Weight loss help!

mancinisamantha7415

Hey everyone I'm in real need of some advice/help. I'm 22 yrs old, 5'9", and weigh between 227-230lb. I do have hypothyroidism and take meds for it also not sure if that will have an effect on anything lol. I'm trying to lose 30 lbs by July for my 1 year anniversary with my husband and I seem to really be struggling no matter what foods I seem to cut out or anything. Does anyone have any advice or tips that may help me?

veganbaum

In taking a quick look at your diary, you should start with tightening up your logging and reading these posts:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest

There are probably groups on here for those with hypothyroidism, you might find some information there. But regardless of any medical conditions, it still comes down to calories in vs calories out. You just have to make sure you're in a deficit. Log accurately - check out the links above, as that includes choosing correct entries from the database. Don't change anything for 4-6 weeks, then make adjustments if necessary.

hdrj22078

Hey, cutting sugar and bread worked for me however I've heard several say it didn't for them. Just try to do at least 30 mins of cardio a day and see if that will jump start your weight loss. Yesterday was my first day back on here since November and my scale says I lost ounces not sure how true that is but hopefully it's not lying to me.

mancinisamantha7415

Just curious what exactly do you mean by a deficit of calories.

veganbaum

mancinisamantha7415 wrote: »

Just curious what exactly do you mean by a deficit of calories.

When you signed up for MFP, I'm assuming you entered that you want to lose weight, since you've said here that is your goal. Based on your diary, I'm also assuming that you entered a goal of 2lb/wk. (As an aside, 2lb/wk is very aggressive unless you're very overweight. At your height and weight you'd probably be better off with 1.5 or 1lb/wk. But that won't matter if you're not logging accurately and end up eating more than you think you are.)

When you enter a weight loss goal, MFP provides a goal that gives you a calorie deficit to lose weight. Basically, a calorie deficit means that you are eating less than your body burns/needs in a day, so you will lose weight.

Aziiz69

Do Intermittent fasting that will change your life.

janekocanpayne

I've taken a quick look at the last few days of your diary, and feel that there is a lot of room for "improvement" there. There seems to be a lot of take-away/restaurant food there - my advice would be to stop eating that, unless it's for a treat (birthday or anniversary, something like that). I don't consider anything that's deep-fried to be an option for people trying to lose weight, so your popcorn chicken and McDonalds fries have to go (IMHO). There is a large number of people here who would tell you that less calories in than out will result in a weight loss, but I believe that the quality of your calories is just as important. Just because you have enough calories left for the day to eat half a cake doesn't mean that it's a good nutritional option.

misskarne

janekocanpayne wrote: »

I don't consider anything that's deep-fried to be an option for people trying to lose weight, so your popcorn chicken and McDonalds fries have to go (IMHO). There is a large number of people here who would tell you that less calories in than out will result in a weight loss, but I believe that the quality of your calories is just as important.

No, no, and no. I still eat McDonalds semi-regularly, work it into my calories, and am still losing. You can eat whatever you like and as long as you're under your calories you will lose. (Nutrition is a good idea for other reasons.)

Yi5hedr3

Keep carbs under 100 grams/day. Amazing!

SezxyStef

janekocanpayne wrote: »

I've taken a quick look at the last few days of your diary, and feel that there is a lot of room for "improvement" there. There seems to be a lot of take-away/restaurant food there - my advice would be to stop eating that, unless it's for a treat (birthday or anniversary, something like that). I don't consider anything that's deep-fried to be an option for people trying to lose weight, so your popcorn chicken and McDonalds fries have to go (IMHO). There is a large number of people here who would tell you that less calories in than out will result in a weight loss, but I believe that the quality of your calories is just as important. Just because you have enough calories left for the day to eat half a cake doesn't mean that it's a good nutritional option.

why not? if it's within her limit no harm no foul.

quality of calories is not as important for weight loss...which is what the OP's goal is atm. The health, nutrition and fitness comes don't force it down people throats. BTW if I had enough calories at the end of the day for half a cake I would eat 1/4 of that cake and wash it down with milk.

OP that is a very short time frame for 30lbs...1lb a week would be a good goal.

Buy a food scale and start weighing out the portions and logging them that way...1 medium apple is not a good thing...75g apple is.

Calorie deficit is eating less calories than you need to maintain.

For me I can eat about 2000-2400 a day (depending on exercise) so I am in a deficit for winter at about 1500-1800 to lose 1/4lb a week...

murp4069

Aziiz69 wrote: »

Do Intermittent fasting that will change your life.

Nothing about intermittent fasting is life changing or will guarantee a weight loss. IF is not an option that works for everyone and for some people leads to binging. There are plenty of posts in the forums with IF discussions. OP should look at some of the posts to decide whether or not it's for her. And I say this as someone who does 16:8 IF.

janekocanpayne wrote: »

I've taken a quick look at the last few days of your diary, and feel that there is a lot of room for "improvement" there. There seems to be a lot of take-away/restaurant food there - my advice would be to stop eating that, unless it's for a treat (birthday or anniversary, something like that). I don't consider anything that's deep-fried to be an option for people trying to lose weight, so your popcorn chicken and McDonalds fries have to go (IMHO). There is a large number of people here who would tell you that less calories in than out will result in a weight loss, but I believe that the quality of your calories is just as important. Just because you have enough calories left for the day to eat half a cake doesn't mean that it's a good nutritional option.

Calories are calories, and it doesn't matter if they come from fried chicken or apples. There is no quality about a calorie that makes it better or worse depending on what type of food you are eating. Nutrients are another story.
If you want to lose weight, you simply have to consume less calories than you burn. If you want to be sure you are taking in the nutrients your body needs to function and for health, then absolutely you should pay attention to that and make choices that will help you meet those goals. Speaking to entire group of people as to what they should and shouldn't eat to lose weight ignores the fact that plenty of people on MFP have lost weight eating cake and fried chicken, myself included. By not depriving ourselves the of the food we really like, but instead eating it in moderate portions, we set ourselves up for better chances of long term success. Chances are, most of us can't avoid fried chicken, pizza, and cake forever. But we can learn to enjoy these foods in moderation, and we shouldn't be afraid to eat certain foods.

OP, veganbaum had great advice to read some of the posts about MFP and food logging. You should start with those.

CaitlinW19

Log all your food, weigh or measure all of your food (though weighing is for sure much more accurate).

Personally, I find it really helpful to eat less calories during the week, keeping my intake around 1,200 a day and on the weekends give myself more flexibility...I might have a big meal out, or I might just eat back all of my exercise calories instead of just some. I don't find it hard to keep my calories lower during the week, but pushing myself that hard 7 days a week just isn't sustainable as far as I am concerned. It's great to work hard toward your goals, but the goal shouldn't be to accomplish your weight loss as quickly as possible...that's a recipe for failure most of the time. Slow and steady wins the race. If you stick with it, 30 lbs is probably doable by July.