100 lbs to lose--overwhelmed

rhod6554

I've been trying to lose weight with hours of jogging, to no avail. Now I get back to calorie counting. Yuck. It is so embarrassing when an entire day comes from foods with bar codes. I need to eat more produce. Scared I'll fail yet again. I know, I know, baby steps and get back on that wagon! Still scared.

Emma8882015

Don't be scared! I think that starting with exercise alone is probably not the way to go. To lose weight and keep it off in the long run can only be done with a lifestyle change.

My advice would be to calorie count to get a real idea of just how much you're eating in a day. If you have 100lbs to lose it means that you are definitely eating way more than your body needs in a day, which is ok but you will need to make some adjustments if you want to lose the weight. The challenge is to figure out what your body needs and give it that and nothing more.

Calorie counting isn't fun it's true, but it's not long term! Use it as a tool to help you get and idea of what a healthy diet means to your body. Once you reset your mind in that way your weight loss will fall into place with minimal effort.

You can still eat the foods you love, but you'll most likely have to drastically cut the portions that you eat them in.
For example, if for dinner you might normally eat a big bowl of mac and cheese. Instead you could consider mainly filling up on baked chicken + veggies with a small side of mac and cheese. So you get your flavor fix and you'll be full, but your meal isn't getting you off your goal of calorie control.

PinkandBlack87

Make sure you eat complex carbs like nuts, beans, whole grain bread and rice, low fat yogurt and skim milk. Eat plenty of protein. Protein helps you stay full and regulate blood sugar. Eat negative calorie foods like Celery, lettuce, onions, greens, pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, and grapefruit (if on meds ask doctor before eating grapefruit. Some meds should not be mixed with grapefruit).
Lift weights. Muscle mass burns fat even at rest. Make sure to increase reps and weight as soon as you feel that its getting easy.
I hope this helps!

thenamelessassassin

It can be done hun. Don't think of it as a huge number...think every 10lbs...I did and lost 110lb xx

MKEgal

rhod6554 wrote:

I've been trying to lose weight with hours of jogging, to no avail... Scared I'll fail yet again. I know, I know, baby steps and get back on that wagon! Still scared.

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

So the first thing you need to do is get a handle on the intake.
Log everything for a week or two so you know what you're eating now, what got you into the mess you're in. It's going to be surprising.
As you're doing that, think about what can be improved - more nutrient-dense foods, less of the processed, fatty, & salty things. If you always get hungry midafternoon, plan an apple & a piece of cheese, or a hard boiled egg to prevent raiding the vending machine.

Go read the helpful info linked here, including sexypants, realistic goal setting (weight, calories, macros), accurate logging & measuring of food, etc.

Figure out a healthy goal weight. If you're 100 lb overweight, for now just aim for the top end of a healthy BMI range. See how you feel once you get there. Maybe you'll be happy, maybe you'll want to lose a little more + step up the weightlifting so you look awesome.

Do weightlifting all along, because it's easier to maintain muscle mass than regain it. Also, muscle does use more energy than fat, even when at rest, but it's not a huge difference - 6 cal/lb/day vs. 2. If you lose 50 lb of fat and gain 10 lb of muscle (not gonna happen) you'll still be down 40 calories from where you started (BMR).

Remember how to eat an elephant?
Well, that's how you lose weight too - bit by bit. Eventually you'll be like me, looking back & wondering how the bleep you got here, and overjoyed by your success that crept up on you.
Small changes over a long period of time will yield big results.
.

dieter1200

What I do is tell my self I am just trying to lose 1 pound, then when I lose that pound I just work on losing 1 more pound, and repeat. And remember if you lose 0.2 pounds that is a victory to. I write when I have a new lowest weight on my wall calender even if it is just 0.2 pounds and I can look back last month and even last years calender and see where I was then to see the progress.