300lbs to lose, just beginning with a couple questions.

missiontofitness

Read this, OP:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

truelight_photo_craig

davis_em wrote: »

It's already been covered, but it's really important, so I'll be redundant: When you don't eat enough calories, you WILL get tired. If you continue to eat too little, you risk becoming sick. Starving yourself can cause a slew of health issues - things like your hair falling out, bones weakening, etc. Your body needs the nutrition you get from the calories you eat. If you're having trouble getting enough calories, try adding in things you enjoy (just measure your portions) or finding higher calorie snacks, like nuts/avacados/peanut butter/ice cream (yes, I really just typed ice cream). You definitely want to fuel your body with nutritious foods, but having 'treats' is important too. You're more likely to stick to your new way of eating if you allow yourself treats here and there. Welcome to MFP and good luck!

Wholeheartedly agree with the bold part. Allow yourself a treat every now and then. Don't feel guilty about it, and move on!

ManiacalLaugh

Hi - you've already received a ton of replies - most of which had very good advice. I'm just here to wish you good luck, as it will be a long journey and offer a couple tid bits.

- Yeah, it's going to be a long journey. Don't dispair; don't beat yourself up after a bad day; don't turn a bad "day" or "weekend" into a bad "week" or "month". Just get back up on that horse - log it and do better on your next meal/snack. Consistency is key.

- Whatever you choose to do diet-wise, pick something sustainable. This is a lifestyle change, so doing something extreme that promises fast results is likely going to fail you at some point (and probably very quickly). Personally, I'm an advocate for eating what you want within balance (get some protein and fats in with your carbs), and eating at a decent deficit. Whether this is for you or not, just make sure you're up to doing it for the long-haul.

- Set little goals for yourself. When I was heavier, this was the 10 lb mark. Now that I've lost, I celebrate every 5 lbs. This will help keep you focused on what progress you've made instead of what you still have ahead. Personally speaking, this has greatly helped my motivation level.

Zombieinkpot

OP, I started at 411lbs with 300lbs to lose. I'm 5ft and female. MFP gave me a goal of over 2000 cals. I kept to it within 100 cals for margin of error. I ate butter and cheese and all the things I liked, I just fitted them into my calorie goal. I found planning my meals in advance and logging them into mfp made everything easier. I have almost reached half way to goal. You can do this, but please eat enough and don't think any foods are forbidden. This isn't about losing weight, it is about finding a healthy sustainable way to live. Good luck!

professionalHobbyist

See a doctor soon.

It has been over a decade unless I missed something.

Get a good blood test and physical.

Then you will know if you have any special considerations.

Zed_cob

I'm male and 38, started at 336 lbs. I lost 16 in 5 weeks eating about 2,300 calories per day. It is a good pace. I think the 3,000 calorie is a good start for your size. Please consider staying with that for a couple weeks before going lower. Eat what you like until you hit that 3,000 cal. As you progress then eat healthier, and healthier. That tiredness and weakness is your body saying too much too fast. Please consider this as a long term journey not a sprint.

msf74

Zombieinkpot wrote: »

OP, I started at 411lbs with 300lbs to lose. I'm 5ft and female. MFP gave me a goal of over 2000 cals. I kept to it within 100 cals for margin of error. I ate butter and cheese and all the things I liked, I just fitted them into my calorie goal. I found planning my meals in advance and logging them into mfp made everything easier. I have almost reached half way to goal. You can do this, but please eat enough and don't think any foods are forbidden. This isn't about losing weight, it is about finding a healthy sustainable way to live. Good luck!

Zed_cob wrote: »

I'm male and 38, started at 336 lbs. I lost 16 in 5 weeks eating about 2,300 calories per day. It is a good pace. I think the 3,000 calorie is a good start for your size. Please consider staying with that for a couple weeks before going lower. Eat what you like until you hit that 3,000 cal. As you progress then eat healthier, and healthier. That tiredness and weakness is your body saying too much too fast. Please consider this as a long term journey not a sprint.

All of this is good advice from people who know what you are going through...

carliekitty

Don't have a all or nothing mentality. It's a long journey so enjoy the extra calories now and do eat them. You will be lowering them as you loose weight. Do go for walks even short ones as you will build on your fitness as you go also. Do enjoy treats if your calories allow. Weigh and log everything'. I wish you much success and you should pat yourself on the back

latkeen

Whole grain bread is good!

donsbetterhlf

Afternoon!! Just wanted to give you a high five for starting this journy. As you can see, we are here too help you. Don't be afraid to ask questions. As so many others have posted, I can tell you what has worked for me so far. I joined MFP many months ago, but not seriously. I told myself to many excuses, etc. But, finally was honest with myself, I needed to change. What has worked for me the best, is portion control. You know, weighing, measuring, and logging EVERYTHING I ate or drank. You will really be suprized of just how much a cup of salad is. Or 3-4 ounces of chicken breast. It's a lot! I cut out my soft drinks a little over 7 years ago. ONly because I was drinking a case, yes I said a case of Diet Coke a day. And that wan't good.
Yes, you can have a soft drink, but remember to work it into your calories for the day. The one thing I would suggest, is finding you a doctor, and have a check up. Talk with him/her, about your life style chang (this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle). The doctor will be able to keep a check on you, ie, blood pressure, heart, cholestral levels, blood sugars etc. I am thankful, believe it or not, that I've got a doctor that actually cares, will take the time to listen to me, as well as kickmy tail, when needed. Good luck on this journey. We are all rooting for ya!!
P.S. Please excuse the mispelled words. Spelling is not my stong point.

PAV8888

z_vette wrote: »

I feel like I'm off to a good start. In 2 days, I've already managed to lose a few pounds! This is very motivational for me! I know I shouldn't be weighing myself daily, but it's difficult not to! I do plan on only logging weekly weigh ins, however.

While doctors can be an annoying expense they are also one of the few ways you can find out things such as your thyroid levels or your cholesterol or whether you have become type 2 or not. To your advantage is your age and your decision to make a change.

Regardless.

I strongly suggest you use one of the free weight trend tracking programs and log your results in it every day/time you weigh yourself.

Weightgrapher.com allows manual and csv entries.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/how-to-weigh-yourself-accurately/ near the bottom third of the page there is a link to "accurateweightcharting.xls"

The sexypants post is something you should read.

Having said that, you need to balance rapid changes that yield tangible results and positive reinforcement, against your long term compliance with your new relationship with food, and eventually with the relationship you will be developing with moving around and exercising when you start to feel lighter.

And again I caution you to be careful when you decide to try and increase your activity level because at your current weight your joints are very vulnerable.

In the meanwhile outside of a supervised setting where you are making trade offs to achieve rapid weight loss results, consistently eating @ below 1500 Cal will eventually cause problems.

Since 2500 Cal is the approximate maintenance level for someone half your size.... it sounds to me like a good minimum to start at. And so are the 3000Cal MFP suggested, which are already designed to yield a deficit that should result in the loss of 2lbs a week.

All I'm saying is that you have a long way to go and getting there three months sooner is less important that just getting there!!!

As to the rest of it, good logging, experimentation, and reviewing your results will help you make better decisions.

This is not a set and forget exercise.. reviewing and re evaluating is good!

Keto works well for people whose body doesn't handle carbs well; I have my personal doubts as to how sustainable it is over a lifetime.

Eating frequently, meal timings, good breakfasts, more smoothies (why would a smoothie be better than just eating the ingredients? are we trying to reduce our fiber and food bulk intake here?), no food after 8pm; I am sure that they all have some effect, and pretty sure that the effect is much less important than the effect of consistently eating ~7000 Cal less every week, regardless of how you achieve that!

Personally I find it easier to achieve by eating food that fills me up as much as possible, as well as the occasional treat if it can fit it in my goals and totals.

A positive nitrogen balance is also good in helping you maintain as much of the muscle mass you already have as it proves possible (You WILL lose some. As you get smaller you SHOULD lose some as you won't be needing it. But keeping the most of it you can is a good goal to have!). Eating at least the amount of protein your 250lb self would, that would be a good minimum... so I am revising up from the 150 to 200g I originally mentioned, and suggesting 200 to 250g of protein, assuming no kidney issues.

As always, each and everyone of us posts based on their own realities and observations. Make the effort to research the choices you decide to make... and keep on going at it!

z_vette

Hey all!

It's my fifth day into this journey, just thought I'd post a little update here. I've managed to not touch the scale the past couple days. I'm really looking forward to Saturday (my 1 week mark) to see my progress.

I've managed to eat around 1400 calories the past 2 days in a row. I know I should probably start eating a little more than that at least. I'm starting to feel better, not as tired. At least not until the afternoon. Yesterday morning I really felt great. I am starting to get a little hungrier between meals, but it's nothing I can't handle...yet!

The past 3 nights in a row, I've woke up to pee 5-6 times during the night. This is very unusual for me, as before I'd only need to wake up once, maybe twice during the night to pee. My water intake hasn't changed much (though I know I should be drinking more water - I'm working on it). I assume this is normal.

I'd like to say thanks for all the advice and encouragement everyone has given me! Thanks to those who have added me as a friend, and are cheering me on! It means a lot to me .

Feel free to add me as a friend if you haven't!

Jozzmenia

How's your workout routine or activity level in general going? I would suggest adding in some healthy snacks for calories, greek yogurt and fruit maybe? quest bars? things like that. I'm not even an expert but I don't think you can find anyone to tell you that 1400 is good.

I know some disagreed but there are a lot of pros to 5-6 smaller meals instead of 1-2 large meals. On top of the claims of raising your metabolism (even people on this board can't agree of course whether it does or not), I'm a lot more sluggish after a large meal than a small one regardless of the content. I ate a HUGE salad the other day and just wanted a nap, as opposed to after a small meal I still feel like going for a jog or bike ride. And I think if you factor in about 400 calories per meal and eat more frequently, even if you have to set an alarm, you'll be full and meet your calorie goal more easily. Try dividing large meals into 2 servings and eating one later... Food for thought.

sandryc79

There is a group of MFP called "100+ lbs to lose and no surgery" that you might find helpful and supportive. They are great people and many of them have had similar goals to you (and made great progress!)

This isn't a race, so you could try eating the calories you are given and see if you are losing on track. If you are not, shave 250-500 calories a week off until you are hitting the loss you want to see. Where you are starting 2lbs a week loss is perfectly fine and more than that a week isn't a big concern as long as you are not starving yourself on 1400 calories or something silly. (So don't do that!) If you are eating lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats, whole grains and healthy fats you may find it difficult to consume that many calories so don't worry about it if you don't make it all the time but try to get a reasonable amount of food in. If you are runing short swap out some food for higher calorie healthy options like almonds, avacado, cheese... etc.

snowflakesav

Congratulations on the start of your weight loss program. I hear that you feel that 3000 calories is too many and you prefer to eat 2 meals. I don't see any problem with that as long as you are under the 3000 calories and you haven't had bypass. Try it out for several weeks. This process and living life in a thin body involves making changes that you want to live with forever.

kellyjellybellyjelly

z_vette wrote: »

Greetings! I just began my weight loss journey yesterday, with a goal of losing 300lbs. My weight on the scale yesterday morning before breakfast was 501 (which was very depressing, as I hadn't weighed myself in several years). I've done much research over the past week or so, and stocked up on some fruits and veggies that I like, or can at least choke down.

My first concern, is MFP says I should be eating 3090 calories a day. This seems insane to me for a weight loss goal, even at my weight. It has really surprised me just how much food I can eat when I'm eating healthy foods. I only managed to eat 687 calories yesterday, and was not hungry for more. Today so far I've managed 766, and that's including some salad dressing and some butter on my whole grain bread (I know I know, very bad). The only meal I haven't had today is dinner, and I only plan on a couple small pieces of cod.

My second concern...is I've been very tired since mid day yesterday. Today I actually had to take a nap, and I've still been sleepy all day. I realize it could be due to the lack of calories I'm consuming...but I'm honestly not hungry and I feel like I've ate a lot today.

Did anyone else have any similar issues when they began? Thanks in advance!

You can do this! For your weight 3090 calories is definitely reasonable & eating 687/766 if you're truly measuring correctly with a food scale for every little morsel you ate is way too little! You need to properly fuel your body & under eating even though you have a larger amount to lose is not healthy & unsustainable.

You need to get out of the mindset that you have to eat so little to lose weight & continue to eat your favorite foods in moderation & finding a way to eat that is sustainable for life. A lot of people who do fad diets or eat so little will not only give up but binge when they eat something they deemed a bad food/restriction. The only time you should give up a food item is if you're allergic or you can't stand to eat it.

AliceDark

OP, I'm not sure if you've seen this or not, but this is a fantastic success story from one of MFP's mods: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1103164

His blog is also really inspiring: www.gettingfit4life.com

truelight_photo_craig

z_vette wrote: »

Hey all!

It's my fifth day into this journey, just thought I'd post a little update here. I've managed to not touch the scale the past couple days. I'm really looking forward to Saturday (my 1 week mark) to see my progress.

I've managed to eat around 1400 calories the past 2 days in a row. I know I should probably start eating a little more than that at least. I'm starting to feel better, not as tired. At least not until the afternoon. Yesterday morning I really felt great. I am starting to get a little hungrier between meals, but it's nothing I can't handle...yet!

The past 3 nights in a row, I've woke up to pee 5-6 times during the night. This is very unusual for me, as before I'd only need to wake up once, maybe twice during the night to pee. My water intake hasn't changed much (though I know I should be drinking more water - I'm working on it). I assume this is normal.

I'd like to say thanks for all the advice and encouragement everyone has given me! Thanks to those who have added me as a friend, and are cheering me on! It means a lot to me .

Feel free to add me as a friend if you haven't!

This is not necessarily normal and why you need to see a doctor. Frequent urination is a symptom of several things, including diabetes. Please see a doctor and get a complete check-up.