Long story short, 28 year old with 50 lbs to lose!

tiffanylacourse

You're gaining weight because you're eating (& drinking) too much - not because of 'what' you're eating. It all boils down to calories in vs calories out. And if you're working out 5 hours a week and still gaining, then you're eating WAYYY too much.

Feel free to add me if you'd like. I log every day and support/motivate my friends. :flowerforyou:

trina1049

Hi, Naomi! I'm not 28 but I too loved to eat and still do -- I ate myself an extra 52 lbs. on my 5' 2.5" body and as a result I began having health issues. I've tried every diet under the sun including Weight Watchers but always yo-yo'd until I found MFP.

You're young and I encourage you to stop the madness now before it affects your health. Over the last 18 months I've lost all that weight and have been at a healthy weight and normal BMI since February, 2015. It can be done but you have to put the work into it. It sounds like you have one part of the equation worked out; the exercise part but you have to change your eating habits. I believe it's true when people say that you can't out exercise a poor, non-nutritious diet.

You need strategies to keep yourself from eating too much food. First of all, weigh and measure everything because it's an eye opener. Portion control is one of the keys to success. Another strategy that worked for me was to eat every 3 to 4 hours so that I was never starving. If I'm full and content then I don't feel the need to overindulge, though the timing of your meals makes no difference for weight loss. I just hate feeling hungry so, for me, having smaller meals more frequently worked. Additionally, I never have "cheat days" because I eat the food I love, just in smaller portions. I think that "cheat days" are counter productive, but that's just me.

Carry healthy snacks with you on the go, driving, or even at the gym. I keep protein bars with me to keep the hunger at bey and that seems to work for me. Of course, I log everything that goes into my mouth so keep track of your on the go snacks.

Another strategy that worked for me was to limit my exercise to 3 to 4 days a week. I found that I needed rest days to recover from weight lifting and cardio (because I'm old); that may not work for you, but over exercising can add stress to an already stressful life. I stay active on my off days from the gym by walking, swimming, biking, etc. and I find that helps and I adjust my calorie intake accordingly for less active days. I also take a maintenance break every 2 months for a week to relax, unwind, and refresh myself. I eat at maintenance and stay out of the gym though I still stay active (adjust calories intake accordingly).

Finally, I use a Fitbit Charge HR for all of my daily activity so that I can closely guesstimate my calories in and calories out. This has been a life saver for me.

Naomi, you have to find strategies that work for you. Do it now and don't wait. You'll be very happy that you did and learn to love yourself first and foremost.

Best of luck,

Cheers!

NaomiC1013

tiffanylacourse wrote: »

You're gaining weight because you're eating (& drinking) too much - not because of 'what' you're eating. It all boils down to calories in vs calories out. And if you're working out 5 hours a week and still gaining, then you're eating WAYYY too much.

Feel free to add me if you'd like. I log every day and support/motivate my friends. :flowerforyou:

Lol! Yep, I figured that! Haha! I'm gaining so much muscle too tho, it's crazy! And it's fun to see! I totally flex in front of the mirror in a daily basis. Haha!

For the most part I agree with you that it's calories in vs calories out but a huge part is 'what' you're eating. Sugar, even natural sugar, turns straight to fat so if you're trying to lose fat, it's best to avoid foods high in sugar even if you have room for it in your calorie goal. My main goal is to lose fat not "weight". Unfortunately, a lot of people who lose weight are also losing muscle mass. I'm trying to avoid that by working out as much as I do and trying to have a diet that's pretty high in protein and (healthy) fat. And lots of carbs too, just the good veggie kind. I know some of my "weight" gain is from muscle. I've gained about 6 lbs since starting CrossFit (6 months ago) and working out 5x/wk. I'm so much stronger than when I started. I just really want to refine my diet to achieve my goals and quit binging so that I can really start to cut the fat!!!!

NaomiC1013

trina1049 wrote: »

Hi, Naomi! I'm not 28 but I too loved to eat and still do -- I ate myself an extra 52 lbs. on my 5' 2.5" body and as a result I began having health issues. I've tried every diet under the sun including Weight Watchers but always yo-yo'd until I found MFP.

You're young and I encourage you to stop the madness now before it affects your health. Over the last 18 months I've lost all that weight and have been at a healthy weight and normal BMI since February, 2015. It can be done but you have to put the work into it. It sounds like you have one part of the equation worked out; the exercise part but you have to change your eating habits. I believe it's true when people say that you can't out exercise a poor, non-nutritious diet.

You need strategies to keep yourself from eating too much food. First of all, weigh and measure everything because it's an eye opener. Portion control is one of the keys to success. Another strategy that worked for me was to eat every 3 to 4 hours so that I was never starving. If I'm full and content then I don't feel the need to overindulge, though the timing of your meals makes no difference for weight loss. I just hate feeling hungry so, for me, having smaller meals more frequently worked. Additionally, I never have "cheat days" because I eat the food I love, just in smaller portions. I think that "cheat days" are counter productive, but that's just me.

Carry healthy snacks with you on the go, driving, or even at the gym. I keep protein bars with me to keep the hunger at bey and that seems to work for me. Of course, I log everything that goes into my mouth so keep track of your on the go snacks.

Another strategy that worked for me was to limit my exercise to 3 to 4 days a week. I found that I needed rest days to recover from weight lifting and cardio (because I'm old); that may not work for you, but over exercising can add stress to an already stressful life. I stay active on my off days from the gym by walking, swimming, biking, etc. and I find that helps and I adjust my calorie intake accordingly for less active days. I also take a maintenance break every 2 months for a week to relax, unwind, and refresh myself. I eat at maintenance and stay out of the gym though I still stay active (adjust calories intake accordingly).

Finally, I use a Fitbit Charge HR for all of my daily activity so that I can closely guesstimate my calories in and calories out. This has been a life saver for me.

Naomi, you have to find strategies that work for you. Do it now and don't wait. You'll be very happy that you did and learn to love yourself first and foremost.

Best of luck,

Cheers!

Trina, thank you so much for your sound advice and suggestions. Well done for losing the weight! You're so right about weighing/measuring being an eye opener! Just now I was fixing my lunch and I like to add a bit of garlic olive oil vinegarette to my salad. I usually just pour it on, no measuring. Today I measured, because I've started logging and wow!! 2 tablespoons is 130 calories! So I measured out one tablespoon and actually found that was plenty to flavor my lettuce!

Thank you so much for your encouragement. I am determined to get my body right before I hit 30!

MaternalCopulator

I'm always a fan and big proponent of self love.

trina1049

NaomiC1013 wrote: »

trina1049 wrote: »

Hi, Naomi! I'm not 28 but I too loved to eat and still do -- I ate myself an extra 52 lbs. on my 5' 2.5" body and as a result I began having health issues. I've tried every diet under the sun including Weight Watchers but always yo-yo'd until I found MFP.

You're young and I encourage you to stop the madness now before it affects your health. Over the last 18 months I've lost all that weight and have been at a healthy weight and normal BMI since February, 2015. It can be done but you have to put the work into it. It sounds like you have one part of the equation worked out; the exercise part but you have to change your eating habits. I believe it's true when people say that you can't out exercise a poor, non-nutritious diet.

You need strategies to keep yourself from eating too much food. First of all, weigh and measure everything because it's an eye opener. Portion control is one of the keys to success. Another strategy that worked for me was to eat every 3 to 4 hours so that I was never starving. If I'm full and content then I don't feel the need to overindulge, though the timing of your meals makes no difference for weight loss. I just hate feeling hungry so, for me, having smaller meals more frequently worked. Additionally, I never have "cheat days" because I eat the food I love, just in smaller portions. I think that "cheat days" are counter productive, but that's just me.

Carry healthy snacks with you on the go, driving, or even at the gym. I keep protein bars with me to keep the hunger at bey and that seems to work for me. Of course, I log everything that goes into my mouth so keep track of your on the go snacks.

Another strategy that worked for me was to limit my exercise to 3 to 4 days a week. I found that I needed rest days to recover from weight lifting and cardio (because I'm old); that may not work for you, but over exercising can add stress to an already stressful life. I stay active on my off days from the gym by walking, swimming, biking, etc. and I find that helps and I adjust my calorie intake accordingly for less active days. I also take a maintenance break every 2 months for a week to relax, unwind, and refresh myself. I eat at maintenance and stay out of the gym though I still stay active (adjust calories intake accordingly).

Finally, I use a Fitbit Charge HR for all of my daily activity so that I can closely guesstimate my calories in and calories out. This has been a life saver for me.

Naomi, you have to find strategies that work for you. Do it now and don't wait. You'll be very happy that you did and learn to love yourself first and foremost.

Best of luck,

Cheers!

Trina, thank you so much for your sound advice and suggestions. Well done for losing the weight! You're so right about weighing/measuring being an eye opener! Just now I was fixing my lunch and I like to add a bit of garlic olive oil vinegarette to my salad. I usually just pour it on, no measuring. Today I measured, because I've started logging and wow!! 2 tablespoons is 130 calories! So I measured out one tablespoon and actually found that was plenty to flavor my lettuce!

Thank you so much for your encouragement. I am determined to get my body right before I hit 30!

You'll get there, just stick with MFP.

Chenry18

Hi Naomi! Been there. I recently lost 54 lbs after having my son in July:) It is hard but once you do it, you will feel like a million bucks. I walk A LOT. I also completely cut out pop. I eat my biggest meal for lunch & lots of veggies for dinner. I would be happy to share with you what else I did if you'd like to message me!

NaomiC1013

MaternalCopulator wrote: »

I'm always a fan and big proponent of self love.

Thank you! I need that!!

NaomiC1013

Chenry18 wrote: »

Hi Naomi! Been there. I recently lost 54 lbs after having my son in July:) It is hard but once you do it, you will feel like a million bucks. I walk A LOT. I also completely cut out pop. I eat my biggest meal for lunch & lots of veggies for dinner. I would be happy to share with you what else I did if you'd like to message me!

Wow, congrats and well done! I'll definitely be adding you and picking your brain! Thank you!