Massive Weight Loss Help

bostonredsoxluv

HI Everyone!

I am new to MFP and I am looking to lose about 80lbs by next December. I am getting married October 2016 and want to look and feel my absolute best by that time. I know 80% of weight loss is what you eat...any tips on nutrition?? I must mention that I'm not a fan of salads.

Thanks for your help!

Ready2Rock206

Start logging EVERYTHING you eat/drink. Buy a food scale. Be accurate. No salads needed - just stay at a calorie deficit and get that body moving.

sodakat

Take a look at the "stickies" in the top 3 subforums here. There is a ton of useful info there, including help on setting goals, structuring your eating plan so you will stick with it, and even how to count calories and accurately log them in the MFP food diary.

Read, read, read then start logging what you already eat. It won't take long for you to see where you can cut some calories. It can be an eye opener learning how many calories are in our everyday diet.

Congratulations on your engagement, btw!

Branstin

Here are two links to get you started. There are plenty more posted at the top of the forum:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

msshiraz

The key to good nutrition is getting those clean foods into your diet- salads are easy for many but so are soups! Limit fruits- not none but just be careful, and especially of fruit juices- often loaded with sugar.
- Do you like to cook? What foods do you like that have made you gain weight? Almost any food can be modified to a healthier version and still be completely sastifying.
- I love buffalo chicken- salads, wings, ect. But the fried was no good. I learned to grill the chicken and then do hot sauce on it- tastes as great, feels even better when you can find foods you still love but can make them healthier

Cortneyrenee04

I agree with the other advice so far. I think 80 pounds is doable, but I wouldn't put any hard deadlines on being healthy. Don't be discouraged if you miss your goal, just keep working. I like to set monthly goals (usually 5 pounds per month) so it's not as overwhelming.

sodakat

msshiraz wrote: »

The key to good nutrition is getting those clean foods into your diet- salads are easy for many but so are soups! Limit fruits- not none but just be careful, and especially of fruit juices- often loaded with sugar.

Well, remember, this is just your opinion. Not all of us are determined to eat "clean" or limit fruits.

In fact, I know that one of the main reasons I was able to finally get going on weight loss by using MFP was that I DIDN'T have to completely give up any food I wanted to eat. Instead, I chose a portion that provided me with calories I was willing to expend while staying within the daily goal that allowed me to lose weight. That was almost a year ago and its still working for me. In particular I dreaded "dieting" because I like a bit of flavored creamer in my morning cup of coffee. With MFP I knew I could log 70 calories for the 2 tablespoons I wanted, then go on about my day feeling like I was eating "normally". Well, it didn't take long before I realized if I had a bit less coffee, 1 tablespoon of creamer was enough to satisfy me. That left 35 calories for a small piece of chocolate later in the day!

I strongly believe that the most important thing you can do is find a way to stay within the calorie goals that result it weight loss that works for YOU.

Restricting certain foods is an individual choice, but is not something that has to be done in order to lose weight.

Over time we probably all make changes to our eating patterns, especially if we have a lot to lose and the process is lengthy. Cutting out too much or feeling deprived can lead to binging and then it can be difficult to get back on track.

CA_Underdog

I hated salads only a few years ago, but I've since learned to enjoy them! While you can eat healthily without salads, they're great filling, low-calorie bursts of vegetables. It may be worth taking stock of what you don't like. For me, that was lettuce and tomatoes and olive oil and vinegar and ranch and blue cheese--almost a non-starter! But then I began to explore different types of olive oils, vinegars, greens, tomatoes, etc. and discovered there were many I enjoyed. Premium salads also often have mix-ins like chicken, fruit, nuts, bacon, cheese, crustini, etc. Even with a generous dose of mix-ins, they're rarely as calorie-dense as alternatives, and you can always ask for dressings and the richest mix-ins to be placed on the side for your personal evaluation.

I think your goal sounds very reasonable (1lb/week) and you're ahead of the game in realizing 80% of weight loss is diet. Since the key will be sticking to it, I'd avoid anything drastic and try to keep it fun! Also, consider adding some basic cardio and strength training. Losing inches, being flexible, being able to dance or do "other" activities for hours and with vitality is also nice!!

krhn

Ready2Rock206 wrote: »

Start logging EVERYTHING you eat/drink. Buy a food scale. Be accurate. No salads needed - just stay at a calorie deficit and get that body moving.

This girl is on the ball!

On your question; congrats first At the end of teh day if your simply trying to lose weight and nothing else, just count how many calories your body should be taking based on your daily activity and height/weight. Then eat less than that (a lot of members eat at a 500 calorie deficit) - the weight will drop off to a certain point, focus on this first and you'll be on your way!

hamoncan

By all means listen to advice - interestingly some of it will conflict entirely - so most of all you'll have to figure out what works for you.

I have "cleaned up" my diet some - I eat a lot less fast food and actually am starting to dislike some of it (greasy salty burgers make me feel ill now, still love pizza though, just eat less of it). Most of the battle is portion-control though. E.g. still love my same morning bowl of cereal, I just don't go looking for the biggest bowl I can fill to the max. 4-500 calories will start to feel like plenty once you get used to eating normal portions.

Don't think of it as temporary dieting - think of it as the new way you intentionally eat to be a healthier, happier and wiser you.

ew_david

30 pounds lost and I can count on one hand the number of salads I've eaten. Eat foods that you like. Just eat them in moderation.

silentKayak

You can eat everything you want. Just not all on the same day. Set your calorie budget. Log and track all your food and exercise. Then you'll know how much you can eat and still lose weight.

You don't have to eat salad. But it's a good idea to find vegetables you like and try to expand the range you can tolerate. Vegetables are magic food because they have tons of nutrients and are very filling for the number of calories they contain (almost none). Eat them in addition to the foods you love, not instead of them. That will help you control portion sizes of more calorie dense foods without being hungry.

Feel free to friend me!

bostonredsoxluv

Thank you all for the advice! The exercise has never been the problem it has been the nutrition. My biggest problem is planning my meals which when I don't I tend to either order out or eat something crappy. I hope to stay on track!

sofaking6

Spend some time doing research on recipes and foods that you think you'll like. Get a few together that have the same main ingredient (ie chicken) and when you have 3 or 4 ready, plan them out for a week. Just make a plan to try that one time and then regroup, see what worked and what didn't and how you felt about it.

Some weeks I do great with planning/shopping/prepping, but other weeks I don't. So it's not like some switch ever went off in my head and I magically became a great meal planner. But just by *trying*, I have found some staple recipes that I like and can make over and over.

One thing that made a huge difference for me? Crockpot.

SteveEighty

msshiraz wrote: »

Limit fruits- not none but just be careful, and especially of fruit juices- often loaded with sugar.

Sound advice IMO. I nearly got diabetes type 2 because I was too partial to certain sugar-loaded fruit, such as grapes.

Just something to watch out for, I was pretty ignorant of such things before embarking on a big weight-loss prog at the beginning of 2014 (well, on two weight-loss progs actually but I failed on the first one, in 2006, lost 55 lbs but put it back on because of a lack of a proper MP. The second one, 82 lbs lost in the first part of 2014, was successful and I've managed to maintain my Target Weight of 140-145 lb. NEVER GIVE UP!)

jmule24

herrspoons wrote: »

The basics of calorie counting are covered by the stickies. Don't worry about clean eating, because that's a meaningless phrase.

Clean eating = taking a shower before eating? Cleaning your food before eating it? Still trying to figure out this whole "clean eating" concept.........

cwolfman13

bostonredsoxluv wrote: »

HI Everyone!

I am new to MFP and I am looking to lose about 80lbs by next December. I am getting married October 2016 and want to look and feel my absolute best by that time. I know 80% of weight loss is what you eat...any tips on nutrition?? I must mention that I'm not a fan of salads.

Thanks for your help!

Eat less and move more. Set a realistic calorie goal and loss rate that you can stick with and be consistent in hitting that goal.

higgins8283801

I don't like salads either.
Lucky for me, they're not necessary for weight loss.

I have lost 40lbs and have not cut out a single thing. I just eat less of it.
I also exercise.

If you can get a scale and weigh your food, you don't have to change the types of food you eat.

Restriction does not work for me and that is why I always have failed in the past.