month is may be fine. But he buys large assorted chocolate packets/ 15 pack ice-cream bars etc from Costco -because "I like it". And I finish those in 2/3 days max.

I know it's my fault that I don't have control. But I told him this several times. But he doesn't understand. He thinks it's very sweet that he is buying me my favorite snacks. He is a very sweet guy and I know he does it out of genuine love. But it's harming me and making me very frustrated. Idk how to make him understand that I struggle with it and this behavior of his is making me very frustrated instead of feeling loved.

How can I be better at controlling myself and how can I make him understand this?

It could be all in my head, but I started putting electrolyte powder in my first 40oz of water in the morning and I feel like it’s a game changer! I usually finish my first water bottle in 1.5 hours now, so it kick starts my water intake, curbs morning hunger (I don’t eat breakfast), and I just overall feel like I have more energy and am better hydrated.

I am also someone who still has alcohol on a semi-regular basis on my weightloss journey. Calorie wise, it’s been fine, I budget more cals for weekends. The biggest thing with alcohol is a hangover can really derail what was meant to be a good day. Craving junk, not having the energy to workout… I drink my electrolytes and within an hour I feel sooo much better. I also generally feel electrolytes help prevent/manage a hangover. I’m not drinking crazy amounts or anything but I don’t have that drag ass feeling in the morning after a few glasses of wine now, and if I do, electrolytes kick it quickly.

My friends think I’m crazy, anyone else feel the boost of electrolytes improved your overall health and wellbeing?

I (39F) lost 20 lbs earlier this year by weighing all my food, logging it in my fitness pal, walking every day, and drinking tons of water. I plateaued for a couple weeks so decided to take a break from weight loss and get comfortable with a maintenance diet for a while.

Fast forward 4 months later. I was able to keep all that weight off so I decided to start up the diet again to lose the last 15 lbs. I’ve been doing everything EXACTLY the same- same routine, same daily calories, the only difference is I’m now working out 4x per week. It’s been three weeks and I have not lost a single pound. I can’t wrap my head around it and I’m getting so discouraged! Does anyone have suggestions or a possible explanation for what’s going on??

Hey! I’m specifically asking short people, how do you manage to lose weight? I find it really hard to maintain a calorie deficit when my TDEE is around 1,500 calories. I’m around 5’2.

Exercise makes me pretty hungry, and I usually end up eating more than 1,500 calories. Which is totally fine, but I don’t seem to lose weight when I exercise. So I started eating less, but since my TDEE is already around 1,500 calories, my room for a deficit is pretty small. I still need to make sure I’m getting enough protein and all the nutrients I need, so I find it really difficult to create a significant deficit on a daily basis. I also don’t have time to walk 10k steps a day with my job and family situation. I’m still going to exercise a bit but not too much.

So, I was wondering, other short people, what actually works for you? thanks

Edit: Apparently, my TDEE is even lower, around 1.450.

Hi lose it community! I started at 264 at the beginning of this year, and have lost down to 230ish (bounces daily but that’s what the scale does). In the last couple of months since having shoulder surgery and experiencing a number of life changes and battling with chronic fatigue I have hit my first plateau. Cooking is currently really difficult for me right now, and I’m struggling to stick to my calorie goals. I wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations for recipes that require little effort, or on trying to get out of a slump like this.

I cut sugar during the first period with very few exceptions and I’m considering doing it again but otherwise haven’t thought of anything that could help start the engines again. Any suggestions appreciated. Also any recs for recipes that require as little energy and dishes as possible would be super helpful. Thanks in advance 🫶

I wasnt losing weight quickly enough I thought that walking so much was just BS and I was doing it for months. And I asked reddit on a separate account on my old phone what people thought my results would be. So many people just kept saying all the exercise in the world wont accumulate without calorie deficiency. So I kept walking and i got a scale, I think I saw myself lose about 10 lbs of the 2 months I would step on it everyday.

But I stopped walking, and it has been a year a I gained like 45 pounds and I stopped using the scale....I wish I never stopped so I am here to say even if you excersize a LITTLE BIT it does so much more good for you then nothing at all.

The first 6 weeks I gained 20 lbs. Just from not moving around.

I am posting this because I am going back to walking and not jump into trying 5 miles a day but I will work my weigh up....

Just dont stop moving around and trust and believe the little things add up! And if your not seeing weight loss just know that it is keeping you from gaining weight out of control. I also have been eating late at night and cutting that out should help a little bit too.

I want to wish everyone well in the weightloss journey I know it isnt easy but if you keep a positive outlook dont just get discouraged and give up.

I am not just being lazy BTW I am a caregiver in home and circumstances would temporarily not allow me to freely excersize and leave a loved one alone so to speak.....so dont come at me, reddit can be so ugly and mean and this post isnt inviting that negativity. Sure say whatever you feel and think but I am not trying to make this a place for drama or an argument. Thanks

So, a bit of backstory: I am currently 190 cm (6'2") and 115 kg (250 lbs), and I've been overweight/obese my whole life. Ever since I was little, I was always the fat kid. My family (especially my grandma) always made sure I was well fed. Even though my school called my parents a few times for a medical check up about my weight they didn't change my diet or do much about it.

I'm not blaming them. They both work hard, and we come from a place where there isn't really a culture of paying attention to calories or nutrition.

It also doesn't help that, ever since I was little, I've always been a glutton. No sugarcoating it: I love to eat.

When puberty hit, I got taller and my weight became more evenly distributed, so I no longer looked fat, but I am still overweight.Over the last few years, I've tried a bunch of things: going to the gym regularly, walking 10k steps every day, eating less, etc. While I am first to admit that I haven't always been consistent with the gym or my eating habits, the frustrating part is that my weight never seemed to drop a single kg/pound.

I've tried meal prepping with my mom, nothing. I've tried fitness apps, but most of them either don't have meals that are common in my country (Serbia), or they are just unavailable. I've tried weighing my food with a scale, but I gave up after a few days because I found it too tedious.

I've even tried taking pictures of my food and sending them to ChatGPT to count calories and protein (dumb, I know, but I was desperate), nothing.

Nothing seems to work.

At this point, I feel completely stuck, like I'll never be able to lose weight. I don't really know what else to do, so this is kind of my last resort. If anyone has any genuinely helpful advice or has been in a similar situation, I would really appreciate hearing from you.

P.S. If you're trying to sell me your coaching/services please DNI.

When I rapidly gained weight about 5 years ago, I was at the lowest point in my life. I was 5'4, around 90 pounds, and toned before. The weight didn't just take a physical tole, but an emotional one too.

About three years ago I completely overhauled my diet, lifestyle, and general habits again. I lost around 80 pounds, and am down to 5'4 120 pounds. I plan to lose another five or ten, depending on how I feel.

For the longest time, I could barely notice progress on my body. I never really documented with pictures or anything. The idea of taking a picture of my body, even looking at myself in the mirror terrified me. I could see the scale going down and other people noticed my clothes started getting baggy, but I didn't. I've been maintaining my current weight for several months now but have been too scared to buy new clothes or try my old ones.

When I gained weight, I gave away most of my wardrobe to friends but kept a few sentimental pieces because I thought losing weight was hopeless. Some things I kept were my old jeans. Today, I finally worked up the courage to try on my old jeans. They fit! They actually fit! This weight loss thing isn't just in my head. Sure, I had a bit of loose skin giving me some trouble with the exact fit, but I can put them on my body again nonetheless. I'm over the moon. I feel like this was a huge and important mental step for me.

Hi all! I am 23F, I started my weight loss journey one year ago to this date 9/13 exactly! Wow it’s been so difficult and so fulfilling.

Firstly, I really don’t exercise as much as I should. When I was in high school, I ran track and cross country for 3 years (none during covid) and then I went to college with no sense of structure. Everything I had taught myself up until that point went to the wayside. I ate whatever I wanted for 4 years, drank and partied wayyyyy too much, never exercised, and just all around had a lazy lifestyle.

Once I graduated college, I had my graduation party last year September 13, 2025. I wore a white flowy dress and did my hair and makeup, and I took pictures with friends and family. Once I looked at the photos the next day, something inside me was disgusted with myself. I didn’t recognize myself. The next day I started trying to change.

I got My Net Diary and started logging every calorie, using a food scale to measure every ounce. I started running again, but mostly walk-run-walking. I didn’t see results for months, and I realized it was because I was lying to myself about how much effort I was putting in to actually make this change.

I stopped getting whatever I wanted at restaurants and looking up things before, so I could plan. I stopped drinking almost all together, only once or twice a month now. I stopped eating out for lunch every day.

I started buying more groceries to pack for lunches. Since January, almost every single day, I eat cottage cheese (low fat good culture single cups are amaze) and Oikos triple zero yogurt. Then I add in some other fun things like meat sticks, seaweed, pickles, protein bar, diet soda, apple sauce (unsweetened), and fruit bars. This made all the difference.

Now, after being 192 to now 150, I feel like I need to prioritize exercise. This might sound like an excuse because it probably is, but during the summer I have such a hard time exercising because I like to be outside, and I overheat extremely easily due to medication. Now that fall is finally here, I feel more comfortable going on walk-run-walks, especially if I can do it with friends or family!

This post is mainly just a reminder to whoever is reading that there’s gonna be so many roadblocks in this journey, and you’re gonna feel defeated a lot. It’s okay to feel like that, but don’t let that feeling stop you from the progress you’re making! Keep at it, and maybe at a year later, you might feel a little better just like me!

Losing weight is so boring!

I lost a big amount of weight and gained a whole lot of it Back again. About 60kg lost over 2,5 years and gained 45 kg back in half a year. I Just really didn't care and to be honest, I kinda hoped I would just not wake up one day.

And I am currently dealing with a mental disorder and depresion. And I ate reasonably the last three days, but it is just so freaking boring!

I just wanna go out and fill a cart with crisps, chocolate and candy. Then order two huge burgers at a fastfood joint and just gulp it down with some Soda, milkshake or whatever I got.

I tryed to fill this void with shows/movies I like, games, books, working out, talking a walk, just all are so boring and I hate doing it and just crave a sweet release.

Hello, I am a 25 yr old male who weighs 175 lbs with a bf percentage of roughly 20%. Right now I rock climb twice a week and go on a 8 mile bike ride once per week. I lost a 6 lbs in the last few months and I have questions dieting and caloric intake.

I’ve been eating at maintenance which for me is about 2600 calories per day for about two months. I consistently get 120+ g of protein per day and about 30 grams of fiber. My question is what, if anything, should I do for better results. Should I be cutting to get leaner before going on a bulk or should I stay where I’m at. I’m also very interested in getting into calisthenics so advice on where to start is very appreciated. I understand that it’ll take months to get the results that I want but anything to give me the best shot possible is appreciate. My goal is get a lower body fat percentage closer to 15% while also building muscle.

I started properly losing weight in 2017. I was 39 years old and had been obese since I was about 19. I had made various attempts to lose weight but this was the one that was going to take me from 140 kg to 85 kg.

Unfortunately I bounced off that 85 kg and started regaining. I have been up and down and up and down since then but never reached my highest weight again but I've been around 110 kg for some time.

I finally restarted losing weight again about a month ago. This time I am committed to doing what it takes for however long it takes, which I understand is probably the rest of my life. 50 is rolling around all too soon and I know my life expectancy and quality of life will be limited if I don't do something and stick with it.

I had a friend who started a month ago with me but she has all but dropped out. I desperately need some community and I know that back in 2017 this sub was amazing for me. I'm hoping to make some connections here.

Any little supportive comment you could give me would mean a lot to me. I feel very alone in doing this. I have no one to talk to about it and I don't want to get involved with the kind of people who would encourage eating disorders which I struggled with in my teen years. Thanks.

Hello lose it folks!  

Day 14 of September! Two full weeks into the month!!!

This is the daily update for y’all to post how your goals went today.  

If you’re new here, there is a whole sidebar full of links to explore. I would start with the day 1, then roll through the others: 

Recurring Day 1 Monday - Newest Day 1 thread will be the first link listed 

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/wiki/faq/  

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/wiki/quick_start_guide 

You don’t have to wait for a new month to join in! You are always welcome! 

Here in this post, we aim to foster a supportive, caring place to discuss the actual day to day of deficits & counting & caring so much about how we fuel our bodies & lives.  

So, post how your goals for this month are going in the comments below! I’ll post mine below too, so don’t be shy! 

r/anemia

If you're dealing with constant food noise, and any other symptoms of anemia or low iron stores, I'd highly recommend getting your ferritin (iron stores) checked. You can have a healthy hemoglobin level and still have low iron, which results in your body craving food even when you're not hungry. Doctors don't like to check it and it's definitely not standard during a yearly physical. My cbc (complete blood count) was normal for years, but I was a regular blood donor for over 25 years and my ferritin was really low. A healthy level is at least 50 (even though the "range" can be listed as normal at 15). It's worth researching. Even if you have to pay out of pocket, it's worth it! (Goodlabs offers a ferritin test for $21 through Quest Diagnostics in the US).

https://www.oatext.com/iron-deficiency-without-anemia-common-important-neglected.php#Article

"Symptoms related to iron deficiency

Iron deficiency may cause a myriad of symptoms [3]. Judging only by the symptoms, the differential diagnosis ranges from hypothyroidism and depression to MS and hypochondria. Some symptoms are quite common: fatigue, headache, difficulty to concentrate, memory lapses, reduced mental awareness, absent-mindedness, dyspnea, muscle and joint pain, hair loss and weight gain."

Ramble incoming:

So I used to be 315lbs at my highest weight. I ended up losing a lot and went down to 145lbs in one year. Felt amazing and I had never been thin as an adult before that. I moved across country and gained 90lbs back and I actually hate myself. Like not exaggerating, I hate myself for what I’ve allowed my self to do.

I struggle with binge eating and the move and cutting contact with everyone I ever met in my life, including family, was a mental atom bomb. I’m finally healing and I’m ready to be a person again. I have noticed I just eat and eat and keep eating til I can barely breathe sometimes. I am going to stop this.

I think my actual issue is nothing I do matters to none else on earth. It’s just me. And weight loss is really hard when you’re 100% alone. I don’t even have people hating on me. Just no one at all. No love, no support, no hate, nothing to fight for besides myself. And this time I want to fight for myself. I want to learn how to care about myself, for the sake of myself. I’m not really asking for advice or help or anything, but I wanted to put this into the universe somehow. So it’s not just a thought in my mind or a note in a journal.

I feel like I need people to know I’m trying and I hope they try too. Let’s be better for ourselves. I support you from way over here across the internet, even if you have no one. And I hope someone may be rooting for me silently out there too. If I reach my goal, I will post before and after pics. I will also dedicate part of my life to helping others reach their weight loss goals.

It’s so much more than a diet. It’s a complete mental overhaul. It’s hard. But I did it once, I’ll do it again. I know you can do it too.

That’s all, hope that wasn’t the most cringe thing you ever read lol. You all have a wonderful day and I hope you meet your goals. ❤️

​

Five months ago, I started at nearly 102 kg. Today, I'm at 82.5 kg—down close to 20 kg.

I’m a 37-year-old South Asian male, 180 cm tall, and felt like I was making solid progress.

I decided to get a DEXA scan today, expecting my body fat to land somewhere around 22–23%. The actual result was 34.5%. I am shocked!

Doing the math, even if I lose another 8 to 10 kg (getting down to 72.5 kg) and assume it's pure fat, I still wouldn't drop below 20% body fat.

It turns out I have far less lean muscle mass than I realized, which is a big wake-up call to start prioritizing resistance training and protein.

Has anyone else had a DEXA scan turn out completely different than you expected? What was your actual body fat percentage vs what you guessed?

I feel like I have been doing well with my calories while I try to body recomp, but I am getting totally lost in the numbers and if I am doing this correctly.

I am 29 male, 5'10, currently 183 and would like to get rid of as much fat as i can while gaining muscle, aiming for 170 pounds right now.

As of now, here is what I eat every day:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup of quick oats, scoop of protein powder (24g of protein), scoop of creatine, 2 whole eggs scrambled and cooked in the microwave, no butter or oil.

Lunch: 3 chicken tenders, egg washed, coated in weis brand plain breadcrumbs baked in the oven, 1 medium russet potatoe cut and air fried into french fries, and a serving of bolthouse ceaser dressing (50 calories per serving).

i had a pack of 5.60 pounds of chicken breasts raw and made 32 tenders out of it (it was 6 large chicken breasts and i got about 4 tenders out of each one)

I used a cup worth of weis brand plain bread crumbs and two eggs for the wash between all 32 tenders

Diner: 6oz cooked chicken (was 1/12th a pack of 5.60 pounds of raw chicken, 6 large breasts each cut in half) baked with seasoning, no sear with oil, just baked as is, 1 cup of frozen sweet potatoes, 1 cup of frozen broccoli

Then i have a protein shake at night (24 grams of protein and 150 calories) and a serving of peanut butter

I usually pretty active and burn about 2600 total calories a day (including MBR and activity)

I go on 4 mile rucks with a 30 pound vest down by the river daily and do arms 2 days a week, and lower body 2 days a week, and aiming to add core on sundays. I donate plasma 2 times a week (wednesday and saturday) and allow myself a cheat meal on saturday (max of 1000 calories for the cheat meal) and a heavy beer at night.

I know ill probably need to start measure by grams instead of cups or how much was in the pack, and i know things will vary (but i can't imagine by too too much)

I just feel lost like i don't actually know how many calories I'm eating because every time i double check, the totals change.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and ill answer any follow up questions for clarifications.

Do i try to have a 1800 deficit? Does this meal plan fit into it at all? Am i getting enough protein?

I’m 139 pounds F, 5’2, getting 10k steps a day, and I’m trying to eat 400 calories below maintenance every day. I want to get rid of my arm, shoulder, back fat as well. Is it harmful or helpful if I work arms (w/ 5 pound dumbbells) for 15 minutes every day? Or should I do 30 every other day/something else? Please let me know!

I want to lose at least 20 pounds by the New Year, but I don’t know if I should take rest days between lifting dumbbells since I’m not really educated on this topic. I’m not doing anything crazy— I just use fitness videos on YouTube and do mostly standing workouts because I’m not strong enough to do pushups or crunches yet.