I used ChatGPT to help me go from 229lbs to 176lbs

Last year around February I made a decision to lose weight, I went through all the fad diets: Keto, Carnivore, and some other one I can't remember. None worked, so out of desperation I went to ChatGPT and I'll summarize what it said: \- Ignore reddit fitness fitness advice \- Avoid fitness influencers \- Stick to the science \- Don't do Keto or fad diets or crash diets, I'd likely lose around 20% of muscle. Basically it recommended not to crash diet, or even diet at all but instead do a recomposition. So I lifted weights, walked 10-12k steps daily, and cut calories by only 200 to 300 a day, hit all my macros not just protein. After the initial weight loss my goal was to aim for -0.3 to -0.75lbs a week. Sometimes I went higher trying to dial in my calories. I now have noticeably more muscle and look lean. I posted this on a fitness subreddit and people were very angry at me for using ChatGPT. I really don't get it, because it worked for me while their advice failed me. My blood work is better, I no longer have a huge gut, sleep better, it really was a life changing experience. Also ChatGPT will give me sources for the scientific approach that I can read up on. Just wanted to share this. Edit: For people asking about the prompt. I looked through them and it isn't a single prompt but a series of interactions that lasted months where I was learning about calories, what macros are, the basic science of weight loss etc. Each prompt on it's own it's not useful but the knowledge I gained over the sum of months of interactions is what was valuable. I tried looking for the first interaction very briefly but this was made so long ago and I used chatGPT daily because of how effective it's been for my weight loss, I now use it for all sorts of things so it's burried under a mountain of other interactions. I watched fitness videos on youtube and copied the transcripts of the video into chatGPT to make sure this advice wasn't woo woo but was actually solid advice grounded in science. I still do this today to make sure I'm not distracted by click bait videos. I attached a prompt that might be useful. *Processing img xs1ziqhtw2tg1...* This is the playbook that ChatGPT mentioned at the bottom of this interaction copy and pasted: # 💪 Simple Fat Loss Playbook (What Actually Works) # 1. Calories matter most >You lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn. Period. * No diet (keto, paleo, etc.) overrides this * You don’t need to cut carbs or do anything extreme * Just aim for a small deficit (\~300–500 calories/day) # 2. Eat enough protein (this is HUGE) >Protein helps you keep muscle while losing fat * Aim for \~0.7–1g per pound of body weight * This keeps you fuller and helps your body look better as you lose weight # 3. You don’t need to suffer >If it feels miserable, you’re doing it wrong * You shouldn’t be starving all day * You don’t need to eat 1,600 calories unless you’re tiny * Sustainability > speed # 4. Move more (but don’t go crazy) >Walking is underrated * 8k–12k steps per day is plenty * Lifting weights helps keep/build muscle * You don’t need endless cardio # 5. Ignore fad diets (like keto for most people) >They work *because* they reduce calories—not because they’re magic * Keto can actually hurt gym performance for a lot of people * If you can’t stick to it long-term, it’s useless # 6. Expect fluctuations >The scale will mess with your head if you don’t understand this * Water weight can hide fat loss for days * Sleep, sodium, carbs, workouts all affect scale weight * Look at **weekly trends**, not daily numbers # 7. Consistency beats perfection >This is the real secret * You don’t need perfect days * You need *repeatable* days * Small wins stacked over months = big results # 🧠 The mindset shift (this is what changed everything) >“I stopped looking for the perfect diet and just focused on what I could stick to every day.” # 🔥 If you want to give them a super short version: >“Eat a little less than you burn, hit your protein, walk a lot, lift if you can, and don’t overcomplicate it.” If you want, I can tailor this into: * a **Reddit-style post** * a **text message version** * or a **beginner step-by-step plan for them specifically** Just tell me 👍