this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2026
45 points (85.7% liked)

No Stupid Questions

47680 readers
911 users here now

No such thing. Ask away!

!nostupidquestions is a community dedicated to being helpful and answering each others' questions on various topics.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must be legitimate questions. All post titles must include a question.

All posts must be legitimate questions, and all post titles must include a question. Questions that are joke or trolling questions, memes, song lyrics as title, etc. are not allowed here. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.



Rule 2- Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Questions which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding META posts and joke questions.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-question posts using the [META] tag on your post title.

On fridays, you are allowed to post meme and troll questions, on the condition that it's in text format only, and conforms with our other rules. These posts MUST include the [NSQ Friday] tag in their title.

If you post a serious question on friday and are looking only for legitimate answers, then please include the [Serious] tag on your post. Irrelevant replies will then be removed by moderators.



Rule 7- You can't intentionally annoy, mock, or harass other members.

If you intentionally annoy, mock, harass, or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here. This includes using AI responses and summaries.



Credits

Our breathtaking icon was bestowed upon us by @Cevilia!

The greatest banner of all time: by @TheOneWithTheHair!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] ShellMonkey@piefed.socdojo.com 59 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Unless you're a huge person to start or have massive water weight you don't. A pound of fat is approximately 3,000 calories, so you would need an almost 3K deficit every day to drop that, and since most people eat around that much as their normal intake that's an extreme amount that could be deemed starvation.

Now if you happen to be huge where the normal body functioning uses well past that then maybe, but if you're anywhere below 300 lbs that would be a crazy amount for 2 months.

[–] andrewrgross@slrpnk.net 18 points 2 months ago (4 children)

I've heard it said that a healthy target is around 1 lb per week. Maybe 2 if you're very obese, but at that point you really should be doing it under medical guidance.

In any case, the best way I've heard (outside of drugs) is to get an app that helps count calories, set a realistic daily caloric target and exercise schedule, and stay on it.

[–] ShellMonkey@piefed.socdojo.com 3 points 2 months ago

Consistency is key. For many the problem is they think of it as something you need to do for a while and then go back to 'normal' when really you should be looking for a new normal.

Apps can help, the best one is the one you actually use honestly and routinely.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 44 points 2 months ago

I lost 40lbs in 7 weeks. Would not recommend. It was from chemo and radiation making so that I vomited any food, and needed a liquid food pump inserted. Your body will be wrecked at that calorie loss.

[–] CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 34 points 2 months ago

50 pounds in 8 weeks is 6 pounds per week which is well beyond a safe level of fat loss (without medical supervision and extenuating circumstances or surgery).

You’ll be left with a lot of flappy skin too.

“Not spending a lot” wouldn’t be worrying about that, you’re not going to be eating.

[–] radix@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago

I did a pretty extreme weight loss a few years back, and in two months, I lost 20 pounds.

Even that was a bit more than is recommended without strict medical supervision. Two pounds per week is kind of the upper bound of "normal" weight loss. Don't attempt more without a very, very good reason, and an even better doctor.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago

Severe illness or a gulag.

50 lb over 8 weeks is pretty insane. 1 lb/week is pretty good. 2 a week is pushing it.

50 isn’t going to happen without consequences.

[–] Zier@fedia.io 15 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Losing that much weight in that amount of time means you have a critical medical condition. However in two months you can easily learn better, healthy nutrition and become more active, even have a lightweight exercise program. This will serve you better in the long run. There is never an easy way to become more healthy in a short term, except death.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 15 points 2 months ago

That sentence makes no sense. Figure out the amount you would need to eat and work out to MAINTAIN your desired weight and start doing that. Let it take however long it takes, then keep doing that to maintain, or tweak it to improve.

50lb in 2 months sounds dangerous as fuck. You could stop eating and probably lose that much, fuck up your metabolism, and immediately gain it back without even eating as much as you did before.

[–] fubarx@lemmy.world 15 points 2 months ago
[–] AlreadyDefederated@midwest.social 12 points 2 months ago

Well - I don't think this is healthy or possible in 2 months.

Last year, I weighed in at 242 with high blood pressure and decided to get serious about weight loss. I started tracking my input and output to my system. I have a watch that measures approximately how much I work off. I use apps to track how much I'm taking in. The one factor that is missing is your BMR, your basal metabolic rate. This is how many calories you burn just by being alive. There are special scales or devices that can measure this for you. You will need this to figure out the math.

Food calories eaten - BMR - Exercise calories spent = Calorie deficit or excess

So, if you exercise more, or eat fewer calories, you'll lose weight.

So, a pound of fat is 3500 calories, so if you have a deficit of about 500 calories a day, that's about a pound of fat per week. If you have a deficit of 1000 calories a day - that's a lot! - then you might lose 2 pounds a week.

Using this formula, I managed to lose about 45+ pounds in 6 months. I worked up to a walk+jog and managed to cover about 3+ miles per day. Unfortunately, with the cold weather of winter, I've not been able to exercise much, so my weight loss stopped in December.

But what you're talking about is losing 5+ pounds per week. That would require a 2500 calorie deficit! That would be a super-heavy workout every day. And then eating very sensibly. Even so, there is danger that some of your weight loss would be muscle and bone loss in addition to fat.

tl;dr - Don't do this. Also, talk to a doctor.

[–] Perspectivist@feddit.uk 12 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (4 children)

If you stop eating entirely for 2 months you might just barely make it.

EDIT: Or sing up for the next season of Alone, which is basically the same thing.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] HazardousBanjo@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

Outside of necessary amputations or liposuction, there's no healthy way to do that. Especially in a way that's sustainable.

[–] Solumbran@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (9 children)

Nothing, it's just a bad idea

Also, just go see a doctor, because each situation is unique and it's stupid to believe the "calories in calories out" shit

[–] CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 33 points 2 months ago (1 children)
  1. Yes

  2. Calories in, calories out is basic thermodynamics.

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 5 points 2 months ago

In the context of human energy use it's also extremely simplified. Energy in can be measured in terms of food, but that assumes all calories are absorbed. It also assumes exact efficiency. It assumes average energy use etc.

As weight loss drugs show, for many who struggled with weight loss before, it's also important how the body uses, stores and distributes the energy.

Sure, no energy is created or destroyed, but dietary makeup, hormones, metabolism gut motility, gut biome, etc all have an effect in the process.

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 20 points 2 months ago

Well scientifically it is exactly calories in to your metabolism vs calories burned out.

Whether your body is absorbing those, or too depressed of a system to burn at a normal rate would be the doctor's investigation.

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] bufalo1973@piefed.social 10 points 2 months ago

Chop an arm?

[–] InvalidName2@lemmy.zip 10 points 2 months ago

Napkin math: There are roughly 3,500 calories in 1 lb of fat. To lose 50lbs of fat, that's 175000 calories.

Let's get an upper bound of 31 days per month, for 2 months, that's 62 days. 175000 / 62 approximately 2822.5 calorie deficit per day required. The actual number would be higher.

The other aspect of this is that, generally speaking, the majority of "quick" weight loss is pretty much always in the form of water loss. Water weighs around 8lbs a gallon. So, you'd need to drop about 6 gallons of water to achieve that kind of weight loss.

Neither of these are safe, reasonable, or practical in that time frame, for the average person without medical supervision and/or other professionals supporting you.

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

This would kill you.

[–] A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] seathru@quokk.au 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Or for a legal option, you can walk in to most weight loss clinics and they'll give you all the robin eggs (phentermine) you want. They're also great for long road trips.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

I had weight loss surgery ~2yrs ago. Started out at ~335lbs and have lost ~100lbs. Most of that was lost slowly over the course of the first year after the surgery.

So, even with weight loss surgery you are unlikely to loose 50lbs in two months. Unless you are starting at a very very high inital weight.

[–] flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

No one suggested Delhi belly?? Just eat a bunch of raw chicken, bro

(This is terrible advice)

[–] SaneMartigan@aussie.zone 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago

That's fair... Both would really do it

[–] eestileib@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Daily exercise counts a lot too. Get a heart rate monitor and get into zone 2 for 150 minutes a week, it's hard to describe how much of a difference it makes through your entire body.

[–] Perspectivist@feddit.uk 2 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Working out has a lot of positive health benefits but it plays just a tiny role in weight loss. It's virtually all about diet.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)
[–] harambe69@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 months ago

A tapeworm infection.

[–] fubbernuckin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 2 months ago

It takes a deficit of about 3500 calories to lose 1lb. Let's say you stop eating at all for those 60 days. Assuming you burn 2500 calories a day idle, then after 60 days you'd have burned 150,000 calories, which would lose you ~43 lbs. Also your metabolism would slow down if you stopped eating and would make you lose less.

I don't think it's possible without some kind of surgery, but that violates your requirement of not spending a lot.

[–] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

A casual stroll through your local anti-personnel minefield should do it. Bring tourniquets.

[–] abigscaryhobo@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

50lbs is an unhealthy goal. Both for your mentality and for your body. Health recommendations put about 2lbs a week as the upper limit on weight loss without health issues. Even people who are on weight loss programs and injections are told to stick to this amount as best they can.

As someone who lost 50lbs last year I get the urge to just "get it done" trust me. But it won't help long term. Pick a routine, watch your calories, and stick with it. Success comes from progress, not quick fixes.

And if you want my secret tip, you're gonna be hungry, but when you do eat, shrink your serving sizes, and wait. If you're eating don't make a whole meal (ex. Two pb&js, chips, and fruit) make a serving (one sandwich, or just the fruit, or a measured serving of chips, don't just eat out of the bag), eat that and some water, and give it time. You won't be "full" but the hunger will go away and you can keep going.

[–] ChetManly@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago
[–] hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 months ago

Don't. For most part, weight loss and diet culture is bullshit at best and deadly at worst.

[–] YellowParenti@lemmy.wtf 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You lose about a pound a day water fasting, but its hard mentally and physically. As in if you've never fasted before, its gonna be hard to keep going the first 24hrs. If you're obese you have a good chance to come out just fine. You can look up the electrolytes y o u need to do an extended water fast. You should be getting checked out by a doc frequently while doing it. Things can go bad really quickly. Read, read, read everything you can before doing this.

A Protein Sparing Modified Fast(PSMF) is where you eat about 600 to 800 calories a day with about 120 to 150g of protein (chicken breast) with leafy greens( broccoli, spinach, kale) the veg is so low calorie it doesnt really matter the amount as long as its at least a cup( you need the vitamins, minerals, and fiber). the protein so filling you basically are gonna be "full". you wont be satisfied, but you will be able to eat and never be looking for more. the point is to have enough protein intake to keep your muscle loss to a minimum. You have to do a basic weight training or calisthenics regimen to keep the muscle loss down.

  • Take a multivitamin
  • if your having trouble shitting, more veg
  • lightheaded: pinch of salt in a glass of water, broth, or buy what is called lite salt here( its a mix of sodium and potassium salt; you need both types anyway)

Go to your doc and tell them your plan. They will take blood exams, probably EKG, and check ins every 2 or 3 weeks to make sure everything is OK. I've done PSMF because my sleep apnea was literally killing me. I lost 25 lbs the first month and 20 the next. It sucked, but it fixed my apnea and all my cardiovascular and metabolic problems. I then gradually raised my calories to 1800 and kept losing weight until I got to a normal weight.

You will have loose skin, lift weights and fill out with muscle to help with it. If something feels off, wrong, hurts, etc. Stop and go get checked out.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] ace_garp@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Intermittent fasting, only eat from 10am-6pm.

Early morning exercise, 1hr of walking or cycling. Start 5am or 6am. Medium intensity.

Generally healthy meals. No calorie blowout days.

Plenty of water, minimal fizzy drinks. Soda water is OK.

For added benefit, afternoon HIIT.

Worked for me.

[–] Apepollo11@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Amputate a leg?

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 4 points 2 months ago

You could cut off your legs but I wouldn't recommend it.

[–] Cuberoot@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 2 months ago

Amputate one of your balls.

[–] ieGod@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 months ago

You don't. If you're serious about weight loss you need to commit long term.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Intermittent fasting. Save money on food by simply not eating as much food. I've lost about that much in that amount of time simply by being poor as fuck.

[–] Sunspear@piefed.social 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

A simple start for that is skipping either breakfast or dinner if stricter rules would be hard to follow.

If you eat lunch at noon, dinner at 8pm, and you don't eat outside the afternoon, that's immediately a 16-8 IF.

But a pound a day seems like a quite drastic target nevertheless. Smaller changes are way more sustainable long-term

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›